Serra Ristorante

Came here on a weekday (Wednesday) for dinner. We came a bit early so there were not too many people inside. It was quiet. The server was quick and efficient. He was knowledgeable about the menu and specials. He recommended I get the shrimp linguini. The pasta was cooked nicely to an al dente. The shrimps were cooked nicely, they were not over cooked. The sauce had nice flavour, but it was too salty. It is a nice place for a dinner or a date night. On a side note, I think the art works on display are over priced. :)

Came here the other day with a couple of members from my extended family. Overall, a very good experience. The menu is not fancy but has many of the go-​to comfort favourites. Three of us ordered pasta and the other two ordered a few of their daily specials.
Atmosphere is very welcoming and service is prompt. We were initially presented with bread accompanied by red pepper hummus. The main courses live up to the go-​to comfort food standard with a reasonable sized portion. Everyone appeared very satisfied with what they ordered.
Overall, definitely a place that’s worth a try.

It’s one of those neighbourhood places that you can count on for a decent meal. Nothing is going to show up on your table that’s surprising. In fact, I swear the menu is exactly the same as it was when I lived in the neighbourhood 20 (?) years ago. The décor is similarly unchanged.
I’ve criticized other places for this kind of consistency because I read it as a refusal to grow, but here I think its different. Serra is providing nice, affordable eating for the locals and I’m sure they appreciate the option of nice service and nice food in a nice place. My dinner tonight was very nice and truly comforting.
It reminded me that when I dismiss the Bloor-​Annex strip as home to indistinguishable, unmemorable variations on Mcdonaldized ethnic food, I need to remember Serra is there and get me some yummy pasta!

It s a nice restaurant! I’ve tried different pasta and they were all good and items on the menu are well priced. I live in the neighbourhood so I like going there when I don’t want to spend too much but still enjoy a good meal. However, I am not sure it’s worth coming in the Annex just to try out that restaurant!

Not great.
Headed here for brunch on Saturday, and tried it out mostly because we’ve been living in the neighbourhood for a few years and have always walked by this (usually empty) place with wander. That ended on Saturday.
We went for brunch, and while the food was definitely well priced (7 dollars gets you their full eggs, meat, toast and homefry breakfast) the food was lack lustre (at best) and the service was… awkward.
I ordered the «indecisive» breakfast, with some substitutions (I don’t eat meat), and my partner got the largest full eggs breakfast.
Some things I noticed:
1. The eggs were definitely low quality. The yolk was a very pale colour, they were runny, and very flavourless.
2. The homefries, toast, and french toast I received with my breakfast were cold. Tepid, at best. Not warm, and certainly not hot.
3. My partners bacon was rock hard. Not over done crispy delicious hard, more like, undercooked and sitting under the lights for 20 minutes, hard.
To top it off, our server was awkward, couldn’t/ wouldn’t make eye contact while we ate, and then (despite that we didn’t come close to finishing our mediocre breakfasts) brought us the dessert menu because we clearly «have a sweet tooth».
All in all, at the end of the breakfast, I felt that the 20 dollars would have been better spent on half the food down the street at Hey Lucy or White Brick Kitchen.

I don’t think this restaurant deserves 2 stars. It’s a solid 3 if not 3.5. The décor is nothing to write home about. The owner could have done a better job with décor to be honest, but as long as the food tastes good, it’s not that big of a deal. Speaking of food, it was ok. I had a pasta (fettuccine) with shrimps and salmon in pesto sauce. It was ok and filled me with X # of calories. Would I come back? mmm probably not. I’d rather go to Kenzo or Arisu next time I’m in the area. The service was superb, however. The waitress even drew a smiley face on my bill. C’mon, you don’t get a smiley face on your bill every day.

I am not impressed. This restaurant is not particularly expensive but it’s not cheap either. The food does not taste great. I’ve been to better Italian restaurants within the same price point. My friends, however, disagree and think that food here taste awesome.
Is it my Asian taste bud? Or my snotty taste bud… Not sure… I am confused.
The atmosphere, however, is business casual. Meaning, it’s good enough to impress a girlfriend without being too intimate and without putting a hole (!) in your pocket. But your date here will be forgettable so bring in nice jokes to crack if you want to impress your date. Be very funny.
I will not come back here. But if my friends drag me here again… I’ll wait for them outside. Or at Insomia close to Bathurst which has better pasta.
Meh…

Update: my tummy hurt for a whole day after!!! Cramps! I had to stay in bed! They are seriously not good, like for real!

Been there twice for lunch. The food was very good and service was very nice as well. It was quiet empty when we went so I am not sure if that had something to do with it.
But would definitely go back