I was referred to this place by a friend who is a regular. I went in at 9:10 (Google says it closes at 10) and they said they closed 15 minutes ago because it was dead. Well clearly it s not dead if there s people walking in to eat during opened hours. There were groups of people eating and cooks cooking in the kitchen, so I don t understand. This was also the second time I ve walked in and they said they were closed. Definitely never trying to eat here again.
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I'm really really really shocked and disappointed to see the quality of costumer service that I have been offered at this pretty unnacommodating establishment. Let me begin by sharing with you that chances are that you probably would be luckier if you're looked after by a waiter or regular staff member rather than the owner himself as he was pretty much standoffish and snobbish, I really don't want to think that it was racially based his actions and poor attitude, or perhaps he was judging from my appearance, but I was not as formal as I was in our previous visits, this time I was rather casual (I was wearing jeans, t-shirt and a baseball cap). The last few times the point of contact was my business partner who happens to be caucasian and it happened to be a totally different experience, coincidence??? ... Either way in both cases, either race or appearance, should not be something that from a business perspective would have been a factor to dismiss anyone, specially here in multiculturalism city central of Toronto, ON Canada. I'm a vegetarian, pretty flexible, and gluten free. All I was asking was to add mushrooms at of course whatever cost there was to incur. And he just with a very angry and frustrated look in his face continued to reinforce that he would no offer that possibility. What he didn't know is that I was going to have an appetizer at the bar while I was finishing up a business email I was preparing for the meeting that was supposed to take place at his place of business. It never took place as I called everyone to meet elsewhere. LA VECCHIA restaurant was more than happy to accommodate us and helped us to feel welcomed.
In conclusion I highly recommend that you dress the part and if you're a minority maybe not such a good idea to attend the white privileged owned restaurant, which definitely does not welcome vegetarians and will not offer any flexibility to make you feel welcomed... Or maybe it was just me and my experience. However I hope this review serves others to have a better experience. Thank God I dint show up with my wife and son or with all the businesses partners participating in the meeting that was about to take place at this establishment. Really shocked to have experienced prejudice and a racially biased poor experience in Toronto at yonge and eglinton. Thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness in the experience facilitated BLAIR ASPINALLI HOST, MANAGER AND OWNER
By the way in all the bad reviews he only chose to reply and make it up to only Caucasian man and women, there were other reviews by Asians, clearly by their last names, it's been a year now and no reply whatsoever or even an attempt to make it up to anyone else :). Goes to show the true colors WOW!!!!
IN REPLY TO YOUR RESPONSE TO MY REVIEW :
You had the chance Blair to actually make it right at the time when I was there... YOU ARE THE OWNER AND OPERATOR you had the power to make a small change such as substitution of meat for mushrooms. I have been a restaurant owner and we all know the customer is the driving force behind your business but your ego was bigger than your customer service, you judged me based on my attire I saw you run to the bar when you saw I had a backpack and a hat, and you decided to run me out of your business by telling me that you would not offer a gluten free pasta with mushrooms. I asked the exact same pasta with the exact same ingredients, just to substitute the meat for mushrooms. There was only one other table in the restaurant. Anyway I can see you are trying to save face to the public, I hope you really make the genuine changes so your clientele benefits from this poor quality experience at your restaurant. THANK YOU BLAIR
This is one of Toronto's finest restaurants and has been so for many years. (It has had the same chef for over two decades). It is well worth a visit. The space is quite small, yet the tables are reasonably spaced apart. Service is very high quality and knowledgeable. More often than not one of the owners is on the premises each evening. The wine list is almost exclusively Italian. You can bring your own, corkage $35. We had the octopus starter which was tender and moist. It was followed by the duck pasta, soft, supple taste. We had one of the fish of the day sea bream grilled to perfection and then deboned on the spot, accompanied by cauliflower. All top-notch.
A great place to eat high class italian cuisine. Professional and friendly staff. Very cozy and sophisticated in the same time. Makes you keep going for more and more..
Been coming here for 8 years and never a disappointment. A local gem of midtown and one of the best Italian restaurants in Toronto. Professional and friendly staff (unlike those cold hipster places).
Below is a review from my Valentine s Day Dinner at Zucca. ___ Zucca s impressive Italian menu for Valentine s Day. You know it s going to be amazing when they been in business this long... celebrating 25 years! ___ I enjoyed a delicious 4 course dinner for two with cocktails that you can enjoy at home. 1. Antipasto 2. A gorgeous Blood Orange and Fennel Salad 3 Choice of Mains: Lobster Cannelloni or Grilled Chilean Sea Bass 4. Heart Shaped Chestnut Torte with Pomegranate seeds Cocktails: Zucca Love Potion #9 (Prosecco with Blood Orange Juice and Campari, Aperol & Amara Ross s __ Entrees come in easy to heat containers with simple instructions ___ It was my first time trying Zucca and everything was delicious. The Sea Bass was perfect! And I enjoyed the generous portion of Lobster Cannelloni with a nice creamy sauce. The citrus salad is beautifully presented. ___ I will definitely go back to try their regular menu!!
The food and service are excellent. Too bad for the decor. It could be a top Toronto restaurant if the place looks better. No personality, old look, bunch of tables and chairs and nothing much more than that .. that sums up the look and the feel of the place. My friends refuse to go because they think the place looks plain, bad and boring . My family and kids also feel that it is a boring place that does not looks good. Maybe the decor looks good for an older clientele but for people that want the food to be as good as the feel of the place ... this doesn t cut it. For an upscale place, maybe this should be improved. Again, I love love love the food and the service. I hope my comments are a food for thought for the management and I hope they have plans to renovate this place soon.
Zucca is a local treasure. The complimentary starter and bread basket are always a treat; the pastas are homemade with seasonal ingredients and are fantastic; and the cornish hen never disappoints. The service is excellent and it is warm and unpretentious inside. Always a great experience at Zucca.
Great ambience and the food is excellent. I went there with my husband and another couple and we were pleasantly surprised by the food , and not to mention the service was amazing. The waiter took his time to explain the menu to us and we didn't feel rushed to order. This will be my new go-to restaurant.
way too Small portions ..... bland taste ...... expensive for the value. would not recommend ..... wouldn't go again ... menu is small not much choices .....
Not sure what people are talking about with this place being on anyone list of favorite Italian restaurants. The food was bland, expensive and the portions were tiny, I might as well go to any Italian American style franchise and have mediocre Italian food for half the price.
I visited Zucca last night with my wife. We were entertaining another couple who I am trying to win business from and also further our good relationship. I had contacted Blair in advance because it was a special night. He took care of the booking himself. He paid incredible attention to our table throughout the night, stopping by a few times and discussing aspects of the meal and wine pairings. He shared banter and made my wife and I, and especially our guests, feel special and well cared for. He had even selected our entire meal in advance and multiple members of his staff were informed of this as well....and every dish was fantastic. We never even looked at the menu. It was humbling and flattering to be treated like this and it capped off a very special day. It is truly unique to be taken care of like this and I can tell that Blair and his staff don't do this for basic financial reasons....it's more than that. He is a professional who has a passion for what he does and truly appreciates his patrons. This kind of effort and treatment is rare. For special evenings, I will always choose Zucca in the future. My great recommendation is that others do as well. ****Dec 24 Update - the client I brought signed an LOI to sell his business to us for $3.5M. He cited this dinner specifically as a factor that helped him choose us over the other corps. He felt his interests will be better taken of care of with us. Obviously other factors exist but I can't tell you how impactful events like this are for business development.
Great food and service. I would recommend any of the pastas as well as their Antipasto and octopus appetizer. Wonderful service. Server was attentive and had very good knowledge of menu items.
If it's on Joanne Kates list, you walk in expecting a lot. This place is good, but a neighborhood Italian place up the street (7 Numbers) makes better food and costs a fraction. That's why only 3 stars for Zucca.
My family has lived in the Yonge and Eglinton area for nearly 10 years. We frequent Zucca and have never been disappointed. It is one of the best restaurants in Toronto.
The place you will go when you want the best grilled whole fish. The server is very nice and attentive. They will debone the fish for you on the table. Love it! Go for Branzino or Orata.
Perfectly prepared branzino, pastas & dessert! Loved the excellent service, relaxing ambiance & modern rustic decor. If you're looking for a blingy scene, head elsewhere downtown!
Ambiance: 4/5 its a nice and cozy restaurant with good decor and dim lighting.
Food: 3/5 its decent, but it didn t blow me away- especially for those prices. Came in expecting much more depth in flavour, and unfortunately was not impressed.
Value: 3/5 High quality ingredients with poor execution leaving you wanting more. The prosciutto entree was the best dish, and the tagliatelle was fresh but the sauce lacked something. The steak was just steak, on a bed of greens, cooked well but again lacking something.
Service: 4/5 Service was ok, noticeable lulls between table clearing and drink refilling when the restaurant wasn t that busy, but they were friendly.
Overall wouldn t really visit again for the price.
Zucca is one of a handful of restaurants in Toronto that has never disappointed. We've been going for as long as it's been open - almost 20 years? Chef Milne-Allen is always teaching us something new about Italian cooking in a city with too many mediocre Italian places. He has exquisite taste. When Blair took over at the front of the house from Luis about 10 years ago he took a while to develop the poise and polish of his predecessor, but the service, next to Scaramouche, is about the best around.
Food was good but the waitress didn't tell us the salad we ordered no longer come with spicy sausages and cherry tomatoes until we asked about it when the food arrived. Also now with the the condo construction, if you come during sun set time be prepared to have sun reflection off the condo glass wall shinning right into your eyes. This is the place of my first date with my wife and i'm disappointed the experience wasn't as good as it used to be.
The fish is good. The server will suggest great options and specials and the decor is very nice. BYOB accepted, and the space is cozy without being stifling. Had a white fish which was cooked and deboned very well and the bread was delicious.
The best place to eat in Midtown. My wife and I have been going here for 9 years and this review is overdue. The food is fresh and care is taken with how it is served. The Owner/Manager Blair takes great care of all guests in a way I have only seen in Italy a couple times. Go and enjoy this spot.
Food was very good. A bit over priced. small and intimate armosphere.Service started out great, but as they became busier, our waiter disappeared and spent a lot of time with was seemed to be regular customers. Couldn't get anything we needed, even the bill.
Been there a few times over a few years. Consistently warm and welcoming, Zucca Trattoria is an honest gem in the heart of midtown Toronto. They serve traditional Italian to perfection and always make you feel special. One of the very best in this city.
Wonderful food, the seafood linguini with squid ink was absolutely fantastic and my pasta dish of the day was fabulous too... Wine, dessert, ambiance, staff, this place has everything going for it...
Great food, amazing service. We originally tried the nearby Via Mercanti, but the service was awful so we ended up at Zucca Trattoria. I'm so glad it happened, because Zucca was awesome. Very cozy , good food, and absolutely phenomenal service. Worth visiting for sure.
It's been a number of years since I've visited Zucca. The meal was spectacular from start to finish. Service was great as well. I won't wait years to come back again. Thank you for a great night.
Rollercoaster between stunning duck pasta (out of this world) and terribly bitter desert with a fancy Italian name which turned out to be a brownie. At least it was taken off the bill. The starters (beef carpaccio and octopus) were fantastic, but there was very little of it hidden under the salad cover. The wine list was unimpressive and overpriced.
We are regular customers to Zucca. I recently took my parents here for their birthdays - special occasion identified when I made the reservation. Unfortunately this went unrecognized. Very disappointing. The food was good, but for the price, I am looking for more value.
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