Trattoria Nervosa — Restaurant in Toronto

So this is the famous Trattoria Nervosa, huh? Sad to say that I could not have possibly come away anymore disappointed after my first (and more than likely only) visit to this Yorkville institution. Our server, who was nothing extraordinary by any margin, was the best part of our visit. I can appreciate the ambiance might appeal to couples in their early 20's who don't know better or to boomers who are too tired to care- looks much more like a 2000's coffee shop that'd play Norah Jones on repeat than any Trattoria I've been to. Upgrade your interior. Anyone with a functional or refined palate would be better served going to most any other Italian eatery in the city (except Enoteca Sociale and Buca, which while both significantly better (but nowhere near great), are nowhere near worth the prices). This spot is incredibly cramped and uncomfortable, not to mention loud. Drinks were probably the most lacklustre/uninspired representations of what they were supposed to be that I've ever had. Onto the star of the show... the food... the focaccia is just a joke- can get better at any grocery. The best things I had were the kale salad and burrata over tomatoes- and even those weren't even remotely approaching great. Sorry, but these pizzas were akin to soggy frozen ones I've had- and I'm sure I've had better frozen pizzas than what we had here. We had the funghi and nduja. Pretty shocked by how incredibly bland the pizzas were and by the amateur cook on them. Then the pastas... the Bolognese was about the saddest representation of that classic dish I've ever had. I can't exactly place it... maybe it's that the ragu isn't cooked down long enough to develop a really deep flavour, but it just tasted like about the most carelessly put together Bolo I've had. If you guys ever find an anonymous jar of Bolo on your doorstep, know it'll be made by me and intended for you to study how the stuff ought to taste. The mafalde al funghi was half decent, but honestly just tasted like it was doused in Campbell's canned cream of mushroom soup with some sliced shrooms for garnish. The namesake Risotto Nervosa was overcooked, nowhere near creamy/starchy enough, with a farmyard-tasting, seemingly reheated (definitely not fresh), piece of beef atop. Darn, what a waste of money... I could make every single one of these things 20 times better at home. These are the types of spots I so regret visiting and giving my business to, when reflecting on the (lack of) quality. Again, a decent date spot for people who don't know or better or who just crave being seen, but for anyone looking for some half-decent Italian grub, do yourself a massive solid and...

Food is average. Nothing to rave about, nothing too bad that I need to turn it back to the kitchen.

Ambience is weird. We were seated on the 2/F, it doesn't feel much like a restaurant, it's a weird space with very quiet background music and very loud human voices/ noises. The light is flickering and the vibe is just so awkward.

But food and ambience are not the reason why I gave a 1-star review. Read on......

I visited this "no reservation" restaurant in Jan 2024, and I didn't call in advance (because it says no reservation, why would I call?) and when I drove all the way from uptown to downtown, I saw a closure sign on the front door. I messaged the restaurant via IG and was told that they tried to update Google hours but somehow it didn't reflect the closure. They said they will make it up to me when I visit next time.

OK so I messaged them on Apr 17, saying that I plan to visit on Apr 18. Since they don't take reservation, I don't bother to ask them if they can reserve a table for me.

So I dine in on Apr 18, mentioned the case to the manager, and he told me "IG is managed by cooperate/ head office/ marketing team, we don't know about it. Let me take a picture of the IG conversation and I'll ask".

We had our meal and when we asked for the bill, the manager came and explain to us that "since you didn't book in advance, we cannot do anything for you. If you do book in advance on IG, the marketing team would give us a promo code to give you an offer. Also, you didn't order dessert or espresso, so I cannot comp those for you."

I was very put off by the way how the manager handle the case.

1. It's a no reservation restaurant, how the hell do I know I should make a reservation in order to get the compensation/ offer?
2. How would a customer know that there is no communication between the marketing team and the restaurant? It wasn't clearly stated that I must book through the IG marketing team in order to get the offer.
3. The manager could have offered us complimentary dessert and asked if we want it. The server only asked if we want dessert, but didn't mention it would be complimentary (and we don't really want dessert anyways)
4. Our bill is not small. We ordered a bottle of wine. We didn't order just 1 app and 1 main to share among 2 people. The manager could have just give us 10% off or comp an app (which is similar to the cost of a dessert)

Keep saying that you are part of a big cooperation and that "nothing I can do" sounds very lame.

I am not making things up, see the screen capture for more details. I rarely leave a 1-star comment, but I do think I have all the...

Restaurant has predatory tipping culture.

Did not tip because tipping culture is absolute trash, especially when the cost of living is at an all time high. As a result, I had a server rushing after me when I left (after paying) explaining in an offensive way that it is typical in Toronto for people to tip, assuming we were tourists.

Apparently, this restaurant has a fee to not be disrespectful to customers and is disguising it as tipping, since I was disrespected for not paying something that they pretend to be optional.

Ignoring the fact that they have the most annoying habit of constantly asking if the food is alright when we are in the middle of eating, with our mouths full, they also interrupt us when we are having a conversation. Just let us eat in peace, for crying out loud! If there is a problem I WILL LET YOU KNOW! This ruins the experience, it does not make me want to tip you at all.

I am beyond tired of this trash tipping culture where you have to tip enough to satisfy them so you don't get insulted, or worse. If you depend on tips to make a living, either beg for a raise to your boss, increase the product prices, or find another job. I am not going around insulting people just because they are not tipping me, I already get paid my salary and if I am not satisfied, I negotiate a raise, or find a better paying job.

Should I also start demanding a discount whenever I am nice to anyone that serves me at bars, and restaurants? Should I ask for 18% discount if I ask them how is their day going multiple times?

I pay for what I ordered, and the taxes on that too, that's my only obligation. Anything else should be optional, but apparently you have to pay a "tip" fee so they don't disrespect you.

First and only time I went to this restaurant, never again, especially a restaurant that apparently allows this kind of predatory tipping culture.

In Europe, most business owners prohibit tipping because they don't want customers who don't tip to be given a bad service than those who tip, and Trattoria Nervosa is a living example of how tipping ruins their service.

Other reviews do mention how the servers' sympathy is bound to the tipping, especially when the forced 20% group gratuity is already secured, meaning the servers don't have to be nice to ensure tipping at that point. This is such a terrible culture to foster, it's embarrassing.

The food was great, but the experience completely ruined it. There are better restaurants with the same quality of food who don't harass their customers if they don't tip.

Can't recommend...