Rocco's Plum Tomato - The Original — Restaurant in Toronto

After attending Toronto largest fashion show, we were hungry! Inviting two of the fashion show’s VIPs and it was suggested to come to your restaurant. As we sat down, there was a server that suggested the menu as the special for the day! We ordered sparkling water for the table. When our glasses were low the attentive staff came several times to fill our half glasses of sparkling water with (tap water)! As the bottle of sparkling water sat on the table! (know your customer drink orders) As we ordered our food from the server, he was pleasant. When our food arrived we Immediately Noticed our VIPs Risotto was Soupy. See risotto takes a long time to prepare and the rice must breakdown to create a creamy consistency from absorbing the hot liquid during preparation.(It was undercooked) We asked the server for an explanation on the dish and he offered to get the cook. The cook came to our table and had a chuckle as he tried to explain why the par boiled rice looked the way it did! Not to make a scene, we told the server we were not happy with it. Leaving the untouched risotto on the table and sharing my dish of pasta (was good) with my VIP. I called over The server and he listened to our concerns. As he heard my VIPs explanation on why she didn’t like the risotto, the server started to mentioned that he recognized her and tried to start a conversation. We immediately asked for the manager and requested the bill. •See the point here and this should be a lesson to your staff• When a costumer is not happy with their food and requests to talk to someone about it, you should automatically offer a replacement and or another suggestion! But what did happen was the opposite! Not offering this service to replace the dish because the chef went home and as he was the owner also Left us all scratching our heads!. Our server said “that he cannot adjust our bill and can not take that dish off my bill” We suggested to the restaurant that that they should consider our concerns because we are going to write a review if you cannot make this happen! I was embarrassed for the restaurant and being a executive chef and owning several Restaurants I paid this bill and unfortunately only Tipped the server 15% for his ability to represent the establishment appropriately. BTW we were with a purpose and this unfortunately has left a undesirable feeling and your establishment will not make it in our food section of our magazine next...

Incredible Italian food! Good prices & GREAT Service!

Update June 2022:

Hosted my Wife's 30th SURPRISE Birthday party at Rocco's and it was AMAZING. The Food was delicious, the service was great and the ambience was just perfect. Rocco was in house cooking as he always does and making sure everything is just perfect. Roxy isn't only beautiful she runs the Resto with professionalism and efficiency. Gio and Iryna were our servers and did a great job with all our Guests. There were several other support staff that all work together and do a great job! Order the Angel Hair pasta in Rose sauce- it's my wife's FAVE. Or get the veal scallopini as I usually do. DELISH!!

Rocco's has been in business over 32 years and you can definitely see why! He knows what he's doing and he does it very well. They also have Take-out side service and their VEAL sandwiches are just mouth watering. The portions are HUGE! I highly suggest visiting Rocco's for simply amazing Italian fare. You will not leave disappointed. And try their homemade Tiramisu too. It's the perfect ending for lunch or dinner. Trust ME!

Thank you Roxy, Rocco and Gio! Great job as always!

Update September 2024-

Wife/I stopped by for lunch at our fave Italian restaurant & it lived up to the hype- yet again! Roxy greeted us with her friendly & beautiful smile as always! She’s just so delightful, personable & professional.

We indulged in grilled calamari, Angel hair pasta with chicken, stuffed chicken & a 1st for is both- margerhita pizza! In the many, many times we’ve visited Rocco’s not once did we try their pizzas until today! & it was fantastic. So tasty & delicious. Just perfect in terms of crust/dough.

Rocco’s is the BEST Italian restaurant in Etobicoke. You won’t have anything better 100% guaranteed! Thank you Roxy & Rocco! Great job...

We have been going to Rocco's at their Islington Avenue location for many years and just recently started visiting their original location on the Queensway. Rocco's original restaurant does not have a whole lot of street appeal. The facade appears somewhat aged and tired and certainly does not project an air of a Michelin starred restaurant. But looks can be deceiving. Inside the restaurant is that home-like, Art Nouveau, comfortable feel that is ready to transport you to a gastrointestinal experience filled with joy. The food is prepared by Chef Rocco who has been cooking practially all his life. The food is fresh, highly flavourful, exquisitely presented, and the portion sizes are very generous. Customer service is exceptional. At Roccos, you are treated like family. Staff are jovial, very friendly, they take the time to get to know you and really know how to deliver that personal touch that is so sadly missing in many restaurants today. The restaurant does get very busy during dinner times, and especially on weekends and special occasions like Mother's Day, so reservations are definitely recommended. It should also be noted that Rocco's has a wing of the restaurant dedicated for take out. The only real con we could identify is the restroom. Located in the basement, the stairwell leading to the restroom is somewhat narrow and steep and is most likely something that some people who generally frequent restaurants are not used to. The bottom line is that Rocco's delivers excellent value for the money, fantastic home-style cooking that will keep you coming back for more, and super customer service that makes you feel like your coming home to spend time...