Sincerely some of the best veggies I have had in a while! Highly recommend their very colourful cauliflower steak. Thought their pizza was solid, but would much quicker come from some veggies or their miami ribs and a bottle of wine.
Surprised it took me so long to check this place out. Not only do they have one of the largest wine cellars in the city, but their mark up isn't nearly as high as basically every where else.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Paese Ristorante is an Italian eatery serving classic Italian cuisine on Bathurst and Wilson in North York, ON. Their extensive menu is divided into several sections such as salads, antipasto, pasta, pizza, fish & meat, and sides. Paese opened over 25 years ago, and has become a neighborhood staple when it comes to homemade Italian-inspired cuisine. Walking into the restaurant, we were quickly seated at the table with natural sunlight shining in and given water. I found the overall ambiance to be quite inviting and warm. Their main dining area downstairs does not have many tables, however, they do offer a private room upstairs to accommodate larger parties. Paese Ristorante has been in business since 1989, and is still thriving today as a result of their ever-changing menus, and warm hospitality.
The menu stays true to Paese Ristorante's philosophy of "Inspired in Italy, Made in Canada". The dishes are handcrafted and house-made using traditional techniques that are combined with distinctive and original made-in-Canada twists.
We started the evening off with complimentary Focaccia Bread - with roasted red peppers, goat cheese, and tapenade. It was a nice change from the bread and olive oil that diners usually get from other Italian restaurants.
Next up was the Grilled Octopus ($18) - potato, grilled escarole, mint, lemon and chill, which was a great starter. The grilled octopus was beautifully charred, but still remained tender and had a nice texture to them. I also enjoyed the refreshing lightness of the citrus sauce, and the potatoes complement the octopus rather well.
Open in 1989, Paese Ristorante have been around for over 25 years serving housemade Italian-inspired menu in the North York area. Owner Tony Loschiavo moved to Canada when he was 3 years old and as he grew up with a passion for food and its preparation, he opened Fenton’s and Noodles. In 1983, he founded L-eat Catering then opened Paese a few years later.
Driving down Bathurst through residential neighbourhoods, the last thing I expected was an Italian restaurant tucked away in between apartment buildings. To me, Paese Ristorante was the definition of a neighbourhood gem. I had visited their downtown location previously during Summerlicious and was sad to hear about it closing. I was recently invited to check out Paese’ original North York location and had the chance to enjoy a delightful, homestyle Italian meal.
Food In The City Toronto
+4
Paese Ristorante, located near Bathurst & Wilson Avenue, is an Italian restaurant of 27 years that offers something for everyone. Their menu offers a range of favourite Italian eats including homemade pizzas, a variety of pasta dishes with homemade sauces and also favourites such as grilled sandwiches and fresh salads.
Did you know that Paese has been around since 1989? This neighbourhood gem is now one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Toronto. In Italian, ‘Paese’ can reference a country, land; region, or village and pronounced ‘pie-ez-zeh’. Paese is located on Bathurst St., just north of the 401. I have driven by Paese a million times, but admittedly I have not noticed the restaurant until recently. The restaurant and L-eat Catering are in one building and can be easily missed driving by. My husband and I had to find street parking as the parking lot was full on a weeknight; a great sign that the restaurant was busy. Inside, the 2 story restaurant had a classic Italian restaurant feel with warm lighting and a large bar.
Paese Ristorante opened over 25 years ago in 1989 offering handcrafted and housemade Italian-inspired menu and wine cellars with over 800 labels from all major wine producing regions. Growing up with a passion for food and
Paese Ristorante (@paeseristorante) opened over 25 yeras ago and has stayed true to its origin of handcrafted and housemade Italian-inspired Canadian cuisine. Little did I know I was in for a treat! As it was summerlicious at the time of my visit, I was able to order off a set menu. To start, we had the Grilled Sardine (Shaved fennel, citrus) and the 21 Ingredient Calabrese Slaw (that had 20 ingredients too much to list them all down). The grilled sardine really caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting to get the entire sardine, and for it to be so good! The slaw was recommended to me by a friend, and I have to say that it was also really good. It really reminded me of Susur Lee's Singapore Slaw. So many different textures - yum.
We were here for a birthday dinner. We ordered polenta fries which were delicious that we had to order it again. The dips included garlic aioli and sun dried tomato ketchup. We ordered two pizzas which were good for sharing. The funghi is worth trying out. For out main course, we ordered the whole fish, catch of the day. This fish is presented as a whole and is filleted in front of the guests. It was so good! We had wine and the dessert was the cake from the picture. This place might be out of the core spots for food utopia but it is definitely worth a visit! Next time desserts and most polenta fries.
I had the Cioccolato (pronounced "chocolato"). Oh my goodness, this might just be the best dessert I've ever eaten! Seriously, it was that good. The dessert is a dark chocolate terrina (cake), with layers of white chocolate mousse, sitting on top a puddle of Nutella, topped with a hazelnut brittle. If you're able to get to Paese Ristorante, you should go try this dessert. The cake is chocolatey and rich, the mousse is sweet and creamy, and the brittle gives a satisfying crunch. And it has Nutella! I'd go back to this restaurant just so I can eat this again.
From the food to the service it was fabulous!!! Pizza, soup and Salad were fresh n crisp. The Pesto Mint dressing was fresh as if it came from the garden's in Tuscany. Wow for the coffee!!! And the service... Sal was personable and very accommodating. As I told Sal I could spend the entire evening with friends eating, drinking wine and relaxing. Then finishing the night from the fine Whiskey selection. Can't wait to come back and try the fish.
The dishes we tried we're not great. Might have had an off night, it's usually pretty tasty...
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Tori and I both ordered the meatballs as our starter, and I’m so glad we did. The meatballs were tender and flavourful, and that tomato sauce was one of the best I’ve tasted. According to the menu, the meatballs are made from house ground beef short rib, sirloin, brisket and pecorino, and they are braised in tomato sugo. This is what I imagine rustic Italian home cooking would look like!
I have to say that I was impressed with the portion sizes. I know that doesn’t look like a lot of pasta, but it’s a heavy dish and you wouldn’t want much more than that. Tori and I were so full after our main courses that we were worried that we wouldn’t have room for dessert. That didn’t end up being an issue though because both desserts were fairly light.
I had the Cioccolato (pronounced “chocolato”). Oh my goodness, this might just be the best dessert I’ve ever eaten! Seriously, it was that good. The dessert is a dark chocolate terrina (cake), with layers of white chocolate mousse, sitting on top a puddle of Nutella, topped with a hazelnut brittle. If you’re able to get to Paese Ristorante, you should go try this dessert. The cake is chocolatey and rich, the mousse is sweet and creamy, and the brittle gives a satisfying crunch. And it has Nutella! I’d go back to this restaurant just so I can eat this again.
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