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Villa Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Italian Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Gluten-Free Italian, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free [Edit]
2277 Bloor St WToronto, ON M6S 1P1
Neighbourhood: Swansea
(416) 761-9222
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 11:30 am - 9 pm
Thu 11:30 am - 10 pm
Fri 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Sat 10 am - 10:30 pm
Sun 10 am - 9 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
13 reviews for Villa Restaurant
13 reviews in English
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Review from Laura H.
Toronto, ON
4/19/2012
Went here with a small group for dinner, and we were impressed with everything we ordered BUT if was a bit pricey, especially for gluten free items.
The calamari appetizer was cooked perfectly, and the chicken and meat in other dishes were well done. The service was exceptional, wouldn't hesitate to return again. -
Review from Marie F.
10/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place had quite a nice atmosphere and if you are gluten intolerant you should definitely check this place out. Despite the warnings from my fellow yelpers about the overcooked pasta, I ordered the cannelloni and it was delightfully cheesy and well cooked.
I'd probably come here again if it wasn't for the price. Even with my $50 Groupon we still forked over an extra $30 to cover the bill for two entrees, sparkling water and garlic bread. -
Review from Karen A.
Toronto, ON
7/25/2011
When we lived near Bloor West Village this was our favorite restaurant within walking distance. That said, it is not spectacular. This is the place to go if you want to go to a nice place for dinner after a walk in High Park.
The atmosphere at Villa is upscale and inviting. The tables are better spaced than at a lot of restaurants where I feel like I hear more of the neighboring table's conversation than my own. Villa also has a nice wine list, the bottles at the low end of the price range are about $40.
They always seem to have a vegetarian stuffed pasta and it has never disappointed. Their desserts look great on paper but are usually unremarkable.
The service at Villa can be hit or miss. We have had very good service here (usually on weekends) but have also had terrible service with long waits to order and receive food (usually on a Monday or Tuesday- perhaps when the less experienced servers are working). On weekends we usually make a reservation. -
Review from Pati P.
Toronto, ON
1/28/2011
Brunchorama.
I forgot what a classy little joint this place is. Friends of ours got a groupon that they wanted to use for this restaurant and my husband and I hadn't been here for brunch (only dinner and that was awesome/ romatntic and incredibly delicious). It was, just like any other time I've been here, wonderful.
We sat in the back next to the windows and had a view of the cute little patio / smoking area (which no one dared to use as it was 30 below on this day).I just love a place that has an exposed kitchen. The cleanliness, order and professionalism of the staff / kitchen is top-notch.
The spicy caesars were delicious (although a little fresh horseradish would be a perfect topper). I ordered the baked egg special of the day and was not disappointed. The menu is always a great variety and the servers are knowledgeable and stay out of your way so you can really enjoy the space/ food/ company.
Because I moved away from the area a year ago I don't really get to enjoy this restaurant as much as it deserves to be enjoyed...but I'm glad to have ventured back to Bloor West for brunch at Villa :) -
Review from Janna S.
11/29/2010 1 Check-in Here
If you're gluten-intolerant and looking for a classy meal, Villa is a great option. This place really surpasses Il Fornello in every way, and it's obvious because the menus for both places are very similar, even though Il Fornello is a chain.
Everything we ordered compared favorably - more toppings, better gluten-free pasta, and fresher ingredients (judging by taste). I think this place should be listed as "gluten free" but I can't seem to add this category to the listing. There are plenty of "regular" items containing gluten, but it's nice to have that option if you're with someone who needs to order from the gluten-free menu.
It's not a stand-out place if you're judging it by it's "authentic" Italian
merit, but Villa is undoubtedly a great option for gluten-free! Service was good and the bathrooms are clean.Listed in: Gluten-Free in Toronto
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Review from Melissa L.
3/14/2011
My husband and I went there last night since we had bought a Groupon deal recently.
With their open kitchen concept and the modern decor it gives you the impression of a more upscale Italian restaurant. But unfortunately they did not deliver on the food.
We ordered garlic bread and crab cakes for appetizers and a prosciutto pizza and stuffed stuffed sorrentini pasta for the main course.
I have to say I was not too impressed with any of the items.
The garlic bread tasted okay, however I found out later that they must have used a BIT too much garlic cause it's now the next morning and the garlic taste is still with me.
The crab cakes were alright, but I had hoped for more.
The pizza was plain hideous. The crust was so thin, you could basically see through it and the entire pizza tasted as if it had come out of the refrigerated section at Walmart. Very disappointing.
The pasta was better, but I still was not too impressed overall.
It just tasted not as a good as I had expected it.
On a further note:
The service was certainly fast... the waitress was attentive - to say the least, but she was actually a bit too pushy.
While we were trying to decide what we wanted she came every 2 minutes to ask if we were ready to order - and it was obvious that we were not. Maybe she meant well, but I found it kind of annoying.
On a positive note, she brought us some sourdough bread and butter for free to our table while we were waiting for the pizza and pasta. That was appreciated and we actually left her a nice tip as we figured the quality of the food is not her responsibility. -
Review from geraldine g.
Toronto, ON
9/6/2010
I love Italian food but the problem with going out with someone who has celiac disease, gluten free allergies, is where do you go for food that won't kill you - and you don't feel like the one person that inconveniences the kitchen and server with all the food allergies? Well, my friends you have found a home.
My partners comments went something like this, `wow, i can order off the menu like a normal person. i can have more than salad!``
Gluten free options are available from the appetizers, the mains and dessert. I cannot tell you how great a revelation that was because people, I really didn't want to go to the same vegetarian restaurants all the time.
So, as the one person that can have all the gluten and meat options how does it rate for this carnivore? I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. Portions are great. You will be full! I had their classic spaghettini misti. Pasta with grilled chicken, tiger shrimp, plum tomatoes and finished with chevre cheese.
I think I would have enjoyed it more without the chevre cheese. The sauce itself I found to be a little too heavy or too rich. The same could be said for the pizza melanzana. Made it quite difficult for us to finish our meals.
I would definitely go back and try other dishes. It is promising.
I would like to note, the customer service here is incredible. It made for an extra special dining experience.
In addition, their next door upscale sister restaurant, Strada, apparently offers gluten free options as well. I probably would have gone to that side but their website doesn't specifically state that option but it does as we were told by our server! -
Review from RJ S.
Mississauga, ON
10/1/2009 2 photos
Coming from someone who doesn't get excited about Italian food whatsoever this place has changed my mind quite a bit.
Its not that I don't like Italian food its just that I don't get that "OMG I can't wait to eat feeling" like I get with other types of food.
The restaurant is divided into two sections one being Villa, the other being Strada. Strada is a Mediterranean restaurant and Villa is an Italian restaurant. I have not been to Strada yet so this is only a partial review.
The inside of Villa is very nice, has a very modern contemporary look, fairly dark but it suits with the atmosphere of the restaurant. As well this is the first place that I've seen that has the kitchen right in the middle. It's not like it's closed off either it is open for the customers to see which I thought was pretty nice for a change.
Now to the food, considering I have only been to this place once I actually tasted alot of the food that is on the menu b/c I went during my friends birthday and we had about 20 people there so I just went from person to person asking them how their food was? And well they each let me take a bite too haha.
The appetizers. The one appetizers that stood out the most was the garlic bread. It was very well done, you get 6 pieces,it was crispy, not too garlicky, and the mozzarella cheese just made it that much better. The appetizers that I was not a fan of would be the crab cakes, reason being is for the use of imitation crab meat. The other being the grilled calamari, the presentation was nice, but to me calamari is not the same unless its deep fried.
Pizza! The have alot of choices for pizza, you can either go with what they have or you can build your own. The one pizza that I liked was the salmon pizza, the reason being it was different from the regular pizzas you could get at any pizza place. However if you are looking to get full I would not recommend getting the pizza BC its pizza, to me pizza is a snack not an actual meal.
Now for the pasta, each pasta was very unique, one person stuck with the traditional spaghetti which was OK, reason being there was not enough sauce, and this is coming from someone who doesn't like that much sauce on anything. The ravioli was very tasty and had alot of filling inside but the absolutely best pasta was MINE! I got the Linguini de Mare, which is basically seafood (shrimp, mussels, calamari and scallops) with tomato pesto sauce. It was absolutely the best pasta I have ever had, the sauce was just right and was actually debating whether or not to get another one to take home.
The food was great however it got partially ruined b/c I found out that they don't do separate bills which is fine by me but having 20 people and trying to figure out how much everyone owes is ridiculous. My head was killing me trying to collect money.
Items to definitely get
- Garlic Bread with Mozzarella
- Linguini de Mare -
Review from Nik C.
Halifax, NS
1/24/2010
A great pesto should be the flagship of every Italian restaurant, but unfortunately all too often it's a neglected mixture of old basil, not enough garlic, and pine nuts left in a tin since your grandpa fought in the war. You know the war I'm talking about: the one that happened a long time ago. Villa's pesto is fairly middle of the road: good enough to tide you over until summer comes and you can make your own, but not great enough to make you want to phone mum and tell her about it after asking if she's finished washing and folding your laundry for you, you giant man-child.
Less notable was the bruschetta, whose diced tomatoes were so pale and flavourless they were like the inspiration for making up some crazy comparison in a restaurant review to demonstrate to you just how pale and flavourless they were. I know it's January, but get me the sweet tomato flavour hookups for my bruschetta, Villa.
To me it seems like Villa is shooting to be a great Italian restaurant, but falling just short and ending up in the middle somewhere. -
Review from Renata R.
5/17/2010
Nice surprise. I was walking on a sunny sunday and most of the restaurants on Bloor were closed/closing, and I was desperate for food. I finally found this one.
They serve the brunch menu on Sunday until 3:30 and it was almost 4PM, but ok they were nice enough to offer me the brunch menu anyway. I asked for a simple small Caesar Salad, and husband asked for a complicated pasta with mushrooms. Completely different dishes.
I loved my caesar, it was fresh and not even close to "small". Husband's pasta was a bit overcooked, but he really liked the flavours and said they probably overcooked because it's fresh pasta. We were very well served and enjoyed our meal there. Will come back. -
Review from Tre A.
Toronto, ON
7/5/2011
Poor service, understaffed for a Saturday night. The pasta was overcooked, and the chicken was standard banquet hall fare. There is a reason this place is offering Groupon discounts.
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Review from Lin H.
Toronto, ON
1/7/2011
Just went there tonight. My dining partner eats gluten-free and was really happy to see a gluten-free beer on the drinks menu. There were lots of gluten-free options on the main menu as well (pizza and pasta). He went with the salmon pizza, which came with plenty of salmon on a very thin crust. We shared the antipasto for two, which he was a big fan of (and I thought was just ok). I had the linguine di mare, which came with lots of seafood (good) but a little too much tomato.
Our waiter was attentive yet non-intrusive. I liked that he told us the ingredients of the soup of the day. Service was on the slower side, but just right for me to build up my appetite again after the filling appetizer. I was too full to order a dessert and missed seeing what was on the menu.
Overall a pleasant experience. It is pricy though. We had a groupon which is why we went in the first place. I made the reservation 45 minutes ahead of time, and was given a choice of seating in the back or front on arrival. -
Review from Susan M.
Toronto, ON
6/2/2010
I will quietly whisper to people that I have been there, nothing really special to this Italian Restaurant. Unfortunately I will not be going back because Villa didn't impress me nor leave me with a lasting impression.
