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Terroni
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
720 Queen St WToronto, ON M6J 1E8
Neighbourhoods: Niagara, West Queen West, Trinity Bellwoods
(416) 504-0320
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
99 reviews for Terroni
Review Highlights
"We went with the Al Salmone and C't Mang, both AMAZING."
(in 5 reviews)
"First of all, I absolutely loved their Funghi Assoluti."
(in 4 reviews)
"Great thin crust homestyle pizza, full of juicy delicious..."
(in 10 reviews)
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99 reviews in English
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Review from jess o.
12/5/2011
We were looking for lunch on Queen street and stumbled in here simply because it was packed. We figured that had to be a good sign. I am a sucker for homemade pasta.
We started with the olives and bread and I was surprised how stingy they were with the bread.
My compadre had one of teh pizzas (with speck I think) and said it was fabulous. Currently avoiding cured meats, I didn't try it. I had a pasta dish that was twisty noodles with spicy sausage and dandelion (hopefully that is enough for you to figure it out because I don't remember what it was called). I thought it was great -- a little salty (but I think everything is too salty). We were very happy with our experience here. Even though it was busy, our food came fast and the waitress was attentive. -
Review from J H.
Toronto, ON
1/17/2012
i am sorry to rain on the terroni parade. i always feel self-conscious leaving a low review when the overwhelming majority thinks an establishment is the bee's knee's, but the truth must prevail.
terroni is an attractive place with fashionably dressed staff, but the appeal ends there for me. as far as i am concerned, it is all overpriced by about 20-30%, and this includes the alcohol. the flavors have two notes: bland, and salty.
i have never been happy with the service. the host(esse)s always seem particularly clueless and unhelpful, and this is not good for an establishment that's always packed. while i would not class the service in its totality as "bad", i have never found it good, and our last waitress in particular seemed to have NO gauge on our needs. her personality was completely flat, bordering on unpleasant.
after my dining partner and i left, we reflected on the $100 down the drain for a shared app, two small mains, and one drink each. we thought about the trifecta of downers: high prices, unimpressive flavors, blah service. then we entered a debate about what factor, exactly, made us so unimpressed. friends, a small $100 meal for two should not end like this. -
Review from angie c.
1/6/2012
Wandering down Queen West, I went for an early dinner with one of my closest friends. We arrived and were seated with no wait just before six on a Thursday night.
We checked out the fully extensive menu and decided to share a pasta dish and a pizza. For our pasta it was the Cavatelli al Sugo D'Agnello (17.95 handmade cavatelli, slow cooked lamb tomato sauce, pecorino) a small, nicely al dente pasta served with a tomato sauce with super tender lamb. Really tasty, though we agreed that we probably would have gotten tired of the pasta had we been eating a whole dish of it.
For our pizza, we chose the Santo Stefano (17.95, tomato, mozzarella di bufala, fresh arugola, prosciutto di parma.) The pizza was great. I get that they don't cut the pizza put with the arugula and the prosciutto it would have been so helpful, we were sawing away. It was super tasty.
Service was good - maybe too good. I would have hoped our food would have come out in courses, but in retrospect I didn't make that completely clear. Our food came out after only a few minutes - we ate our pasta first which meant the pizza was a little cold by the time we got it.
All in all, a tasty dinner, but with the prices we were paying I would have hoped for a better paced meal. As we headed out the door I could imagine why we were in and out in under an hour, by a quarter to seven the lineup was out the door. -
Review from Jorge L.
10/12/2011
I hate Terroni, it makes me eat. A LOT.
Everything here seems perfect - courteous servers (they're beautiful too by the way), the food, location and over all look of the place. This is a place to relax and hang out with with good friends.
The server is slower than average... but that's ok... you're in a group of nice friends. Right?
The price is just about right, right in the middle of cheap and expensive. I always order the pizzas... oh they know how to make pizzas. Wait, they know how to make tasteful pizzas.
Burp.
Their line of pastas isalso excellent.
There are tons of parking on the street... on Queen Street. Could be quite a hike sometimes... but you'll find parking. After dinner, if stores are still open, you can walk around Queen Street to burn off your carb-fest.
I will definitely come back. This is my favorite pizza place. *wink*Listed in: My 30-day challenge
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Review from Brett C.
Toronto, ON
11/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Quite the busy little place! Thanks to our willingness to sit in a booth by the door and the long queue to get a table, my wife and I were able to sit quickly. As all the reviews rave about the pizza I decided to go for a honey an pair affair which was sticky, but still good.
Service was friendly and managed to do a good job of keeping tabs on us even though we were in a hard-to-reach place thanks to the line.
Basically it is missing a star because while the food was good, it didn't cause me to just flip out. -
Review from Rachel N.
Toronto, ON
12/29/2011
Great italian food, but not as good as Politica. The pizzas were huge and big enough to share. Check out both restaurants and decide for yourself.
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Review from Ian L.
Toronto, ON
9/4/2011
-Went for lunch during a staycation as i heard about it on BlogTO and was blown away by the quality of the pasta - best I've ever had
-Duck ravioli and squash and Pasta with meat sauce were amazing.
-Coffee was amazing
-Pizza was extremely good
-Gelato / Affogato was also extremely good, but not the best ever.
-The chef's appetizer special is expensive but well worth it, always blows me away
-Expect a 45-60 minute wait at Queen West location. I went to the La Bettola location which is almost zero wait time but same food quality
-Trendy music, but might be a bit loud.
-Not technically pricey (~$20 for meal) but find we end up spending quite a bitListed in: The List
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Review from Leslie-anne W.
Toronto, ON
10/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
The first time I went to Terroni I wondered what all the fuss was about. I didn't return for 5 years. Recently, I have lunched at Terroni twice. Both times, I was pleasantly surprised, but not bowled over. The calamari was pretty fantastic and the pizza's are very good indeed. The service was polite but not friendly, and the food came quick enough for a leisurely lunch, but not a good choice on a lunch break from work.
To me, Terroni is the devil you know, it's good, but not incredible and is a better choice than a lot of the other restaurants in the neighborhood. Would I go out of my way to visit Terroni? Not likely. -
Review from Kiran S.
Toronto, ON
10/20/2011 1 photo
Its all about the pizza! I love this place!
I checked out Terroni's on a weekday around 7pm, there was no line up and we were seated immediately. But it got busy shortly after, and people were waiting ~10min for seating. They don't take reservations. It had a casual rustic feel, I felt comfy in the booth we were given near the door.
Pizza choices are endless and delicious. We went with the Al Salmone and C't Mang, both AMAZING. It was a tough decision, but I enjoyed the Al Salmone slightly more-the combo of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and smoked salmon came together really well. C't Mang was a great combination of salty proscuitto with sweet pears and honey..mmm...
Serving sizes are appropriate considering the cost of each pizza is around $14-17. One pizza is enough to fill up an average sized person, I ate about 3/4 of mine. The dough itself is light, leaving your stomach room to keep consuming.
My friend had the Rigatoni Arcoboleno (she is vegetarian) and noted it was very tasty.
I skipped on dessert (a tragedy I know, but I had already stuffed myself with pizza). My friend went with the Ricotta cheesecake, noting it had a unique sweetness level to it-not as sweet as a traditional cheesecake yet still very delicious.
All in all, it was a great casual dining experience that I will be sure to repeat. Service was SO FAST, it was 5-10min between ordering and being served. Not sure why, but they don't slice the pizzas, one small snag that is easily remedied yourself :) -
Review from Jen A.
Hamilton, ON
1/21/2012
The food here is fabulous! Even their pizzas are amazing and they serve water in antique glass bottles. Great atmophere. The service was so-so, and we were seated in a unsatisfatory location near the washrooms and kitchen, all the way at the back.. IF and WHEN they treated their customers better than this is definitely a 5-star restaurant.
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Review from Xavier G.
9/15/2011
All I can say is Holy Moly!
My boyfriend took me here for my birthday, and the food was absolutely amazing! I ordered the wild boar pappardelle and my tongue and mouth were singing. Oh my god it was so good, and the portions were so awesome.
Heck yeah I'd come back!
The only thing is we went on a Monday night, and this place was packed. The tables were super scrunched together, but they did make it work. The only thing is that due to the large crowd, it wasn't as romantic as I would have liked for a birthday dinner, but you know, you can't have it all!
Oh, I almost forgot! Their tea was extremely weak. The menu made it sound like it would be very flavorful, but I didn't like it at all. They should definitely add more tea leaves to the bag or something. Also, the tea pot was horribly designed. You couldn't even pour the tea into the cup because the handle was scalding hot. I had to take my napkin to pour it, and even then it was still hot. Also, the tea was on the back of the dessert menu. I didn't even realize there was a back except by chance. Also, if we didn't ask to see the dessert menu, we wouldn't have even seen that there was tea available. My personal suggestion is that they should improve their tea, and if the customers say they don't want dessert, the waiter should offer tea. There's huge potential here! -
Review from TOFoodReviews n.
Toronto, ON
10/25/2011
So lately I've been on a bit of an Italian kick. Maybe its the changing of the seasons, and I'm subconsciously trying to carbo-load for the winter months ahead and preparing for hibernation. Whatever it is, this past Monday I was looking for just that at Terroni on Queen West.
The camp is divided on Terroni. People either rave about it or complain about the pretentious servers, the 'no-substitution' rule, or the slice-it-yourself pizza. Being a fan of this place, I have a rebuttal for each of these complaints.
While (some of) the servers may seem a bit curt at first, I owe this to the fact that Terroni is busy - always busy - and their no-nonsense attitude is often mistaken for pretentiousness. Our server, although brusque, took our order diligently while complementing our choices, had our wine to the table in no time, and managed to pour two glasses of the stuff from the awkwardly shaped porcelain decanter without dribbling it everywhere (which is something we later failed to do).
As for the no-subsitutions rule, if you want to choose your own toppings, then head on down to that infamous sub-par pizza joint (you know the one...with its orange boxes and redundant title) and stuff your crust while you're at it. Since when did slicing pizza become a chore? Just a few simple back and forth motions with a knife and voila! Freshly sliced pizza.
Regardless of the division, Terroni is always packed. Monday at 9:00 found us one free table upstairs, which was where our preference lay anyway. Although I do love to pull up to the bar, it tends to get a bit clustered on the lower level, and while the upstairs isn't exactly quiet, shouting across the table isn't required.
Our waiter promptly brought us the menus and we poured over the apps and the twenty-nine - yes, twenty-nine - pizzas they have to offer.
We started with the Funghi Assoluti ($12.95): breaded and baked oyster mushrooms served on arugula, sprinkled with parmesan, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. It was superb, but sharing proved to be problematic, not because the portion wasn't large enough, but because we simply didn't want to. Social graces saved us, but I had visions of the two of us in an Animal Planet-esque showdown... circling the last mushroom with fangs bared and hackles raised.
We chased all of this down with a velvety Piemonte that was oddly served in a jug, which made it difficult to pour. Our server made it look effortless, but us? Well, we just made a mess. I did manage to solve the problem however (pour from the side, and not from the oddly shaped lip) and fortunately for us we had a seemingly bottomless half litre.
No sooner had we finished sharing the last 'shroom was our pizza delivered to the table. We went with the Primavera ($15.95) to contribute to our daily recommended dose of veggies and to somehow convince ourselves that we were being healthy. All of the pizza at Terroni is thin crust and ours was weighed down heavily with tomatoes, red pepper, (more) mushrooms, and artichokes with a few black olives decorating the centre of the pie.
Now when I say thin-crust, I mean it. Maybe I'm just speaking for myself here, but I have absolutely no difficulty finishing a whole pizza without any assistance at Terroni. I'm a big fan of folding slices before biting into them, and the crust at Terroni is so thin and pliable I always envision myself folding a whole pizza in half,...and then in half again...and then having my way with it. Once again, as with the sharing, social norms seem to get in the way... -
Review from Peter C.
North York, ON
9/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
What can I say? Terroni's is just full of delicious flavour exploding into your mouth.
Been there many times, always get the oyster mushroom salad, its like lightly toasted oyster mushrooms. I never really been a big fan of oyster mushrooms until I had it here.
The pizza, of course is also amazing here. Great thin crust homestyle pizza, full of juicy delicious flavour.
Other than that, the restaurant also has a great vibe, friendly staffs, definitely a favorite in Toronto! -
Review from Susan C.
Toronto, ON
8/15/2011
I'm so happy I chose to come here for lunch...twice! Both experience were great. The waiters/waitresses are always so friendly and I never had an issue with that. This restaurant is pretty big; it has both indoor and outdoor seating, which explains why this location is pretty busy. The dishes taste amazing - I totally recommend their sandwiches.
I took one star away for the long wait for our food. We waited 30 minutes (or more) for two sandwiches, which in my opinion is slow service. -
Review from Jackie P.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I don't get the big fuss. Terroni really isn't all that fabulous. I can list ten other incredible Italian resto's while spinning upside down and blind folded. I swear I'll do it.
A few months back I went to the Terroni on Adelaide and it was lack luster. One of those forgettable meals, and that never happens to me. I decided to just call it a 'fluke' and head to the original Queen St location for a dinner with friends last month.
The ambiance is relaxing. Great spot for a date, or a dinner with friends for catching up. On many occasions I've turned a blind eye to 'poo poo food' for a really good ambiance. The service and the food that night were just shameful.
I was running late, and the moment I sat down a man in a plaid shirt, sporting a serious hipster mustache came over to take our drink orders. He was a little out of it and not spot on. After he left, we didn't see him or our drinks for another 15 minutes. I started making jokes that maybe he was just some joe shmoe off the streets who decided he wanted to be our waiter. Someone else delivered our drinks and our waiter was no where to be seen again. After another 20 minutes we finally tracked him down to place our food orders.
We ordered to share:
The Caprese with Bufala Mozz - We paid a little extra to get the real Bufala but what a disappointment. They were the same texture and taste to boccocinni. They can't fool me. Really disappointing and for a price tag of $16, huge ripe off.
Warm Mixed Mushroom Salad - The mushrooms were delicious. A little crusty and dry, but that didn't stop me from trying to steal more than my portion.
I can't remember my main, but it was an olive oil pasta with capers. I asked the waiter if the capers over powered the dish and he insisted not at all. I couldn't taste anything but capers, but how would he know any better...I mean, I'm not even sure he works there.
Our mains were delivered by another waiter and he was nowhere to be seen for the rest of the night. Could it be possible? Was my theory coming true? Could a random stranger just walk in and pretend to be a waiter?
Sidenote: They don't give you balsamic and the olive oil has no body. It taste like generic grocery store brand.
The evening was wrapping up. Tables we're clearing and we were ready for the bill. A waitress was kind enough to bring our bill, as our disappearing waiter was up to his antics again. As we were paying, guess who suddenly appeared. THE WAITER! How convenient. I'm still not sure whether he worked there or not, but I know I won't be running back to Terroni for his service or their food. -
Review from Stu B.
Toronto, ON
7/27/2011
I'm vegan, so this place actually sucks for food options for me. What it doesn't suck for is food options for non-vegans and atmosphere.
Ignore the long line ups (they move really quick) and make sure you stick around - the atmosphere and food is worth it (even the single non-animal option). 3 good beers on tap (rotates, but always good), good music, good energy (sorry to sound like a hippie), and just an awesome spot to spend some time eating and being with people.
There's a patio out back, quieter seating upstairs, bar seating, and a good sized area downstairs. I've never had bad service and I like that all the clearly anglo folks try to pronounce things properly.
Get the olive plate and ask about the desserts. My wife (before she was vegan) out some chocolate cake thing that is apparently beyond amazing. There are also some delicious and affordable wines on the menu (and expensive, delicious wines too if you're into that sort of thing). -
Review from Dimitrios D.
7/26/2011
Very good Italian food! My girlfriend and I split two pasta dishes; bolognese and one other with sausage that was a bit spicy.
The mushroom salad was noteworthy.
Friendly waitstaff!
Actual Italian owners!
And above all... my honey loves this place! -
Review from mitch h.
11/1/2011
Love the slice it yourself pizza idea. Excellent use of ingredients and lots of respect for their no substitutions policy. Shows a lot of confidence in their menu and it delivered. If you have never had a burrata you are in for a treat, soft cheese wrapped in chewy cheese. Pasta was simple and spot on. Fabulous wine list. The jail cells down stairs add a touch of nostalgia.
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Review from alfred i.
North York, ON
8/4/2011
Great trendy restaurant near Toronto's laid back Trinity Bellwoods Park. No reservations, and I waited about 20 minutes for a table. We got ourselves a beautiful spot on the patio. The food was good, nothing spectacular. The service however could have been better... the waiter never offered to refill our glasses, the food was warm -- it had definitely been sitting around the kitchen. After we were seated, we waited for 10 minutes before anyone brought us a menu.
I love the outside barbecue. Walking to the patio, I passed a chef who was cutting, chopping, marinating, and sizzling all before my eyes. Breathtaking -- especially after waiting 20 minutes!
When we left, there was still a long line which ended on Queen st. It's hard to find good Italian food in Toronto.
If you're looking to try Italian cuisine or are a huge fan, this is definitely a restaurant you should visit. -
Review from Priya B.
4/22/2011
I always have a great meal at Terroni. This was my first visit to the Queen West location, since I normally go to the Adelaide one. The Adelaide location is gorgeous, but this one is warmer and more intimate.
We ended up sitting at the bar because the wait was extremely long, which is to be expected, but the service was good enough that this did not detract from the experience.
We got a bottle of prosecco and some pasta and it was an awesome dinner. I don't even need to recommend anything to order because I end up getting something different each time, and it's always good. -
Review from Paul Y.
Mississauga, ON
10/21/2011
I've heard my friend prattle on about this place and I've also heard a lot of hype. Apparently they serve really delicious pizza or something, so naturally given the chance I figured I'd give it a try.
Party of 4, Thursday evening arriving around 7:30, mid-October.
First, I want to come right out and say that their chillies was quite flavourful and packed a pleasant amount of heat. We quickly consumed the first small bowl and had to ask for a refill, which our waiter promptly filled to the brim. Finished that too, so there's something.
On to the experience -
The location was rather packed, with the line-up extending outside the door. Usually this is indicative of good food and good atmosphere, and my friend assured me that the line will move pretty quick. The nice thing is that while you line-up you can take a look at the stock of items available for purchase including several jars of olive oil, pickled veggies, preserves, and the aforementioned chillies. It is somewhat awkward in that several tables are placed right in the front where we all wait in line (there is literally about a foot and a half between the line of people and the table, just enough for a waiter to swing by or the hostess to take down names of those in line). I felt sorry at first for those tables while we waited, and for good reason. After waiting about half an hour, we were seated in one of those tables.
As an aside, I want to put it out there to everyone who, at any time in their lives, plans to eat at a restaurant. Please DO NOT stand in the door way with the door ajar, neither coming nor going, in nor out. It was unfortunate that we had to be seated so close to the entrance and had to face the inevitable stares from hungry faces, but also had to deal with a persistent draft from inconsiderate people waiting in the doorway. It was a chilly mid-october evening and my food cooled down faster than I could consume it.
With regards to service, they explicitly say they will not make substitutions or alterations - although some people would take this as a "snobby" way of doing things (and I don't completely disagree - each person is entitled to their own tastes and we are, after all, paying them to cook a meal to satisfy ourselves, not their own sense of grandiose) in the end they are equally entitled to make such a policy. It's not a policy that will be very popular amongst some customers, of course. In a sense, it's basically the chef telling you what you want to eat and how you want to eat it. Not the best arrangement, but I had no problems with this.
What I found difficult, however, was the menu. The items were naturally named with "authentic italian names". Although this made it seem more authentic, or "real" or even "classier", it made meal selection an arduous task. Many times I simply skipped over items simply because I could not tell what they were trying to sell me on.
One of the glasses brought with a drink smelled funny - probably from the dishwasher. Otherwise, the plates were large and the table was too small (this could either be taken as a bad thing, or a great compliment...).
To the food -
I'm going to have to be honest and say that the food did not blow me away. The seafood pasta was al-dente, had good flavour, but I felt it did not maximize the opportunity to blend and play with the different flavours that are there. A single scallop, in my opinion, is being chinsy. I chose a simple pizza with spiced sausages and some onions and scamorza cheese. I have no problems with any of the ingredients by themselves, but my expectations was to find a pizza with a fair bit of the toppings scattered about so that I could bite into the pizza and experience the flavours together in contrast or harmony. As it were, there were half-inch thick clumps of sausages scattered sparsely, obvious welts of scamorza, and thin slivers of onions sprinkled about. I found the spreading of the toppings could have been more uniform.
We ordered a 5oz glass of red (cheapest in the full-bodied one @ $9) and a bellini. The bellini arrives in a shampagne glass and was not properly blended, but otherwise the water was great.
The food, while not being terribly ground breaking or awe inspiring, was also not terrible or bland. It had flavour and would have been perfectly fine to match a lower price point. As it were, however, the items tended on the pricey side.
On an aside - I also ordered the grilled calamari - came in 3 pieces on a bed of diced tomatoes and greens. Nothing fantastic, nothing bad, it was a good palate opener but lacked character.
Overall, I think the experience could have been better (we could have had a better table, for one), and I would probably try a pasta next time as it would be more filling than pizza. It did not help that we got a $60 ticket for a poorly marked no-parking zone. Maybe they should stop ticketing the people who fuel the economy, and go solve some crimes, or something... -
Review from Jeet A.
Toronto, ON
6/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Terroni:
+patio in the back
+great food
+charcuterie/cheese/olives = excellent starter
+wine selections and recommended pairings = awesome
+random indie celeb spottings
+music + ambience = very cool
+close to trinity bellwoods park
+knowledable and friendly staff
-expect a line up -
Review from Sahra G.
1/14/2011
I had a pretty decent meal here yesterday. I was seated right away although the place was full. I am sort of surprised that the bread they give you to munch on before the food comes wasn't better. It was just ok, and was cold. Service was spot on.... we asked our waiter to help with wines, and because we're typical chicks and the furthest thing from sommaliers, and he brought us exactly the kind of wine we wanted... fruity full and red. The main was delicious... and I thought it was the perfect serving of pasta... not too much... and probably the exact suggested serving of pasta that a nutritionist or dietician would suggest.
The price is a little steep for what it is... $17 for pasta a la carte? But it was delicious. Good job Terroni. -
Review from Darren L.
Scarborough, ON
4/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I had not seen my friend in a while and finally got down to their place for dinner. We went for a walk and after discussing politics and other world issue we decided on italian for dinner. She immediately pointed out this spot. Said that there is usually a long line but since it was a bit rainy, we can hope that there would be less people. We were right and got right in.
It felt trendy and it was almost like they were lucky to allow us to be there. She recommended the pizza which I agreed. The toppings were strange but interesting. I ordered one which had a strange name which I already forgot. It was REAL italian pizza. none of that fast food bready stuff. I quite enjoyed. Price was a little high but still, it was very good. -
Review from Viviana M.
Toronto, ON
9/13/2010 3 photos
Dining Experience: Dinner
Specialty: Southern Italian Cuisine
Location: Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Menu items: Funghi Assoluti + Pizza C't Mang + Torta Calda al Cioccolato
Drink Pairing: Red Negroamaro
A friend of mine introduced me to this place almost 6 years ago. Since then, most of our dinner rendez-vous take place at Terroni. I highly recommend the Queen/Bathurst location, after all this is where it all started and the location never disappoints.
Our meal started off with our favourite appetizer, Funghi Assoluti
I am not sure if its the combination of balsamic with parmigiano, or the baby arugula; but this oyster mushroom salad dish has been a fixation of ours for 6 years. There has not been a time when we don't order this to kick-start our meals. Well, I take that back, red wine always takes precedence. This time I had a great Negroamaro, which is a very well known grape from the region of Salento.
For our Primi we decided to try a different kind of pizza. We usually get the Puzza, but we discovered not so long ago the lovely C't Mang and once again we fell in love with Terroni.
C't Mang is a prosciutto with pears pizza; which combined, offset the strong taste of the meat. The pears along with the mozzarella also serve as an opening ingredient to the Gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese). And right before you can say "still too strong", the honey drizzled on top of the pizza just makes all of the lovely strong, sweet and salty flavours come together. Buon Appetito!
To finish off the night, and make it a traditional visit to Terroni, we order dessert - Torta Calda al Cioccolato
I am just going to go ahead and describe it, because is that good! This is a warm flourless chocolate cake drizzled with white chocolate ganache. As you can see form the picture, the cake is soft and moist. Once your spoon digs in, there is not stopping from than moment on.Listed in: Best Restaurants in Toronto
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Review from David M.
Toronto, ON
10/17/2010
As the 55th review for this popular pizza place, feel free to totally ignore it.
Quick overview;
We thought we would avoid a line up by arriving at 6:30 on a Saturday night. We were wrong. By 7:30 there was a bit of a lull, so that may be a better time to go. Perhaps the early arrivers were going to a movie or something else the kids enjoy.
The "gourmet" pizza here IS very good. My arugula, sun-dried tomato and some kind of fancy cheese version was delicious. And this from a guy who prefers old-timey pizza. See http://www.yelp.ca/lis...
The $3 Italian hot chocolate, served in an espresso glass, was the perfect dessert. VERY chocolaty, with whipped cream on top.
And as a bonus, if the hugeness of the line-up turns you off, there are plenty of other options within a block or two.Listed in: Pizza
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Review from Gemma S.
Willowdale, Toronto, ON
2/7/2011
Ate here with about 6 or 7 of my friends and the food was absolutely stellar. The service was lovely and very subtle. Didn't feel like the waiter needed to be part of our experience but made the whole experience so seamless and pleasant. I love when waitstaff isn't overbearing and in-your-face!!
The wine was recommended to us by the staff and was perfectly paired.
I will definitely be back for more. The wait time was worth it. Seriously. -
Review from Seema M.
3/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
My sister and her bf suggested Terroni for a dinner during my last trip to Toronto. I am a big fan of the Queen West neighbourhood since I used to live there for over 2 years. There are always great cafés, boutiques and yummy eats. For some reason Terroni flew under my radar!
We were seated upstairs at a cozy table for four. We ordered a bottle of red and some apps- the quatro sampler & the cheese/charcuterie plate. Everything was beautifully presented which felt extra special. We each ordered different mains, I opted for the Pappardell alla Iosa which had spicy sausage, button and oyster mushrooms. I polished off the plate- the portion was standard and the food was delicious.
We shared the tiramisu for dessert which was the perfect ending. Great atmosphere for a date night or dinner out with friends. -
Review from Angel C.
Vancouver, BC
9/21/2010
There is nothing like true Italian food- simple, unfettered dishes that allow the quality of the ingredients shine through- and Terroni is one place that I always love to visit when I am in Toronto- especially the location on Queen off Bathurst. So when a fellow visitor told me the had never been, it was a perfect excuse to visit once again.
We started with a melt-in-your-mouth beef carpaccio, which was accented with generous shavings of nutty Parmigiano Reggiano, a sprinkling of peppery baby arugula, and drizzled with just the lightest touch of fruity extra virgin olive oil.
And that was only the beginning. I savoured the fresh clean taste of my pappardelle with lamb ragout, which was served purposely sans Parmigiano so as not to mask the flavours of the ingredients. Of course, though- having no self control, I HAD to sample my dinner companion's duck confit ravioli, which was equally deliciously simple.
The real test? My favourite- ask the server to do a pairing with my dessert- a lemon custard tart. Instead of a standard coffee drink (which most go with because it is the easy way out, although still delicious), chose for me a delicious Amarro- which went perfect with my fluffy, yet creamy lemony treat, and what I would have chosen as a sommelier.
Once again, I was reminded of why I really love this great Toronto staple. I can't wait to go back! -
Review from Lauren M.
11/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
Yay, Terroni! I have been to their Adelaide street venue a few times, but I finally got a chance to visit the Queen West location this week.
We strolled in here early (around 5:30pm) and it was an easy time to grab a table. The bar area had quite a few patrons who had stopped in for a pint or glass of wine after work. (By the time we left at 7pm, there was already a queue of people waiting for tables)
Terroni on Queen is quite a bit smaller than the Adelaide street branch, it's a little bit more intimate. I would say there are no more than 15 tables.
I always stick with the pizza (I never order pasta out, somehow the thought of spending $15-$20 on a bowl of pasta sends shivers down my spine)
For this particular dinner we tried out the Puzza (a white pizza with mozzarella, mascarpone, gorgonzala, mushrooms and italian ham) and also the Peppino (tomato, garlic, grilled eggplant, zucchini, grilled red peppers and parmigiano). Both were DELICIOUS.
The thing I love about Terroni pizza is that it really is nearly bang on to what I remember eating in Firenze, Cinquo Terres and Pisa on a few vacations to Italia. The crust is paper thin. Ingredients are extremely flavourful but they are placed somewhat sparsely overtop of the pizza (unlike the mounds upon mounds of greasy toppings you get at a fast food joint).
The service was A+ at this place. Our server knew everything - gave us detailed information about the wine list, the beers on tap, plus interesting information about the food once it was brought out. They had a lot of serving staff on hand and our server came back just enough to check on us but without being annoying.
I wish the pizzas were a few bucks cheaper (most are $15-$17) but other than that, I can't find anything else to fault Terroni.Listed in: Picky Eaters
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Review from Peter K.
Toronto, ON
10/5/2010
Terroni's is one of the first restuarants that we went to when we first moved to Toronto, based on feedback from our friends who live here. I have nothing bad to say about the place. The place is busy but it didn't take longer then 15 minutes for us to get in. The dining room is casual and just a fun diining experience but if you're there during the summer, try and get seated on the patio.
As for the food, I was in love! The pizzas are large and taste amazing. I have been to a lot of well known pizza joints in NY and Chicago but Terroni's is my favorite so far.
If you are in Toronto for a visit be sure to check them out. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Chad M.
7/24/2010 1 Check-in Here
So far, best pizza I've had in Toronto and very authentic. While on the expensive side,($14.95 for basil, mozzarella and pepperoni) I'd still come back to try other versions of this.
A family friend in northern Italy makes pizzas in his outdoor pizza oven that are the best I've ever tasted. While the pizza I had here today wasn't as good as that, it was surprisingly close!
The staff were friendly and welcoming and we didn't experience any of the negative stuff I'm seeing in the reviews here. Susan suggested that may have been due to the fact that it was lunch and not dinner. -
Review from Kate R.
Toronto, ON
9/25/2010
I'm in Toronto for a few months from Australia and have to say that this place is wonderful.
Always long lines so we generally pop up the road for a cocktail and return when things have quietened down. Pizza is great, wine is great, servers are lovely and helpful and dessert is always amazing.
Leaving Toronto in November and have to say that this will be one of the places I'll miss most. -
Review from Tina D.
10/26/2010
Ordered the Margharita pizza last night and thought it was pretty delicious. I typically order few toppings for my pizza bc I don't like how the toppings can overload the thin crust. They pizza was pretty skimpy on the basil. But, the crust and mozarella cheese were amazing. I only wished that there was slightly more marinara sauce.
Next time, I will try the pasta. -
Review from Alison W.
11/27/2010
Good food !!quite impressed actually!
Portion sizes are quite small if guys are hungry but perfect for gals!
The wait was 30 mins for a table, groups of 4 or more expect to wait much longer.
Small space, loud and festive ! -
Review from Dave S.
Toronto, ON
10/25/2010
Went here as I was walking past with my girlfriend and it looked pretty busy. The amount of choice on the menu is pretty good, although there was a note on the menu that made me wonder about the food; it said:
"While alterations may seem easily accommodated, such requests compromise the unique characteristics of our food and the efficiency of our service. Please respect our menu." Now call me old-fashioned but isn't running a restaurant about respecting your customers and any dislikes that they might have?? I can't believe that any restaurant would be that arrogant so the only reason that I could think of for putting that on the menu would be that the food is all pre-prepared and then just heated up when someone orders it. My suspicions were increased when we (and the tables either side of us) received our food within about 5 minutes of ordering.
The food itself was decent, not amazing but not bad either. Portions were a little on the small side considering the prices being charged (about $17 for a pasta dish). Service was good, we were seated straight away and served quickly (it was a Monday evening).
So, mixed feelings - however there are hardly a lack of good Italian restaurants in Toronto so I'm not sure that i would come back here. -
Review from Liz P.
Toronto, ON
11/6/2010
I do love Terroni. I love the Tagliere Mezzo e Mezzo starter - delicious and perfect for sharing. The pig that became the prosciutto was clearly massage and played Mozart every day of its life. The Caprese salad is divine. My favourite pasta dishes are the Spaghetti in Canna a Mare (beautiful seafood) and the Pappardelle alla Iosa (with ground sausage, button mushrooms, and peas...yum). The C't Mang pizza is fantastic. But this really does irk me:
"While alterations may seem easily accommodated, such requests compromise the unique characteristics of our food and the efficiency of our service. Please respect our menu."
This makes me want to say "fuck you - I'm the customer". I'd like to think if I had an allergy, they'd risk their "efficiency" for me. And god help me when I asked for some balsamic vinegar for my Caprese salad. I'm not *allowed* to have it, nor ask for cheese if I order seafood.
I feel badly for the servers who are clearly trained to deny the customers what they want.
Growing up with a English-Canadian father and a Japanese mother born and raised in Tokyo, I watched their silly dinner custom, over and over: my dad would pour soy sauce over his bowl of white rice, and my mother would tell him "you're NOT supposed to DO that." My dad didn't care the rice is supposed to remain pure (unless it's fried rice - *then* you can add soy), and act as a palate cleanser. He just liked it that way.
So I sympathise with the purist/snob when it comes to food prep, but people are bound to want food their own way. And an establishment that understands this will respect the CUSTOMER and not the "integrity" of their own menu.
Service is sometimes good, sometimes friendly, sometimes indifferent. Avoid peak hours; they don't take reservations.
The food is good, though. And it's photogenic. -
Review from Erin B.
6/17/2010
I hold conflicting beliefs about terroni. Some of these are:
The servers know their stuff and can engage in meaningful conversation about the food and wine menus, which really makes the experience for me. But the service is pretty terrible, full of cooler than cool attitude and not nearly full enough of attention.
The food is amazing and authentic (the salads are big enough to share as an app and delicious, the cheese, meat, and olive boards are a must for me, and the thin crust, perfectly sauced pizzas are always tasty) but the food is also terrible (both pastas I've sampled have disappointed with mushy texture, bland sauce and/or seasoning and paltry servings of meat or veg).
It's also a bit overpriced, which would probably feel fine to me if a) the service was better b) I avoided the pastas and c) I had a good table. But the service isn't better, so although I enjoy my visits, I always leave feeling a little bit foolish for spending the money.
But visit I do. And will again. Probably with a couple of girlfriends who are happy to share the salad, meat board, and pizza with me while drinking whichever wine our server recommends and talking at such a pace that we don't really care that our server ignores us after taking our order. -
Review from Noemi W.
Halifax, NS
1/7/2011
I thoroughly enjoyed eating here. We went on a Friday night and the restaurant was packed. After waiting in line (and squeezed tightly against the shelves of pasta and sauces for sale) for about twenty minutes, we got a table. I wouldn't say this was the best table in the house but at least it was a table and it wasn't right next to the door. The service was fairly fast despite how busy it was.
The ingredients used are simple and fresh. I had the gnocchi with a simple tomato sauce. My one criticism is that I always find that every time I order this dish, it usually comes with just one fresh basil leaf. It tastes so good with basil! Give me more! I try to cut the single leaf into little pieces just so that I can enjoy the taste with several bites, rather than with just two bites. Though the gnocchi was good, I think I would have been more excited about the ravioli. My main was a standard meal. My boyfriend got the fettucine and loved it. He was also immensely pleased by the fact that her ordered a negroni to drink and it came perfectly mixed.
Definitely a place I would go back to when I get the craving for Italian food. The prices are also fairly reasonable, considering the popularity of this spot and the quality of the food. -
Review from Luke S.
1/6/2011
I eat at Terroni's frequently, probably once a week. The food is good, as authentic Italian as it can probably be in TO, thousands of miles away.
No complaints whatsoever. We can even bring the kids, if it's early enough. Later in the evening it gets a bit crazy because the place is so popular.
When I find time, I'll write more.
There is usually a line. I've never actually considered waiting so no idea how long it would take.
