Warning: They have limited space (the building is small): Which means you may have to wait next door at Bob's Cafe / the chef has little room to cook, which means orders don't come out as fast. Drinks - not a fan of expensive drinks. If you're into them though, they do provide a variety of exotic Gin mixed drinks. Food; not your typical Italian restaurant, the protein is not the star of the dish... which confuses eaters. This is a Pasta Bar (by classification), its about the pasta. --------- On to this positives: Two smart things I like about this place Thinking of going there? guess what? They often post the special of the day on their instagram page and you get an idea of what you can be ordering. Secondly, i like sitting at the bar. Not that its the best seats in the house... but because you can see the chef cooking and how they handle the pasta. Did i mention fresh pasta? Positive. Maybe its the simplicity of the food / pasta pasta pasta / and most people are use to ordering dishes based on a big piece of protein (fish, steak, chicken) - Thats not what this place is. Its a pasta bar where proteins take a back seat to well cooked pasta, grated cheese, and vegi's. Give it a try. Solid 4/5 read more

(Extremely) small space, great ambiance if you were eating by yourself upstairs, however we were sharing the space with about 30 other diners and no background music, which made things quite loud. Not having a dumbwaiter, you will watch the servers navigating up and down the stairs carrying everything, which is actually entertaining in itself. Food was excellent, had the shrimp & polpo, the seasonal veg (amazingly grilled eggplant) and two pastas (was told this rotated regularly). Pasta portions could be a bit larger, but for $10 each you at least have the option to sample a few. Go if you're looking for negroni and fresh pasta in a loud setting.. read more

We were four for dinner. We shared a few appetizers to start. Burrata. Stuffed spicy pork meatballs. White bean puree. Fresh baked bread with garlic and parmigiana. While they were tasty, none were great. But it was the mains that were the big disappointments. Two of us had seared salmon. Both potions were overcooked and dry. They chose fish because there is no gluten-free pasta option at Annabelle. What pasta bar today doesn't have at least one gluten free pasta as an option? Two of us went with pasta. I had the Rigatoni with Lamb Ragu. Bland doesn't nearly go far enough to describe the sauce. Where were the spices? Where was the lamb? I have had more interesting and flavourful sauces from a jar. My friend had the vegetarian sauce. At least it had more flavour than the "lamb ragu". But neither of us found it very interesting. Both sauces were well below the flavour level one expects at a good pasta bar. However, the housemade pasta itself was excellent and perfectly cooked. Annabelle is quite small. And there are hard surfaces throughout which means sound bounces. We were upstairs and there was a large group having a celebratory dinner behind us. To say the room was noisy is an understatement. We literally had to yell to carry on a conversation. We liked the atmosphere, in spite of the noise. Service was attentive and professional. And based on other reviews, maybe we were just there on a bad night. We'll give it another try. read more

My boyfriend and I recently visited Annabelle after passing by and loving the aesthetic. We were so pleased we did. The brunch was fantastic, drinks on point and totally reasonably priced. We are so happy to have found our new weekly hangout. read more

You know those tea parties you have with your stuffed animals when you're a little kid and you pretend to eat cake that doesn't actually exist? Well that's what Annabelle is like. We waited over an hour for our pasta dishes. Seriously - we had three people in our party and waited over an hour for three bowls of pasta. We were seated around 7:00 didn't get our pasta until almost 8:30. The waitstaff couldn't even bother to apologize for the wait. I have absolutely no idea how this place is still in business. I would never go again and I would never recommend it to anyone. Don't waste your time. read more

I don't usually leave reviews for restaurants but it's already happened twice where I placed an order through uber and when I went to pick it up it wasn't recorded (1st time) or they canceled my order (2nd time). The first time, I had to re-order the order and they forgot olives in the special. The second time, I waited until 5pm and then placed it, but when I went to pick it up, they had cancelled it and then when I tried to place it again, they were no longer accepting any orders (had a promo code to use). I don't understand why they would just cancel it - they didn't even explain themselves. Eventhough they CAN cancel orders, based on Uber's Q&A, it usually is due to lack of ingredients or too busy. Since I ordered it right when they opened for the night (they are only opened for dinner), it doesn't make sense that they would run out of ingredients and when I went to the restaurant (thinking it would be ready to pick up), there was only 1-2 tables filled on their patio, so they definetly weren't THAT busy to not take another order...When they checked their system, they said they only had 2 uber orders but none under our name (so they definitely weren't busy), super odd... Do they even know how to use the uber system (?) and it's annoying that this happened BOTH times we tried to order with them. Overall it was a really disappointing experience... especially cause we had made dinner plans to try Annabelle. Don't think I'll be checking them out again! read more

Food was good, waiting for over an hour between courses was not good. Waiting for an hour between courses and not being offered a new drink, really not good. We didnt receive an apology, just an acknowledgement of the "miscommunication with the kitchen" aka, "I didnt punch your order in for an hour". Getting the chefs menu for 3 people and getting as much food as the table of 2 next to us was also a little questionable. Anyway, decent pasta, probably better options out there if you want to have a good experience. read more

Easy going place for a casual meal. I'm surprised to see some low ratings from some reviewers complaining that the restaurant is loud - so it's noisy; you don't eat sound. Noise is sometimes the best thing in a restaurant. Ever been to a place that is silent? You want to hear your fork scratch the plate? No, you don't. The food is very good and simple and not trying to be anything beyond what is described and this is why I keep coming back. I also like the wait staff - not pretentious or overreaching, but straight-up and helpful. I'm also a vegetarian, which can be a drag in some places, but there were a few good options. In winter, the open kitchen warms you up; in summer, the open windows keep you cool. People in the Christie/ Davenoport area are lucky to have a good spot like this. read more

The food was pretty good here, fairly fresh tasting. The garlic bread as a starter was excellent, and I enjoyed the cured salmon with beets. However the pasta (orchiette with one piece of broccolini) was not especially savoury/seasoned. Dessert was a nice lemon coconut panacotta. The atmosphere was excellent with enough room despite the small space, nice lighting, and very rustic but chic decor. This is the primary reason the restaurant gets a third star. There were two major turn offs however. I asked if I could order a coffee to go with my meal and was told that Annabelle doesn't serve coffee at all because they don't want to compete with Bob (the coffee shop next door with the same owner). The server made it seem like this was the most logical thing in the world but I'm still a bit confused about it. My friend actually walked outside to bring me a coffee from Bob (quite good!). I would have been open to having dinner at Annabelle again in future, once they'd been running for a bit longer. Unfortunately there was some confusion about the bill that was blamed on "water on the iPad screen" so I won't be going back. There is a lot of potential with this place but it was a bit of a weird experience overall. read more

Great new pasta and Negroni joint, south side of Davenport, West of Christie. Nice variety on the Brunch menu. Super friendly staff. Open kitchen to watch the food prep - fresh pasta made in house is a major plus. Will be back for dinner very soon. read more

Cozy neighbourhood pasta bar; I love that everything on the menu is reasonably priced & delicious! Will definitely go back to try as many dishes I can! read more

Fantastic food but awful condescending waitress ruined our evening yesterday! We arrived for dinner last night, July 28th at 6pm, large table of 10 people. Do your best to avoid a waitress with dark hair and two long braids. I wish I'd taken her name because she was arrogant, irritable, and impatient. Ruined our evening. I thought to complain but she frightened my fellow diners into silence. Gosh! I actually think I'll email the restaurant separately. Ask for another server if you happen to be unlucky enough to get that spoiled annoying Millenial girl child waitress. Annabelle's...sort your staff out. It's MY evening. Not hers! I spent over £500 last night, she ruined it. read more

Hubby took me to this nice restaurant for pasta. Very good price, very delicious food. Definitely come back again. read more

Annabelle Pasta Bar - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Incredibly good pasta, had the duck and leek ragu. The mushrooms toast is also great, as are the spicy meatballs, kale salad etc. Can't go wrong with any dish! read more

Where to begin. In all fairness, I arrived without a reservation and was asked to wait in their adjacent cafe and bar until a table became available. The host seemed rather put out and acted as if he was doing me a favor but I was determined to try this "acclaimed handmade pasta". The bartender at the cafe was quite pleasant by contrast and the wait went rather quickly. Eventually, I was seated in the upstairs dining area, which is small, quaint and cozy. But there ends the atmosphere as the noise level was simply ridiculous. According to my phone app, it was averaging 77-80 decibels, making any conversation impossible. The appetizer of Shrimp & Polpo w/ Fingerling Potato was nicely presented but any subtly of seasoning was soon destroyed by way too much hot sauce that made this dish more American than Italian. After a 40 minute wait, the homemade pasta (they usually offer 3 selections for the day on the chalkboard for around $10) finally arrived. The pasta itself was way undercooked but the accompanying pea sauce was nice. It just needed something else either texturally (some crushed/toasted nuts) or some acid (touch of lemon) to break the monotony of the dish. For a place that prides itself on homemade pasta, I expected better. But if you like the noise level of a rock concert, go for it. Personally, I will pass on a return visit. read more

This was once one of our go-to neighbourhood spots, but not after last night. Incredibly rude and shockingly unfriendly service. Some of the plates were over salted and inedible. Life is too short for bad restaurant experiences. read more

Extremely let down. Table for 2, ordered wine and a pasta dish each. After drinks were served, we were ignored for about 40 minutes while everyone around us was served their food. My girlfriend's pasta came first, and mine arrived 5 minutes later. Hers was cold and undercooked - a stuck-together mass of noodles - while mine was so salty I couldn't finish it. We alerted the waiter to the fact that hers was cold and he handled it in a way which made us feel extremely uncomfortable, to the point where my girlfriend elected to finish her cold pasta so that we could simply leave. We were ignored again, with our table candle going out and table water not replaced, until I asked for the bill. I went in expecting great things, but they failed to provide even an adequate experience on so many levels. A missed opportunity. I know times are tough for Toronto restaurants right now, but this was a poor way to handle it. read more

Swoon! I just adore this place! Such a charming neighbourhood spot. Four of us went for dinner early on a Sunday night. We were seated right away, and the service that followed was delightful. Our waitress ran us through the menu and suggested the number of dishes to order. We shared the meatballs, octopus, green beans and bread to start and then each had a pasta. The real star was the dessert. The Spanish latte pana cotta was creamy, silky and rich. Hands down the best thing I have eaten so far this year. read more

Trendy little restaurant, very loud. Although the menu is limited, the food was good. The service was abysmal, the poor waitress was alone and serving two floors. The manager/chef/host, helped her out a bit. He had a serious attitude problem, I would not go back for that reason. We ordered the burrata ($22) with garlic toast (bread was the highlight of the night) we sat with our appetizer for 1/2 hour waiting for the bread to go with it. The staff with the attitude was not pleased when I asked for the bread after 20 minutes of sitting looking at the burrata- spend a little money and staff yourself properly. Our bottle of wine was finished before our pasta arrived. read more

More like 2.5 stars Pros: pasta was very tasty, ambience was great and entrees seem cheap ($10/pasta dish). Service was good(we were there at 6:30 pm on a Monday so it wasn't too busy) Cons: not accessible (steps to the front door and majority of seating is on the second floor), small meals so by the time you order enough starters to complete your meal it's not as cheap as you would expect. Only three pasta dishes and one fish to choose for dinner (that's okay but didn't realize this until we got there). Bread was a bit burnt. NO COFFEE!! Said they wouldn't compete with Bob Coffee Bar next door (SAME owner) so they serve nothing. Went next door to Bob to get a coffee but they were already closed at 7:50 pm (10 min early). Not sure who you are competing with if your "competition/sister company" is closed. Seriously - serve some coffee! Side note - seats don't have backs (stools) so nowhere to put your coat/purse. It was a delightful evening because of the company but this restaurant has some shortcomings. read more

Consistently one of the best meals in the area. Homemade pasta is always tasty and great value. Drink menu is also good, with some original negroni recipes. read more

This place is in a great neighbourhood and looks awesome from the street. That's where the good ends. It was terrible. The spaghetti was a joke - Chef Boyardee would be light years better. Save your money. The vegetarian pasta - a zero. My over/under for how long this place lasts - 8 months. Take the under. read more

My friend and I were excited that a cute chic-casual spot was opening up in our neighbourhood. But sadly Annabelle was quite disappointing. The experience was bad from the first moment I got there. My dining companion arrived before me and was told it would be a 20 minute wait, and the server suggested she go next door to Bob's Coffee bar to grab a drink (same owners). After we waited for about 15 minutes we were told by who I think was the owner that our table for 2 was ready. My friend still had about a quarter of a glass of her wine left, so we asked if we could bring it over. They said no. So then we asked if she could just finish her drink and then head over. The gentleman proceeded to say that he would only keep the table for us "maybe for 5 mins, but then he'd have to give our table away. We're really busy tonight". Like, it's not gonna take my friend 20 mins to drink a bit of wine, but how about you don't treat us like we're not welcome? He could tell right away that we were very peeved and then offered to get her a free drink once inside. So we were whisked into the restaurant. The free drink was a decent save but honestly, who treats customers like that, right off the bat before we even enter? Then there was the food, overall pretty mediocre. The burrata and garlic bread was very tasty, especially the bread. So warm and soft, I would definitely recommend that. The pasta dishes we had, however, were very disappointing. The pasta itself is tasty as it is made in-house, but the sauces were very lacking in flavour. I had a pork and beef ragu that lacked salt and depth, and my friend's dish was similar, just kinda flat flavours. The mocha panna cotta for dessert also had an unsettling jello-y consistency which was not great. We had a few spoons and gave up on it. The drinks I would say are on point here. They specialize in negroni's and the rosewater + ginger negroni I had was great, as well as the wine. That is one star, and the other is for the bread and burrata. But otherwise I was quite disappointed in our initial service and the pasta, which is supposed to be their specialty. They're a new spot so I'm hoping they're just working out the kinks and things will improve, but I won't be returning anytime soon for that reason. read more

Came here on a weeknight after hearing some great reviews about this place. Loved the ambiance of the second floor, busy but intimate. Some excellent dishes on the menu, which is constantly evolving, I would have loved to tried a bunch more of them. Highly recommended - the spicy pork meatballs (really tasty!), spaghetti carbonara, and the fried baby octopus. Service is very friendly but it gets busy in here, patience is a virtue. Modest wine and beer lists but some nice choices in there. I look forward to returning, thanks Annabelle. read more

I want to amend this review. The owner contacted me directly to apologize for our treatment. I really appreciate an owner that is willing to fix problems. I'm impressed by his quick response and will give Annabelle another try. I was so disappointed. My family and i were excited to try Annabelles. We were a party of 10 and the restaurant won't take reservations. We arrived earlier so we would have a better chance at seating. The 1st 2 of our party was asked to wait at a local coffee shop for the rest of the party! We all were taken upstairs to be seated at 2 separate tables. As this was a birthday celebration with grandparents there, we found this upsetting. We asked to be seated at the empty series of tables available and were refused as other guests may want those tables!! Guests who werent there!!needless to say, we left and took our business where it was wanted. Sorry Annabelles, we wontt be back.. I want to amend this review. The owner contacted me directly to apologize for our treatment. I really appreciate an owner that is willing to fix problems. I'm impressed by his quick response and will give Annabelle another try. read more

You had me @ Negroni Bar! This share menu is a refreshing twist on the Italian dinner. Try the breads. ALL OF THEM. Seriously, you will not regret it. I think they're using the mother from their Lil' Baci restaurants, as it has so much depth to it (for you bread afficianados out there). I'm about half way through the Negroni list and can't wait to head back there for my next tasting. Super cozy spot where you shouldn't feel guilty about picking off the plate of whomever you went there with. It's share plates all around. PRO TIP: get there early as they pack up quick as they do not take reservations. But it's also a great late night spot to have a night cap on the way home. ;) read more

First, the good: the negroni menu was stellar and well priced. You can't beat $10 daily pasta specials, which were cooked beautifully and tasted fresh and delicious. They are small portions, but appropriately sized if you get a couple appetizers. The bad: Ok, so I knew I was taking a risk at 7:30pm on a Saturday night with a party of 3 at a tiny place that doesn't take reservations. We were first on the wait list, and went next door to Bob for a cocktail.The bartender there was a delight and made waiting less terrible. Yummy, simple, but not boring cocktails. We waited about an hour, and I went back to Annabelle to ask how much longer it would be. There was a table ready! I had this feeling that if I hadn't asked, it would have gone to two parties of two. We were seated upstairs, and ordered our drinks and food as soon as the server came. As we waited for our appetizer, a table of 4 who were seated after us, were served glasses of wine and several appetizers before we even got our one app to share. I try not to let that kind of thing bother me but I could also tell they were friends with the owner/manager guy and favouritism sucks when it's not benefiting you. While we watched the other table enjoying their food, the song Bring The Funk by Parliament Funkadelic played on repeat at a volume so loud that either we either had to yell across the tiny table or just sit in hangry silence. I'm not kidding, it played twice and it is already super repetitive. I *NEVER* give bad reviews about things like atmosphere but I swear to my pasta-loving god it was like a torture technique. I like a buzzy loud restaurant but this was so bad, I actually asked them to turn it down which I have never done in my life. But they did it! Yay! Thank you! And then a few minutes later, turned it back up. It just made for such an unpleasant dining experience all around. It overshadowed what should have been a delicious meal. A couple good cocktails could have tied me and my appetite over for the two hours it took to get food, IF it were at all possible to have a conversation with my friends. To the management: please, please, please take some time to consider the dining experience and atmosphere. You are a boon to the neighbourhood and deserve to become a local favourite. What a perfect spot for a delicious meal that doesn't hurt the wallet. I'd love to come back on a weeknight, maybe a bit earlier to avoid the rush, to keep drinking negronis and eating bowls of pasta, but I am afraid I'll just hate the experience again. read more

So yummy! Different menu made fresh each day. Pastas are delicious and appetizers were so good, and all at such reasonable prices. We had the lamb balls and burrata for apps and neither disappointed. The server was very friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely be returning sooner than later! read more

I was so excited to try this place and support a new neighbourhood restaurant.... Sadly it was a series of misadventures. The olives we had as an appetizer were inedibly salty, they brought me the incorrect pasta and I had to wait 15 minutes for the correct one to arrive - by that time my partner had finished dinner. They apologized verbally once when they delivered the pasta, but didn't check in on us again to ask how my meal was, or offer any kind of discount. Pasta was mediocre, and they had no dessert that night (we went early, around 6:30/7). It was a disappointment - we were looking for a low-key, special night and I didn't feel taken care of. read more

The food was so bad and they served small portions. It's like a 5 year old just learning how to cook, made all of the food. It's a very cute place, but that's all. read more

Really sweet neighborhood resto. Friendly staff. Three pastas daily each for only $10. Great special bread made with cheese. Nice drop in place for the neighborhood. read more

Love this place. Fresh made $10 pasta! Awesome drinks. Crazy busy Vibes. Reminds me of lower east side restaurants in NYC! Snacks are great. Would def' go back. read more

This was not a great night. We waited over and hour for a table only to see a party that came after us seated before us. The food was average at best. Service lacked service. We will not be back. With a city full of choices this will not be one that we return to. read more

Place is tiny, great vibe, excellent food, welcoming and amazing staff! Highly recommend asking to sit upstairs, even if you have to wait a bit. We sat downstairs and unfortunately I now have to dry clean my coat due to the smell from the kitchen. There was so much smoke during dinner, and it made it very uncomfortable. read more

Daily fresh pastas are excellent, portion sizes are elegant, and the presentation simple. Apps are small and rich; obvious labour in sourcing quality ingredients. Wines have been only marginally marked up, so the value is impressively strong. I confess to craving a bit more protein but otherwise this place just knocks it out of the Park. read more

Overall, a great meal and friendly staff. Will definitely be back. Small space so gets warm inside. Wine is expensive.

I really really wanted to love this place given how much I adore Lil Baci and how their Instagram looks amazing. Unfortunately, we were pretty disappointed. The staff was friendly but a bit absent minded (removing a half empty glass of wine, one and forgot our appetizers). The food was subpar to say the least, I ordered fusilli with shrimp and saffron broth, I pretty much got plain pasta with three tiny pieces of shrimp. My friend ordered spaghetti a la Norma which she described as gummy. Also, the place has the worst ventilation. If you are on the main floor you are literally in the kitchen. The smells are overwhelming (I felt sick...never go here pregnant, which I am not) and the smoke was so heavy at times that my eyes were watering and I couldn't carry on a proper conversation. Was relieved to leave but couldn't rid myself of the restaurants potent smell without having a shower as soon as I got home. Disappointing. Also I find the entire "no email address, no phone number" thing a bit annoying...especially when you think you've left your wallet there the previous evening. read more

Had a very disappointing experience. From the second we arrived we were barely greeted nor directed to our table upstairs, it was awkward right from the start. We sat upstairs where then our server came to our table, did not greet us and just started cleaning the table and mumbled that she would bring us water. She came back after a while and took our order. She brought our mains before our appetizers and one of the main pasta dishes was not cooked through properly. We returned the dish and the waitress agreed that it was undercooked and apologized. In total we were supposed to have two appetizers, three pastas to share and one dessert. We got two pasta dishes, one appetizer and waited over two hours for the food. Another waitress came to our table and asked if we wanted to settle up when we still had not received our second appetizer and one of the pasta dishes. The service was horrible, we felt uncomfortable. The server offered to cover our two glasses of wine which was was pretty ridiculous considering the whole service was completely off and including some of the food. The restaurant was busy and it felt understaffed, I hope you have a better experience ! read more

I had the pleasure of dining at Annabelle. I had been to their other establishment, Lil' Baci so I had high expectations already coming in. I was pleasantly surprised about the location and venue as it reminded me of a quaint European bistro in a village. It's a more intimate space and we were seated on the main floor where we got a clear view of the kitchen area where our order was being made. As we arrived at prime dinner time, the place started to get busy with other patrons but they were prompt to take care of us and our order. Once ordered, then the food and drinks all came rolling in. We had started with an Orange Blossom negroni which was a delightful way to start my meal and get my taste buds ready for the feast that was to come. We had ordered the roasted almonds, the kale with squash and goat cheese, the spicy pork meatballs, the buratta and an order of bread which were all fantastic. The portions were generous enough to share between the two of us, who are pretty big eaters, considering some were under $10 a plate. The bread was freshly made in-house which was a treat. The star of the night was the lamb bolognese rigatoni though. Saucy and bursting with so much flavor, we asked them to keep the plate so we can literally scour the plate with bread until there was nothing left. We had to order another helping because we both wanted more. We ate so much that we had no room left for dessert. But we will definitely be back as it surpassed the high expectations I came in with and look forward to bringing other friends to share in the experience. Thank you to everyone at Annabelle! read more

Was delightfully surprised to land at this restaurant with 3 friends a couple of Saturdays ago. It was busy and the ambiance was great...cosy, comfortable, eclectic style... very different from anywhere else I've been to in Toronto. Best of all was the food... it all looked so good we did sharing plates. started with the burrata - SO good.... kale salad - tangy and delicious and amazing pasta... the mushroom one my favorite. If you go, definitely order the baked bread - don't remember what it's called but it's divine... And the wine list... great choices and unbelievably affordable. I want a place like this in my neighborhood!!! read more