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Oro Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Mediterranean Italian, Seafood, Mediterranean [Edit]
45 Elm StToronto, ON M5G 1H1
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
(416) 597-0155
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 5:30 pm - 12 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Upscale
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
18 reviews for Oro Restaurant
18 reviews in English
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Review from Brian C.
1/31/2012
I had such a pleasant experience at Oro. What really makes the place stand out for me is the service. The waitress and waiter we had were so attentive, we carried full on conversations with them. We were visiting Toronto, and the waitress even wrote down a little list of other restaurants we should go to on some post-it notes. It really made this charming restaurant shine on our visit to Toronto.
These are the dishes we had:
- Ricotta gnocchi - I like well made gnocchi, and these were quite good. The mushrooms added a little savory, nutty flavor to the dish, and the duck complimented the dish.
- Pappardelle Bolognese - This dish had a hint of spice to it, and I really am a sucker for perfectly done pasta.
Overall, a lovely experience. Canadians really are nicer! -
Review from Andrew W.
3/10/2012
The food was expensive, and was too salty. The food was overall ok but definitely did not justify the high price.
Bottomline: you pay for the atmosphere, do not come here for the food. -
Review from Tom L.
North York, ON
10/18/2011
I went on a deal voucher to this place, but man was I disappointed.
I guess the only upside was the fact that I didn't have to pay full price for my meal. The food was uninspiring and cold. I had the Bass and it was poorly served with almost raw vegetables on the side. My girlfriend had the pasta, and it was very bland. The waiter was helpful, but not very attentive. We were left in a corner of the restaurant and almost forgotten. I had to wave him down in order to get his attention. I left feeling full, but disappointed.
I know I won't be coming back. -
Review from Jackie W.
Markham, ON
9/17/2011
I came across this restaurant when Groupon had a deal and decided to give it a try on a week night and I was very glad I did.
The environment of the restaurant is amazing, although a bit quiet because it was during a weekday, but the lighting, seats, setting were so elegant and upscale.
My friend and I ordered two main courses and a dessert. I went with the Beef Ribeye, my friend ordered the Butter Braised Lobster and we shared a Tiramisu Panna Cotta for dessert.
The ribeye was amazing with very strong flavor, but what impressed me the most was the mashed potatoes. A mixture of potatoes, bacon, leek and olive was surprisingly a good blend and the combination created an amazing taste. The lobster was very fresh and it came with black rice mixed with coconut milk, which was also surprising a very good combination. The dessert was very unique, Tiramisu made into a jello-like (never had something like it before).
Although this is one of the more pricier restaurants I had been to, but my logic is this. If the service, food and environment were all good, I do not mind paying the premium; and Oro was well worth the premium!!
I will definitely go back again! -
Review from Simon S.
5/19/2011
Oh. My. God.
At first I was a little hesitant because the place was so quiet... but once the food came out everything changed. AMAZING.
Glad I took customers and co-workers here -- everyone was blown away. A real diamond in the rough! -
Review from Long L.
Toronto, ON
12/26/2011
Front staff was great. Server was not attentive at all, and we were a party of 8 . It wasn't a busy night so you would imagine the service would have been more complete. I'll explain: one person from our table ordered a glass of red wine and he walked away. We had to call him back to take the rest of the table's drink orders. No smile, no recommendations, and no classy service. He was always rushing away from our table.
We were there to celebrate our work accomplishments and quite baffled by the lack of attention.
The wine we ordered was excellent along with the calamari. Lightly battered, almost reminded me of tempura. Our mains we all ordered was bombarded with too much salt.
Overall we were not impresses and won't be returning. Our bill was over $700 but felt we got much less in service and quality. -
Review from Luba M.
Toronto, ON
10/4/2011
What a wonderful little place!
We live across the street from Oro and finally went to dinner there. We had an incredible experience.
The atmosphere is lovely - nice quiet environment, with plenty of space between the tables to keep us from listening to other parties' conversations. It is very warm and has dim lights.
The service was wonderful. All the staff were very polite and made us feel special. They were very knowledgeable about the food and the wines on offer.
The drinks are lovely, they have a huge selection of wines, as well as various cocktails to go with your dinner.
And the food was SO delicious. I had the lamb with mushroom risotto and my partner had the venison and both dishes were incredible. We also had the tiramisu for dessert which was a great way to finish off.
I can't remember the last time I was so impressed by the performance of a single establishment! I would DEFINITELY recommend this place. -
Review from Gabriella K.
Toronto, ON
11/25/2010
I arrived late to a birthday dinner due to traffic. The service was fantastic, the servers set up my setting immediately and got me water and menu.
My group had started eating prior to my arrival so i asked what they recommended, it seems like the group didnt enjoy the food. Most had said that the food was salted heavily so i opted for a pasta dish that no one had ordered at my table.
STROZZAPRETTI PUTTANESCA is the name of my pasta dish, this was recommended by the server and i took his advice.
I took a peek at the wine list and it was truly amazing and the restaurant was small and cozy.
When my pasta came it was a nice portion for the price of $19. It wasnt overally salty as my friends had mentioned that the other dishes were like BUT i found that the quality was the same as something i can get at east side marios or at jack astor's so im not impressed.
i think the money can be better spent at a nicer restos that has the same quality of service.
Close to dessert time one of my friend actually mention the salt issue to the waiter and he said that its due to the braising of the meat, but i dont see how that could affect the salmon and other pasta dishes my friends ordered.
it coulda just been an off day... i don't know -
Review from S L.
5/27/2011
The food was delicious and the wine list was incredible with sevearal ORO wines listed. I had this amazing Lake Huron White Bass that was grilled with seasonal vegetables and I have to say there was nothing left on my plate. The dish was light, flavorful, and well seasoned. My husband also enjoyed his baked penne which was a little heavier, but very tasty. However, nothing compared to the delicious and satisfying Lemon Trifle. This is one of my favorite desserts ever and a MUST for anyone who likes lemon desserts.
The restaurant itself was lovely and located in downtown Toronto not too far from the lively and bustling Yonge Dundas Square. The decor was warm and beautiful, but the service was just okay. They quickly refilled our water glasses and brought us more bread while we were waiting for our entrees, but the service lacked the welcome and warmth you would like to see at a restaurant of this pricing. Food was delicious, dessert astounding, but the service could have been better! -
Review from Grad S.
Toronto, ON
11/6/2011
Oro is simply overpriced. We went to Oro because we had a groupon and wanted to try it out; it was disappointing. While the ambiance is romantic and cozy, the entrees had seemingly ordinary ingredients and were yet expensive. For an appetizer, a plain arugula salad was $14.95. It came with preserved mushroom, marinated artichokes, caper berries, roasted garlic, Grana Padano and a sherry vinaigrette. It was just fine, nothing special. I could have made this at home:)
For the main course, I ordered Venison Loin and it was okay. Once again, nothing unique or flavorful...$36.
The wait staff was helpful.
Overall, as a Torontonian, I would say, Toronto has amazing high end restaurants with a great choice of entrees if you are willing to spend that much- For example, try Jump. -
Review from Joyees Y.
Scarborough, ON
12/12/2009
Great food, great service, overall everything was great!
At first glance, we were a bit intimidated by the more formal atmosphere, we were in normal student attire but the staff made us feel very comfortable. My boyfriend accidentally knocked the glass and it broke but the staff were very nice about it...and then apologized to us...
Anyways, on to the important stuff: the food. I had the braised veal cheeks, the cheeks was really tender, the meat practically pulled itself apart and the sauce complimented it perfectly.
The bison was also wonderful, again, perfectly cooked and great sauce. Unfortunately I didn't order it so I couldn't eat the whole thing.
I had an even smaller bite of the duck confit but it was really flavorful although I thought it was a bit too dry, my friend loved it though. For some reason the poutine was served on matchstick fries (think hickory sticks) which is weird...
The truffle pasta was HEAVENLY! It might just be because I'm a sucker for anything remotely truffles but this was my favorite dish. The pasta was perfectly cooked, not too soft, but of a bite, and it has a totally different taste that I can't even describe it. It is something different for sure and it excites me.
Then there was the steak, for a steak it cooked well. The medium rare was indeed a medium rare, which for some reason a lot of restaurants screw up in but this was nothing special. Especially since it was supposed to be "Kobe" beef, which I had before and should melt in your mouth which this didn't.
Last but not least, there's the dessert. A trio of chocolate desserts: chocolate mousse, chocolate torte, and chocolate crepe. The plate came with a passion fruit sorbet which is a great opener for the chocolatey desserts. First of all, the mousse was the best mousse I had ever tasted! Light and airy and the perfect balance of sweetness. The chocolate cake was great as well. Unfortunately the crepe (which is more like a crepe shaped into a pouch for a hazelnut filling) did not meet expectations, it had an orange taste which I'm not a fan of.
But all in all, I would definitely go back again, everything was great but a bit of tiny details prevent it from being perfect.
Also I just want to add: their bread sticks? ORGASMIC! -
Review from Princess M.
3/12/2010
Space is nice, service was great.
The frisee salad with nuts, goat cheese and poached egg was delicious.
The mushroom pasta was very dry and very miserly with the mushrooms. Not very flavorful either. -
Review from spaniel l.
Calgary, AB
3/13/2009
My dining experience in Oro was fantastic.
I had the Australian rack of lamb as the main dish, number of appetizers and the white chocolate and pistachio semifreddo for dessert.
I am extremely picky when it comes to lamb dishes but without a doubt their rack of lamb is at the top of my list.
We were also served mini foia gras appetizers and it was delicious!
The wine list was amazing and the staff were extremely professional.
There were more than twenty of us that night and we all had an amazing time. -
Review from Alik K.
10/11/2011
The food is good but a little pricey! The waitress was really nice! The decor was really modern and had a cozy feeling to it.
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Review from rob d.
Toronto, ON
9/19/2009
Excellent...in every way. Best italian food in the city...gorgeous decor, attentive, appropriate staff...great meeting rooms.
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Review from Betty H.
Toronto, ON
12/3/2009
I had the spaghetti. Best spaghetti I ever had. Great food... bring money.
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Review from d c.
5/12/2010
OK, so I was in Toronto on a quick weekend trip with my girlfriend and we wanted to do one really nice dinner. THIS WAS IT!! The food was Italian inspired and DELICIOUS. Please don't let the pictures fool you while the table we had was quite cozy this is located in a store front type local, and the fireplace the show in a lot of pictures is right next to a glass window. So while this is not quite a cozy as it seems from the pictures don't let that stop you.
The STAFF IS AMAZING they genuinely seem honoured that you chose their restaurant. They took our order Lamb shanks for me and gnocchi for the girl, we split a bottle of wine (FYI least expensive bottle of white is about $40 but there is an extensive by the glass list). when the wine arrived I asked fro the cork as my girlfriend collects them, the waiter laughed ( a good hearted chuckle not laughing at me) and before the night was over I think I had a dozen corks. The lamb was SO tasty it is demanded I try to cook it at home and her gnocchi was incredible. When the dessert menu came we asked what the waiter suggested and he said very good and left with our menu, when he cam back he had a dessert wine that paired AMAZINGLY with a dessert plate he brought out. which contained warm nuts in a chocolate dough, a passion fruit sorbee with flour less chocolate cake, and something that was almost a cross between a mousse and a ganouche' that is one of the most delicious things I have tasted in my entire life. BOTTOM LINE: if you have half the experience we did you will not be disappointed. FYI not including dessert 1 pasta 1 lamb shanks 1 bottle of wine 20% tip total was about $130
At the end of the nigh it was pouring out side the door man went down the street and got us a cab then walked me and my girlfirend out individually so we would not get soaked. ABOVE AND BEYOND!! -
Review from Matthew D.
10/23/2009
My firm does an annual client dinner here every year. They always do a nice job, but this year they really brought it up a notch. Absolutely delicious appetizers, well-executed mains, good crusty bread, and can't-say-no deserts. Ours was an event menu, but if the polenta with truffle oil is on the menu in the dining room DO NOT MISS!
