Paese

So sad to hear this place closed! This is my favourite Italian restaurant!
Will definitely try to visit your location in the west end!

After the big TOronto FC victory and Iriana losing her voice after yelling at the apposing team, we both were in serious need of food therapy! Thankfully with Exhibition place not being too far from King St West we decided to head to Paese!
What made me fall in love with this place is their cute outdoor patio, but inside was just as lovely. Cute, contemporary, not too dim yet intimate, Paese makes you want to chillout and unwind once you step foot inside. Once in, our waiter quickly sat us down, and we were greeted by our server! :)
FOr drinks we both had their Quattro Fontemara 2011 Red, which was a nice blend of various grapas; merlot, sangiovese, etc… etc. so it was easy to drink along with our foods we ordered;
Fried Polenta; lightly breaded with a garlic aioli! breaded to perfection, and not oily! well presented.
Roman Salad: baby Kale, toasted capers, boiled egg topped off with Parmegiano frico and caesar dressing. this was a delighfully fresh dish!!!
Italian Ham pizza! was great! just way too much Arugula! and I found the pizza to be a little charred underneath!
Overall, the service, and the servers were quite personable! in fact one of them started speaking to us in some Spanish which was pretty cool! The only reason why this was not a PERFECT 5 was due to the pizza being slightly burnt at the bottom!

Great location and space. Service was wonderful. Bartender was great. Drinks, food and desert were all great. Trust me don’t pass up the deserts.

Not worth the money. While the atmosphere and service is excellent, the food is nothing special. We had a pasta and the whole grilled fish that others recommended on this site, and weren’t impressed with either. For a $ 40 dish, I want to love it. Neither my wife or I could finish the fish… too dry and «fishy» tasting.
We won’t go back.

Nice, intimate restaurant. Kind waitstaff. Delicious meal.
Steak and Poutine — steak was excellent, loved the gnocchi on top. BBQ/​tomato sauce was a bit strange but wasn’t bad. Probably would ask for the meal without it
Veal Scaloppini — also excellent, veal was moist and flavorful. The sauce was a bit too lemony.
Would definitely return. Used a groupon without any issues.

Pleasantly surprised… I’m not a big fan of Italian food, but we were running late before going to a show so instead of going to the restaurant that we had planned on going to, we walked around King street to look for a restaurant close to the theatre.
The Caesar Salad was very delicious, and the Orecchiette was very good! I guess I had set low expectations because I had my heart set on our original restaurant choice but the meal ending up being quite good! I did not like their dessert choices and did not get one, but I found it interesting that the server didn’t even offer us to think about dessert. I had a Caesar as well that had a scoop of horseradish inside it which actually made it taste quite good. We sat on the «patio» which is quite small and we were cramped at a small table, but it wasn’t too bad.
Overall, we had a pretty good dinner which I did not expect at all!

Started off the meal with freshly baked bread with some sort of tomato tapenade mixture. Absolutely delicious!
The grilled shrimp was okay, good sized shrimp, but I wasn’t blown away. The meatballs were packed tightly and were also okay. The tomato sauce was really good though.
For my main, I had the orecchiette which was recommended by two of the staff working that evening. It was actually very good and I was very happy with my dish!
The butterscotch pudding dessert was nothing special.
Service was exactly what you expect. On point and very knowledgable.

Typical restaurant-​row place. Service was fairly attentive though a bit spotty, and server poured a different wine than what we had ordered without showing the bottle first. We were also assured the complimentary focaccia was in the oven and would be served shortly.
The Roman Caesar salad I ordered was delicious. Good portion, interesting croutons, distinct anchovies and soft boiled egg assembled to perfection. My boyfriend’s meatballs were «flavourful, but too firm» and «had a nice sauce». The prosciutto cotto on my pizza was bland, but the parmesan and arugula were satisfactory and the crust and sauce were great. I’d highly recommend going with another pizza — I don’t understand why one would put prosciutto cotto on this type of pizza instead of just prosciutto, unless it was a one-​way-​ticket to flavour-​town.
My boyfriend’s Genova pizza was considerably better and he said he’d order it again. Oh, and that focaccia arrived halfway through our main course. I tried it for the sake of trying it, and was pleasantly surprised with the white-​bean hummus accompaniment.
I feel like a restaurant in this part of the city, which likely caters to the pre-​theatre and post-​Jays-​game crowd should have tighter service and polished menu basics.

Good wines by the glass but the portions are small and over-​priced. We were very disappointed in the spaghetti and meatballs. Not recommended.

I choose this restaurant based on reviews from other Unilocalers. The other reason was it was a stones throw from the princess of Wales theatre and we had tickets for an afternoon musical.
The restaurant has a warm trendy atmosphere and we were greeted right away when we arrived. Service was fantastic. She was very attentive and knowledgeable with wines and meal selections.
We were indecisive about our wines so the server allowed us to taste two different wines so we could make our decision. She also let us know they only have a corkage fee on Saturdays
For the appetizer we had palanta fries. I didn’t mind it but my bf didn’t care for it. Although he did compliment the presentation.
Main course: he had veal scaloppini, I ordered the lamb shank. Both meals were enjoyable.
I had mentioned it was his birthday and she waited until he left the table to ask what kind of cake he would prefer. We decided on the chocolate cake with Nutella which was not bad at all
Overall we had a fantastic evening. We dont have anything negative to say but we were not wowed with the food either.

The décor is beautiful; the restaurant feels very cozy. The volume in the restaurant is surprisingly low. We were able to have a conversation without shouting at each other, which was very nice.
The food (polenta frites, stuffed olives, pasta with autumn vegetables, rapini) was very good, and the portions were decent sized.
My main problem with this restaurant was the service. We were greeted at the door by a very friendly staff member. It went downhill from there. Our waitress forgot to put in an order for our sides, so they arrived after dinner was finished. This in itself wasn’t a problem, but she did not come back to our table after our mains were served, and we were not able to point out the error until our food was almost finished. After our sides arrived, she seemed to be avoiding our table. We tried to get her attention repeatedly, without success. We were unable to have coffee and dessert because she did not come back for almost half an hour, and we had show tickets.
The food was good, but I’m not sure that I would go back again. It’s not a cheap restaurant, and I would expect better service.

Just happened to wander into this place. We were only looking for drinks so we sat at the bar.
The drinks were delicious. The bartender that was currently working the bar was probably a novice but the drinks didn’t disappoint. He crafted them well and he was friendly.
We also had an appetizer (Polenta Fries). They were perfect for a light snack.
Id definitely recommend this place for drinks. The appetizers were good and the food they were bringing out looked great as well.

My restaurant for lunch. Good food, the waiters sometimes forget your order, but they are always cool Maya the bartender/​waitress is great. Good place.

It’s ok. There are better. But if you’re in the area, you’re hungry, and don’t want to travel too another place, this will suffice.
Service is sporadic. One waiter was exceptionally friendly, the other 2 seemed to be grumpy and did’t put on their service smile face (even the fake smile was absent). This could have been me going on their bad day. I’ll let you be the judge whether that’s excusable.
Pizza was a tad on the oily side. The pizza was on the proper firmness, but the dough texture didn’t make this a ¹⁰⁄₁₀. The dough was a ⁴⁄₅ for me. Considering the garnishing, cheese, and firmness of the overall product, it’s a marginal pass of ⁶⁄₁₀.
I’m tough and picky, but then again, they do specialize in pizza, and they’re about $ 20 a piece!

PAESE Ristorante ~ Messy Meatball [EVENT]
Last week I was invited to PAESE Ristorante (@PaeseRistorante) for a Messy Meatball Monday where they launched their new late night menu. What a sign to welcome us and I know it’s going to be a great night already ;)
Each guest was given a bib and we were encourage to write our best balls joke ;)
The Ducé
~ Yes practically anything can go on top of a Caesar these days from bacon to lobster but this one was just wow…
~ it’s a play on the Caesar where their San Marzano tomato sauce they use on their meatballs was use.
~ It’s not as if you dunk the meatball in or anything and it was sort of messy to eat but it was a great presentation and I’ll have one any time of the day.
~ I Caesar
PAESE Meatball
~ house ground beef short rib sirloin brisket, pecorino, braised in tomato sauce
~ This was so tender and perfectly flavored, this was the most traditional meatball of the night and I have to say it was my favorite.
Veal Meatball
~ house ground veal, pork, ricotta w/​sweet peas cipollini onions, braised in milk
~ This was lighter and milder in taste and as per the chef, it’ll be their Summer meatball.
~ Love how it was braised in milk which gave such a soft and moist texture.
Chicken Wing Meatball
~ spicy pepperoncini chicken meatball w/​gorgonzola dipping sauce
~ Chicken wing without the bones?! This probably have the prettiest presentation with the bright colors.
Pepperoni Arancini Meatballs
~ house smoked mozzarella, salsa verde & chili mayo
~ This was suppose to taste like a pepperoni pizza and I thought it was just a arancini…
~ but I do love arancini, who doesn’t like fried rice ball and this was a cheesy one with an extremely yummy salsa verde.
There was suppose to be a Falafel Balls but we didn’t get that one, really wanted to try this one since it’s the only vegetarian ball and I love falafel :(
Balls on Bun
~ smashed balls, tomato sugo, dill pickles, potato chips, provoline on mini brioche buns
~ The brioche was rather dry and hard and it was rather messy to eat since it was rather high but love the added chips for the crunch ;)
Meatball Margherita
~ mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce & meatball
| The meatball was served on top of the pizza where the crush it at the table which I found was sort of a failed attempt… just look how it mess up the cheese and sauce when crushing the meatball.
| I have to say that I was presently surprise that I actually like the crust, it was extremely thin, crispy and not soggy at all…
| but I have to say that the basil was def lacking (the few small specks of green on it doesn’t count) and without it, you can’t call it a margherita.
Thanks Chef Palik (@ChefPalik) for coming up with all those different meatballs, we left stuffed and satisfied… maybe a dessert «ball» is missing?!? (just saying).
All of these item are now available on their late night menu (here)
And thanks to Suzanne Dunbar from The L-​Eat Group for inviting me to such a great event (^_​^)
Verdict :
~ There’s definetly a meatball for everyone.
~ Would definetly love to come back for some meatballs and of course The Ducé.
~ And I learn today that they have no corkage fee everyday but Saturday #BYOW
P.S: Their Parmesan & Black Pepper Cashews are killer, would kill for a bucket of it
*** This meal was complimentary. Opinions are my own***

Restaurant: Paese Ristorante
Cuisine: Italian
Location: Entertainment District
Address: 333 King St W
Price Range: $ 10~
Extra information:
* Gluten free friendly & Vegan friendly
* Late night menu everyday
* Serves breakfast on weekends
* Open for lunch and dinner
Just last week I was invited to a ‘Messy Meatball Monday’ where they launched new late night meatball menu. It’s been a while since I was out and about to a food scene so I thought it was a good opportunity to come back to it all.
The Duce
* Play on caesar made with San Marzano tomato sauce with meatball on top
* Who thought you can serve meatballs on top of a cocktail? brilliant idea by the Mixologist, Moses McIntee
Paese Meatballs
* House ground beef short rib, sirloin, brisket and pecorino, braised in tomato sugo
* Basic meatball that was very tender and perfectly seasoned
Veal Meatballs
* House ground veal, pork and ricotta with sweet peas, cipollini onions, braised in milk
* This was milder in taste and softer in texture
Chicken Wing Meatballs
* Spicy pepperoncini chicken meatballs with gorgonzola dipping sauce
* This is suppose to taste exactly like chicken wings
* I personally don’t like blue cheese but the flavor wasn’t strong
* One of my favorite out of all the meatballs
Pepperoni Arancini Balls
* House smoked mozarella, salsa verde and chili mayo
* Who doesn’t like deep fried rice balls?
* This is suppose to taste like pepperoni pizza and it did!
Balls on Buns
* Smashed balls, tomato sugo, dill pickles, potato chips and provoline on brioche mini buns
* This was probably one of my least favorite
* I found it to be a little dry and hoped bread was softer kind
Meatball Margherita
* Mozzarella, basil, tomato sauce and meatballs
* It was thin and crusty, I actually enjoyed this very much
I don’t think I’ve ever consumed so many meatballs nor have I heard so many ball jokes during dinner. It was amazing to see so many different types of meatballs that Chef Palik came up with and I thought it was great that there are restaurants out there who are willing to do something different.
I really enjoyed trying out their new late night menu and will be back for sure!

Went for Valentine’s Day lunch with my gal pal.
We shared a ceasar salad. It was great with a lot of colour — different types of lettuce, half a soft boiled egg, crispy parmesan chips and a light dressing.
Then we had the Genova pizza. That rocked but the olives were a little salty. The salami was perfect. All the pizzas do come with a side of hot sauces but you have to ask sometime. I ask early to use it for the complimentary rosemary sea salt bread!
Why did I give this review a 3. Worst service ever. She was very grumpy and when she dropped a knife on me she didn’t even apologize! I’m sorry. You are in the service industry. You have to be happy. That should be a prerequisite and mandatory on any application.
ah Paese… much love but bring back the hottie waiter I had last time!

I had a very pleasant experience today at Paese. A girlfriend of mine recommended it and, since I love trying out new places, in we went for lunch.
We were immediately greeted at the door and showed to a comfortable table. The atmosphere was nice. A warm setting with jazz playing in the background (not too loud).
The lunch menu was not too extensive (that’s a good sign) yet full of very delicious things. I chose the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, while my friend went with the Scrabbled Eggs on Toast made with mascarpone cheese (I stole some from her and found them fluffy and amazing). My pancakes were quite good as well. Full of ricotta cheese and blueberry jam. The only downside was that they were slightly burned on one side. The place was not very busy so there should have been no reason for that to happen.
The portions were very the perfect size, and I liked our server (attentive, informative, but not overbearing).
Overall, it is a good place for brunch and definitely worth revisiting.

I always scratch my head about the mediocre food served on the Theatre Row of King West. Having dined at many of the restaurants which garner business mostly because of their proximity to the entertainment — I had pretty much given up and just eat dinner earlier at good restaurants that aren’t necessarily on this strip. Though I am a skeptic, I still like to give things a second chance… after all, maybe things have changed?
Last Friday, I needed to grab dinner with my BFF prior to atttending the Wine & Spirits Festival at Sugar Beach. I had bought a voucher a while back for Paese and seeing as the expiry date was fast-​approaching decided to dine there.
We arrived around 7PM with no reservations, but found a spot on their quaint patio. I also noticed that they had opened up their giant floor-​to-​ceiling windows to let the natural breeze in to the restaurant. A cute, orange Volkswagen with the restaurant’s name was parked out front. It reminded me of the car that my high school principal drove, except his was shabby-​chic and we dubbed it the «hippy van.»
We were given some foccaccia with a mint and roasted garlic hummus to nosh on while the kitchen was busy preparing our order. I loved the large specks of salt sprinkled on the bread and the roasted garlic hummus was spreadable and yummy!
We shared the Roman Wedge Salad ($ 10), (which in essence is a reinvented Caesar salad) composed of Iceberg lettuce, roasted garlic mustard dressing, soft boiled egg, crispy capers and Parmesan frico. While the absence of Pancetta was dearly missed, the salad itself was still quite flavourful with its soft-​boiled egg, and creamy dressing.
We also opted to try the Funghi Pizza ($ 16). I loved the thin crust, and the drizzle of truffle oil made it fragrant. The mushrooms were quite flavourful and further accented with thyme. Yummy!
A trio of hot sauces (Pickled Red Pepper + Chilies, Green Apple + Banana Pepper and Pickled Vegetable + Peperoncini) accompanied the pizza. Call me a purist, but the pizza was amazing just the way it was!
For our protein fix we ordered their Whole Grilled Fish ($ 28) which would be a Branzino for the evening. This was served atop a bed of fregola (similar in texture to barley), mustard and wilted dandelion greens. The fish had a nice char, and the skin was crispy. Although those of you who don’t fancy boney fish, may want to opt for a fillet instead. I am a believer that anything boneless is inferior to its fully-​boned counterparts. But that’s just me. I absolutely loved the texture of the fregola and only wished there was more of it!
We also ordered a side (à la carte) — Rapini ($ 6) tossed in garlic, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil.
V E R D I C T
While you have to mind your elbows as table space seemed more precious than a square footage of Toronto real estate — the food was tasty.
Our bill, with tax and tip came to $ 78 (less the $ 50 voucher). Suffice it to say, that the next time I need to grab a bite pre-​theatre in this neck of the woods — Paese will be where you’ll find me.

I generally avoid this strip of restaurants on King West, as I find them usually overpriced and surviving solely because of tourists and theatre-​goers. But I decided to give Paese a try during the Telus Taste of Tuesday promotion and had a lovely dinner with a good friend.
The place is modern and elegant. I really liked the square tables at the back and made a mental note to remember this place the next time I am planning something with a big group. Square (or round) tables make so much more sense for groups, as everyone can see and talk to each other. With those long rectangular ones, you end up just talking to the people in your immediate vicinity. Anyways…
We had:
— Waiter brought some baguette and carrot (and something else?) spread to the table.
— Pear and gorgonzola salad — nice, classic
— Meatballs — they were HUGE. This was a bit of a mistake because I was full before the main course! Delicious blend of flavours — I could really taste the pecorino.
— Lamb striploin — came with a nice chickpea mash.
— Arctic char — with pistachio, carrot, lemon ferro. A light, simple dish.
— Pistachio and brown butter cake — we both found this a tad dry
— Affogato — the winner of the evening! A dish of chestnut gelato (just divine!), served with a tiny cup of espresso that you pour over the gelato yourself. I’ve never had anything like it and it was a wonderful contrast. It comes with a huge cherry and dark chocolate chip cookie that was warm and soft, as all cookies should be. But it was so big, I took it home.
I had a glass on the pinot grigio and our server brought over the sommelier to help my friend choose something to go with her lamb (Chianti). Apparently, this is a great place to go if you really know wine, but I don’t.
We stayed for ~4 hours and nobody rushed us out, which was nice (if it was really busy though, we would’ve given up our table out of courtesy). They only brought the bill when we asked for it.
I will probably be back to try the pasta and to get the affogato again!
*P.S. someone should tell them to change this pic on the website (
). It looks like a mafia pic: S