An Unforgettable Evening at Zafferano Ristorante…read more Last night, we had the pleasure of celebrating two of our family members at Zafferano Ristorante. Although we're not from Toronto and had never been to this restaurant before, our friends had booked a large section of the venue for over 30 guests--so we really didn't know what to expect. What followed was nothing short of amazing. We started the evening with some beautifully crafted cocktails. The drinks were delicious, and our waiter was quick to offer creative twists on our usual favourites--setting the tone for the night ahead. When it came time to sit down for dinner, the experience only got better. They kept bringing out plate after plate until we could barely move! The food was phenomenal: every dish was full of flavour, perfectly served at the right temperature, and visually stunning. A special shoutout to our waiter, Alex. He was outstanding--attentive without being intrusive, always ensuring our glasses were full and that every new course arrived with perfect timing. It was an incredible night and the perfect way to kick off our vacation. We left with full stomachs, happy hearts, and memories we'll talk about for a long time.

Had the pleasure of dining at Zafferano last night. Upscale Italian restaurant with attentive…read moreservice. The meal kicked off with some nice warm, bread that was crusty on the outside and moist on the inside. We shared a few appetizers including Burratina, Gnocco Frito, and Margharita Pizza. The pizza had a nice mildly spicy sauce which made for a very delicious pizza. The Gnocco was fried pizza dough balls with garlic, Parmesan and a drizzle of honey. It normally comes with Prosciutto but we ordered it without to make it vegetarian. The mix of flavours was really unique and delicious. The Burrata was good but the other two appetizers stood out more. For entrees, we had the Spaghetti Genovese and the Stuffed Gnocchi. Both were excellent. Highly recommend this place.

A lively tratorria with positive energy…read more One of the better wood oven pizzas I've had in Toronto. Not overly doughy with a crisp base, ample crust and quality ingredients. I had the Quattro Stella, mushrooms, artichoke, prosciutto cotto and olives. My wife, from Rome, went with a white pizza, BORGORICCO. Burrata, zucchini, cherry tomato & mozzarella. It looked amazing, sadly she refused to share but she did rave about it after. Drink wise we kept it simple with a glass of Valpolicella Ripasso and prosecco. For dessert we split a tiramisu. This was more of a sponge cake version, good for what it was. Friendly and knowledgeable service. Prices were fairly standard and acceptable for the quality. Look forward to returning to try some of the other items on their inviting menu. Who am I kidding I'm sure I'll end up having the pizza again, it was that good.

My partner and I cane here for my birthday dinner. We shared the foccacia, bolognese, and mushroom…read moregnocchi. The foccacia was fresh and tasty but a bit too hard for me. What stood out for us was the delicious gnocchi- it was so chewy and the cream sauce wasn't too heavy. The bolognese was also good. Service was pleasant and the server checked in frequently but I think it could have been warmer. The restaurant feels quite upscale with a dark ambience.

A local friend brought us to Farro Ristorante for lunch one weekend, and we really enjoyed our…read moreexperience there! The restaurant usually closes for special celebrations/events during the day on weekends, so we were very grateful that they could accommodate us this one-time :) The service was A+, very friendly and welcoming host and servers. I absolutely loved the soup of the day: Minestrone. It was so hearty, delicious and filled with so much ingredients. The beet salad with arugula and feta cheese was delicious. The Genoa pizza was nice and thin, and loaded with pesto, pine nuts, chicken, mushrooms and cheeses. I would definitely come back to try more items on the menu (I'm eye that risotto our friend was having that day lol). Can't wait to come back!

We came here for our anniversary and it was simply delightful! I ordered the Quattro Pizza, wife…read moregot the lamb shank, and ordered the seafood pasta for the 4 year old (thinking we were set for the week). My pizza was decent, but the wife's lamb shank was extremely tender and rich. Couldn't really evaluate the seafood pasta....but it seemed pretty good as our kid killed the entire order. The tiramisu was really really good, but what really was impressive was the ambiance and the service. Staff was so friendly and very very attentive....though quite possibly just taken back by our kid's appetite.

Came for Winterlicious. Made a call for reservation an hour before arrival that went into voicemail…read moreand they never called back. When we arrived, they made a big fuss over reservation because the restaurant is small and not a lot of tables, which made us feel bad. They didn't do a good job of table management because they kept some tables unseated while waiting for reservations which came much later, and by that time other tables opened up. Appetizer was either mussel or different varieties of salad. Main course was decent but nothing to write home about. The tiramisu dessert was awful. It was too hard and chewy.

Server was a friendly man. After we got seated, he told us the specials of the day (like butternut…read moresquash soup, peach burrata ($30), penne a la vodka ($20), a char dish with roast potatoes ($35), and stirloin dish. He answered our questions (like the bruschetta is the same size as a pizza, and what certain things, like the penne a la vodka comes with pancetta) and told us the pizza and bruschetta are freshly made. We got there at 6:30 and we understood that since things were freshly made, it will take a while. The arugula on the bruschetta was a different take than my regular bruschetta with basil leaves, but still tasty. It was too much food so next time we won't order an appetizer. The pasta was creamy and had a strong seafood taste. Perfect texture of penne. The pear pizza, with ingredients like honey and pear, I was intrigued and thought it would be sweet. Unlike the honey sesame crust on a maker pizza, I didn't taste any honey. The pear was a very delish addition. Since this pizza had cheese, pear, honey, it did not need tomato sauce - the cheese was creamy and melty inside, kinda like burrata cheese. There was some green thing in it, maybe a herb or very tiny pieces of broccoli. Both the pizza and the pasta were tasty but I think we'd try something else next time We'd be back :)

Paese has stayed on my to try list for a while. I finally get to have dinner here while searching…read morefor restaurants with tables available on spot. There were only a few groups of customers when we arrive, so it was a quiet and relaxed place perfect for chatting. The waitress was friendly as well. The food was with okay but not wowing quality at very reasonable price ($30-$40 per person). For dinner, we ordered Caesar salad and crispy mushroom as appetizers. The salad has very light dressing. The crispy mushroom is flavourful and served with a creamy and spicy sauce. For mains, we tried both the Rigatoni salsiccia and chicken breast pasta. The sausage in Rigatoni salsiccia tastes a bit old and the sauce is spicy. The chicken breast pasta is not bad and is again with lighter flavour. Overall, this is a restaurant I'd consider when I'm looking for simple food and a place good for chatting or spacing out.

Going to work used to involve going south on Bathurst or Dufferin. If I chose to take Bathurst,…read morePaese would be a restaurant that I would pass by. Paese would stick out because going down Bathurst from Vaughan to Allen Rd, there's just no fancy restaurants along the way. For that reason, I've always been curious about Paese. Through coincidence, I had to drop off something to a relative in the area with my older one, which presented me the opportunity to give Paese a try during Summerlicious week. While the value is there purely because of Summerlicious, the quality of food and service is not in sync with the normal prices charged. I'm not saying the service was not polite, but it was definitely not professional enough for a higher end restaurant. I'll share some examples as I go along. The prix fixe courses started with a salmon tartar and my son's deep fried oyster mushroom. Deep fried mushroom is probably not something I would order out, unless it came as a piece from a tempura dish at a Japanese restaurant. I do have to say the mushroom was the best dish out of everything we tried during the evening. The batter was light and although the seasoning was simple, it did its job. Sadly, i couldn't say the same about the vegan lime aioli which tasted like tartar sauce. It just did not pair well with the mushroom. Salmon tartare was disappointing as the taste of capers dominated the whole thing. The whole thing was too sour for my personal taste. Before our starters were done, the server ushered in the main dishes. Why would they do such a thing without asking the patrons? And when the server saw my son's unfinished plate of mushroom, he asked if he can take it away (half of the mushrooms were still there). Wouldn't it make more sense to ask if we are still working on it or whether we preferred it packed away? A critical error that was made was when my son ordered his steak. The server didn't even bother to ask how he would like the steak done. Is it because he's a kid, he doesn't get a choice? Disappointingly the steak came out well done. The salsa verde which we enjoyed salvaged the steak, but I could also tell that they used a significantly inferior piece of meat. The salmon con miele was ok, but it is leaning closer to the overcooked side of the spectrum. There was nothing special about the dish at all. I wouldn't say it would be significantly better than what I can do at home (not that I'm an exceptional cook). Dessert was decent. Nothing jumped off the page. Sticky toffee pudding has never been my cup of tea. So all I can say is, it's too sweet for my liking. The coconut pie is ok. The coconut flavours were mainly engineered from the shredded coconut. All in all, an unmemorable dinner that I definitely wouldn't pay full prices for.

Southern Italian comfort food. Rustic, unpretentious, and authentic…read more We had a collection of appetizers even though the mains looked appetizing as well. We started with the octopus and potato salad, which worked beautifully together. The dressing was a simple concoction of olive oil and lemon juice. Then came the sardines, which were delicately battered and fried. Melt in your mouth. The duck spiedini was charred just right. So, so good. Finally, we had the Niagara mushroom salad. Warmed mushrooms, cheese, greens, orchestrated perfectly. Service was friendly and warm. 7 Numbers has been around for many years. This was the first time in a long time (more than 10 years) since we dined there and it was even better than we remembered.

A true rare gem in Toronto! A friend of mine and I were heading to a show at the Danforth Music…read moreHall, and we discovered this hidden gem nearby. After checking out the menu, we booked a reservation. I'll admit when we arrived, I was surprised because the menu is vast and impressive, and for some reason I was expecting a big fancy restaurant. But what I found was much better-smaller, cozier, personal, and authentic! Will definitely be back again!

The food was quite good. I tried the fettuccine selvaggia and it was really good, not too heavy and…read morea good amount of mushrooms. The tiramisu was also quite good, not enough coffee for me personally but was still very enjoyable. The service was excellent, the food came out quickly and the server was also attentive. The owner even came around checking in on everyone, which was nice to see. The ambiance was also nice, a well furnished restaurant and ample seating. It'd be perfect for little get togethers as well as large parties. It wasn't too busy when I went so the noise level was fine but I can imagine it getting loud when the restaurant fills up. Overall a very enjoyable experience and worth a spot for anyone wanting a new Italian spot!

Celebrating 10th year anniversary! Novita Italian Cuisine has been around for a decade and…read morehonestly, this is still my favourite spot for Italian food in Markham :) It's great for date nights, GNOs and even large group parties. I have hosted so many dinner parties here in the past years, and I seriously only have praises for this place! Recent visit on a Thursday night for their Twist & Twirl Thursday dinner specials (20% off pastas and cocktails). We ended up going for the seasonal 3-course meal :D Our server was especially warm and welcoming, even though you can tell he is so swamped. He brought us some bread and olive oil dip shortly after putting our orders in. The lobster bisque was chef's kiss. It was so creamy and flavourful; I wanted another bowl lol. The warm beet salad was also really tasty. On to the main: the creamy seafood pasta was amazing, it was loaded with shrimps, scallops and mussels. I would definitely order this again! The duck was also tasty. As for dessert, the tiramisu and the panna cotta are must-orders #nobrainer

This wasn't my first time at Il Ponte but the meal warrants a review because it was thoroughly…read moreenjoyed by all. Il Ponte is an Italian restaurant located on the street level of a condo building just east of the DVP along Queen St. E. The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. Because of the beautiful summer weather we opted for the patio of course. The patio was well kept, and nicely shaded by retractable awnings which provide patrons with the pleasure of dining al fresco without having to endure the sun in your face. Upon arrival, our party of 4 were immediately greeted, seated and provided water while we scanned the drink menu. Not usually a martini drinker, I decided to try the "burnt orange and vanilla" martini. Delicious. I later had a second! To start, we ordered the "caprese di burrata" and "calamari fritti". Though delicious, we all felt that the caprese could have used balsamic and the calamari portion was very small with only 5 pieces [for $23]. For our mains, we ordered "gnocchi di Roberto", "paccheri al pesto", "halibut served on rapini" [special] and of course, pizza "Margherita". Everything was fantastic! To end the evening we had Americanos and the tiramisu which was also very good. My only constructive feedback would be that the server seemed rushed and could have been a little more attentive but perhaps the restaurant was short wait staff which is beyond their control. It certainly wouldn't deter me from returning. Il Ponte is fantastic and if you're looking for a place in the Queen East area look no further!

Il Ponte A 5 star is…read morenot sufficient for this restaurant - I wish I could give it a 10 star, considering that this is by far one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. Giancarlo and his team are outstanding. The quality of the food and the service is supreme. His culinary experience in the business along with his wonderful personality sets the scene for an exquisite night out. If you want a place with a wonderful atmosphere and amazing food, look no further.