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    Ardo Restaurant

    3.8 (130 reviews)
    PriceyItalian, Seafood, Pizza
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

    Ardo Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    ARDO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Intimate
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Ardo Restaurant

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    Tuna carpaccio and Panelle
    Armando M.

    ARDO is a Sicilian restaurant on King St East, boasting a Michelin mention. We didn't know that until we arrived but soon saw why it was deserved. We sat at the "chef's table", which was simply bar seating overlooking some small but productive cook stations. It was fascinating to watch the young crew of chefs turn out the food all night long. We started with the tuna carpaccio and the panelle fritters. The tuna was delicate, light and flavourful. It would be a perfect summer afternoon dish but worked just as well on the winter's night we were there. The Panelle were perfectly fried and salted chick pea fritters. Shaped like skewed scrabble tiles, they had a crispy finish with a soft and satisfying filling. So simple and surprisingly delicious. For mains, we had the linguini with fennel and the ragu. The linguini was light with a nice hit of fennel, in a pesto sauce. It was very different from the ragu but my wife appreciated the lighter flavour profile. I had the ragu and it was as hearty and comforting as it should be. A little salty but after adding the pepperoncini, it was perfect. We saw quite a few of those ragu plates leave the kitchen while we watched so it's likely a fan favourite. Three things we didn't order but watched being cooked also looked amazing. The octopus is a specialty and they use large pieces with quite a bit of girth, bigger than most restaurants that serve it. The pieces are flame-grilled and served on artichokes. We also watched the hearty brasato get plated with mashed potato and roasted green beans. More comfort food, done expertly. And finally, we were enthralled with the care taken to prepare the 14oz ribeye. The raw aged steak was removed from a vacuum sealed bag, salted, and seared in a hot iron skillet. Then a herb bunch was placed on top and the steak was baked in the oven. It was then removed and rested for quite a while. The chefs poked and prodded the steak while it rested and took its temperature at least three times in at least two different parts of the steak. It may sound manhandled but it wasn't - it was more TLC than anything else. Finally, the steak was flash grilled for a few seconds and then sliced up to serve. Mouth watering. As we walked out the restaurant after our meal, I glanced over to the table that was served the $110 steak and clocked very satisfied diner sat in front of an empty plate. Like Sicily itself, ARDO sets itself apart from the milieu of Italian restaurants in Toronto. Great service too and I do recommend the chef's table for a behind the scenes glimpse of how the magic happens.

    Burrata
    Cindy A.

    Absolutely delicious Italian restaurant with amazing service! The burrata was so good and fresh! The tartufo pasta was also delicious and creamy and so flavourful - the fresh black truffle was delightful! The portions were perfect! We sat by the bar and got to watch the chefs prepare the meals. It was like a show with our meal! Absolutely loved it!

    Ardo
    Bianca L.

    Came here with a friend after a good workout session. The restaurant is very clean and tidy. And the staff were neatly dressed and very kind I helped myself to the pesca cocktail which is a great rye base cocktail with peach flavour. My friend and I were encouraged to order to share so we got the scallop entree. The sliced scallops were so fresh and the olive oil was delicious. Then we shared a truffle pasta and a pizza. The two were so delicious. There were so many other interesting menu items so my friend and I are hoping to come back next week to try even more.

    Burrata
    Lucia L.

    Super yummy food. Highly recommend the burrata and the gnocchi. The gnocchi texture was pillowy but with a bit of a crispy outer layer from being sautéed. I would say skip the fish as it wasn't anything too special. I also got their lemon spritz mocktail which was yummy. It is a bit of a cozy place with narrow walkways. It's got an open kitchen so it just smells amazing everywhere. The service was OK. For some reason, our main server was in a rush and cleared our plates really fast even though my friend was still eating. But the other staff were all super nice and friendly so maybe just an outlier.

    Ragu
    Maria Alejandra E.

    The restaurant is beautiful and dark (in a vibey way) , services was extremely attentive and food was balanced, authentic and rich. However, the portions were tiny. I don't eat much and I ended up a bit hungry. Too expensive for the size

    Jennifer K.

    If you expect to have the same same Italian food at Ardo Restaurant, you might be disappointed. Come with an open mind and you will be rewarded. Small neighbourhood vibe just like a little bistro somewhere in Italy. Great for a date night or just come for some excellent Italian fare with your friends. - sarde: spaghetti, fresh sardines, wild Sicilian fennel, raisins, saffron, toasted bread crumbs So good! And I don't even like sardines, raisins and fennel. But the combination just work! Great depth of taste and texture. - insalata di mare: fresh seafood salad with octopus, little shrimps & clams, frissée salad, celery foam - cavolo: organic kale, romaine, cabbage, radish, pickled red onion, crispy parsnips, shaved parmiggiano, housemade Caesar-style dressing - crudo & 'shroom: fior di latte, tomato sauce, 24 months aged prosciutto crudo, preserved mushrooms Enjoyed all the items we ordered! I guess I really love Sicilian cuisine?! A taste of Milazzo in Toronto!

    two plates of dessert on a table

    To start, the ambiance, music, and vibe of the restaurant are excellent. A perfect date night location. Which is why I really wish the food was not as bad as it was so that we could have made it our date night spot. But alas, it was pretty bad. We started with the pulpo and sardines. The octopus was very good but there were a couple of pieces of artichoke that had a dense outer layer that couldn't be bitten into. I had to pull them out of my mouth. We both agreed the sardines had so much lemon that you couldn't taste anything else. Not enjoyable. For mains we had the gnocchi and truffle pasta. The truffle pasta was cooked well but we both felt it was just bland. It was like spaghetti in cream. The few pieces of truffle shaved on top were not going to give an entire dish flavour. The pancetta in the gnocchi made it too salty to eat. It's also not how I personally like my gnocchi. It was quite dense, I prefer them pillowy. My bf loves salt so we had to switch plates. he loved the gnocchi The cannoli and panna cotta were excellent. I didn't taste the fennel in the panna cotta but the lemon was to-die-for The waitress wasn't very good. She may have been new but that wasn't a factor in my stars. I have patience for staff that are trying. The only negative though is that when we ordered a coreto she said they didn't have. I knew there was no way an Italian restaurant wouldn't have sambucca so we asked her to check and they did. Don't say you don't have something because you don't know what it is. She didn't ask us about our drinks all evening with empty glasses on the table but that's ok. It saved us some money. I don't know if it was because we came at Easter weekend and it may not have been the chef back there but I can't imagine how this restaurant has gotten a Michelin nod or the reviews it's gotten with this food. It's very upsetting that we paid so much for really bad food. We will not be returning.

    Acciughe and Capesante
    Jessica C.

    I have always been fascinated by the beautiful cuisine Chef Roberto created at Dova, so I have decided to come to his other restaurant Ardo and boom! It blew my mind again. Each dish is made with love and passion. He kept the most organic taste of each ingredient in each dish and I just love every single bite of it. Must have: 1. Acciughe 2. Pane 3. Capesante 4. Tartufo 5. Ragu 6. And of course! Cannoli!

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    They did great with one guest in our party who has celiacs disease. The pizza and pasta were perfectly made and the service was friendly.

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    Uncle Tony's

    Uncle Tony's

    3.6
    (94 reviews)
    0.6 km
    $$

    This place gets a solid 4.5/5 for its authentic southern Italian food and very friendly & attentive…read moreservice. It has a very homey, old-school Italian American restaurant ambience - the opposite of the stylish, hipster or touristy restaurant vibe. Apparently this restaurants gets a lot of regulars, and I could see why. As soon as you walk in, you feel like you're transported back to the 1960s with the red-and-white checkered tablecloths, red chairs, old-style wax candles, brick walls, and a large black-and-white photo of an Italian family on the wall (perhaps the founder or owner's?). I could see this place being a movie set for films that need an old, classic Italian American restaurant as a setting. In addition to the décor, I love the 1960s music being played in the background. Size-wise, the inside of the restaurant isn't that big so it feels very cozy. It can get very busy and crowded after 5 pm, as most people seem to come here for dinner. We came during lunch hour and we were the only patrons there. The southern Italian touches are very apparent in most of their dishes - with heavy reliance on olive oil, tomato-based sauces (especially in the fish and seafood dishes), fresh seafood, herbs, peppers, and vegetables such as eggplant. This is in contrast to northern Italian cuisine that is characterized by rich, creamy dishes using butter, lard, and cheeses, and puts more emphasis on rice, polenta, and meat-heavy dishes (where as seafood is more prevalent in the south). Dishes that we tried: 1) Baccala (Pan-Seared Black Cod) - This was the BEST and my favourite dish here. The black cod had a crispy exterior and flaky interior, and came with roasted mini potatoes and mixed vegetables (zucchini, red bell pepper, Brussels sprouts, eggplant) roasted with garlic -- such a well-rounded and wholesome dish. The roasted mini potatoes were so flavourful, and the vegetables had a nice char. I asked for the puttanesca sauce on the side, as the fish was already flavourful on its own without the sauce. But the sauce was better than I expected - it contained actual whole chunks of cherry tomatoes and olives. 2) Steamed Mixed Fish & Seafood in Tomato Sauce - This dish wasn't on the website menu, but it was on the printed menu in the restaurant. It reminded me of cioppino (Italian-American mixed seafood stew with tomato sauce, herbs, and spices). It came presented as wrapped inside aluminum tin foil, which the server then opened in front of us on the table with steam coming out. The fish was salmon, and seafood consisted of mussels and shrimps. This dish was just alright. For almost $50, there wasn't much seafood. 3) Pizza Funghi - I liked the very thin and crispy crust, and the sliced roasted mushrooms as toppings, but I wasn't a fan of the "truffled honey" they added on top of the pizza. I didn't taste any truffle, and the honey made it very sweet. Not a fan of sweet pizza. 4) SIDES: Rapini, Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms - They got bonus points for being able to customize the sides. They didn't have asparagus that day, so they substituted it for steamed Brussels sprouts with garlic instead - which was heavenly. The Brussels sprouts weren't overcooked at all, and they were generous with the garlic (anything with extra garlic gets extra thumbs up from me). The rapini came out chopped with a side of lemon wedge. Mushrooms weren't on the menu as a side, but we asked and they were able to make a simple side of just mushrooms. Overall the vegetables got 9/10. The chef was very friendly as he came out and talked to us. The server was extremely attentive. Great service overall.

    We had 3 good pizzas and salads. We always have good food and service. It is very comfortable.read more

    Photos
    Interior - classic red-and-white checkered tablecloths and old-school vintage photo on the wall
    Interior - classic red-and-white checkered tablecloths and old-school vintage photo on the wall
    Pizza Funghi
    Pizza Funghi
    Uncle Tony's

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    Ardo Restaurant - italian - Updated July 2026

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