We came here to enjoy the summer patio by the water, and the food was as good as the ambiance. Although we sat outside at the patio, the interior of the restaurant was gorgeous and pretty large. They have a patio overlooking the lake by the water (some tables are shaded with patio umbrellas, some aren't), and another side patio by the park. The patio with the water view and shade tends to fill up quickly in the summer. Both the food and service were excellent. Although we came during brunch hours (between 11 am - 2:30 pm), we were able to request for and order from the regular dine-in menu. The brunch and regular menus are very similar, except the brunch menu has a few additional brunch items (omelettes, pancakes, toasts, etc.) and doesn't have some of the pastas that are in the regular menu. All the dishes that we ordered were excellent: 1) Pulpo (grilled octopus, squid, crispy potatoes, aioli, pesto purée, extra virgin olive oil) - This was technically an appetizer, but it could've been a main dish given the portion size and what it contained (good amount of octopus and squid which were perfectly cooked, and a lot of crispy potatoes which were 10 out of 10). 2) Arugula Artichokes Salad (with frisée, pomegranates, limoncello vinaigrette) - Great side, loved the combination of arugula and artichokes. Some places serve artichokes that are pickled and too salty, but the artichokes here were great without being overly salty. 3) Truffle Pizza (with truffle cream sauce, fontina cheese, mushrooms, and truffle oil) - You can really taste the truffle here, and the dough was great (a bit chewy with some grill marks). 4) Squid Ink Mafalde (with mussels, calamari, shrimps, scallops, leeks, and lemon butter sauce) - The mafalde pasta was perfectly al dente; I really liked the chewy texture of the wide ribbon-shaped pasta with ruffled / wavy edges. It came with a good mix of seafood, and the sauce wasn't too much. Everything went very well mixed together. 5) Fennel Herb-Crusted Ahi Tuna (with green beans, roasted fennel, cherry tomatoes, and olive tapenade) - Great taste, texture, and it came with a good amount of vegetables. It was a perfect summer patio meal while enjoying the lake breeze by the water. read more

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Went for an early dinner and loved the vibe! Such a cute place and nice that it is right on the waterfront. While yes per other reviews, there is a fence up due to construction but you could still see the water. The server was very nice and attentive, refilling water and checking on me. I started with the Simona Luminos which was light and refreshing. I got a side Caesar salad to start which was a large side. The salad was good with perfect amount of dressing. The bowl it was served in was a bit weird as it was challenging to eat out of it. For my entree, I got the Rigatoni Bolognese which was good. Pasta was cooked just right. The lemon ricotta was interesting and added sweetness. read more

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This is a beautiful restaurant on the waterfront. Unfortunately, due to the construction, metal barriers are up and spoil the view. The staff are super friendly. My server was Sandy and she was wonderful! The food and drinks came pretty quickly. I enjoyed my apps but the mains were just okay. I love that they have tasty mocktails! read more

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I was invited by a few colleagues to meet here after a long time, and it was my first visit. The place is absolutely beautiful, with great interiors and a stunning lakeside view. The food was also very good, we ordered a bunch of dishes and all were fantastic, super filling and rich. The service was okay though I did feel our server was a bit cold. Nonetheless, it was a nice experience. read more

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Visited here for Winterlicious 3-course dinner $45 on Monday afternoon (dinner menu available from 4pm). We ordered below items and quite satisfied. Pretty good portion and their Winterlicious is actually good deal as it could be normally pricier as a casual Italian restaurant. [Appetizer] * Spicy Italian Sausage Arancini * Grilled Calamari [Main] * Shrimp & Mussel Casarecce * 48-Hour Braised Lamb Shoulder [Dessert] * Classic Tiramisu * Pistachio Panna Cotta We were satisfied with the menu options that we chose except the lamb shoulder. It was very tender and delicious, but small portion of meat (which was also quite fatty) compared to other dishes. Service was a bit slow even if it was very quiet on Monday afternoon around 3pm and a couple of servers don't seem to be experienced or knowledgeable. But fortunately our server was very lovely and kind lady, and everything was nice and smooth as soon as she started taking care of our table. Inside of restaurant is very spacious and beautifully decorated. Quite pleasant spot to spend some time on sunny day as we could take a walk around the waterfront after meal :) read more

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The restaurant itself is beautiful -- spacious with a lovely patio area. However, the service was disorganized, with staff seeming scattered and inattentive. I ordered the lasagna, which unexpectedly came topped with pesto. The menu didn't list pesto as an ingredient, and I have a nut allergy, so this was concerning. When we brought it up, the waitress blamed me for not mentioning my allergy upfront. She first checked with the chef, who said it contained nuts, but then the head chef said it didn't -- a very confusing and unsettling experience. The lasagna tasted good, but it wasn't worth the price. The calamari lacked flavor, but the rabbit pasta was a standout and very well executed. read more

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I'll preface this review by noting I'm measuring it up against other dog friendly places, usually when I'm at a dog friendly establishment I let a lot of other things go as I'm just so happy they're welcoming my fur baby! We sat on the patio which is large with a mixture of lounge chairs and tables- we picked a lounge seat as we had a few more nervous pups. I love how spacious the patio was and it wasn't busy for a Wednesday night! Service to begin with was "slower" they brought our apps before cutlery and shared plates, we had to ask for napkins etc BUT as mentioned they are super dog friendly and even feature DOG MENU! The staff was also all super sweet and understanding that our pups were more nervous. We got our pups the beef stew- which they devoured, having smaller pups the portion sizes were quite big. For ourselves we started with the peach sangria (very tasty but very strong), grilled octopus, tuna tartar and watermelon burrata. The octopus was delicious and definitely my fav, the tuna tar tar wasn't the best and one I would skip and the watermelon burrata was fresh and enjoyable with huge chunks of burrata. As a main we shared the seared ahi tuna- which was good but definitely had us on tuna overload. The plates were quite large so for the 2 of us we definitely didn't need a 4th dish. We finish with the cannolis which were as you would expect- light and tasty! I would definitely come back again as I love an establishment that welcomes furbabies! read more

This place exceeded my expectations. The food was pretty good. The chicken picatta was fried nicely, seasoned well and was not dry. Similarly, the brussel sprouts were nice and crispy and had a good flavor to it although was a tad on the saucy side. Food presentation was great. The ambiance is nice. Quiet but casual with plentiful seating. They had a lot of bathrooms (maybe 8+) and they were individual stalls and clean. Food is on the pricier side but that's to be expected for this type of restaurant. read more

Simona - Brussel sprouts - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Even though it was rainy the day we ate here, the trendy décor and lakeside view made Simona a very pleasant setting. I ordered the Calabrian style baked eggs, while my two girlfriends each got an Italian breakfast. My dish was reminiscent of a shakshouka, and had great flavours. The restaurant was not very busy, and service was overall good. Simona is a bit outside of downtown core, so I see why perhaps it's not as popular as other brunch spots. read more

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We had an amazing lunch near the lake today: our server, Liv, was personable, attentive, and skilled. I like that the other servers help with each other's tables to support each other. The style of service compliments the friendly environment and the emphasis on getting the food to the table promptly. The food was inventive, flavourful, and well presented. Even the washrooms are clean, bright, well stocked and accessible: always a good sign. Such a great experience. read more

We came for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and sat out on the patio. We waited until we could get a spot in the shade which was worth it. The inside looks really nice and would be lovely in winter. Whenever we see grilled octopus on the menus we get it. This did not disappoint. The texture and size of the octopus as well as the sauce for the whole dish were great. Our pasta dishes had generous portions and were solidly good. Mine had a ton of shrimp and my husband's had a generous amount of beef. We saved the watermelon ricotta salad for last and it was very refreshing. All in all I'd say the salad and octopus were the highlights so definitely try some of the appetizers and salads. The only downside was that the service was a little slow and there was some confusion at the beginning about who was serving our table. Nonetheless, our server was friendly and warm. All in all, we had a good experience at Simona. read more

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We went here for a friends birthday. I was excited as it was by the waterfront but due to the construction we couldn't see anything but metal barriers. The apps- the bruschetta and Focaccia was nothing special, I could make better at home. A little bland. The pastas and chicken dishes were also just decent nothing special. The only good dish was the lemon tiramisu- very unique and delicious. The service was also not great, the waiter took a very long time to come to our table for even our initial order of drinks and the mains. It was supposed to be special for a friends birthday but I just left disappointed. read more

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When my friend said she booked brunch at Simona for her birthday, I honestly had never heard of this place. I am surprised this place does not have more hype, as the location is lovely and the interior is beautiful for photos. It is right by the water and you can enjoy a stroll by the waterfront afterwards. The prices are fair for such a prime location, although admittedly there is not much else around here! My group ordered an assortment of things. I was surprised the brunch menu was so short - most of the items were more sharable appetizers rather than individual dishes. The majority of us ordered pizzas, while I tried the avocado toast. To be honest, I thought the portion could be a bit bigger for it. It is one slice of toast, avocado, whipped ricotta and an egg. It was tasty though. I paid extra to add prosciutto, which came on the side - I kind of expected it to be on the dish! My friends enjoyed their meals and I think the best feedback was on the pizzas. We also got the bottomless mimosas ($35 pp). It was nice that not everyone at the table had to get it. We each ordered 5+ drinks, so I think we made it worth it! I thought I would tap out earlier but I drank right up until that 2 hour window. The service was great and they were refilling our drinks promptly. Overall I'd come again but probably get a different dish. I paid $77 including a mandatory gratuity of 20%. read more

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My large group came here for dinner before heading out to Nuit Blanche. Luckily reservation was easy to make last minute. Simona was a lovely restaurant with romantic ambiance and I liked how large it was. The menu was affordable and there were a decent selection of dishes to choose from. The down side was that service took a long time. Not many ordered drinks, but those who did, waited for a while. The dinner took even longer. When the entrees came, we dug in. Almost everyone enjoyed their food. I liked the branzino fillet that I ordered. The quantity was enough for me, but a few others complained that they were not filled from their meal. What I didn't like was the fixed tips we had to give - 22%. I am of the opinion that tips should be earned, the better service, the better the tip. But given how long we had to wait for our dishes, I wasn't thrilled to give 22%. Next time I would go back, but with a friend or two only. read more

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I stumbled on this beautiful hidden gem while walking just past sugar beach. It's tastefully decorated and a place I really want to bring people based on looks alone. I came with my husband who works nearby and it's actually his second time. We ordered the calamari, shrimp appetizer, and lasagna to share. My husband ordered the calamari & lasagna previously, food is consistent. The plating for the calamari was beautiful and salted perfectly. Good cook. I enjoyed the dip it came with. The lasagna is just pure goodness because it had the meat sauce but also topped with pesto & béchamel Probably my favourite lasagna in the city! The shrimp appetizer came with focaccia bread to dip in the broth but the broth itself was spicy but not very flavourful. The side dip it came with was really good. I felt like the shrimp was juice and well cooked but was lacking in flavour that it fully relied on the side dip to be yummy. So I would suggest working on that recipe. For dessert we ordered the affogato. It was a boozy one with frangelico. It was delicious!!! However, because it had alcohol I couldn't have much (I'm allergic) but I wanted to taste it for how they intended it! I do wish they decided on a non alcoholic version for the menu to start & then provide an option to add alcohol for an additional fee. I knew what frangelico was (cuz I love it) but my partner didn't, so he wouldn't have expected it to be alcoholic. I can only imagine instances when people who are non alcoholic send it back and ask for just the espresso shot. I would come back again. I did go at 3pm so it wasn't busy. Food came out just fine. Didn't experience the slow service. read more

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Pleasantly surprised!! If you are looking for a nice chill but still fancy decor vibey restaurant I highly recommend Simona! The atmosphere itself is welcoming and it is not too loud in there so it's nice to have dinner with others where sometimes restaurants can get too loud and it's hard to hear. Food was pretty tasty. For tried the calamari which was light and not too dense. Meatballs were flavorful and for the main I got the arugula salad! It was not award winning but for a healthy option it was great! They also have a wellness menu right now with healthier options and on alcoholic drinks for anyone on their health journey!! read more

Really nice hidden gem. Great ambiance and food. Service was good as well. Will be back

My favorite place now and always! I absolutely love Italian cuisine--the way they craft their delicious, incredible dressings and sauces is simply unmatched. The food is always served fast, fresh, and with such kindness and professionalism from the waiters and staff. I adore this restaurant, not only for its amazing dishes but also for its elegant, old-money classic atmosphere. The entire experience leaves me speechless every time read more

Simona - Fungi primi - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The food is okay, decor and view is nice, the service is VERY slow and there's lots of room for improvement as they're clearly still working through training. We came here for dinner and drinks and it was clear that a lot of the staff are new and still going through training. They looked like they were adequately staffed for a Tues evening however the service was very slow. I am generally fine with slower service when it's a beautiful day out on the patio however after we were seated, no one came to get our drink orders or give us water for a solid 10+ mins. When the server finally arrived, we made sure to place our entire order including food and apps. She checked in on us once while eating. By the time she checked in on us the final time, we were done our meals and since we realized her appearance was a rarity we asked for our bill right away. She was polite and so were we. I think she realized that she wasn't attentive and apologized but didn't give an explanation. I would maybe come here for drinks understanding the service is slow but wouldn't bother for food. read more

What an incredible find! Was really in the mood for Italian and I found Simona in my search. The location is in a beautiful spot right next to the waterfront. When I came the outside patio was under construction, but the inside was stunning. Beautiful light fixtures, comfortable chairs, and various decorative pillows along the window seats. For my drink I went with a red sangria. A standard sangria with seasonal fruit, I enjoyed it. For appetizers we went with fried artichokes, meatballs, and a watermelon ricotta salad. The fried artichokes were crispy pillows in your mouth served with pepper aioli. These were a great alternative to fried calamari if you do not like seafood but enjoy a crispy bite. The meatballs had a combination of pork and beef topped with freshly grated cheese. They were moist and savory with a generous amount of sauce. The salad was refreshing and light. I loved all the textures you got in every bite. The crunchy pistachios, sweet watermelon, salty olives, and whipped ricotta all burst with flavor. I could have ordered ten of these, it was so good! Next was the Bolognese. It incorporated ground beef, ricotta, and herbed breadcrumbs. WOW! This was one of the best sauces I have ever had. It was savory and craveable. It had so many levels of flavor to it and would rate this dish 10/10! Would recommend this restaurant to anyone in the Toronto area! read more

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Came here for my anniversary dinner, decor is nice! Very pretty inside, but the food and service could really use some improvement. Drinks were fine nothing to write home about. The meatballs were fantastic! Good flavour nice texture, not too hard not too soft. The calabrese pizza was pretty good but lacked in honey flavour. The spaghetti Pomodoro!!! Major let down !!!!!!!!!!!!! We swapped noodles due to a preference at the table, but then we found our noodles were overcooked, and the sauce was water down. If the dish contained cheese on top probably would've been significantly better. Nobody came around to ask if you wanted cheese nor did they come to check on us after our first few bites. Our server was super friendly and very personable, but didn't come around often. Service was definitely slow, but they're super nice. All around if you're going for a drink and a nice view this is the place but if you're going because you're hungry, I would suggest going somewhere else. Also: we sent back the pasta due to nobody being able to eat it and they cleared the whole table, except for the one plate that still had food on it, I've been writing this review for 15 minutes and I have not seen a server. read more

Simona - Meatballs - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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they have a vegan menu and let you order from it. then they bring non-vegan cheese. we were sick for days. as vegans, we can't process lactose so it acts like food poisoning. serious lack of attention to customer service read more

Such a great experience. Food was amazing. Service was 10/10 thanks to Aaliyah. Would definitely recommend.

Amazing food and service! Fawaz is so friendly, attentive and customer service focused.

$300+ NIGHTMARE!!! Unfortunately I'm back to write a review I really didn't want to ever write. When this place opened I really enjoyed it and sang its praises to everyone I knew. When friends from out of town came by I knew where I wanted to take them - but I've never been so disappointed. Upon entering it took 5 minutes to even be greeted. There was no line and as I've been here before and the greeter's booth is right as you walk in, I expected a prompt hello to our group of 6 but instead we stood there waiting. Since the weather was good we asked to be sat outside and could see that there was ample room on the patio, but we were refused. Confused, we accepted to be sat inside. Our waiter came and took our preferences for water, brought them out, and then promptly disappeared for over 10 minutes. He didn't take our drink orders prior to leaving - just dropped off the water. One of my guests had to go and find him so that we could order our drinks. By that point we were also ready to order appetizers but he said he needed to go find a pen and then disappeared for an additional 5 minutes. One of the guests in our party wanted a drink with gin and asked what kind of gin was available and was told that Simona only carries two kinds. Bit i had ordered a drink that comes with empress gin so i questioned the validity of that statement and the server admitted that he didn't know what was actually available. Instead of checking he just waited for us to choose from those 3. After that he only took the appetizer orders and then we were left to wait. As I've mentioned, I've been to Simona before and though I understand we had a larger table of 6, we waited an unusual amount of time, but we assumed it was so that they could bring all of our appetizers out at once but that was NOT the case. The calamari came out cold, rubbery, and without Simonas signature sauce. We also ordered the arancini but were told that the kitchen made a mistake and gave it to another table but that it would be out within 5 minutes. By the time that came out everyone else was done with their appetizers (though the cold calamari was left because it was inedible). After waiting a while for our mains, one of our party was told that the steak he ordered was no longer available and was offered a lesser cut for what ended up being the same price. He felt pressured by our host to say yes and asked for his steak done medium. Fast forward to the food coming out, the steak was medium rare. We waited for the server to come back around as they usually do to ask how everything was but our server NEVER came back until the end of the meal to collect the plates and the untouched steak. Again he disappeared for 10-15 minutes before we could ask for the cheque. I have never had an over $300 meal that was of such poor quality and service. This left me feeling quite embarrassed as I've constantly been talking up Simona and I had to bring my guests back to my place for dessert - we couldn't handle any more disappointment that night. read more

I had a client dinner with 3 guests during the first week of June and the experience was first class. The staff were friendly, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere and location were a perfect setting for an early summer dining experience by the lake. Highly recommend! read more

Wow!!! Book a reservation for 24 people and the reward is a $70 admin fee??? Wtf? Forced to order off a fixed menu with minimum bar spend and auto 18% tip and then an admin fee? Great business sense. Won't be going back and we work nearby and frequently arrange for get togethers. Bad management decision. read more

Probably the worst dining experience I've ever had in my life. Large party with a $4000 down payment, and we received (being generous) 2 plates of appetizers. Drinks had no alcohol in them, service was awful, and they laughed at us as we complained. We were very respectful, and kindly asked for a better dining experience. The response was being kicked out by their general manager. Horrid. read more

Do not waste your time. Terrible service. Terrible. So bad. We had a large party there they were so rude to all of us. No respect for anyone and were rude when we paid thousands of dollars for a terrible time. read more

We came with a party of 30 people and a $4000 down payment, we got three servings of appetizers and two drinks that they put 0 alcohol in.