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Noce Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
875 Queen St WToronto, ON M6J 1G5
Neighbourhoods: Niagara, West Queen West, Trinity Bellwoods
(416) 504-3463
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
14 reviews for Noce Restaurant
14 reviews in English
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Review from Shannon F.
Toronto, ON
I LOVE this restaurant. I have been there twice now - last night for Valentine's day with my sweetheart included. Very romantic.
My bf claims they have the best veal in the city. I'll have to take his word for it as I don't eat meat but I do make the odd exception for a fish dish when I'm out and they make AMAZING fish dishes. Last night i started with sea scallops that were to die for - I took a picture it was beautiful and cooked perfectly, My bf had the raw tuna which also had a beautiful combination of flavours. For my main I had the black cod served over collard greens, white asparagus and a delicious citrus/sweet sauce that I could have licked off the plate. I actually finished my meal before my bf which is a first ever, he's sets records in speed! He took a picture for the proof I finished first :-)
For dessert we had tiramisu - traditional and delicious. Tough choice over the creme brulee but in an Italian place I had to go tiramisu. Perfect topping to the meal.
An extensive wine list/cellar glassed off of the back room would entice any oenophiles with any range of price point.
The decor is white linen tablecloths and napkins, black and white dressed servers - all male as far as I could tell with excellent knowledge of the food and wine. Wonderful service - we were visited by several waiters in making sure our food was served when ready and our glasses topped up when necessary. They are attentive but not intrusive but happy to chat if you're engaging. The waiter we had the first time we went about a year ago was there and we made a point of saying hi and that he was one of the reasons we returned.
It's not trendy or flashy but I love the traditional feel. Not sure why there are any bad reviews but I suppose I've only been twice and any restaurant can have a bad night. But I have nothing but wonderful memories here and look forward to plenty more. -
Review from Jeff C.
East York, ON
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Lovers of restaurants know there are two types of high end restaurants, the ones with excellent service and food and the ones that are just pretentious. Noce is the pretentious kind with staff that are rude and food that is off the mark. I decided to try it out over Terroni's near by. I didn't have reservations but they seemed to accommodate me with a table that was available. The place was not too busy, always a table or two available.
It started going wrong with the debate over water. The waiter asked if I would like some and I said sure, just plain water was fine. After a few back and fourths about what plain water was I ended up with a $9 bottle of water. I should have said tap water but instead I fell for the oldest trap in the restaurant game.
Next was the back and fourth over wine. I was telling the waiter what I thought we would be ordering so I could get his suggestion over a wine to choose. He kept telling me to wait on the main course until my other dinner guest arrived and I kept saying but I would like some wine at the table when she gets here and would like some suggestions. It's not that he didn't understand he just didn't give a damn. I ordered a chardonnay just to end the conversation.
My fiance arrived and we choose dinner which is where it went wrong again. He kept pushing the coffee infused pasta with wild boar. Pasta lovers have coffee after their meal perhaps, but not in it. I knew this was a bad choice but he kept pushing it. She got it and I went with a Pene with sausage. If in doubt always go for a safe red pasta. My meal was OK but frankly no better than what I could get at The Hot House, but this is not the Hot House and I expect better. The coffee infused pasta with boar was a disaster. She ate about a 1/3 of the plate and could do no more. She told the waiter and he shrugged and took it away. No offer of another dish and we still get charged for the crap. And there was very little boar. I think they put the boar on the counter when they were preparing it to say that, but it never made it into the plate.
Even for half the price this place is not worth it. Yet another pretentious restaurant in a trendy area. We should have gone to Terroni's. -
Review from Jane T.
Toronto, ON
10/9/2011
Eating at Noce is an event. Excellent service, knowledgeable staff, and the happy bustle that comes from dining amongst other discriminating guests. But here's the but. Not all the food blew me away. Perhaps it's because some of my friends are such good cooks that I tend to eat well a lot of the time. The salads we tried were good, but not great. Fresh, certainly, but nothing that really stood out. As one of my friends said "I could make this in my sleep". The appetizers were a little better. Delicious calamari, lovely beef carpaccio, and a buratta cheese plate that drove us into a frenzy..
The main courses were all over the place. At the bottom of the heap was a shrimp and marscapone risotto that was rather wet and tasteless. Nicer was a veal dish that was much appreciated by it's eater, but as I don't eat veal, I can't attest. Then there was the signature wild mushroom ravioli that had us all swooning. Truly seductive. I offered a sample to the risotto-eating guy, who now looked sad that he'd ordered the wrong thing.
Would I go back? Of course! When you're that well taken care of, it doesn't matter if some of the dishes don't amaze. With fresh ingredients, and such excellent service, there's always the possibility of greatness. -
Review from Patricia S.
Toronto, ON
3/3/2011
I've eaten at Noce numerous times over the past two years. The service is always excellent. Very friendly and attentive.
The food is so good. It's fresh, simple and delicious. Noce has the best gnocchi ever! There is no arguing. You won't find a better gnocchi in Toronto.
The veal and other meat dishes are also very, very good. They never overcook the meat. The beef carpaccio is a fantastic appetizer. I also really like the Noce salad.
I definitely suggest checking it out. -
Review from Luke S.
8/15/2010
Went there at 6 pm sharp, to sit outside, under the plastic tent. There are only a handful of weeks that allow outside dining in Toronto, btw.
Three waiters standing around (outside) staring holes in the air; not a single customer anywhere in sight (well, a little early, perhaps).
We have a baby stroller in tow (plus baby), and ask for a table outside. ALL RESERVED is the response; but perhaps you would like to sit over there, behind the sewer line? Mind you, again, there is NOT A SINGLE CUSTOMER anywhere. - OK, how about we sit inside then if all the tables none of which are physically occupied are taken? TOO SMALL for a stroller inside.
But wait, there is not a single customer in sight!!! (plus, shiny lightbulb, do you think we are going to hang out for four hours with a baby in tow anyway?).
Well, how about you sit in the back behind the sewer line?
I mentally pack away my shiny AMEX, THE ONE that is - per their own marketing - only available upon invitation; we turn around, walk down the street and, guess what, we unpack the card at Terroni's and have a terrific meal. Perhaps more rustic than what we would have gotten at Noce, but I paid gladly. In fact, I realize now why there is often A LINE forming outside Terroni's that when we left reached all the way out onto the sidewalk.
Thanks. Will not try again although we have a place within walking distance. I guess our budding relationship never got off the ground.Listed in: One Star Stars
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Review from Vanessa G.
Toronto, ON
9/3/2008 2 photos
I went to Noce for lunch with my dad a couple months ago and the experience was most enjoyable. The patio out front is beautiful, covered but sunny (my favourite kind) and it's a great place to people watch on Queen. The service was fantastic and we had a long chat with the owner about when to vacation in Italy (September) and about how business was going.
I had La Caprese salad (buffalo mozzarella and oven roasted tomatoes) to start and it was so simple and delicious I could have eaten 10 plates. I also dared to try my dad's carpaccio (raw beef) and it melted in my mouth - I definitely recommend it. For my main course, I ordered their fish of the day which was a sea bass with vegetables and potatoes and it was very tasty.
Noce is truly Italian dining at it's finest and the prices fit accordingly. This is not a place for those on a budget, but if you really want a delicious Italian meal, this is the place to be.
A little trivia - Noce means walnut in Italian. The restaurant is located on the corner of Queen St. W and Walnut Ave. -
Review from Ktimene G.
4/22/2009
Pronto! Noce came recommended from a true Italian shoe guy at Browns. One can infer that Noce is the Manolo Blahnik of Toronto Italian restaurants: expensive, but justifiably classic and sexy.
Although my date arrived under-dressed, everyone from the host to our waiter treated us with the utmost in charming hospitality. Note: dinner jacket recommended for the gents, while the ladies should just look sharp.
The herbs were so fresh and Italian, they took me back to being a backpacker in Florence. The scallops were happy discs of golden goodness, the mozarella was creamy, but the best was served last: the Italian cheesecake. Now if you are thinking that cheesecake is heavy and depressing, Italian cheesecake is simply not so! They use a ricotta so light and fluffy, you could use it as a pillow for sweet dreams. And instead of tasting cheesy, it's definitively lemon-zesty.
$200 down, I have no regrets.
Tip: for an ultra-romantic night, take an evening stroll through Trinity Bellwoods Park (kitty-corner from Noce) before heading over for dinner. -
Review from Earl D.
Toronto, ON
9/7/2010
My wife and I came here on a Wed night and the restaurant was not busy at all, so I can't really comment on what the place would be like on a busy night. What I can say is the following:
Food = amazing. Our friends gave us the tip to order the mushroom and truffle ravioli... which is not on the menu, you just need to know to ask for it... strange I know - it was incredible!!! I also tried the sweetbreads which was also amazing (on a side note I tricked my wife into trying sweetbreads as she did not know what they were - she loved them until I told her what they were. We had a similar experience with foie gras, and a few dim sum dishes - never gets old to me)
Service = awesome - an Italian gentleman walked us through the menu, made some nice recommendations for wine, and let my wife taste a selection before ordering a glass, also got us a serving of the "not on the menu" mushroom truffle ravioli
Overall, we really enjoyed our experience here and will likely be back soon. -
Review from Richard S.
Vancouver, BC
3/17/2010
I went here with a birthday group this past weekend. They had a big room in the back, but for the most part this place seemed a little cramped for the crowd of more than 20. I'm not sure what the rest of the restaurant looked like.
Inside the place seems fairly decent, but nothing really memorable. Given that it was an Italian restaurant it was amusing to hear what sounded like Cuban radio playing throughout the dining area.
The service was pretty slow. I'll concede that it was a large group and that can cause delays, but we waited more than 30 minutes for drink orders, and probably 45mins for bread to end up on the table (worth noting is that the bread basket came with a variety of rolls and breads which was great)
Now for the food. Mine was fantastic. A mushroom truffle ravioli in what seemed like a truffle flavoured oil sauce (this was great with the left over bread). For some reason this was listed online, but not on their menu, again a hint at a lack of organization.
My wife had the Pork Tenderloin, which she finished but repeatedly commented that my meal was much better. I'm not too sure if that means the overall menu is "hit and miss".
Now for those menus... I get it, its an Italian restaurant. But why does that mean the menu headings and dish titles need to be in Italian? If they were looking to recreate the confusion of being an english speaking tourist vacationing in Florence with no idea how to distinguish an appetizer from an entree then Noce has succeeded.
Why do restaurants do this? I wouldn't be surprised if Shell get's it's oil from the middle east, that doesn't mean the gas pumps are labeled in Farsi! This drivers me CRAZY.
Another note, the wine list is extensive, but it gets pricey very very quickly.
Overall, the Truffle Ravioli is great. I'd say at $24 it's worth the visit, but I'm not sure much more about would make me go back. -
Review from Alicia T.
Toronto, ON
3/9/2011
Pricey but, without a doubt, the best meal I've had in years. Phenomenal!!!
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Review from Jeff J.
5/9/2011
To Luke s. who was whining that they wouldn't allow him to bring his baby stroller into a tiny one-room restaurant- get a damn babysitter! Don't give low marks to a small place because u can't fit your babystroller in there! How self-centered do you have to be? The place is the size of my bedroom and you feel so entitled that you demand they allow your baby stroller in? As an aside, I think most of us on Yelp ignore low grades from reviewers with screaming babies/children. If we want kid-friendly, we go to tim hortons (--end rant--)
Anyway, this place had excellent service. It is rare when a waiter knows when not to intrude and when to ask if you'd like more wine. The food was excellent. But the price is unbelievable! For a dinner of two, and 2 martini's a piece, the bill came to $245! With tip that's a $300 meal. I have never ever seen a price like that before. I feel a little violated. The food was quite excellent, but nothing is worth that much. -
Review from Ryan N.
Oakville, ON
10/23/2010
Went there on a Wednesday night at 9:00 and it was a touch quiet but that did not take away from the food in the slightest. Service was attentive and not overbearing. I'm picky with soups as few restaurants get them right but Noce hit it exactly right with their lentil soup which was perfect for a cold rainy night. Bufala mozzarella wasn't soggy but still melted in your mouth exactly like its supposed to. Went with the their special of the night which was a shrimp rissotto cooked in lobster stock. Nice. Well done. Go here for a nice intimate meal.
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Review from Sandy C.
7/8/2009 9 photos
This is one of the best Italian meals I've had in my life! I'm so glad a friend recommended this restaurant while visiting Toronto two summers ago.
We got a special "tasting" menu from the owner and chef who was very kind to a group of ladies. We also ordered some additional meats to add to our order.
Every dish was perfectly seasoned with FRESH herbs and I could taste the freshness in the pastas as well. We had some champagne with our dinner and the service was impeccable, our glasses were never empty. Desserts were magnificent, out of the this world! Who would've thought fresh cracked peppercorn over strawberry sorbet would be so good. We had one of each dessert and each was so delicious, we were so full that I was about to burst. I think I gained 5lbs just from this dining experience.
The restaurant itself is open and quaint. It seemed like a classic restaurant setting in Italy, only in Canada. -
Review from Daniel P.
Magog, QC
10/15/2011
We just love this place, the owners are amazing... We had the best Time with the incredible staff, the food was beyond everything we ever had. We just love this place and Nocelita!! Thanks again to Helena and her Husband, longlife to Noce xxxx Alexandra and Daniel
