The Express Restaurant - Italian Eatery

didn’t want to write a negative review but after seeing a super sassy response to my dining companions review addressing completely valid issues, i’m not eager to recommend this spot! the lack of professionalism in that reply makes the very mid experience make sense.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 2

Food was great, lobster ravioli offered me
Something I haven’t tried before which is always a great thing and it was worth it, although a bit expensive at $35. The creme brulee was great too and they say the Tiramisu and Creme are made in house! Service was amazing, never a moment when we were left waiting, server was very attentive and the vibe was good, nice night out with friends!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Lobster Ravioli

The food was delicious, it had a very European environment

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: La Diavola Pizza

Great food and service. Good selection of wine and beer and other beverages. We had a very pleasant lunch experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Porchetta Pizza

Love the food and wall posters.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Seating was a little more intimate than I would have liked, unable to have a real conversation with my dining companion since I could hear every detail of our neighbouring table's prostate issues. My companion had to move their chair over to allow the gentleman at the next table space to get out from their seat when leaving.
Service was mediocre with our wait staff checking in once at the start of our meal. My companion had to get up and find someone to replenish the water glasses.
Regarding the food, I was excited with the menu options but a little disappointed when it hit the taste buds. We ordered the white pizza with potatoes and Fettucine Pesto with chicken.
Pizza had no flavour except for the overwhelming cheese. There were no more than 10-12 very, very thin slices of potato (8 slice pizza). I don't mind a thin crust but this was paper thin. The Fettuccine were much worse. Probably cooked twice as long as they should have been and felt like mush after it passed the lips.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 2

We recommend the chicken pesto pizza and the Alfredo!! So yummy:) came here for our 2nd year anniversary??‍❤️‍??

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The worst experience ever, I went today with my wife and my son to celebrate our anniversary and had to wait more than one hour for our order, after I asked the waitress and maybe the manager both of them told me “will take around 10 or 15 minutes”…after one hour!!! With the excuse that cause we ordered an starter we had to wait, before us they attended 3 or 4 tables that arrived after us, all our expectations fell down with this place I had to cancel the order and the “manager” or whoever that woman was…said “ok”.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The food was simple yet delicious! They really stick to authentic Italian style cooking to bring meals to life without adapting to local context which is great for the experience!

We got the Aglio e olio and the lobster ravioli. Boat pasta dishes were cooked well; texture was great (Al dente). The flavor of the lobster ravioli was perfect; I only wish we had the choice of non shredded, meaty lobster as I would have preferred instead of the shredded/minced stuffing.

The breads were a nice touch with the pasta as expected. They also had roast pepper dip and cheese at each table which added a nice touch. The peppers are nice if you want a bit of a kick in your dish but a bit on the salty side from what I suspect might be olives in the mix!

We also had tiramisu as dessert; it was okay, not the best I’ve head and nothing wow about either. It would have been great to have it layered perfectly but this was served in a jar so might be better if served and layered differently.

There was just the one waiter who was rather effective at serving multiples tables and attending to new guests so we didn’t feel like service was slowed.

A number of reserved tables so you might want to book ahead but we walked in and were able to get a spot quickly! Nice music and not too loud; great for conversation

Overall good experience, would definitely recommend!

Parking: Paid parking if you visit at a certain time; pretty standard parking rules for street parking arrangements. Free of charge off peak hours

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Lobster Ravioli

Every meal at The Express is amazing! They have delicious food, gluten free options, and are absolutely hands down my favourite neighbourhood restaurant! Always friendly, accommodating and will go the extra mile to make sure your experience is top notch. I highly recommend that you get over there for lunch or dinner and get yourself a grilled vegetable salad (with chicken if you eat that!)!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not worth it as per prices

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 4

Our server Maddie was very diligent with customer service. She was patient with us as we were taking time to order our pizza. She held a friendly description about her university experience. The chicken pesto pizza was delicious. A really good overall experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Sophie is the best!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Enjoyed dinner so much!!!! Large portions and authentic tasting Italian food! We had a friendly, excellent server named Madeline. Always love when a biscotti is complementary to your cappuccino! Perfect spot to take your family while visiting them at McMaster!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was amazing! But specifically, Madeline was fantastic and catered to all of our needs. Highly recommend!!!! Thank you for a great meal Madeline and team.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fettuccine Alfredo