Rebecca F.

This was our second time eating here. Service was wonderful, food was great and we really enjoyed the food and the vibe

Mandy Z.

LaVinia is a little Spanish restaurant located at the west end of GTA. 4 stars overall rating does give me high hopes for this restaurant. The restaurant is very small, and a bit noisy environment. Remember to make reservations ahead of time for Saturday dinner. Walk in is not accepted because it is fully booked on Saturday way ahead of time. We sat down, and the waiter introduced us the special of the night. For appetizers, we had garlic and olive oil shrimps, and grill quail (special of the night). Both are delicious. The main, we had the seafood paella and shellfish stew. The seafood paella is good, but not wonderful. The shellfish stew is tomato soup, but the herb favor is a bit too much that I cannot really taste the tomato. It is not a bad dinner experience, but I personally enjoy Italian cuisine more. If any yelpers live at the west end, definitely would give a try.

Richard B.

Was highly recommended. Crab croquettes....Roasted quail.... paella valenciana. Unassuming delicious restaurant!!! Impeccable service. Regardless of where you are in the city, this is a destination point

Margarita R.

To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. This is by far, the worst tapas restaurant I have been to. Given the fact that La Vinia is a pretty popular tapas spot on the West-end, neither the food or the service resemble what the restaurant is trying to be. We came here on a Friday evening to celebrate a birthday. From the moment you walk in, it becomes obvious that the restaurant is outdated and "tired". The furniture is dated, the walls are tiled and the paintings are quite frankly out-of-place. The restaurant is also fairly small and it's obvious that tables were added to accommodate larger groups. This afterthought, however, makes the restaurant feel crammed--there is not enough space for the waiters to get through. Let's talk about the food. We ordered several tapas-style dishes and paella. The gazpacho was very flat on flavour and was too acidic. The Pulpo (octopus) was very soft and perfectly poached (the only saving grace). The Paella Valenciana was a sad plate of rice in an over salted broth, not to mention that the seafood & chicken were over cooked. Now for the service. It is practically non-existent. I'm not sure whether the waiters were just having a bad day (possibly all at the same time) or bad service is their standard. Our request for sparkling water was completely ignored and the hot sauce took 30 minutes to arrive, even though we were seated right in front of the kitchen. To be quiet honest, this is one of the worst food experiences I have had in a long time. The food is not even mediocre--it's bad. The menu is RIDICULOUSLY over priced, especially the tapas dishes. I won't be returning.

Byris L.

La Vinia is a little taste of Spain. A little far from downtown core, we decided to give this restaurant a try for its "authentic Spanish cuisine". For appetizers, we ordered the Boquerones en Vinagre (anchovies), the Croquetas de Cangrejo (crab croquettes) and the soup of the day. Anchovies have always been either a hit or miss for me. This was decent, but I would suggest pairing with the complimentary bread. The crab croquettes were interesting.. for a lack of a better word. A little on the "mushier" side, but was still very flavourful. Not what I expected or was used to. The soup of the day was very filling. Since we were sharing a soup between two people,the chef split our soup into two bowls. A sweet gesture that we greatly appreciated. By the end of our appetizers, we were starting to feel full. For the main, we shared the Paella Valenciana. This was probably my favorite dish of the night. Very flavourful, filling and fresh as well. Would recommend. We ended the day off sharing a mango cheesecake. We had wanted something light after a very flavourful and heavy dinner, but did not want to spend over $10 for sorbet. The mango cheesecake was ok. We didn't find it to be too special in anyway and could have probably done without. Overall, the dinner was an interesting experience and gave us a little taste of Spain. Throughout the night, the chef walked to our table to ask how we were/food was, which I enjoyed. Definitely commending La Vania for their service and special touches.

Stephanie S.

A lovely, small Spanish restaurant in the Mimico / New Toronto area! I had it bookmarked for a while and decided to visit La Vinia for my bday dinner. Atmosphere Restaurant is small! There are only about a dozen or so tables, so reservations are highly recommended. Yes, even on a random weekday! I visited on a Thursday evening and it was a full house. Mid-way through the meal, the chef does come to each table to check in on you. He seemed very warm and like he really cared. Food We ordered a sangria (white, but it looked like pink grapefruit colour), 2 tapas (pulpo, chicken croquettes), an order of paella de mariscos (seafood), mango cheesecake, & coffee. This was good enough for 2 ppl, we were stuffed! Highlights from those dishes were the chicken croquettes (light, mousse-like filling) and the cheesecake. Paella was good too, especially the initial bites, but I wished there was more saffron flavour and less salt or even garlic. It did feel a bit heavier when comparing to paellas I've had in Barcelona. Seafood was cooked beautifully though, especially the monkfish! Pulpo was again, soo tender, but I didn't find the dish itself had that much flavour - neither the pieces of octopus nor the potatoes. Other than a hint of pimenton, it was on the bland side, even the potatoes. Skip: Sangria, especially "white" sangria and perhaps order the house wine instead. Apparently, the chef's name is on it and you can't get it elsewhere. They do also have a good wine list of stuff that didn't seem readily available at the LCBO, so take advantage of that! Also skip the coffee (a bit watery) and just go for an espresso. Service Excelente! Absolutely no complaints about the service. Every server seemed happy to be there to serve you. We had a tall, skinny guy, who was friendly and helpful especially with suggestions. I'd definitely be open to visiting again to try other items! It is on the pricier side, so keep that in mind. The entire menu is online, so it should come as no surprise. :)

Robert H.

After reading all the great reviews, we came to La Vinia hoping to get an authentic Spanish dining experience. We tried to make online reservations, but could only get 6 or 9 pm. We called and was told 8 pm was the earliest. However, when we arrived early around 7:30 pm, the restaurant was empty and got our table right away. So not sure why they refused to give us an earlier reservation. The chef came out to personally explain the daily specials and his recommendations. He was very friendly, and I can see that he really strives to ensure his customers are satisfied. For appetizers, we ordered: - Grilled Spanish Chorizo with Ratatouille ($14.75). The Chorizo was not spicy nor salty and went well with the Ratatouille. This dish was delicious. - Poached Octopus Marinated in Olive Oil and Pimenton ($14.75). Was soft and tasty, but personally I prefer the octopus from Ufficio and Joso. - Fine Iberico Spanish Ham ($23.75). Wasn't too salty and quite tasty, but didn't seem to have the rich flavor profile as the high-grade Iberico ham from Barcelona. - Fresh White Anchovies with Olive Oil and Vinegar ($14.75). These anchovies were really delicious and not salty at all. Highly recommended. For the main course, we ordered: - Paella de Marisco ($26.75). This dish was loaded with seafood and a great value for the price. I would prefer if it had a little less oil, but still quite delicious. - Lamb Shank (daily special). Very soft, tender, and tasty. Highly recommended. For the dessert, we ordered: - Fried Milk ($10). Although tasty, for two tiny pieces, this was totally not worth it. Would skip. Unfortunately, by the time we had finished our meal, we noticed a large number of ants crawling around on our table. There must have been 20-30 ants, so they have a serious pest control problem. When we mentioned to our server, she offered to replace the table cloth and said that they would investigate afterward. Frankly, I was expecting a more sincere apology, and they could have at least offered to remove that lackluster dessert off the bill... The service here is excellent, as the chef came out numerous times during the meal and after the meal to check on us. The servers came by frequently to refill our waters and exchange our plates and cutlery. The food here is quite good with some dishes being really great (anchovies, lamb shank, paella), others just average (octopus and ham), and the dessert bad. The atmosphere is nice, but by 9 pm, the place got busy and really loud, so it was hard to have a conversation without yelling. The ant problem is quite gross, but luckily we had finished our meal and were ready to leave, so wasn't a huge deal for us (hopefully they can address it before their next health inspection). Overall, a pretty good Spanish dining experience.

Graham R.

After living less than a few blocks away for a few years now the wife and I finally decided to give La Vinia a try. Boy were we glad we did! We started with the black prosciutto croquettes (unreal!), avocado salad (delicious!) and the squid. I would rank them in that order, the croquettes were so good but nothing was bad. We then had the Paella as a main shared between us which was very tasty. The service was fantastic all night long and with a bottle of wine dinner came to about $130ish which was more than fair. It is really nice to eat out the way things used to be where service exists and even the chef pops out to tables to say hello to the guests. We will definitely be returning to La Vinia and my wife already took her father back just a week later.

Karmen Y.

Anyone craving Spanish tapas and paella should look no further. Save your money and make the trek here! Worth the splurge, and even then the pricing was very reasonable. Had the chance to try a variety of apps and mains, overall the quality was good on all dishes. Must try here = PAELLA! An awesome thing they offer at this restaurant is you can order your paella per person rather than needing a minimum number like other restaurants. One paella can easily feed 2-3 people. My recommendations are: Paella Valenciana ($24.75), which has the chorizo, chicken, and seafood - this is the paella to beat Arroz Negro ($24.75), which is the squid ink risotto - really flavorful and unique Poached Octopus ($13.75) - had this buttery texture that melted in your mouth Salmon croquette ($13.75) - nice texture that makes you crave for more Good but probably would not re-order: Paella de Marisco ($26.75), which had the shrimp, mussels, calamari, scallops, monkfish, and clam - tad too salty for more liking, but enjoyed by the seafood lovers in my group Sauteed shrimp with garlic and chili oil $14.75) - nothing to rave about Fried milk dessert ($10) - a bit generic and small (2 pieces) given the price Note is that there is only side parking on the street with a paid meter, so it's a bit limited on busier nights. That said, it is free on weekend evenings. We went for a birthday, and they kindly offered a very delectable slice of mango cheesecake! I also tried their fried milk ($10), which was good, but a bit un-memorable for the price.