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Terroni seems to generate a bit of love-hate, you either hate it for its attitude, its staunch refusal to do custom changes (e.g. hold the onions!) or give you condiments, or you love it for its deliciousness and the atmosphere of being in a trattoria.
They definitely fall into the latter for me !
This is the best, BEST place to have Italian food in Toronto. The dishes are so flavourful, and the ingredients - simply fantastic. You can also buy a lot of the stuff - cheese in graters, olives - so you can take home a little bit of the magic. I haven't had a bad dish here yet, and I've had many. My favourites include the Caprese con Mozzarella di Bufala, the Gnocchi, and the Da Do a Da pizza. The most stand out dish for me is the molten chocolate lava cake - it's definitely like eating heaven, chocolate-y heaven.
I wish I could venture down here more often to grab a bite - I guess it's very good for my waistline that it's a little out of the way. Terroni is definitely worth a visit for a taste of Italy in Toronto.
I absolutely hate eating here. Whenever a client suggests it, I cringe.
The food is good, but they are VERY strict about making any changes to the menu. I understand and acknowledge the respect for a chef's chosen ingredients, HOWEVER, not serving balsamic vinegar as a side for the break or my carpaccio is outrageous. The food isn't THAT good, that you feel like you're insulting the chef when you ask for a drop of vinegar. The kicker is that they boast about their premium extra virgin olive oil straight from Italy... it's not that good. I've had good olive oil... theirs just tastes like it comes from the shelf at Rabba.
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.
I enjoy Terroni almost every time I visit. The food is always delicious and consistent. The servers are prompt, friendly and open to a little verbal jousting, and prices are, well, ok.
The only real complaint I have is that the restaurant is frequently very busy. I often find it difficult to carry a conversation, so I always ask to sit upstairs where there are fewer people yelling over each other.
Absolutely lovely. Food was terrific (especially the lemon ricotta dessert), as was the service. Truly a pleasure and worth every penny.
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.
After a two year moratorium, I decided to give Terroni a chance once again the other night. I'll start off with a quick summary of what occurred in 2008 before I delve into the present.
I ordered the pasta which is supposed to have five different types of seafood in it. After the server had dropped off my plate, I noticed that two of the items (jumbo shrimp and scallops) were absent from my dish. My light-hearted complaint was met with "yeah, we're out of shrimp and scallops". No 'Sorry', and no price reduction on the bill.
A few days ago I decided to give Terroni another go. Even though it was a Wednesday night around 8pm, there was a fair size line-up which had formed behind us and out the door. Third in line, we were told it would be a thirty to thirty-five minute wait. After half an hour, we were shown to our table on the patio. On the way to our table, I noticed that there were three empty tables of four on the patio besides ours. I joked to the hostess that we'd prefer a different one, and she told me we could have any one we desired. I was shocked that they were allowing people to stand in a long line-up with tables readily available - just so they could look busier than they were to passersby. These were not newly vacated tables either, as the only people who had walked past the line to leave in the previous fifteen minutes got up from a table inside the restaurant. The three couples behind us were also waiting for patio tables, but the first couple was not shown to their table for at least another 10 minutes after we were.
I ordered a pizza and my girlfriend ordered ravioli. After reading the pretentious paragraph long disclaimer on the menu vis-a-vis no substitutions - "Please respect our menu", my girlfriend made a joke to our server about me wanting no Gorgonzola on my pizza. Because I'm sure she has to turn down similar (serious) requests for substitutions all the time, she was not amused. After learning it was a light-hearted attempt at humour, she replied with "Yeah, this place isn't a Queen Street hideaway any more, and so with more mainstream customers, we have to deal with a lot of this crap".
Soon after our food arrived, my partner requested Parmesan for her pasta. Although there was NO suggestion whatsoever that I also wanted extra cheese, the server felt it was her duty to point out that while she would bring over the cheese she would only put it on the pasta and not the pizza.
A few minutes later, a patron at the table beside ours asked for balsamic vinegar due to the fact that their salad was "tasteless". The server refused. They would rather have the food returned and not paid for than bend their rigid rules.
I then requested that the manager, [full name removed at family's request] come over to have a chat. His explanation was both predictable and insulting.
"We want you to have a proper Italian experience here."
While I do think this is a great idea, it is NOT something which should be rammed down their customers' throats. At that point, a dude at the table on the other side piped up to say that he'd had a similar experience the last time he had been in. When I pointed out to Steven that he had three unhappy tables on his hands, and perhaps the management needs to take a look in the mirror, he couldn't even bring himself to agree to that. It was like speaking to a robot. I'm going to assume he's been working there, in one capacity or another, for a while now, and that's why he's completely brainwashed to believe that the customer is NEVER right.
Quickly realizing that further discussion was futile, both tables on either side of us requested their bills, and we did the same. When ours arrived, it was substantially cheaper than it should have been. Thinking that the manager had done this to make up for our experience, I added in a 25% tip on what the total should have been. After signing my receipt, the server came back to the table to explain she had run my card through on the wrong bill. When she returned with the correct bill (full amount), I requested the credit slip for the previous one and their copy of that original slip. She informed me that she had destroyed both, and would get the manager to explain. After a ten+ minute wait, he decided to grace us with his presence, give me his business card, and told me to call him if the charge wasn't actually reversed.
I know this review won't make much of a difference as Terroni will be full (or pretend to be) no matter what people say. Just doing my part to let people know what they're in for. Not to mention, it felt good to get that off my chest.
An old favorite revisited...It's been WAY too long.
Since Libretto appeared on the scene, it has boldly battled it's way to pizza superstardom. But don't forget about Terroni's. This Southern Italian eatery is still standing strong.
Terroni's is all about tradition. The restaurant is buzzing with activity with a lineup out the door. You can imagine old Italian men gathering here. The place is wonderfully decorated, dim lit and cozy (cozy, because there are so many tables and people crammed together).
The menu has wonderful pastas, but I go right to the pizza menu with about 30 pizzas to choose from. I think their most creative pizza is the C'T Mang. It's a white pizza with mozzarella, gorgonzola, fresh pears, walnuts, smoked prosciutto, and honey. It's awesome!
Almost more popular than the pizza was the flour-less chocolate cake. Oozing dark chocolate, it's any chocolate lovers dream. If they weren't like 8 bucks a pop, I'd eat three of them.
Service may not be as spectacular, but the waitstaff know their stuff, giving excellent wine recommendations with your meal.
No dipping olive oil. :(
No Substitutions (If you uber picky or have allergies)
Crappiest cutlery on the planet. A disposable plastic knife would have done me better. I gave up and ate with my hands.
So, Teronni's is a great place for a real Italian meal with a real Italian vibe. I always enjoy my meal here. But depending on your scene, you may prefer the hip and trendy Libretto.
This place is always packed. Why? Because in the end the food is pretty decent for the price and some people don't mind bad service.
It is just downright atrocious sometimes. They employ a wait-in-line only policy which is ridiculous. I can agree with a restaurant that chooses a no-reservations policy. But honestly, how hard can it be to take a paper and pen, right down a name, number and party size, give an "approx" accurate wait time, and call the party when the table is ready. Not hard, makes good business sense and would ease the traffic nightmare that is ruining it for your current diners.
Nope, instead they've decided to employ an arcane system and just piss everyone off prior to their meal with a 40-60 minute wait despite over promises of seating in 15-20 mins. Unbelievable.
So, why come here? Because the food is pretty decent. Good selection of pastas. The antipasto was well constructed and the pizzas can be quite tasty with a crispy thin crust.
Would I ever step foot in Terroni's again? Nope. Not unless I have no choice because my friends are already there and seated or I'm going at a time no normal person would eat, say 3:30PM.
Service is an important part of any meal and they will soon realize that their horrible lack of it will eventually catch up to them.
Then again, they occupy a great niche in Toronto, well-priced Italian food made from quality ingredients in a casual setting. Someone needs to fill this void.
Listed in: Italian.....that's a spicy…
I love Terroni. Yes, the lines can be aggravatingly long. Yes, sometimes the service is a little sloppy or non-existent. Yes, they can and do refuse your requests if it's something that is un-Italian (like putting parmigiana on seafood pasta -- Italians in Italy don't do this and they would be aghast if you suggested it). And yet, none of this matters to me.
The pizza is as good as you can get without being in Italy. My dear friend from Italy introduced me to this restaurant as this was the only Italian restaurant she thought was worth eating. Terroni was good enough for her to bring her friends who had just arrived from Italy. The panna cotta with the balsamic reduction is perfection. So smooth, creamy, and subtly sweet with the slight tang of balsamic. Mmm . . . sometimes I dream of that panna cotta.
I've always had pretty good service at both Terroni locations. In fact, my favorite server from Sweet Lulu on Queen West turned up at the Adelaide Street location. He is wonderful. And the servers really know the menu, including the wine list. I've always been impressed.
I live just around the corner from Terroni on Queen and I always marvel at the line-ups when there are so many other good choices within a few blocks. I end up there every once in a while because friends want to go, or because we want to go somewhere kid friendly with our two year old. I have to hand it to them--they are really accommodating of kids. They don't bat an eyelash when you come in with a stroller and ask for a high chair. The only rudeness I've experienced is from the patrons waiting in line, who seem really put out when they need to move six inches so I can get out the door.
The food has always been good, sometimes fantastic. I've never had anything terrible, but last night I had a just ok dish for the first time: the spaghetti alla norma. The pasta was perfectly al dente as always, but the tomato sauce lacked flavor and the chunks of deep fried eggplant were soggy and bland. I started with the giuggiolosa salad, which was wonderful and kept the meal from being a loss.
The pizzas are really tasty, and the spaghetti with lemon and capers is one of my favorites. The pasta portions are pretty small for the money, I find. They are just the right size, if you ask me, compared to the monstrous portions at other places, but $16 or so for a small portion of vegetarian pasta seems excessive to me.
My biggest peeve is that the salads are all just shy of entree size, which means too large to be starters, but at entree salad prices. It feels indulgent (and it is expensive) to get a salad and a pasta, but pasta alone isn't enough veg for me, and a salad alone isn't filling enough.
Actually, that's my second biggest pet peeve. My biggest is the little note on the menu that says, "While alterations may seem easily accommodated they compromise the unique characteristics of our food. Please respect our menu." I find that really obnoxious.
I'm sure I'll be back, not even kicking and screaming, but it just doesn't live up to the hype for me.
In an attempt to satisfy my hankering for some authentic Italian food I went to try this place out. Called ahead to see if there was a lineup to decide which Terroni I should go to. The guy told me there was no line (but that could change). When we got there 20 mins later a lineup had formed to the door. The hostess said there would be a 10 min wait but we waited about 25. I'm not going to fault her because its hard to judge when people leave.
This place was busy at 6pm. The tables are fairly close together to try to accommodate all the small parties. Luckily for us we didn't get seated by one of the 3 tables that are situated right alone the lineup.
As for the food I would say I enjoyed it. It has been a long time since I have seen gnocchi on a menu that didn't come from the freezer; it was actually fresh made (or close to it). Couple that with some authentic tomato sauce and you have a satisfied my craving. My wife had the Puzzo pizza and enjoyed it a lot. For an appetizer we shared the carppacio. The dish didn't knock my socks off but I did enjoy it and would get it again.
Our server was very cordial, pleasant and attentive. Other servers brought our food to the table which gives me the message that food isn't sitting waiting to be served to long.
4 stars about sums it up for me. I am a fan, it's better than average, but not quite the best. I will also be returning.
Listed in: VIVA ITALIA!
Terroni is a decent place to grab a bite to eat if you're in the Downtown area, but I probably won't go out of my way to eat there again. As good as the pizza is, you're still paying $14 or more for a medium sized pizza that probably isn't that much better than something you can make at home, with the same gourmet ingredients (baby spinach, goat cheese, etc.). But who has the time nowadays to cook a meal at home.
Still, their pizza is probably the best you can get in the city, surpassed only perhaps by Magic Oven...
The service is exceptional, on both occasions I've been there. Very
nice looking restaurant too, and the patio in the summer is especially nice. I love the traditional Italian eatery vibe, with the walls lined in preserves and take-home goodies. Great Place to come to!
Terroni is a really a mixed bag when it comes to service and food. And frankly, it's more often than not erring on the mediocre side of things. The wait depending on the night can vary between brisk to outright mental competing against the crowds on Queen West.
And for what really? Well, Terroni's operates like a brisk and at times brusque! commercial operation, ushering diners in and out quickly, no substitutions or reservations thank you but come on down anyways and have our middle of the road fare. Not unlike a finer east side mario's with their requisite fine ingredients on the menu and the quirky decor of fellini posters and modern italian adverts.
Their cheese and meat boards are beautiful and vary regularly in terms of selection. One night I sampled a beautiful assortment of pingue proscuitto, breadsticks, foccacia fingers, nuts, cheese, honey and a poached pear-outstanding. Their pizza's are terrifically thin crust, a crisp cracker consistency that manages to be among the best thin crust pizza's in town even with Libretto now in the mix. Although I do think that Terroni's is slightly better because it isn't as soggy as PL's . And the atmosphere here and on Adelaide is lively and boisterous making this a nice to place to share food with friends. For tiramisu lovers-Terroni's version is top notch, there's plenty of marscarapone but not too much so that the lady fingers are crushed or crumbling into tatters as is often the case at other places.
However that being said, there's always a few irks at Terroni that limit me to only a few visits a year. The service though usually efficient and pleasant enough may come only after 20 minutes have passed by before you're noticed. Or several requests for fresh pepper go unanswered. And the pasta is not their strong suit, what I've had has come across as pastey, doughy or gummy. Not something you'd want to wrangle your choppers through when you can achieve a better result at home! Accompanying sauces though simple verge on blandness in some dishes.
All that being said, I will still come here once in awhile to sample what's among the best of Toronto's pizza's.
I've only ever eaten at the bar and I find the service to be pretty good, actually. Really good wine to chose from. And I like their menu. I got cheesed off that they won't alter any menu items but I GET IT. It's not my restaurant so I DON'T GET TO CHOOSE THE RULES.
And they probably don't want whiney vegans drinking hot water dining there anyway. It's a business and you cant make money off of hot water and tempeh, kids. So suck it up and go to a VEGAN restaurant. Or, get over yourself and enjoy a good bolognese. You won't regret it. And, btw, it's not that expensive. Terroni Adelaide is more chi-chi. Good date place.
Terroni is a decent restaurant with mostly good food, knowledgeable waiters and decent wine. However, the food here is NOT worth the line ups and the pasta is inconsistent and a bit pricey given the quality/portions.
Here's how the meal broke down:
- Arrived at 5pm on Sunday (early!) and scored the last table, right near the door. Big mistake, as we sat down next to the door I knew the line up would start to bug my dining companions who are used to more spacious suburban restaurant. All that said, this all just equals Mostly because it's NOT WORTH THE WAIT, PEOPLE. (no effect on stars, just stating the facts)
- Knowledgeable waiter suggested a mid-priced wine (delicious) and really tasty salads. +2 star.
- Salads were all tasty and the portions were HUGE, great value! +1 star
- Pasta recommendations were lacklustre and the not very tasty. -1 star
- They REFUSED to add parmigiana to a seafood pasta dish. I am telling you, if you bill yourself as "authentic" Italian, you should never tell an Italian they cannot put parmigiana on their damned pasta. -1 star
- The pizzas were tasty and very "authentic", definitely worth the dollars and reminded me of the time I've spent in Italy. +2 stars
- Despite a good start, our waiter was not available throughout the meal and barely checked in with us. We would have bought some more of that delicious wine, for sure. -1 star
I'll try to avoid going back, especially if there's a line. Even the delicious pizzas and salads were not enough to make me wait. And don't bother ordering the pasta if you're looking for an authentic experience - it's not that great and the portions are too small.
Also, please note they don't make martinis. This includes Manhattans. So you've been warned!
Tsk, tsk, Terr(ibl)oni. If I were your Nonna, I'd tie you up and beat you silly with a rolling pin. Your pappardelle ($16!) was a mass of doughey, pastey mangles that still tasted of flour. I had to pick out the scant add-ins of shrimp and artichoke, leaving the tortured pasta behind like humiliated Abu Ghraib prisoners.
Your pizza's good, I'll give you that. But if you have an entire page of primi, boasting handmade pasta, either learn to cook it properly or just buy it from someone who knows their buccatini from their strozzapreti.
The service is authentically Italian; brusque and indifferent. However, you don't tip in Italy whereas servers in this country depend on gratuities. So next time our waitress should offer our table of 4 a little more than a stank attitude and over-exposed chesticles.
I don't get the lineups. Is it a case of the Emperor's New Blows?
Listed in: Don't Believe the Hype, The Emperor's New Blows
Terroni is one of the few restaurants in the city I am willing to line up for a table. I've been to all the different locations in Toronto but the Queen West location remains my favorite. You won't have the best meal of your life here but the food will be delicious and you'll have a great time. We never feel rushed and I just love how chill and relaxed it is. It's definitely a great place to have dinner with friends and catch up!
I usually order something from the special of the day menu and I don't mind the no substitution rule since they have a pretty large menu so you're bound to find something you like! I am not sure about their bar situation as they don't have gin but I'll get over it.
I've had to order Terroni for pick-up before, and oh was my face painted red as I struggled through trying to pronounce all the Italian dishes :(
Terroni prove themselves again and again as being tops for traditional Italian food in Toronto. With 3 locations now in the city, the only one you are able to make reservations at is the Adelaide Street (for lunch only). The Queen Street location is by far the most popular. Two levels of seating + a big patio during the summer is still not enough to accommodate all their hungry customers. There is often, at as early as 4:30pm, a line-up out the door of people waiting to get in for dinner. It's completely worth it though.
The food is always amazing, and rich in flavor. My favorite is their pizza, of course. A signature of the chef is that he does not cut slices though - it comes as a full pizza. Because of it's super-thin crust, and lack of pre-determined appropriately sized slices, I end up eating almost the whole thing. Waaah. Again, worth it though.
For dessert they have a molten chocolate volcano type cake (again, i have no idea what the Italian name for it is, or how to pronounce it!). If you want to indulge in this (you have to!), remember that you need to order it when your main course arrives, as it takes a while to bake.
Be patient, or arrive early, as this is a meal you will truly enjoy!
Good service, comfortable environment, authentic Italian fare.
I come here for their pizzas mostly - it's the thin crust that are especially commendable. and their ingredients are always fresh, hearty and flavorful. Pastas are of good standard as well but a bit on the small side. Their tomato-based sauces, made from San Marzano D.O.P. (from that region) tomatoes, are prime.
for dessert, order their oh-so-smooth, soaring-fat-content homemade gelato. i recommend the hazelnut one which is deeply, well, hazelnut-ty.
I have only been to Terroni's a handful of times, and only the old courthouse location. Each and every time I have gone I've been very impressed with the décor, ambience, and quality of food while service remained at par. After browsing many reviews online, it became quite evident that this is a chain that does not pride itself on service, especially the Queen St. location which has one of the worst service reps I have ever encountered. Having said that, let's talk food.
The majority of the antipastos are delicious. I always order the carpaccio di manzo, a dish I typically order when I eat out I-tal. The Frittura di Calamari is great as well, a lightly battered deep fried calamari complimented well with lemon. If you are with a group I highly recommend ordering the Tagliere Mezzo e Mezzo, a selection of Italian/local meats and cheeses. On a few occasions I recall having prosciutto di parma, smoked prosciutto, hot calabrese salami, fontina, smoked scamorza, pecarino, and parm + more, I do believe these are constantly changing day to day.
I have not tried a pasta dish at Terroni's that I didn't enjoy. They also carry traditional types of pasta which you don't find everywhere like: Orecchiette, papardelle, garganelli and tagliatelle. Most of the pastas such as the delicious gnocci are handmade in house, I personally heart the Mezze Maniche al Ragu d'Anatra, a duck ragu with spinach, mascarpone and parm.
As for the pizza, it is truly a-ma-zing, they really do rival Pizzeria Libretto. Terroni's has at least 20 pizzas and really you can't go wrong, even with the basic Margherita or Marinara. This may be attributed to the fact that Terroni's imports and packs they're own tomatos, in addition to making house specialties such as the homemade spicy sausage. My favourite, like many others is the Smendozzatta pizza: Tomato, mozza, homemade spicy sausage, gorgonzola, and red onions. This pizza is one of my favourite meals, period. It must have to do with the combination of flavour such as the mozza and gorgonzola melting and fusing with the house sausage and caramelizing onions, omg.
Other notable pizzas are the Natalina: Tomato, mozza, roasted red peppers, hot calabrese salami, garlic and olives. C't Mang: White pizza w/ mozza, gorgonzola, fresh pears, speck (smoked prosciutto), walnuts and honey. Quattro Stagiono: Tomato, mozza, prosciutto di Parma, eggplant, zucchini and olives.
If you have space for desert, let it be known Terroni's boasts the most popular desert item I have ever come across in my life. I know some girls, including my g/f, who would give up everything for just one bite. The item is a flourless dark chocolate lava cake which is so good that Terroni's could probably stay open just selling that desert.
All in all if you're looking for a stand out Italian dinner full of delicious apps, pastas, pizza and a to-die-for desert Terroni's is your spot. Personally I prefer Pizzeria Libretto, but Terroni's is right up there, and open longer than 5pm to 11pm!
*be warned, any substitutions are frowned upon
Listed in: Italiano
I went out on Sunday and had a Boston Pizza Pizza. I went out on Tuesday and had a pizza from Terroni's. I will never order a pizza from Boston Pizza again. In fact, I'm insisting on making sure that everyone in my family has the same experience that I just had at Terroni's.
The pizza I ordered was the Natalina Pizza. Roasted Red Peppers, Hot Salami, Mozzarella Cheese, tomatoes and olives. I ate the whole thing, which seemed pretty impressive, but its so good. It's perfect really. And it was cheaper than the BP Pizza. It just doesn't make sense to ever go to BP again.
At first, when you see the "no substitutions" you think, "what elitists". But their claim to the authenticity of their menu couldn't be more apt. Make sure that you order the buffalo mozzarella capresse salad as your appetizer.
And get one of the cute, bubbly servers to help you out...oh wait, that's all of them.
I will be back there many times to try out as many of their pizza's as possible, and I encourage that you all do the same. It's worth the wait for a solid experience.
I do not understand why people rave about this place all the time... I've ate there on a few occasions and I thought it was good, but people make it sound like it's the best damn restaurant in Toronto.
I am a pasta freak. I eat that stuff like it's no tomorrow and when it comes to pasta I have probably ate at about 15-20 places in the city better than Terroni. I admit that last time I went I had this fantastic tuna salad but it cost about ten dollars and I could have made that at home for about three bucks.
I can never quite understand why there's always a line-up to get into this place, but to each their own. If you go you will likely enjoy it even though a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce costs about twelve dollars. They make their own fresh pasta though, so I guess that's a plus.
Terroni is stupid. It's just plain crap yo. Don't believe the hype. This is the most scenester joint in Toronto. All the Toronto musicians and scene "operators" who talk down about scenesters are contstantly at this place eating dinner. This is also where hipster parents take their brat kids even though screaming kids and strollers are totally inappropriate in the cramped, adult joint.
There's only one thing I can eat on the menu, and that's the nicoise (they call it something else because they're so brutally Italian that they wouldn't dare admit that they have a French dish on their menu) and whenever I ask if they can modify or make me something without meat, they basically spit on the ground by my feet. And that's what the hipsters like. The shit service and treatment.
I don't like being treated like crap when I go out. And I like paying for what I want. And I also like leg room. I am not interested in words like "no".
The only thing it's got going for it, is a good coffee. But shit, I can get that a a zillion spots in Toronto.
The worst part about Terroni's is when someone sitting next to you orders wrong - like when they share a strictly-lettuce salad (hello - it's GOT to be the Caprese with melt-in-your-mouth-unobstructed-by-vinegar-or-pret entious-reductions-buffalo-mozz and a slight drizzle of perfect extra virgin olive oil over slightly crunchy iddy biddy tomatoes) - I just about tackled my boyfriend for his caprese when mine was done and almost became a meat-eater so I could taste the incredible pizza. Do me a favour, order the caprese with the buff.mozz. It's worth the extra couple of bucks. Trust.
A reluctant veggie, I am always nervous the veg-friendly options will be boring and typical and not as good at what I can make. So, when the waitress recommended the meatless rigatoni (they prefer no substitutions; respectable), I was admittedly worried. No need; it was melt-in-your-mouth, eat-till-you-vomit, spend-every-dollar-on-your-credit-card, praise-the-italian-gods kind of delicious. simple ingredients. incredibly complex taste. unpretentious presentation. incredible.
I've been to Terroni's a number of times now, and the new menu blows every other experience away. Highly recommended.
Side note - these photos do not do this rustic italian food justice. I'm going back and taking photos.
,,, p.s. - Tael L. - you're the pretentious one. If you think you know italian better, make it yourself.
I just ate there for my birthday dinner with friends and I have to say it was one of the best meals I have ever had. We ordered my favourites (Fungi Salad, Carpaccio, San Giorgio Pizza) and ordered a great Monkfish special, and two fantastic pasta specials, one with Truffles that blew our minds. We ordered one for dessert! Terroni, you know I love you!!
I'm not a big fan of Italian 'cause it's usually too bland but this is the only place I would go. Funggi (mushroom) salad is to die for...as well as their pastas and pizzas..I love that they always make sure their pasta is al dente. Their Chocolate soufle is the bomb...better than Morton's!
This Terroni location on Queen Street serves better Italian food than all the restaurants in Little Italy combined.
Yeah, I'm willing to say that. Terroni knows what they're doing -- they've opened a couple locations here in Toronto and one in LA, and all the ones here are out-the-door busy, so they must be doing something right. Everything on their menu is authentic Italian, and authentically delicious. All their pasta is made from scratch, in-house, their sausages are home-made by relatives of the owners, and their ingredients are either fresh and local or fresh and right off the plane from Italy.
And if you're doubting their Italian-ness...get over it. Both founders of Terroni are from the same region of Italy as my family (Foggia/Bari area), and I've had food there enough times to know that it's authentic and amazing.
I've had a couple nights when all I've wanted was some Terroni loving to remind me of all the meals my family cooks in Italy, but the line-up deterred me and I had to go somewhere else for inferior food. Not again. Next time, I shall wait.
And in my opinion, you should wait too. Everyone should go to Terroni at least once (or a million times) but you should definitely take my 5 tips into consideration:
1) Arrive early! There are no reservations. I know, it's sad. But just show up early, especially if you have a big group. Groups of two tend to move through the line more quickly.
2) Order wine with your meal. Terroni has a booklet of wine choices, and a handful of Italian reds that they carry exclusively. So take advantage of the selection and order some wine. Even their house wine is delicious.
3) Don't cheap out on your meal. Honestly, to have the best experience here you should get at least an appetizer. I'd suggest one of their amazing salads with your meal, preferably some mozzarella di bufala, buffalo mozzarella straight from Italy. And do not share a pizza between two people as a meal for you both -- you will regret this after your first bite.
4) Tip your servers well because they are awesome. I have never had a problem with the service here, everyone is friendly and nice, the food comes fast, and the bill comes exactly when you're thinking about it (or when you ask for it).
5) Tell all your friends you ate real Italian food at the best Italian restaurant in Toronto (and LA). Because you definitely just did.
Listed in: I could eat here every day...
This place makes legit italian food. I am italian and whenever i eat italian food i never like it but this place is da bomb. I really wanted to try their pizza so we had the Polentona Pizza which had speck, pine nuts, fontina, and mozzarella. The sauce was fresh and tasted like the tomatoes were just pureed, no additives. The crust was good and crisp without tasting burnt. The only complaint was the speck was difficult to cut through without all coming off. We also had a pasta, and they are all hand made daily which i respect. We had the duck, italian cheese and spinach. It tasted a lot like a beff strogonoff, it was delicious. I would defintetly go back and i wnat to try the other locations.
Great food, attentive friendly staff, good location crappy patio average wine list. It's a little on the pricey side but worth it. This is one of my favorite places on Queen! I'll be back again and again!
I don't really see the rave about this restaurant. Everyime I drive by Terroni's, the restaurant always seems to be packed with people lining up to get a table. I think this restaurant is sooo over-rated. The food isn't even good for people to actually be eating here!! I've been here twice since my first experience with their pasta was horrid I was hoping maybe a second try at their pizza would change my mind. Oh boy was i ever wrong! Their pizza sucked as much as their pasta! First of all when i tried the pasta, the noodles were definetly not properly cooked! it was still hard, cold and chewy when i got it! it was disgusting! The sauce from the seafood pasta was soo bland and tastless! The ravaoli I tried from my mother's was so dry!! The serving sizes were also VERY tiny for a $20 meal which was totally not worth it! Compared to their pizza, it was just as bad! There were hardly any toppings on it! I was basically served tomato sauce on a bread crust with crumbs of vegetables and meat! This was NOT pizza at all! The crust was so soggy and not crispy cause it was flooded by the tomato sauce! Only good thing i could say about them is their desserts (tiramisu, creme caramel) DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU WANT PASTA/PIZZA! I GURANTEE YOU IT'S A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!
If you want good authentic Italian pasta/pizza, try John's Italian Cafe in the Baldwin Area! Incredible food thats actually worth your money!!
Yes it's true - they don't take reservations and won't allow ANY substitutions on the menu, but Terroni has to be doing something right because they regularly have a lineup out the door, the kitchen and bar are always bustling with activity, all of the servers look like they're having a GREAT time and I've never had a screwup with my meal in all of the visits I've made.
The food is excellent and there's a daily changing menu of specials that's printed out on a small menu card with the day's date. Their warm flourless chocolate cake ("lava cake") is one of two things I'd request for my "Last Supper". It's heavenly.
The servers are extremely knowledgeable about the menu offerings - they all have impeccable Italian pronunciation (to the point that you're embarrassed to fumble through your order - I prefer pointing to menu items instead), are young and fun and seem to enjoy their jobs.
The decor is stunning (second only to their Adelaide/former Courthouse location) and seems truly authentic and 'homey'. The bathrooms are also beautiful. It feels like a really cool place to be and it's great for larger groups, if you show up at the right time. I never feel rushed when I'm at Terroni, even when it's extremely busy.
Listed in: Best Toronto Restaurants For…, The Most Sinfully Decadent…, Toronto's Best Italian…, Toronto's Most Incredible…, Best Gnocchi In Toronto
If you want to know if Terroni serves great Italian food, just try and get a seat there at dinner time any night of the week. I guarantee you'll be greeted by a lineup.
Luckily, the service is quick and you'll probably seated before too long. At that time, you'll be able to salivate over all the delicious southern Italian fare they serve up on a daily basis.
If you can, get a seat on the big but covered back patio. It's truly beautiful and almost makes you could be dining in outside quaint Tuscan villa!
My other suggestion is to order their pizza and to split it. They are actually GIGANTIC so make sure you come on a full stomach. My favourite is the smoked salmon pizza and the arugula and sun dried tomato pizza is also very tasty. I've also had the gnocchi (which I believe was a special of the day) and it was so tasty and filling.
I love Italian food and this place does a good job of serving up satisfying and flavourful cuisine from the region. It's not cheap, but it's not as a expensive as its counterparts and the food is actually quite a good deal for the price. And even though there's usually a lineup, the service is so good (lots of refills!) it's what keeps me coming back, time and time again, Well that, and that tasty this crust pizza!
Listed in: Top Restaurants
I lived in the Queen West neighbourhood and frequented this restaurant regularly. The service is inconsistent but I've always liked the food. At times, the service is great and most of the time it's slow, but I had my worst restaurant experience at this restaurant. On a cold Friday night, I went to this restaurant with two girlfriends for dinner to catch up. After appetizers, our meal and some drinks, we continued to chat. The waitress, who was friendly at first, got annoyed that we had overstayed our welcome. She sighed and rolled her eyes at us when we ordered hot water. Unbelievable. Needless to say, I will not eat there again.
Listed in: Blacklisted
Terroni didn't always suck. When it first opened the thin crust pizzas were a revelation, the cozy vibe a delight. Then they expanded and franchised. Something was lost. It's noisy and crowded, overpriced, and as noted, the service is too snobby for a restaurant at this level. Time was when you asked for cheese in this joint a giant block of grana padano housed in it's own grater was proffered. But don't ask for that now, you get a face full of daggers.
You can still have fun and a good meal here if you come for lunch or mid-week (I'm talking Monday to Wednesday) and stick to pizza. I've given the pastas several chances and it's always bland and overcooked. Salads, as at so many other Toronto restaurants, are from that abominable prepacked mesclun mix with the rotted bits of radicchio in it. In summer the patio is nice. But there are too many caveats on this place now. What a shame.
The last time I went to Terroni was with a friend of mine who is a chef in a fine dining restaurant. He had just come back from a trip to Italy...a "slow food tour...". Perhaps we picked the wrong place to eat, because we ripped it apart, and since then I have been trash-talking terroni for years. I have been back to Terroni twice in the last month, and I have to admit that it has been a much better experience, although still nothing above fine.. I went with a couple of friends and their 11/2 year old kid, who literally trashed half of the restaurant. There was more food on the floor than on all the other tables put together. When one of the servers came over, I thought we were being asked to leave, but they just wanted to say hello to the cute baby. The service was friendly and available this time fine. I went again yesterday for lunch with my boyfriend. I was hungover and needed cheese. Everything was fine. We shared 3 dishes, we had some house wine which is not bad (but not good) and the service was as usual fine, but not good either. I did think our waitress was lying when she said the wine we picked was her favourite. Terroni is back on my "fine" list. Fine is fine, but nothing more.
Traditional southern Italian cuisine? I don't know if I'm conversant enough in Italian food to distinguish one region from the next. What I do know is that Italians know food. I have quite a few Italian friends from different areas of Italy so at least I know better than to contradict an Italian in food-related areas.
The fare here is true to Italian tradition in that all the ingredients are simple and fresh. Things change here all the time and menu often fluctuates as the seasons change. My favourite part of the whole affair was the vino but the pizza is delicious.
Always double-check your food: I found a screw in my pizza, pretty disgusting.
I laugh when I go by Terroni every day on Queen W, with its line out the door. I will never wait in that line again. It's just dumb. I used to be a very regular patron, since back when it was just a narrow hallway of a resto (two reno's ago? at least 12 years ago). Sure the food is good but it's never worth having bad service and I endured their snooty service for many, many years until finally I just thought, What's the point in eating out? I can make great food at home. I want a pleasant time, not just a pizza. Now I avoid it like crazy but sometimes friends will still want to drag me there. That's fine, but I'll never pick it as a place to go for dinner. The service isn't always bad (just inconsistent and occasionally WTF) but I've felt unwelcome one, two, a hundred too many times.
Great southern italian cuisine. Sat outside on the picnic tables on a warm Toronto evening. highly recommended, but expect a line.
Toronto, ON
Neighborhood: Leslieville
Neighborhood: Deer Park
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