Best Italian restaurants in Toronto

Daniele Corona's Italian prix fixe and eight-course menus, in an old bank building.

• MICHELIN 1 MICHELIN StarSource ↗

  A former early-1900s bank building with dark, luxurious decor and wine kept in the vault, with polished but relaxed service. The Italian cooking uses global flavours skillfully, in multicourse and tasting formats.

  Standout dishes: soft-boiled egg with tonburi caviar, tomato confit risotto with braised lamb shoulder

• Canada's 100 Best #38Source ↗

  A lavish dining room in a historic bank building serving Italian fine dining, with a refinement compared to kaiseki and an emphasis on local Ontario produce.

  Standout dishes: pigeon breast with nasturtium foam, amaebi crudo, spaghettoni in Ontario mushroom extract, Ibaraki crown melon dessert

• 50 Top Italy #3Source ↗

  The reviewer singled out great technique, clean flavors and elegant presentations in contemporary Italian cooking, plus a high-level wine list and formal but relaxed service.

  Standout dishes: mussels cacio e pepe, Gragnano spaghetti with mushrooms and truffle, black cod with vermouth and caviar, bosco delle fragole

• Gambero Rosso 3 ForchetteSource ↗

  Chef Daniele Corona was credited with a tasteful, authentic fine dining experience in the elegant setting of a former bank, backed by a cellar of top Italian labels.

Octopus poached, then crisped in the wood oven.

• Canada's 100 Best #89Source ↗

  The owners' first restaurant keeps its charms with carefully made new-school Italian classics, strong cocktail and wine lists, and warm, professional service.

  Standout dishes: octopus, pizza

• MICHELIN RecommendedSource ↗

  A dependable neighbourhood restaurant in Dufferin Grove where staff make every guest feel like a regular. The kitchen gets the most from each dish, and the pizza is satisfying.

  Standout dishes: yellowfin tuna crudo with bergamot marmalade, ricotta agnolotti with morels, mafalde with veal cheek ragu

• Gambero Rosso 1 ForchettaSource ↗

  The reviewers loved the researched wine list of small producers at fair prices, and a lively, genuine atmosphere.

  Standout dishes: lamb sausage with citrus braised fennel, grilled octopus with cannellini beans

Rob Rossi cooks Ligurian seafood; serious wine and cocktails alongside.

• MICHELIN 1 MICHELIN StarSource ↗

  A consistently pleasant, well-run room focused on Ligurian seafood traditions that set it apart from typical Italian menus. The wine list and cocktail program add to a polished, hospitable meal.

  Standout dishes: vitello tonnato, Ligurian flatbread with stracchino, snow crab tagliolini with bottarga, tiramisu

• Canada's 100 Best #72Source ↗

  Chef Rob Rossi cooks from Liguria in an upscale Yorkville room, with pastas and desserts singled out as standouts.

  Standout dishes: Cetara anchovies over whipped butter, vitello tonnato

• La Liste 76/100
• Canada's Best New #2Source ↗

  The more polished sibling of Giulietta, focused on Ligurian cooking with a strong seafood emphasis, in a pale minimalist room with an Italian-focused wine list and professional service.

  Standout dishes: vitello tonnato, paccheri alla Genovese, Cetara anchovies over whipped butter, trofie al pesto

• 50 Top Italy #50Source ↗

  The reviewer valued tasty starters and satisfying pastas, with particular skill in cooking and dressing fresh pasta, attentive service and a welcoming room, inspired by chef Rob Rossi's Ligurian roots.

• Gambero Rosso 1 ForchettaSource ↗

  Credited for an impressive wine list of native grapes and artisan producers, an original by-the-glass selection, and elegant, minimalist interiors in natural wood.

  Standout dishes: piccage pagilia e fieno, grilled rack of lamb

Davide Ciavattella's eight courses, high up, pair local plates with ones from the Amalfi original.

• MICHELIN 1 MICHELIN StarSource ↗

  A dependable choice for dates, family dinners or client meetings, with a sophisticated Italian menu in set and tasting formats. The hotel-top views are a bonus to the food.

  Standout dishes: cannelloni, lamb chop with jus

• Canada's 100 Best #85Source ↗

  A harbour-view dining room where chef Davide Ciavattella serves an eight-course tasting menu with whimsical presentation, drawing on local ingredients and dishes from the original Amalfi Coast restaurant.

  Standout dishes: wild-rose-scented tagliatelle with eel gelato

• La Liste 78.5/100
• 50 Top Italy #13Source ↗

  The reviewer valued the 38th-floor room with its view and attentive staff, and a Mediterranean approach focused on pasta, with restrained, pure execution that respects the ingredient.

  Standout dishes: bison carpaccio, lemon dessert, tiramisu

• Gambero Rosso 3 ForchetteSource ↗

  The reviewer praised the panoramic view, the elegance and the high class service, and noted a clear improvement since the previous visit.

  Standout dishes: Ontario wagyu beef tenderloin carpaccio, vermicelli allo sgombro, bison wrapped in Swiss chard, Neapolitan sfogliatelle

Lobster fra diavola, and a six-seat bar mid-room.

• Canada's 100 Best #57Source ↗

  The luxurious room centres on a six-seat bar with attentive staff, where Craig Harding and Julian D'Ippolito put new spins on Italian classics.

  Standout dishes: lobster fra diavola, spaghetti all'amatriciana, scallop Rockefeller, swordfish piccata

• Canada's Best New #4Source ↗

  Craig Harding and Julian D'Ippolito pair traditional Italian classics with small plates built around seasonal ingredients, in a warm room worth dressing up for.

  Standout dishes: tenderloin Rossini, lobster fra diavola, spaghetti all'amatriciana

• enRoute Best New #7Source ↗

  Chosen by judge Tara O'Brady for Design of the Year, with classic dishes updated using fermented chili and sardine.

  Standout dishes: beef tartare