Rosa’s — Restaurant in Toronto

Our school trip recently led us to Rosa's, and it proved to be a wonderfully comforting and satisfying stop! Stepping in, there was an immediate sense of homestyle warmth, like walking into a beloved nonna's kitchen. It wasn't about flashy decor but about a genuine, unpretentious atmosphere that made our large group feel instantly at ease. The casual and friendly ambiance was perfect for unwinding after a busy morning of learning, providing a relaxed setting that genuinely felt inviting to everyone.

Rosa's truly delivers on the promise of classic, hearty Italian comfort food. Their menu, particularly the pasta dishes, was a huge hit with our students. The portions were generous, and the sauces tasted rich and homemade, a clear sign of traditional recipes being lovingly prepared. Whether it was the familiar marinara, a creamy Alfredo, or a robust meat sauce, each dish brought a satisfying and authentic taste of Italy. It was the kind of straightforward, delicious food that everyone enjoys, making it an excellent choice for a diverse group.

What stood out was the consistent quality and generous value for money. For a school trip, finding a place that offers both great taste and substantial portions without breaking the bank is essential, and Rosa's certainly delivered. The focus is clearly on flavor and satisfaction, ensuring that every plate felt like a wholesome, fulfilling meal. It’s the kind of reliable spot you can count on for a solid, delicious meal that feels like a warm hug on a plate, which was much appreciated by our hungry students.

The service at Rosa's was efficient and friendly, perfectly suited for accommodating a larger school group. The staff managed our orders smoothly and ensured everyone was well looked after, contributing to a stress-free dining experience. They understood the needs of a group outing, providing a relaxed pace while still being attentive. This welcoming approach made our visit easy and enjoyable, allowing us to focus on the good food and conversation.

In conclusion, Rosa's was an excellent choice for our school trip's lunch. It provided a genuinely comforting and delicious Italian meal in a laid-back, inviting atmosphere. For anyone seeking authentic, hearty Italian comfort food with great value and a welcoming vibe, Rosa's is definitely a place we'd recommend. It was a perfect end to our outing, leaving everyone...

As many of the lower star reviews mentioned, the service here needs A LOT of work! Staff is friendly, yet none of them seemed to have the proper problem-solving customer service skills. If you’d ask me, the appetizers were worth trying only if youre in the area but no food was worth the service you get. For that reason alone, i do NOT recommend!

I went in a group of 4, we got 3 appetizers(the chicharron, caesar salad and the fried burrata) all were good choices. The appetizers took about 20-25 mins to come out. First impression took a toll considering it wasn’t super busy.

Now the worst part, it took over an HOUR to get our mains, by the time they came out, the steaks were cold, cooked wrong and we were full from our appetizers because we waited so long.

3/4 of my group is in the hospitality industry and understands the complications but it was only when we noticed a table of 8 that came after us, got their food first, did we then pull our server over and ask for our food. From what i understand, she told us that they mixed up our food with theirs, gave them our food(?) therefore delaying ours. When we finally got our food, one of my guests medium-well steak was RARE. You could tell they rushed to push it out, just for the sake of having food on the table.

We would’ve understood had our server or a manager came to us, explain what happened and apologized, yet no one did until we pulled over the server, after they all were ignoring our table to avoid confrontation.

All the mains were nothing special, nothing worth going for(we picked from the main section). Our server ended up offering complimentary churros which was nice, but again we were too full to eat our mains because of the wait so to offer dessert over anything else was a little disappointing. regardless, we took it to go, still tipped and offered constructive criticism and even then the server still continued to make (what seemed like) excuses that they had many “trainees.”

p.s. if you do decide to go, theres a male server(i hope, he might be a server assistant) with long brown hair, he was very friendly and worked with a smile. If he’s a server, try to...

2025-06-09 Made reservations for our family of 3 on OpenTable a few days before. Never been here before and was concerned with parking. Thankfully, found street parking on St Clair half a block away from the resto. We found about 5 front of the house tables busy, but we opted to sit in front of the bar area because they had bench seating. We were greeted and provided menus quickly. For a Monday there was only one person at the bar, and one server staff. Menu was simple and 1 pager. There is “happy hour” with pretty good deals (ie. $5 off tacos) b/n 4pm-6pm in case anyone is interested. We did family-style and ordered 3 shareable appetizers and a steak to share amongst us. We were absolutely impressed by the Birria Empanadas and the Canestras de Chicharron, but the Al Pastor Pulpo Toastada didn’t have as much octopus as we expected yet still tasty. Each appetizer came out one at a time and not together so it gave you the opportunity to really taste each dish on its own. We ordered the Striploin AAA medium-rare when the last appetizer arrived and it took abit of waiting. The steak was well prepared and came with a side of semi-sweetened brussel sprouts that our 16 yr old daughter actually liked (halleluia!). I think the steak took us over the edge…daughter and I were full from the appetizers! Then we finished off the night with 2 orders of churros. One order gets you 4 large sized churros which would have easily fed us 3. Therefore, we had 4 left-over churros to bring home. We were there for almost 2 hrs enjoying the retro decor and listening to latin music playing overhead. Thankfully it wasn’t too loud that you couldn’t have a conversation with someone across the table. The server was attentive and provided refilled flat water when we ran empty. By the time we left, the place was emptying out of patrons, but then again it was a Monday. Dress-code is casual but I think more dressy for any weekend date-night. We’re already planning our next visit but will be ordering 3 different types of tacos as shareables. A definite resto...