Viaggio — Restaurant in Toronto

Our experience this evening was absolutely terrible! We booked a reservation for NYE , over a week in advance. The reservation was confirmed by the restaurant 3 times, including today, on our way there. We arrived on time, but we stood at the front for minutes with servers walking past us as if we weren't even there! When someone was nearby, after a few minutes I had to mention that we were waiting for a table, and had a reservation already for 6pm. They seated us in a dining area with a booth and table that was set up to be shared, and we were immediately squeezed in between two large parties, with a speaker BLARING music right above our heads. NOT romantic at all, think more CAFETERIA. On top, once we were seated, we waited, and watched as they seated two more parties, completely ignoring my wife and I on drinks or appetizers, even though other tables were getting at least that After about 15 minutes of sitting awkwardly, trying to get a server's attention, we were eventually able to get some water. Not even going to get into the menu. The service in the first 20 minutes were there was SO bad, we decided just to have the glass of wine we ordered with our water, and leave. When we wanted to leave, instead of my coat being 'downstairs' where they had told me it was when we were seated, it turned out to be on the upstairs rack under a pile of other jackets and coats, and they handed me a woman's coat that wasn't mine or my wife's at all! WE both had to dig through the pile of jackets at the front just to find mine! In any case, one of the WORST restaurant experiences I have ever had in this city, or anywhere. Please AVOID, especially if you want a nice night out with your partner or spouse. Disappointing is not even scratching the surface. TO the OWNERS of Viaggio - you DON'T deserve the Michelin rating that you have so proudly displayed at the front of your restaurant, and IF things were better when you got that designation in 2022, you have let things fall apart, from the staff, to the atmosphere, and that's a BIG part of running a restaurant.

After our experience tonight, all we can hope for is a better 2024 ahead, because this was the WORST way to end 2023. There were so many other places and things we could have done this evening instead. Wish it...

Viaggio has a warm and welcoming ambience, with an acceptable amount of west-end Toronto pretentiousness. Came here with my partner and another couple on Feb 3 after reading some good reviews. Good Italian restaurants are hard to find in the city. Balancing quality ingredients and maintaining simplicity is never easy. Viaggio missed the mark on the latter.

We started with focaccia and olives which were excellent. Bread was piping hot and fresh and the olives were firm and flavourful. We all shared the burrata and figs, fennel and orange salad and tartare. Quality of Buratta was great but overpowered by the mound of crushed candied pecans that were heaped on top. Figs were excellent and accompanied the cheese nicely; if only they let the cheese shine. The fennel and orange salad was awful - over salted with only 3-4 pieces of orange which would have cut the saltiness. The tartare was the standout. High quality beef, perfectly seasoned and the bread was great.

I ordered the casoncelli and my partner, the signature mafaldine and paired it with a nebiolo. The casoncelli was excellent, the filling in the pasta was delicious, the mushrooms, perfectly cooked and the jus was delectable. The nebiolo paired incredibly well. My partner's mafaldine didn’t match up. The charred rapini gave the entire dish a strong burnt flavour that made it inedible, even after we brought it home. I didn't want to create a scene so I decided not to mention it to the staff. After calling them with the feedback, they responded to me on OpenTable, saying that they were "sorry I felt that way." I wonder if they would have said that if I spoke up during the meal. I would have expected at least a drink or app on the house for a future visit but that would be expecting too much. Even a phone call would have been nice. I have eaten enough pasta to know when something is off or burnt. What do customers know, anyway?

We finished with the tiramisu pancakes - a Canadian rendition on an Italian classic. It wasn't bad, just a bit contrived. Pancakes were well cooked and mousse was delicious. The espresso syrup was on the thick side and gave it an artificial flavour.

Overall, Viaggio is a mixed bag. Misses, hits and pretentious response from the restaurant make...

Looking for Italian restaurants around Toronto I found this hidden gem located on the north west side of the City, which offers such good quality italian dishes.

During patio season they offer outdoor seating in their patio, which you’ll find very cozy and relaxing to enjoy a summer meal.

Menu is not large, but enough for you to try different options from salads, antipasti, pasta, pizza or a few mains. I started with the Panzanella, a salad made of juicy and fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, crostini (large bread crumbs) and basil, all dressed with virgin oil vinaigrette. A fresh plate to start a meal

There are four different types of pasta, all very well cooked and flavored surprises your taste buds. If you fancy trying some special flavors, I recommend ordering the ravioli. Not a big size plate, but really good job done by the chef.

However, if you’re hungry and still wanting to taste a good old traditional recipe, cacio e pepe is the pasta plate I would recommend.

Pizzas here are delicious, the cooking point was perfect, not oily, not dry dough, generous toppings and not excessive cheese. The right Napolitan pizzas. I recommend trying the mortadella pizza, adding some burrata. It comes with pistachio sauce which really adds the cherry on top.

As dessert, they only have one(two) options. Viaggio’s desser is Tiramisu pancakes. Careful because the size is big! But you can order just one pancake (right amount). Just to warn here that they are called “tiramisu” but they don’t taste like tiramisu. The pancake comes topped with very light mascarpone whipped cream, and with espresso maple syrup ( doesn’t taste like espresso). All dressed with cocoa.

For a party of two, I recommend ordering one appetizer (antipasti or salad) , one pizza and one pasta, and a dessert to share. This would give you enough idea of the restaurant cuisine.

Price here is very average, and reasonable considering the amount and quality of food they serve ($80 per person). Service is attentive, a bit disorganized at the beginning but nothing to...