Santo’s Italian Cuisine

Never would I have thought I would find a great restaurant there. It’s just so hidden and non descript. Could it be? OMG It’s a hidden gem!!! I love those!
Location:
It’s in Thornhill in a plaza with a Food Basics and Shoppers Drug Mart
It’s on the north east corner of Yonge Street and Royal Orchard Boulevard.
Getting there:
Easy to get to, it’s also a VIVA stop. If you are coming from the north on Yonge you get to turn left at a set of lights so no left turn stress. Winning.
Parking:
Lots of parking because of the grocery store. Yay no parking stress, go ahead and drive yourself there my friend. :) Or drive your friends so you can pay them back for driving to all the high parking stress locations!
First impressions:
When you walk in you are met with a warm wall of delicious smells. Garlic prevails. Thoughts: Immediate need for garlic bread! It’s small foyer, there a room with a coat check, we naturally didn’t notice until we left. I’m observant like that. :)
Décor:
The restaurant is nice, old fashioned Italian, like you see in the movies. comfortable and welcoming. Plush cushions, old Italian men waiters, white table cloths, lower (but not too low) lighting. I like it.
The Crowd:
We came at 7 pm on a Saturday evening and the place was packed. A predominately older crowd, we were the youngest in the place, and the largest party here were 10 of us, there were mostly groups of four.
Seating:
We sat at a big table at the front of the restaurant. I sat facing the outside window. It was a booth/​chair hybrid. It was very comfortable.
Menu:
Naturally scoped out the menu online before I came. Lots of choices, apps, pasta, risotto, gnocchi, meat dishes. Not sure if its changed online but they also have a 4 course Prix fixe menu. All of us but one got that
Bruschetta, soup or salad, list of entrees, and tiramisu or spumoni.
I got the house salad (the seafood chowder looked amazing), the best seafood risotto ever, and spumoni.
The risotto had a lot of seafood. It was like they took an order of mussels and calamari and added it to an order of risotto. Not a lot of shrimp, because they were big and juicy. :) so much great food. I ate it all, my belly was bursting.
Spumoni was a giant sundae with fruit. Ate that too.
Delicious too. So basically everything was awesome!
Bruschetta was delicious. My friend got the mushroom Bruschetta and I got to try it. Was wonderful.
Staff:
He was nice.
Conclusion:
Two big thumbs up. Will be back 100%

Décor & Ambience: Comfortable, Traditional décor. It is packed and happily buzzing.
Service: Welcoming, warm, very friendly. You are part of their family in the restaurant.
Food: Excellent, priced right, vegetarian friendly, generous portion sizes which make for a good meal at home the following day.
I am in love with their Capellini Saporiti. It’s one of the best that I’ve had & I’m including the Italian restaurants in NYC that I’ve been to. The Risotto al Funghi & the Capellini Primavera was also excellent. Their penne vodka dishes that I’ve trued previously have also been good, so are their vegetarian soups.
They also make one of the best tiramisu in the GTA.
Tip: The wait for your meal is longer than average sometimes 45 min but totally worth it.
They have a good collection of wines & if you order a bottle of wine for the table, it is served with a complimentary Bruschetta appetizer which comes in handy during the long wait.
Now this is the classy, classic neighborhood restaurant which you keep going back to.

One of the real Italian place. Good foods and wine selection. We order the typical dishes and they all turn out the way it should be.

Went there last night as my husband and I were craving something Italian. So as I often do, I Unilocaled Italian restaurants in our area and came up with this place. The reviews were excellent and I would also agree with them. The food is absolutely delicious! Like most Italian restaurants, they give you bread to start. In my preview of the menu online, I had seen a mushroom bruschetta and was dying to try it, so we ordered that to start. It was is/​was the best bruschetta I’ve ever had. If you love mushrooms, cheese and bread that’s crunchy and soft, then you’ll love this! For our mains, I ordered the gnocchi (Gorgonzola cheese, broccoli with rosé sauce) and my husband ordered the fettuccine with a vodka tomato sauce (shredded beef and mushrooms). First off, the amount of food you get is very reasonable for the price. For the first time that I can remember, my husband couldn’t finish his pasta. I ate like ¹⁄₃ of my pasta and packed he rest for lunch the next day. Secondly, the pasta is so flavourful! The pasta was cooked to perfection! Lastly, the service there is excellent! They’re very attentive and make wonderful recommendations. We were also very fortunate because we got the last piece of tiramisu. I must admit, I have had a better tiramisu elsewhere (in order: Citro — another little Italian place up near Yonge and Major Mac & Queen Margherita, the location near Jane & Annette), but this one comes in third. Overall, I was very impressed with Santos and will definitely come back again and try the veal and the risotto.

I really enjoyed my meal here at Santos. The portions were generous, the environment was warm and inviting — it was a bonus that we came on a Tuesday and we got to eat with live jazz playing. I enjoyed the flavours of my pasta… yum! My fettuccine rustico (with smoked shredded beef, mushroom, cracked peppercorn in vodka sauce) was really good, my friend’s mushroom risotto was really yummy too (and I’m usually very picky with my risotto), the bruschetta and the fried calamari are must orders as well! Especially the bruschetta because it’s usually not done well at other restaurants. It was SO good at Santos, I could have had more! I’m definitely going to go back to Santos for another dinner… I already know I want the Spaghetti Carbonara (cream sauce and bacon and egg goodness!) And am secretly hoping someone orders the mushroom risotto again: p A must try place for all pasta lovers and all pastas are very reasonably priced. Bön appetit!

We were here with a party of 17 for a pre-​Xmas dinner. There were small children and one 96-​year old, so it was a tough group. There was a set menu with choices, but the service was slapdash and sometimes abrupt, the food just OK – bruschetta, salad, pasta for the kids, fish/​risotto/​steak/​chicken for adults/​dessert. Nothing was terrible, nothing very well done. I doubt I’d ever return here.

Came in on a Thursday night to celebrate my birthday. Small place by Food Basics inside the plaza.
Food was amazing. Service was great. Inside was intimate and romantic.
This is what I had…
SANTO’S FOR COURSE DINNER SPECIFIC:
— BRUSCHETTA — Delicious! On garlic toast so soft and flavourful
— SOUP OR SALAD — I had the Caesar because they daid it was great but I thought it was just okay
— ENTREE — I had VEAL PARMIGIANA (veal breaded and baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella server with pasta in tomato sauce) Really good! Pasta on home made tomato sauce.
— TIRAMISU OR SPUMONE ICE CREAM — I got both ans both was amazing and authentic
MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO RED WINE — This house pour was great and went so well with my meal
ROASTED GARLIC ANTIPASTI — If you love garlic, this is for you!!! So soft, so garlicy and the sauce it comes with is tangy and goes very well with the garlic I almost wanted to lick the plate! Also comes with sun dried tomatoes.
MUSTARD PEPPER SALMON (filter of salon in white wine sauce, mustard seed and fresh herbs) — The salmon was cooked to prefection. It was soft on the inside and just right on the outside. The sauce along with the mustard seeds kicked me just the right way.
Overall I will come back for the food and for the overall service!

The meal was fabulous! From the bread, the bruschetta and salad to the delicious veal Parmesan! From beginning to the end was amazing!
The tiramisu was the best I have ever had followed by delicious coffee!
All in all the best Italian meal I have had!
When we return to Toronto we will definitely return!
Highly recommend!!!

Freaking awesome.
Came with mom and pop and we got the set dinner menu with soup/​salad, bruschetta, veal parmigiana/​risotto/​salmon and dessert. And for real everything was SO GOOD. Every bite I felt umami fill my mouth… flavours so on point. The sundries tomatoes of the bruschetta, drizzled with olive oil; or the pistachio ice cream with fruits ever so sweet. Everything was perfect and flavours were full and amazing.
I will definitely come back for the risotto and mussels next time… I look forward to seeing you again santos.

Awesome, friendly and comfortable restaurant. Remember to make reservations early as it fills up fast on weekends

My boyfriend and I were going to go for ramen but he changed his mind at the last minute and wanted Italian food instead. So I picked out this place that was close by because of the reviews.
The first thing we noticed was how sketchy the front entrance was. But, as soon as you got inside the place was very cozy and warm. There were a lot of old couples there at 8:00pm on a Sunday night. I was surprised when I saw no children at all, mainly old people.
It took awhile to get a seat and my boyfriend and I were starting to question whether we should find a seat ourselves. The place was pretty full so it took awhile for us to order and to get our food. However, the waitress was very nice and overall the service was great.
Food was delicious and very hot. They served it as soon as it came out of the over, which I had no problems with. I ordered the ziti baked pasta and my boyfriend got the classic spaghetti. Overall very happy. I finally found a place to get my yummy baked pasta without having to drive up to barrie (Theos Eatery is still my favourite).
I will definitely be back again, with friends: D

Service has been amazing since I have been adding reviews. All the comments about the service are corrected and truly a little THORNHILL gem everyone should go to when craving italian.

FAB-​U-​LOUS.
The first clue that this will be an exceptional meal is the complimentary bruschetta. This is among the best, if not THE best bruschetta I’ve had in the GTA.
Caesar salad… fantastic.
Mushroom salad… fantastic.
If you’re feeling really indulgent, get the ROASTED GARLIC appetizer. I get it every time I come here. It’s enough for two to share. Two expertly roasted heads of garlic arrive on a generous bed of addictive cream sauce with sun-​dried tomatoes, and toasted baguettes. Give that baguette a wicked dip in the creamy goodness, apply a generous shmear of soft roasted garlic… and wowsers!!! Incredible.
Personally when I come to Santo’s it’s all about veal. They do wonderful things with veal scallopini (aka thinly sliced). I usually go for the veal marsala but if I’m feeling extra indulgent I’ll order the veal «quattro formaggi» (sp?) – aka veal 4 cheese, which is just divine. The veals come with a side… pro tip: they pair beautifully with a side of capellini (angel hair pasta) made simply with garlic and olive oil. That way you get your veal, you get your pasta, you get your food-​induced utopia of bliss. (Yep I just used that phrase.)
The interior décor is class all the way… ambiance is more downtown than uptown. Service is top notch.
Plain and simple, Santo’s is a gem.

I came here with my husband around 8pm on a Wednesday evening and the place was quite busy. We pretty much had to seat ourselves and we did not even get a menu until my hubby walked up to the front and got it himself. We ordered a tomato basil soup, baked ziti and a gnocchi, which took ages to arrive (but in all fairness the ziti was baked which was probably the cause for delay).
The food wasn’t spectacular and the ziti was still scorching hot after 30 min of mouth burning.
What made the experience not amazing was the fact that the table next to ours kept on sending dish after dish back The two servers were bending over backward to appease this group of elderly nitpicks, who kept on insisting that nothing be cooked with oil. For Pete’s sake, don’t eat out if you can’t eat oil! They sent back enough food to feed another party of three to five. This pretty much made the service to all other tables non-​existent, which did not make a good first impression.

I came here with my mother and we shared a Linguine Fruti di Mare and asked to sub for a cream sauce. It was full of depth and perfectly seasoned. It was not overly heavy but very satisfying. We also shared a chicken breast with vegetables and mushrooms. The chicken was of superb quality, moist and had great taste. The vegetables were a great as well and rounded out the meal.
Service was to the point and friendly. The décor is slightly dated but warm and clean. The live jazz music on Tuesday evenings is a nice touch as well. This place beats out all the popular box restaurants. Good family restaurant.

4 stars for food
What else can I say — been here on and off for a few years, like maybe once a year. The food is GOOD and authentic Italian.
Please, please, please don’t mind the stripe mall and older neighborhood, and give yourself a chance to this local gem. You will be glad that you have.

This place is da BOMB and probably some of the best Italian food I have ever had! The food is unreal and chef Mario D cooks up a storm. I used to work here as a server and have been here lots of times for dinner! That should communicate volumes about the food and its quality.
Everytime it has met our expectations (and we have high expectations for this place). My parents are vegetarian and the chef cooks up some nice vegetarian mains. If you call a day or two ahead of your visit, they will even cater to special requests and items not on their menu. The Roasted Garlic Appetizer is wicked good, the Tiramisu is to die for and the mains are delicious as well. They have a good wine and drink selection.
Its true that the waiters and patrons are generally «older», but given that the place is located in the ‘burbs, has GOOD food and is not a box retaurant, cant really expect the moxies/​milestones vibe. And recently, they renovated their interior and it looks nice! If you are going to visit on a Saturday night, make sure you have RESERVATIONS! otherwise you will be asked to leave/​get frustrated with the wait and maybe post negative comments for a place that serves delicious food.

Santo’s Italian Cuisine has been around for years… years… years…
So I guess the waiter got old, the patrons got old… and they never really renovate the place… (yawning)
We got there around 9:15 pm on a weekday and the restaurant was empty… (yawning) aside from another table of senior couple.
Even the menu stayed the same for years… and all the traditional Italian Comfort food can be found
Insalata alla Cesare ($ 7.95)
Linguine Frutti di Mare ($ 16.95)
Spaghettini al Ragu ($ 13.95)
All A-​OK! The portion is hearty and good for the price. At least my boyfriend who only order Seafood Linguine with Tomato Sauce in every single Italian Restaurant didn’t complain! (yawning, honey is not you… I just had a rough day!)
Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz Zzzzzzz
They also has some prix menu specials from $ 25.00 available Sunday-​Friday.
No Lunch Specials as they are only open dinner time!