Via Cibo — Restaurant in Toronto

Updated review October 2017 2 stars

I dropped by Via Cibo for dinner last weekend since I was craving Italian. We ordered the Prosciutto Arugula Pizza ($15) which was just ok. The crust was thin which is normally a good thing but not when it gets so soggy that it starts to fall apart. Part of the sogginess could be attributed to the tomato sauce which was really watery. The prosciutto was thinly sliced but could have been more flavourful. The arugula lacked some of the spiciness I've come to expect. The roasted tomatoes added a nice sweetness to the pizza but the seeds were not removed and the juice just added to the sogginess of the crust. I didn't notice any Fiore di latte mozzarella in the pizza but the parmesan did add some flavour. I also would have liked a little more balsamic glaze. All in all, the flavour of the pizza was ok, however, the sogginess of the crust really brought it down to another level.

The Poutine with Bolognese ($9) was probably the best dish of the night. The fries were just ok (not crispy enough) but there were lots of cheese curds and the bolognese sauce had a good amount of ground beef in a flavorful tomato sauce.

The Gnocchi Gorgonzola ($15) on the other hand was disappointing. On first bite, the gorgonzola cream sauce was really tasty and creamy. However, after a few more bites, it was apparent that the sauce had much more of a garlic flavour than gorgonzola. I also found the sauce extremely rich (probably too much butter). Pancetta, roasted tomatoes green onion and parmasean were also in the dish but their flavours were muted by the overpowering cream sauce. The gnocchi was a little on the heavier side and I found it stuck to my teeth a bit as I was chewing it. Not the best dish in my opinion.

Via Cibo is one of those cafeteria style restaurants where you order at the counter and then the dishes are brought out to your table. When I went up to ask if I was at the right counter, the girl looked at me with no smile and said, "It'll be at least a 30 minute wait (with an emphasis on the" least") and then told me I was to order at the register to the right. I was a little taken aback as it seemed she really didn't want me to order and the unsaid message I heard was "eat somewhere else". I decided to stay nonetheless. The cashier who took my order was friendly and really nice though. I've eaten here before and it was good from what I can remember. Hopefully this was just an anomaly since they were so busy tonight.

2016 review 4 stars

Self serve cafeteria style italian food. Their pasta and pizzas are pretty good. And they...

When you walk in you notice the nice and simple decor. I found the scheme welcoming. It is a sit down restaurant but you have to walk up and order at the counter. The prices were decent and the menu wasn't complicated.

I ordered the calamari starter and a chicken portabello entre, my girlfriend ordered the beat salad. We chose our table which was by the wall adjacent to the kitchen. A quiet corner but with a view outside the restaurant.

The tables were sticky however, had salt, and other particles still on it. It had utensils on it so it was set up as ready to be used. The ledge of the wall we sat beside was dusty and covered in bits of what looked like dried dough and flour. Which was understandable since a pasta machine was on the other side. But if you looked up a bit more there were tiny cobwebs as well. Which indicates that it was not cleaned often.

The salad and calamari came out first and the portions were big and fair for the price. Vinaigrette was a bit strong but balanced out with the goats cheese, calamari was lightly battered (good) and paired well the aioli it came with. So far so good.

The chicken portabello though was a bit of a let down. Chicken was not consistent as it was thick on one end and very thing at another. Which made about two thirds of the chicken overcooked and a bit tough to eat. Portabello portion was good but if it was grilled a bit would have tasted better. A bit of salt would have helped as well. They were served covered in a sauce but it did not compliment the chicken and mushroom as well as one would hope. I took the option of house salad instead of pasta and because there wasn't any cheese this time the vinaigrette was overwhelming.

Good as a family restaurant as the portions were big and lend itself well to sharing but the quality and flavour could be a bit...

Right off the bat, my absolute love!! And approved by my very Italian friend too as being pretty authentic from her back home. I've had their gnocchi gorgonzola a gazillion times (yes I'd to use a "G" version of million in that line 😋 ). Always a pleasure to have it. The portion at first always seems too small for my hunger that's bursting on the seams at the first sight of that dish, but then it's a heavy dish with all the cream and cheese and potato that it'll fill up an average man's appetite easily. So fret not. Have faith. Needless to say this item on their menu is my hands down ultimate. Oh and you can have them skip the prosciutto to make it vegetarian/ halal friendly. With the number of times I've been there, I've also had some other pastas they serve. I've had arrabiata, pomodoro and pesto, and like them in that very order. I can handle my spice so arrabiata is right up my alley for a spicy red sauce. If red sauce and/ or spicy is not your thing, steer clear. I've also had their margherita pizza and that was good too (sans the burnt bits on the outer crust where you miss the coverup sauce and cheese would otherwise provide). And lastly, there's so much more than pizza and pasta to try there. They've massive piadinas and plenty more sandwiches under panino and focaccia categories. P. S. totally worth having a sugar rush on their salted caramel oat bar. Like no brainer....