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Vannis Ristorante
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
672b St Clair Ave WToronto, ON M6C 1C5
Neighbourhood: Wychwood
(416) 651-7555
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
8 reviews for Vannis Ristorante
7 reviews in English
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Review from Harrisimo F.
Toronto, ON
3/15/2012
Vannis is nestled on a small strip at St Clair West and competes with some of the best bistro style Italian food in the city such as the longtime staple of the St Clair area Ferro and it's trendier new family owned extension The Rushton.
So what differentiates Vannis from the rest?
Well, in simple terms, it comes with a great story. The difference lies in its philosophy and approach as a restaurant and the modest roots from which it began complimented with a really top notch chef/owner who really know the business well.
Now most people would probably laugh at the idea of giving anything but an afterthought to the philosophy and roots of an establishment whose primary function is to fill your belly, but for those who don't like to be caught up in the wavelength of trendy and overpriced venues which seem to care more about the sleekness of their appearance than the quality and value of the food it serves, Vannis stands as a great Torontonian example of perseverance and success in a very tough industry.
Over a decade ago Vannis's head chef began chopping onions and washing dishes just down the street from what would later become his very own restaurant. Where did he work? Ironically he worked at what is now his biggest competitor; Ferro.
Even more ironic, is that he is as far away from Italian as you could imagine but now cooks food which easily rivals and usurps Ferro as the best overall Italian food on St Clair.
After working at Ferro for 12 years, he decided to launch his own venture and with the knowledge he obtained there he decided to step up his game and give the area an even more authentic experience.
His home made ravioli's are phenomenal and always cooked to perfection and his pizzas are always perfectly round and perfectly cooked. As a former pizza chef myself, I know this is not the easiest task in the world.
As a person, he is an incredibly modest and warm hearted guy who is always happy to entertain his guests when approached.
I would recommend the butternut squash stuffed ravioli's in cream sauce, it's some of the best pasta I've ever tasted. Compliment that with one of his fantastic pizza's and you have the perfect meal for you an a special someone. Vannis has a far more humble decor than its immediate competitors and caters more towards small gatherings and dates and in no way fronts the same chic image that surrounding restaurants work so hard on.
The only downside of eating here can be the service, some of the servers I've had there have been sub-par, but if you are fortunate to get a good waiter, you're in for a treat.
Perhaps most important to note as well, is that unlike Ferro's $30 pasta, you can get a great meal here for under 20 dollar tip included and the food is simply better than the other Italian places within a 10 km radius.
Vannis= Great Italian food- snobby yuppies. Sounds like a plan to me. -
Review from Lawrence T.
Toronto, ON
5/25/2012
Food quality: low
Food taste: low
Service: medium
Ambiance: medium
The food the 3 of us had was at best mediocre. Truthfully, the place seems like a pizza joint and the customers eating pizza seemed really pleased. None of us ordered pizza and were let down. The waitress we had was really sweet and helpful, but she was way overworked (not her fault at all, just too many customers and no support for her). -
Review from Lara J.
North York, ON
1/12/2012
Look for another restaurant in the neighbourhood!
My husband was a bit leery. I thought it would be ok....
Ooops. I was wrong. Dang.
He ordered mussels. They were cold. My veal parmigiana was (unappetizingly) smothered in cheese. (Ugh!) I've had better food in a cafeteria.
The service was pleasant enough -- when the waitress showed up.
The couple next to us complained about the space-heater not working. (It was not that cold outside for January, but it was chilly where we were sitting.)
Best thing about the meal was the red wine from California. Go to Vannis if you want to drink, not to have a nice meal.
Our rating for the meal was 1 star. -
Review from Julianna B.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 11/16/2010
After a more than 6-month hiatus, Vannis is open once more. I dropped in for the breakfast last week, and I had to update my Wychwood breakfast list.
1) There's a perfect range of optionson the menu - a real brunch spread, without overwhelming you with too many choices.
2) I love having the option of ordering salad instead of homefries or yam fries. The salad is a light mix of greens in vinaigrette, not too pushy for morning consumption. If I'm already having sausage, eggs, french toast, I don't need homefries too.
3) The sausage is a real, fat, flame-grilled sausage. Wow.
4) Two big breakfasts in a lovely ambiance with refilled coffee = about $20. I'd drop about the same at Boom!, but here I leave relaxed and satisfied.
5) The hollandaise on the eggs benny is divine - not too thick, not too runny, and tangy with citrus.
We were concerned at first, when we were the only two people in at 11:10 am on a Saturday, but by the time we left at 12 the joint was jumping.
I do wish they'd be a bit freer with the jam packets at the table - one of each kind isn't enough when you're both using syrup or want the marmalade. They're happy to supply more, but should I have to ask? They're quick with the free coffee refills, though.Listed in: Best food near Wychwood, The Search for Breakfast in…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/21/2009 First to Review
Great service and good food, particularly the pizzas. The screens are a bit annoying and reduce the… Read more »
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Review from Rob F.
Toronto, ON
9/22/2011
My girlfriend and I have brunched our way up and down St. Clair and Vannis has quickly become our favorite.
They have a great range of brunch items, and their breakfast potatoes are amazing. They have great service too and are quick on getting meals out.
My girlfriend can't stand runny eggs and at most other places she ends up having to send them back and watch us all eat while they remake them, but Vannis always gets them perfect.
They even let em special order a Benny with avacodo, tomato and goat cheese one morning and it was phenomenal.
Definitely reccomended. -
Review from David E.
York, ON
8/28/2011
This place isn't terrible, but the very standard and pedestrian food doesn't match the decor or atmosphere. We dropped in for dinner on a whim when walking by, and it was reasonably busy. The food was fine, just not good enough to talk about or go back. If I want food that is just "fine" I can get it for less all over the same area.
Update to this: the weekend breakfast is pretty good, and cheap! -
Review from Jing K.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 5/8/2010
Ah, too bad, so sad. Discovered that they have now closed shop. (I can't make a N/A star rating so hence the 1-star)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/15/2010
We hosted a family event here back in January and it was chosen only because it was the only… Read more »
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