Via Allegro Ristorante

The best Italian food I’ve had in the city! Amazing service.

Recommend!

Expectations are exceeded only by the excellent service, food quality, and ambiance at Via Allegro.

Fantastic food and a lovely atmosphere. Service was average for a restaurant of this stature and opulence but overall it was a great experience.

I had dinner at Via Allegro Ristorante recently, and to be honest, it was a huge letdown. The place looks nice — upscale decor, extensive wine list, the whole fine-dining package — but the food didn’t just disappoint, it was borderline inedible.
The Spicy Bad Girl lobster spaghetti was truly awful — the lobster was rubbery and overcooked, and the sauce had a strange, bitter taste that ruined the whole dish.
It didn’t get better from there. The arancini balls and lamb speducci came out cold and were completely lacking in flavor. Even the rib steak, which was the best of the bunch, was just okay — and definitely didn’t justify the high price.
The ambiance is nice and the wine list is impressive, but when the food is this underwhelming, it really doesn’t matter. I won’t be going back.

Good food

We had a birthday dinner here last week. This is a very high end restaurant but simply did not meet our expectations. The ambience is stunning. And perhaps our expectations were too high, but the one word that comes to mind to describe this restaurant is classy but overpriced.

The service was outstanding. Alex our main server was excellent. Friendly, courteous and attentive and he was assisted by other servers that were great at clearing the dishes and refilling our drinks.

However, we felt the sommelier was obnoxious to put it bluntly. The Allegro has an extensive wine list, including bottles in the $17,000 range. But my bro and sis-in-law are budding wine connoisseurs and I felt they were not given the respect or service they deserved. Everyone did enjoy the two bottles we chose.

We ordered several appetizers. The foccacia and dip was excellent. The Arancini (rice balls) were also outstanding. We also had olives and calamari. The calamari was ok but a bit chewy and slightly overpriced.

The big disappointment, and the reason for the low rating, was the main courses which did not match what you would expect for this caliber restaurant and these prices. We had a variety of dishes and I got to try most of them. I had the pizza. One word to describe it; terrible. It was burnt and virtually tasteless. Others had the sea bass ($74) was very good, the Tagliatelle bolognese was small and the sauce was bland, the rabbit which I did not try but heard it was just ok and not a large portion and to top it off the birthday girl and my bro shared the duck which was listed as market price and was enough for 2. The risotto it came with was excellent but I personally did not care for the duck. I found it quite gamey. It cost $195 which seemed a bit outrageous to me.

We were charged for the birthday desserts as well. They were excellent and included a chocolate layer cake, Tiramisu and cheescake. I tried them all and they were delicious and well presented.

So overall it was a nice evening and we did not let the food and prices diminish our experience. However, that being said, I would never return to this restaurant and I cannot recommend it due to the fact the prices simply do not match the food quality and quantity that you would expect from a high end restaurant. I have dined at several others that far supersede this one.

A bit pricey but otherwise great. Recommend for a special occasion.

My girlfriend and I dined in for my birthday today. The service as you walk in was exceptional and very welcoming. It’s evident the staff here work as a team. All the recommendations for food and drinks did not disappoint.

We want to shout out our server, Z, he was amazing and took good take of us from the start to the end.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The atmosphere is high end, great for dates and special celebrations. The food is delicious. The waiter was very pleasant and informative, but service was very slow throughout the entire night. Even as I was trying to leave, I had to flag a waiter down to get my coat from coat check. Allegro is also on the pricey end of the spectrum.

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian options are limited. I wanted the ricotta and spinach dish, but they sold out after I ordered it. They did offer to talk to the chef to figure out a vegetarian option that is not on the menu

Dietary restrictions: They're willing to work with dietary restrictions

Kid-friendliness: This is not really an atmosphere for kids, but there are no restrictions

Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Truffled Mushroom Risotto

I recently dined at Allegro Italian Restaurant and found the experience mixed. The calamari appetizer was enjoyable, and while I appreciated the shrimp pasta, the sauce was less flavorful than expected. My first choice on the menu was sold out, which was disappointing. Their bar selection, however, was impressive, living up to Allegro's reputation for variety. The service was a bit lacking, as the staff appeared short-staffed; our server seemed overwhelmed, and I had to signal for attention twice, though he apologized for the oversight. Overall, it was a decent experience with some room for improvement. The atmosphere was divine. Otherwise, I would rate a 3

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 2

My goodness, how delicious! Spacious, welcoming place, slightly outside the center but in a very accessible area. So far so good but what really makes the difference are the people who work there and the incredible food! I ate an amazing sea bass and was pampered with a sweet spriz and a spicy Barolo Chinato. I thank Zlata the sommelier who works there and who recommended it to me. Unforgettable experience, I recommend it to all travelers passing through Toronto. PS- Among the top 4 wine lists in the state! More than 7000 wines on the list!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Zuppa Di Funghi, Crostata Ai Funghi, Frutti Di Mare Classico, Caponata, Zuppa, Maialino

Where do I even begin? Food: Good. Service: meh. We were really disappointed with the service here.

My mom is visiting from overseas, and since it's her birthday, we decided to take her to a nice restaurant to celebrate.

We brought a cake that I had ordered elsewhere, and I had already agreed to pay the service fee when we arrived. For some context, my mom is East Asian, and this is her first time in Canada. Unfortunately, most of the steak dishes would be too rare for her taste, plus she’s not a big fan of seafood, and she doesn’t drink wine. I know I know - it really doesn’t leave us with a lot of options, and it’s always a bit tricky eating out with her. But it was still her birthday so…

In the end, she only wanted one of the pasta dishes, so the 3 of us ended up ordering an appetizer, 3 pasta dishes and some light cocktails (which she barely touched because she doesn’t drink much alcohol).

Here’s the thing - I get that waiters often rely on tips and commission based on the number of dishes or wines sold, but our waiter (who seemed like a nice enough guy and took the time to explain the menu), seemed unimpressed by our choices (no $$$ for him?) — just 1 appetizer, 3 pasta dishes, some cocktails and no wine. As the night went on, the service became noticeably slower and slower, almost to the point where it was hard to ignore.

I spent most of the night trying to keep my mom’s spirits up because it was her birthday, but my boyfriend was annoyed with the waiter’s attitude and didn’t want to stay there anymore. It took some convincing to get him to leave some tip, even though I agreed the service really really fell short.

What can I say? Please step up your customer service so that diners don’t leave feeling uncomfortable or disappointed during a special occasion?…

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 1

Wowowowowow is all ill say. Just go and try for yourself! You ? will ? not ? regret ? it!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Truffled Mushroom Risotto

A beautifully decorated restaurant that invites you to spend a cozy evening here. We were in a group of 5 people and had a great table.

The service was very friendly, attentive and helpful in choosing the dishes. Different dishes were shared as starters, which were delicious! The main courses ranged from stone oven pizza to homemade pasta. The portions were adequate and the taste was excellent.

We really enjoyed the evening. We'll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5