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La Bruschetta Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
1317 St Clair Ave WToronto, ON M6E 1C2
Neighbourhood: Corso Italia
(416) 656-8622
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for La Bruschetta Restaurant
11 reviews in English
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Review from John F.
North York, ON
6/29/2010
Were here last night treating a friend to dinner.
This is not a cheap restaurant, but the food is first rate. Traditional Italian (not updated or North American Italian) with a seeming emphasis on dishes from central Italy (Lazio, Umbria, etc.)
I ordered a non-Italian appetizer, Caesar salad, but it was one of the best I have had in a while (note, they do use anchovies in the dressing so be forewarned if you don't like them). Our friend had buffalo mozzarella over tomatoes, also wonderful. We all split an order of carpaccio. The virtually fat free paper thin meat slices were bather in lemon juice and topped with a lot of shredded (not grated) parmesan and were heavenly.
The main dishes were just as good - the specialty veal bruschetta was great and I ordered rigatoni with ground lamb, mushrooms and truffle oil which was melt in the mouth perfect.
A gratis portion of good bruschetta comes with the meal. Beware of the olive oil served with the bread - it is hot pepper flavoured and really HOT!
Nice service but we were there when the place was empty. Too full for dessert.
One minor quibble was that for a place of this caliber, serving the parmesan for the pasta in a little sprinkler seems a bit declasse. A chunk in a grater would have been nicer.
Decor is pleasant but not fancy.
Expect to spend about $45-50 per person without drinks, tax and tip.Listed in: Eating Places from Special…
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Review from Michael M.
Toronto, ON
7/18/2011
Went here for Summerlicious with some friends on a Saturday evening.
I was happy to see that we were started off with some of the namesake bruschetta. I found the bread tasted a bit stale for my liking, but overall fairly tasty.
My appetizer was a salad with peaches, bocconcini, almost, and a balsamic mustard vinaigrette. The peaches were substituted without notice for figs, which were delicious.
My main course was the ciangale spaghetti with wild boar meatballs and truffle cheese. The meatballs were juicy and flavorful although the sauce was a little disappointing.
The panna cotta for desert was quite delicious, although it left a rather unappetizing taste in my mouth moments later. The tiramisu one of my dining companions order was apparently quite delicious.
Overall, the food was quite good, although given the price of the dishes, I would think twice about returning. -
Review from Tara A.
2/3/2010
This place is a bit out of my regular path so I was quite excited to check it out when given the opportunity. I came here with my girlfriends and we had a great evening with the Winterlicious Menu.
The Atmosphere
-remarkable. It is esthetically pleasing. I especially enjoy the plates on walls and the mosaic tiling by the bar. It is a cozy restaurant with great dining potential.
The Food
- fabulous. Not only do they give you bread to start, they also wet your palate with well Bruschetta. I must warn you though. The hot pepper concoction they bring to the table, small doses my friends... I had upper lip sweat like there was no tomorrow.
- The winterlicious menu is extensive. Alot of the restaurants have a small menu and don't really showcase the variety or the details of their regular menu.
- The bad part about this restaurant is that while Winterlicious is on, they only serve from that menu, not from their regular menu.
The Staff
- Everyone was extremely pleasant and very knowledgeable about their menu.
Definitely make the commute to La Bruschetta. You don't be disappointed. -
Review from ILLAN K.
Toronto, ON
5/2/2009
I came here for Winterlicious and it was pretty much exactly what I expected. It was delicious food with friendly staff.
I had a veal stew served on polenta, which was extremely flavourful. The panna cotta desert was probably the best I've tasted. Their calamari is exactly what you'd expect from a quality Italian place.
Normally, I'd give this place 4 stars, but there was just one thing that was a bit weird about this place that took a star off (and honestly I don't know if maybe it should gain a star or lose a star because of it...). The ground floor was full when we got there, so they seated us in the upstairs dining room. The tables and chairs up there look straight out of grandma's kitchen (if grandma bought her furniture in 1982). In some ways, it made the place feel cheap; in other ways, it made it feel homey.
Either way, I'd recommend this restaurant to someone wanting the St. Clair West experience. -
Review from Jeremy P.
Toronto, ON
2/6/2010
Last night my girlfriend and I went to La Bruschetta for the annual Winterlicious event. Here are my thoughts regarding our dining experience:
- I ordered the following items:
1. Appetizer - soup of the day - it was a bowl of vegetable consomme.
2. Entree - I chose the fettuccine with veal meatballs.
3. Dessert - Tiramisu
Appetizer:
The pluses: it was served hot, was a good sized portion, and had a good variety of vegetables.
The minuses: it tasted like there was a bit too much salt.
Entree:
The pluses: it was a good sized portion, the fettuccine seemed fresh.
The minuses: they skimped on the amount of meatballs. There were only three provided. The sauce was a bit on the bland side.
Dessert:
The pluses: the tiramisu was tasty.
The minuses: it was a bit soggy, and the portion size was quite small.
My girlfriend ordered the following items: greens for an appetizer, pasta (I can't quite remember what they called it, but it was cut short and had a twist to it, and was doused in a cheesy type of sauce with some mushrooms), and Tartufo for dessert.
I had a brief taste of her entree and her dessert and can say that she made a better choice than myself.
As far as the dining experience was concerned, I have mixed things to say. On the bright side, they were able to accommodate us as we made a reservation only a few hours before dinner.
On the negative side, we were delayed arriving because of heavy rush hour traffic. When we arrived, the hostess told us to wait in the narrow hallway (note: there was no where to sit and we had to awkwardly get out of the way when people wanted to get by us). We ended up waiting around a half hour to be seated. We were directed to their upstairs dining room. While the room was not significantly large (maybe a dozen tables), it was quite noisy, and often at times I found I had to ask my girlfriend to repeat what she was saying in order to hear her.
As far as service was concerned, while the waiters were quite friendly, there were only two staffed upstairs, and we found that we had to ask multiple times to have our water glasses refilled.
Probably the best part of the meal was the glass of sangria that we had beforehand. On the whole, I'd say that for the price that was paid ($40/each tax & tip incl.) the meal was on the average side.
Of note what I thought was cool (some would consider kitschy), was the fact that in the opening hallway, they have dozens of plates that have been signed by noteworthy people, hanging on the wall. Thus if you do have to wait for a table for a while, you at least have something to entertain you while you wait. -
Review from Joseph A.
10/17/2009
A very special place full of good energy and authentic italian food. The wonderfully-charming Benito and his family run this restaurant with care and with love. The food is wonderful; the wine selection very thoughtful, and there are always surprises, like cheeses that Benito has aged himself. Ask him about how they make their pasta.
Can't wait to go back! -
Review from Paul K.
Toronto, ON
3/23/2011
We had a Groupon voucher and made a reservation for Wednesday, March 22, 2011 at 8pm. The waiter was so arrogant and rude that we walked out after drinking only a glass of wine, leaving money enough to cover it. Neither of us can remember being treated as poorly at a restaurant. Since we were out to celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary, it was a bitter disappointment that will not be forgotten, but will be shared with all who care to read about it.
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Review from Ryan S.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 2/27/2010
We were back here on New Year's Eve. Once again, we were totally blown away. The food was outstanding. What really got me was that we had a friend with us who has serious food allergies and the owner simply sat down with us to figure out exactly what our friend could eat. That was seriously great service! I will happily go back anytime.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/3/2009
We were here for the first time the other night and it was excellent. The food was delicious and the… Read more »
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Review from Flo C.
Scarborough, ON
3/26/2011
The service was poor. The servers were arrogant and rude..made us feel like eating in a cafetaria. The food was average and very salty. The menu is short and overpriced. They call themselves traditional Italian, but we had authentic Italian food in Toronto and Italy that tastes a lot better.
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Review from A W.
Toronto, ON
10/27/2009
The best Italian cuisine ever. When we want to spoil ourselves this is where we go.
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Review from Jonathan D.
Toronto, ON
4/13/2010
Wonderful Corsa Italia classic italian place; a real neighborhood feel, with excellent food and professional, very knowledgable service. They start you off with bruschetta with wonderful fresh tomatoes. We each had an appetizer (scallops, and gnocchi) -- the gnocchi was maybe the best I've ever had, very light and fluffy, and the scallops were done perfectly and in a lovely subtle sauce. We had a terrific salad, and finished with a wonderful fettuccini prosecco with lobster and a beautiful rich Osso buco. An orange Ripieno and espresso finished things perfectly. Staff were friendly and terrific; a wonderful night, and we'll come here again to treat ourselves soon.
