The stretch of Avenue Road close to the 401 has been put on the map with the opening of LSL Restaurant. Up until its opening, one of the 'finer' dining options in the neighbourhood has been the longstanding Francobollo. Still, the restaurant doesn't take itself too seriously. Amongst the modern homey dining room, they play lively music so you're not afraid to laugh out loud (the second floor reserved for those who like it quiet). Their menu even drops a few puns like the tagliatelle 'Bollo'gnese ($27). Get it, 'Bollo'gnese and Franco'bollo'? The sauce is heavy on the meat (a combination of beef and veal), which is proper since it's a Bolognese and not ragu. One of my husband's signature recipes, I've learnt a lot about Bolognese and have been spoiled by his perfected concoction. Francobollo's was decent, but too heavy on the tomato. Ultimately, it's a fresher rendition but was missing that richness that less tomato and a touch of cream helps create. Finding burrata at an Italian restaurant is not surprising, but having one that's fresh and served at an ideal temperature isn't always the case. Francobollo's burrata ($32) was the consistency I crave: creamy and soft but not oozing. Served with peaches and a tomato salad the summery starter was simply seasoned with olive oil, balsamic reduction, and basil. I would have liked crostini versus bread sticks but skipping carbs in the summer never hurt anyone. Besides, we were having our fill of carbs with the pastas. And in retrospect, should have gotten the bread ($3) earlier as the salty oiliness of the soft chewy ciabatta would have paired well with the burrata. If you're craving something rich, order the braised short ribs pappardelle ($32). I was expecting a traditional beef broth or tomato-based sauce, so the white sauce was a surprise. Yet, it's not an alfredo. Instead, a combination of sweet corn, mustard, and truffle creating a sweet creaminess with an interesting finish. I wouldn't have pinpointed the sauce to contain mustard or truffle, but then it's two ingredients that's rarely combined. While I enjoyed the chunks of shredded short rib and the texture of the pasta, the sweet thick sauce threw me off. Luckily, my husband enjoyed the pappardelle, so we switched our orders. Meanwhile, I rather enjoyed the corn used in the Caesar salad ($20; half of the order in the picture). Left in kernel form, the corn's sweetness was contained and what escaped in a bite helped enhance the garlicky dressing - just a bit of sweetness without being in every mouthful. Who knows, maybe a similar usage in the pappardelle would help mellow out the sugariness. Oh, and this was a sizeable salad, so I'd recommend sharing. read more

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Food is excellent. Authentic Italian cuisine. Service is great and the atmosphere is relaxed!!!

Food was really delicious. We shared the Garbage Salad which is a truly special combination of flavours. A must have! I had the Branzino which was tender, flaky and so tasty. Great service and ambience. A local gem. read more

We came here with a small group (7) in mid August - & had one of the BEST pasta dishes in my life! Their bread was already a delight - subtle flavours & multi-seeded. The squid ink linguine (?) is currently not on the menu, but I hope it does come back, as it was simply divine! A most unique blend of squid & pasta flavours & served in the perfect portion. The calamari fritti was cooked to perfection- grilled, charcoal flavoured, buttery soft yet not rubbery. My husband had their veal parmigiana ~ perfectly cooked with a good balance of coating and meat. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed all their dishes. The only surprising disappointment was the rigatoni bolognese, which was shockingly undercooked. The desserts, both tiramisu & chocolate lava cake ~ spectacular! The wait person was extremely hospitable and helpful. He tried his upmost best to keep my niece (severely allergic to sesame seeds & oil) from getting sick. Will be back again - ESPECIALLY if they have squid linguine again! read more

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Came here on Valentines Day and ordered from the prix fixe menus which was a combination of items from its regular a la carte menu. The restaurant was very clean, nicely decorated, and very quiet; it felt cozy and intimate which fit the valentine's day mood. The service was good considering how busy it was, and you can really tell they care about the dining experience. My favourite dishes were the ones my boyfriend ordered: the steak & frites and tiramisu If you come, you NEED to get the steak, the accompanying fries were so addictive! I also LOVED the tiramisu What we ordered: Pollo 'Al Mattone' Steak & Frites The G Salad Grilled Calamari Olive Oil Cake Tiramisu read more

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Came here for a work-related function, serving a big party of almost 20 people. As much as the food was good, the service could have been better. The bread was amazing, fresh, and very soft. The salad, 'Garbage Salad' with a lot of kale, and mixed greens, with brussel sprouts was amzing! MMMM... would definitely order this again. The main dish, was a Grilled Beef Tenderloin Filet over a bed of vegetables. It was pretty good, and cooked throughout. The dessert I was not a huge fan of. Overall, I would recommend this restaraunt if you are interested. The food quality is great!! Love it. read more

Francobollo Posto Italino - Garbage Salad - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We had friends in from Austin who wanted Italian food. We took them to Francobollo and had an amazing experience. Service was on point with great recommendations for both food and wine. The food was amazing. Everything was perfect and the couple we were with remarked that Austin could use a gem like this. I highly recommend Francobollo and know you won't be disappointed. read more

Midtown's best kept secret. A friend who knows food, and I mean really knows food, brought me here. My expectations were high and rightly so. Service, wine, and vibe, were all great. But the food was the star, and it was incredible. The G salad (actually stands for "garbage") was a tasty, crunchy combination of veggies you'd probably neglect to eat at home. The parmesan fries are divine. The gnocchi pasta is the best gnocchi pasta you'll have outside of Italy. I say this only because I've never had gnocchi in Italy. It's served pan seared, with grilled corn, sweet peppers, topped with a roasted garlic cream and parmesan cheese. Perfection. M read more

Consistently Good Food -Minus One Star for long the waiting- The Burata Salad with grapes and tomatoes is a sure fire HIT! YOU MUST TRY IT! Calamari NEVER Disappoints . We did wait a very long time for our meals though, seems there was some sort of birthday party so we were a bit forgotten about ... But I'm sure this was just a one off. They took care of one glass of wine in apology for the wait. Thank you ! read more

Francobollo Posto Italino - Can't Get Enough of this Delicious Branzino ! - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Always a great meal at Francobollo. It is a very cozy restaurant that is nicely decorated. It isn't very large but also has an upstairs. The service is excellent and welcoming although it was a bit on the slower side as there is only one person that takes the orders but it was ok as we took the time to catch up and chat. There was 4 of us so we ordered 3 appetizers to share. The beef carpaccio was very good and had lots of flavour. The famous G salad is a must and had roasted Brussels sprouts, goat cheese and beets in it and the mixture worked so well together. We also shared a main order of gnocchi. They are famous for their gnocchi and it is lightly fried on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside and my son said that it was better than the pasta restaurants in NYC. For the main, we had the Eggplant Milanese, the Veal al Limone, the Pollo al Mattone and the Tagliatelle special. Everything was so good and the flavours were spot on. For dessert we had the Tiramisu and the Puro cake and they were delicious as well. This is going to be a go to spot for us in North York. read more

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Amazing restaurant Jonathan goes above and beyond. Highly recommend the garbage salad and pastas! Amazing restaurant for family dinners or business meetings! read more

Francobollo has a very luxury and grand interior, it is the same group as Terra at Thornhill on Yonge St. It will be a direct comparison because I have been to Terra a few times. In terms of parking, Terra is more convenient because it is on the street plaza and they offered valet parking. On the other hand, Francobollo only has parking on the street. We had a group of four people, so we ordered two ahi tuna with lobster corn salad. A very special feature appertizer for the night. Memorable for sure. Never see this combination before. Then four main courses are grilled lamb chop, scallop and shrimp pasta, smoked duck pasta, and grilled mixed seafood with tomato sauce. All four courses are very traditional Italian flavors. Heavy cheese on the duck pasta, the lamb chop is a little bit overcooked, the scallop and shrimp pasta is the best of the night. However, the grilled seafood with tomato sauce is a bit too small with the price point. At $39, i believe EVOO at Yorkville does offer lot more seafood. Finally, one tiramisu and one chocolate strawberry tortufo for dessert. It is my first time to have tortufo in Toronto, a lot of Italian restaurant do not have tortufo anymore. Compare to Terra, the portion from here is smaller, but price point is slightly cheaper. read more

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First time here. Place was empty Food was great from start to finish. Try their garbage salad with crispy Brussel sprouts and pappardelle with lobster shrimp rose sauce. Every bite was delicious. Portions are fair a bit pricey though. Overall excellent service. I'll go back. Cheers Carlos! read more

Love everything about this place. The staff, the food, the ambiance. Highly recommend.

Amazing food and great service from this well known spot on Avenue road. Same owner as Terra in Thornhill. 5 stars.

Incredible food and super friendly service. We ate on their back patio which was set up with just a table for 3 for us to keep things covid-safe. Was such a nice quiet location. Looking forward to going back. read more

Welcome to your next uptown date night. The sister restaurant to the fabulous Terra in Thornhill has two key things going for it...impressively designed decor and really good food. Grilled sardines and beef carpaccio to start the meal were both on point. For mains, we chose snow crab risotto from the list of specials, and vitello al limone (lemon veal scaloppine) from the regular menu. Everything was delicious! Now...having said that, I need to mention (simply because they have shared ownership) that Terra is still a better restaurant. It's 5 stars while Franco is hovering somewhere just above a 4. For one thing, we dined at Franco with two other couples and were involved in animated conversation for most of the night, which caused the server to become clearly impatient when trying to communicate with us. Not sure if she was being rude, or us, or both. Either way, it's her job to remain pleasant and our job to enjoy ourselves, capiche? :) Also, some of the food at Terra blew our hair back with its amazing-ness. Franco was great but not yet at that level. Still--recommended! read more

Amazing Italian restaurant. The food was delicious, I had couple of items of the menu and my favourite are the gnocchis ans the mushrooms and truffle pasta. Also desserts are extraordinary...I love cannolis. There is a great service and the ambiance feels incredible. They had music on that was a beautiful playlist. I received a great attention and I would definitely go there again. read more

Francobollo Posto Italino - Pistacho cheesecake and cannolis - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Enjoyed my meal here! Good Ceasar salad and penne arriabata. Service is always great and a nice uptown restaurant to go. Food - 4/5 Ambiance - 5/5 Service - 5/5 Price to Value - 4/5 read more

Francobollo Posto Italino - Veal Limone and Penne Arabiata - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

So delicious!!! Their gnocchi melts in your mouth. The buffalo milk cheese plate was amazing. Who has a buffalo farm? Their pasta was so good! So fresh! Scallops were huge! My husband LOVED their Bolognese sauce. I brought eggplant parmigiana home for next day and it was still delightful. Highly recommend read more

We were hungry around 10 pm and all we could find on Avenue Road was this restaurant that was closing for the night. We asked whether they would be kind enough and let us in and they did! They reopened the kitchen, we ordered from their relatively compact but very well curated menu. The food came and ... it was one of the more memorable Italian meals we have ever had! Huge portions of crispy roasted chicken, eggplant parmigiana, and lobster pasta that poems should be written about. Pricey but well, well worth it! read more

Came in with my wife not knowing what to expect. It was mostly empty. Nothing really stood out on the menu. I was ready for another vanilla Italian restaurant. The food, however, was surprisingly delicious. I've dined at many Michelin starred spots, and this is definitely not short in flavor. read more

We were here on a Sunday at 6pm and it was really quiet and empty. It had a total approximately 10 tables in a small area. The tables and chairs felt too small for the setting and hard to get through. This Resturant is a chain with Terra at yonge and 407. The service is very sincere and friendly. Overall impression of the food is good but nothing great! Probably a bit overpriced read more

This is a brand new and excellent Italian restaurant. It is owned by the owners of Terra (another fine establishment) and Rustys (that bar in blue mountain). We had the pasta and it was freshly cooked.. One of the best tiramisu in the city. All desserts are made in house (not imported) and the focaccia bread to start off was freshly baked! Cauliflower soup was light and not creamy and the ambiance is a little loud but still a good new restaurant to check out birth of Bloor... read more

If I could have put a ZERO I would have!! This place is NOISY and the service is subpar. The food was just alright and the owners DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SERVICE THEIR CLIENTS!! Spend your hard earned dollars elsewhere, there are plenty of other options to choose from and get great service too!! read more

Great little restaurant located on Avenue Road. Beautiful and modern interior and very pleasant staff. Menu has some unique items that you won't usually find at other places. Tastes delicious and looks beautiful. I suggest to make a reservation as its small and gets packed pretty quick. Highly recommend to visit this place, especially good for a special occasion. read more

Unfortunately the food was bland, and had a watered down taste to it. Disappointed as it's quite expensive.

Sensational food, stunning decor, fantastic service, very appropriately priced, and just an awesome atmosphere inside. Really can't say enough about the decor, the place is very new, and very white in its overall aesthetic, and it makes for a really bright, romantic setting for dinner. Went here on Valentine's Day, food was top notch, and the service was great despite how busy it was. Fairly new restaurant, about a year old so not a ton of reviews, but an excellent, excellent restaurant. Really can't say enough about the food, and despite being a little away from the downtown core, definitely rivals some of the best downtown Toronto Italian restaurants that are making it big in reviews right now. The only criticism was the lemon chicken was a little strong on the lemon, but probably because I left my lemon wedge basting on my meat without taking it off. Great homemade focaccia, delicious octopus appetizer, good portion sizes, and honestly heavenly tiramisu. That tiramisu should be its own self-standing take out item. Awesome. The place for Italian food when you want to hop out of downtown Toronto for somewhere different. And... Managed to deliver this kind of quality on February 14th, one of the busiest, highest pressure, highest volume food nights of the year. Love francobollo. read more

After hearing of the opening and learning of its association with Terra (which we loved) we were ecstatic. Upon arriving at 9 the restaurant it was still packed and bustling. First impression the acoustics were horrible and the decor was a bright upscale bathroom like appearance from Maimi in the early 80's. I kept reminding myself we were there for the food. Staff was great very pleasant and attentive. Unfortunately that's where it ended. The ricotta de bufala salad was utterly disappointing I'm sorry the addition of nut brittle had no business on the plate. The romaine salad was good. The lamb and veal meatballs were another letdown. The meats needed a finer grind they were much to course and the could be used as golf balls. The sauce was bland and almost could be mistaken for being jarred store bought, but the there would at least be more flavor. The pumpkin veal ravioli was good. Unfortunately it was served warm. Not hot but just warm the kind of warm that you need a fresh cup of coffee because it's just warm. The Gnochi was basic. The tomato sauce again bland. The steak was a disappointing cut (may have been just my bad luck or theirs) looked fine but once you cut in it was a battle. The arrabiata was cooked well unfortunately the sauce carried through . This just had a hint of chili. Very underwhelmed. The chicken was the best of the batch (also the least Italian) would recommend. We truly wanted to be blown away. They have major issues to fix in thir kitchen and I sincerely hope they get it done. Maybe it was just a bad night? read more

We hosted a reception for 13 people recently. The restaurant gave us a private room which was very comfortable and private. The food was excellent and we shared various apps and desserts. Service was a little slow but we were not in a great hurry and enjoyed our conversation. Great experience and would highly recommend this restaurant. Not inexpensive but very enjoyable. read more

Had a group meeting/presentation dinner in their upstairs private function room tonight and was thoroughly impressed from start to finish. It's my first time here so I didn't have any expectations. Waiters were friendly and efficient, for starters I had the Custom Grown Greens with pumpkin seeds and cranberries which was very fresh. For mains I had the Seabass which had a very generous portion and was seasoned and cooked perfectly (crispy skin and all). My wife had Veal scaloppini which she really enjoyed and not too heavy. Dessert was tiramisu with fresh fruit selection, again done perfectly. Even our decaf drip coffee was rich and flavourful. Food came out piping hot and drinks were always topped up. Highly recommend and we will definitely be back to try their pasta dishes. read more

Fresh, fresh fresh. Nondescript gem with great menu of seasonal ingredients and great wine list. Attentive service with wait staff that are intimately familiar with all dishes on menu, happy to elaborate on why they recommend something. Pasta is made in house, cooked to perfection - would come back to Toronto just to have some Francobollo macaroni. Four stars because decor is outdated and feels cold. read more

Understated ambiance food menu and service. Over delivered. Everything was fantastic. Had a great evening.

Beautiful restaurant with a nice, quiet atmosphere suitable for conversation at lunch time. Service was attentive and well paced. Food is okay, fresh ingredients, but you might leave hungry if you are relying on the main course only. read more

Quaint restaurant. Same owners of Terra and Sarpa. Food was excellent, service very good. We went on a Saturday night, restaurant was full but very noisy; difficult to converse. We had gnocchi with crab and lobster, fritto misto, lamb and veal strip loin and shared a couple of salads. All were delicious. Prices on the higher end. read more

I must say that I do not often write restaurant reviews, because I feel first and foremost that an expensive , quality restaurant should provide quality service and food by definition. Alas, we know this is not always true. It most definitely is in Francobollo's case. I am also hesitant because the downside of a great review can be the place must be booked weeks in advance....which means I would have less of a chance for last minute bookings at Francobollo...and that would be a shame. Decor: understated and elegant Food: to die for. Service: prompt, personable, punctual. believe all the 5 star reviews, just save me 2 seats Gene W read more

Thoroughly enjoyed a meal with friends at Francobollo tonight. From when we arrived until the click of the latch as we left everything was great! The staff was friendly and professional simultaneously. Plenty of menu choices, some classic Italian dishes and some modern dishes with an Italian preparation. I took arancini as a starter and they were very good. The exterior was lovely dark gold and crunchy on the outside and gooey goodness inside. The monkfish main was cooked well, thankfully because it's inedible if left a minute too long. The broccolini accompaniment was a little too soft for me but was flavourful. Pistachio panna cotta was creamy and tasted very nice, perhaps a tiny bit too sweet for me but, it is dessert so I should likely expect that. Stylish decor, very good food, and great staff - I'll be back. read more

Start with the good: Nice decor, friendly and helpful staff. The romaine salad and Tiramisu was yummy, and that is the end of the good The Bad: Over cooked and very tough Osso bucco, which should melt-in-your-mouth and fall off the bone when cooked right. Very disappointing, as was the pistachio cheesecake! I would go elsewhere in the future. read more

Extremely good service and food literally out of this world. The place itself is very beautiful, pleasurable, the atmosphere is relaxing and enjoyable. Reminds me of my time dining in New York. Definitely a restaurant worth visiting often. Service and food top notch!!!!!! read more

Nice ambience and great food, loved their calamari fritti! Parking is a bit tricky but street parking is free after 6pm.