I ordered takeout on a Friday night and was pleasantly surprised. We waited a few minutes for the locals to be seated. The ambience is interesting, there's twinkly lights hanging from the ceiling and lots of tables with a great patio. We ordered the mushroom pappardelle and risotto balls. Fantastic! The pappardelle was so creamy and flavourful I'd go back for it any time. I'd definitely recommend Gio's for a casual date or dinner with friends/family! read more

A hidden gem in Toronto, Gio Rana's is perennially underrated when it comes to the top Italian restaurants. They do everything well, from curating a cozy vibe the second you walk in, and providing great food and service. We got the chef's tasting menu for $55/person and everything was great. I wish I could remember everything we ate but we had focaccia, salad, tagliatelle, crespelle, meatball, chicken drumsticks, and a lamb dish. Everything was great and Zack was a great server. Overall, I would definitely come back here. read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Chicken drumsticks - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Walk by this place all the time and see it packed, now I know why. Everything was delicious, generously portioned, and reasonably priced. Our server was so nice and friendly. The vibe was laid back and cool, I would recommend to everyone! We were prepared to wait for a while but there was a 2 seater ready so no wait required. I drank an Italian Margarita and my boyfriend had a dry red. We liked the drinks a lot! To start we tried the meatball and the frittura. The meatball was a dream - we both said we'd come back just for the meatball. The calamari was also delicious, a lot of meat and not too heavy on the batter. I had the spaghetti with red sauce - chef's kiss. I was reading other reviews and doubtful that such a simple dish could be so good, but I was proven wrong. I ate that in maybe 2 minutes, the sauce was tangy and sweet. My boyfriend had the rigatoni bolognese which was also delicious. Next we had the sea bream, pork shoulder and "overcooked" rapini. These were nothing special, but still really good! We had no time for dessert as we had to run to see a movie. Next time though we will try it! Overall 10/10 experience and food. Must try! read more

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Purrhaps my favorite Italian restaurant in the city. I've never gone wrong with the Involtini, Butternut Squash Crespelle and the giant meatball. I honestly can't get enough of this place and I'm thankful they are in the East End. read more

Absolutely loved this restaurant!! First upon entry, you will see a big nose on its door. Eccentric interior and intimate vibe. Stylish! And romantic for group dining or date night Began my meal with the Elderflower 75. Very citrusy. Wish the elderflower and gin were stronger I highly recommend the appetizers - the calamari was tender and the beef salad was of a great portion to share My favorite entree was the ossobucco - meat was stewed to perfection and seasoning was sophisticated but not too heavy. My friends ordered the seafood pasta and the mushroom pappardelle - I didn't like them very much to be honest. The seafood in the past that were not very fresh or tasty. And the mushroom pasta was simply too heavy to my liking. Service was very attentive. And again I loved the dim lights and eccentric vibe!! read more

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I absolutely loved The Nose. Highly recommend for cozy date night or celebratory gathering of friends. We were staying in Leslieville for a couple nights and exploring by walking and eating our way through the hood. The Nose was our "nice meal" of the trip. You could totally walk in in jeans and a tee or a rhinestone jumpsuit and fit in. The decor is intentionally rough around the edges, tongue-in-cheek, decidedly unpretentious, and celebrates women ... which may be more appealing for a younger diner? I mean maybe boomers would enjoy it, but it's hard to know. They'd have to really pass the vibe check. Either way, I've had more than one nice meal ruined in my life because the atmosphere or service was wound too tight for my taste, and this is NOT that. Our server was super knowledgeable, on top of her game, but also relaxed and friendly, which really allowed the food to be the star. We ordered several different pasta dishes and every single one was perfect. Nothing too complicated, just delicious, straightforward, rich food. To me, the menu reminds me of Italian wedding food? Like, in my partner's Sicilian family, every wedding / luncheon / catered meal is apps-salad-pasta-protein-dessert (and coffee!!) and that's pretty much how this menu is set up. My partner got the giant meatball, and it was def the star. I had a couple cocktails and a glass of easy drinking white wine. Perfection. read more

Great Italian restaurant, the waiter was very knowledgeable with the menu and the evening specials. The beef with noodles was the best I've experienced at any restaurant, popular place for celebrities as well. read more

Came here with a few coworkers on a Friday evening 30 minutes after opening. We wanted to make a reso, but they don't accept reservations for parties smaller than 6, and we had 5. We managed to get a seat because we came early, but it did fill up very soon before 7, the whole place was packed. This is my first time here, and I love the funky interior. It felt hip and cozy at the same time. A few of us came early and was waiting on 2 others to arrive so we wanted to order first, but the waiter informed us that it's preferred if we put in only one order for all apps and main dishes at once so it's easier on the kitchen. Then he told us to just wait to put everything in, but constantly came back and asked us for our order even though the other people in our group didn't arrive yet (this was in the span of 15 mins). Thus we felt pressured to put in our order cause we thought we couldn't order any additional dishes once we placed the initial order, so we had to call our friends and take their orders over the phone. Other that the ordering situation, the appetizers were great! We got a bunch to share with the table including the risotto balls, giant meatball, rapini, fries and foccacia. The foccacia was kind of dry and difficult to share as it just came as one big piece not cut up. It also didn't come with any oil or dressing either. For the main dish, I ordered the Rigatoni and I enjoyed it. Definitely on the lighter side if you want to get a pasta dish that doesn't make you feel heavy afterwards. I did try a bit of my friend's Pappardelle and that was amazing!!! Super creamy and flavourful - that's the dish I would get if I'm back next time. For dessert, I wanted the Panna cotta but they ran out so I opted for the tiramisu. It was a bit bitter compared to other tiramisu I had (maybe I wasn't having the authentic version before), but I wasn't as big of a fan. Overall, a cool place to hang out with friends and have a fun time. Lots of options to choose from and decent prices. read more

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I love everything about this restaurant. The food is fantastic. The ambiance is lively and the service is always great. Do yourself a favour and have dinner at The Nose. read more

Very chill atmosphere with spaced out tables. The food was spectacular! Generous in portion (aside from their ravioli dish) and amazing in taste! My favourite was the butternut squash ravioli! It was cooked to profession; the purée was smooth and flavourful! Note: This is one of the smaller main dishes, it comes with three ravioli. The other dishes we had were more generous in size: veal and pull pork wrapped in ribeye. The veal main dish came with a rich mushroom sauce and the pull pork wrapped in ribeye came with the perfect red wine sauce. For appetizer we ordered their risotto ball, which comes with two balls and a side of greens as garnish. I was disappointed in this dish because I saw three balls in other reviewers' photo. I guess the dish shrunk in size. Service wise, I felt like the server rushed us to pay the bill. She gave us the bill super early, without us asking for it then took forever to come and settle our bill. read more

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Pleasant and vibrant atmosphere with thoughtful costumer service. Meatball hit all the great flavour notes, while the linguini was just okay, maybe lacked a bit of freshness. Veggie side and chocolate raspberry ice cream dessert were great complements! read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Seafood linguine - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I like the food here, the salads are fresh and the pastas are good too. Service is slower on Saturday's when it's really busy but the food is reasonably price. I can't find much to complain are here it's a good date night option and it's has a romantic feel. It's not a guys night out time to watch the Leafs game or football game type of restaurant. read more

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I have wanted to try this spot for YEARS (so many years) but I'm from the west end and no resos and time flies. Finally gathered with some east end friends here last week and the overall experience was fantastic!! Our server was so kind, quick, attentive, he noticed the little things and really went out of his way! The food was lovely!! Truffle fries are AMAZING- and my friends who got the pastas all devoured them!! They also do a dessert platter which was perfect for sharing!! Will definitely be back!! ALSO if you're a group of 6 or more they do take resos!!! read more

Amazingly friendly staff and great service and atmosphere.  My daughter goes there on a regular basis, and she also celebrated her birthday there with her friends.  I went there just to check the place out for a glass of wine, and I had an amazing experience.  Even their red house wine was one of the best wines I have ever tasted. read more

Verrrrry nice, high five!!! There's nothing pretentious or pompous about Gio Rana's. It's known for making fun of itself on social media, and having that huge nose in place of the restaurant's name at the entrance. If you want fancy bells and whistles, stay clear. If you want great food with a fun/casual vibe and a homey feel on the side, this is the place for you. We went here for dinner and got: - Risotto Balls: The arancini was amazing. Crispy on the outside, stuffed cheesy and chewy on the inside. I liked how there was pesto in there to make the traditional tomato sauce tastier. - Giant Meatball: As much as the arancini was amazing, the meatball was quite possibly close to meatball perfection. The veal and pork and breadcrumbs mix made for this almost milky meatball. I know that sounds weird, so maybe another way of putting it is this was a super tender and tasty meatball. - Pappardelle Mushroom: Noodles were firmly al dente, which I love. And wow, they sure didn't scrimp with the mushrooms and walnuts on there, that helped break the creamy monotony of the sauce. - Ossobuco: Wow that veal was braised to absolute tenderness. This is a super rich dish, as the asiago crema sauce was so tasty it could be a dip on its own. Actually... - Tuscan Fries: Loved this, partially because the parmesan taste was so strong, and partially because it paired so well with the ossobuco sauce. - Tiramisu: Homemade, delicate, with a generous liqueur taste. Service was impeccable, with Lisa giving great recommendations with such a light energy throughout the night (we can't wait to try the calamari, butternut squash crespelle and involitini next!). I get why Gio Rana's has lasted this long in the neighbourhood, and hope it stays there forever and ever. Verrrrry nice, high five!!! read more

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The outside of this place made the most lasting impression - the nose in front of the restaurant. I came here with a group of 5 and we got the family style chefs choice options. As you can see we had quite a variety of food (2 salads, 2 pastas, meatballs, beef, chicken, and fries). We did pair with some wine and our server was very friendly and paced our meal nicely. The food itself was average to above average Italian food, I've definitely had better however this was still a great experience. read more

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Went back for the 2nd time, and the food never disappoints. Don't recommend the duck as it was overcooked, but overall, the food is delicious. Definitely go for their giant meatball! read more

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This place is definitely a staple! The entrance features a big nose hence the nickname, "the nose". The food here is amazing. Super cute interior as well. No resos, so come early to grab a seat. read more

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This is our 2nd time at Gio's in the past 3 months and it didn't disappoint. We were greeted by a friendly hostess. Our waitress attended to us in a timely manner and she told us the specials and she gave us some suggestions for menu pairings. My girlfriend went with one of her favourites, a Pappardelle pasta with mushrooms and I went with a pulled pork wrapped in sliced beef tenderloin dish, paired with a side of sautéed garlic rapini. Everything was delicious and prepared well. The goat cheese and red wine based gravy for the pulled pork dish was served on the side, which allowed for me to add as desired. We finished off the evening by sharing a tiramisu dessert. It was light and creamy and wasn't too sweet which is the way I like my desserts. We will definitely visit Gio's again in the future. read more

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That's a TERRIFIC sauce The giant meatball Is giant (how original..!) Nice staff, cool leslieville spot (new fav area of Toronto) read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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If you're in Leslieville, this is worth a try! Everything we ordered was sooo delicious. The pasta was filled with butternut squash. That did not sound too appealing to me at first but once I had it, my mind changed instantly. The mussels and clams was amazing, the sauce was so light and had a light wine taste! Not to mention, the meatball was HUGE! The tomato sauce was read more

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From Austin TX but knew we would be in Toronto over my birthday. Selected Gio Rana "the Nose" from the reviews on line. We called weeks ahead and arranged a party of ten through Jessie! They set us up with a family style service and a set menu covering the highlights. It was a treat for the entire group. Caprese, Melon & Prosciutto, Pasta, Meatballs and a few dish new to me. All served in our cozy private "vault" room. We tried it all until we couldn't eat another bite. Excellent food, friendly staff and just fun! Thank you Jessie for a fantastic birthday. read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We're travelling in from the states and our cousin took us here and omg... so amazing!! Great atmosphere, everyone is super nice, and the food is great! Both indoor or outdoor seating had nice lighting and was super cute. Had the Calamarata and it was so yummy!!! Will definitely be back next time we're in Toronto! read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Giant meatball was awesome! Def get focaccia bread with it to eat all the sauce :) - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The coveted 5 star. Cinque Stelle. Reserved for only the greatest food - or some other realizzazione that manages to rise above all competition and achieve greatness. Grandezza! The food here was a 3.5-4. Good. Some Very good. But not spectacular. A lot of this 5 star rating is owed to our company that night and the way gios welcomed us. An amazing group of ten (dieci) - the night was destined for greatness from the drop. Pre-dinner drinks at home to get the conversation flowing and the mood elevated. A gathering of likeminded, good humoured people called for a great location. Loud and boisterous - with a touch of class and culinary know how. Gios really Delivered. Chefs choice for the 10 of us - with wine and cocktails galore. The buffalo mozzarella, ravioli (squash) and bread got things rolling. But I had read reviews and hoped the chef would bless us with his famous balls. In our mouths. And he did. Enormous juicy balls. Everyone had their fill. Those meatballs were damn awesome mama mia. MELT IN YOUR MOUTH. There was a rappini pasta - my second favourite dish of the night. Salmon. Chicken. Steak. Gnocchi. The chef was feeling generous that night my friend - we could hardly finish the food. Everything was delicious - but the ambience. Ohhhh what a night. Ba ba ba what a night! Have you ever seen the Italian restaurant movie "the big night"? Worth a Watch... The volume turnt up - and every song seemed to become a sing-a-long. And not just our table. The whole freakin' restaurant was singing and eating! All night! Dancing around the tables! Sinatra, backstreet boys - Queen. It was, how you say, Freddo. Che grande! You know when you've had a few (more than) drinks and start to look around - wondering if you are now the obnoxious hammered table in a quiet, pretentious restaurant? this was not the case. The whole damn crowd were having a ball. Eating drinking and laughing under the twinkle twinkle starlight inside gios. Waitress was a blonde from UK - bang on service and just the right touch of comradery. Espressos to close and we were spent. 10 people and the total bill with tip was just over a grand. And we drank like fish. Fantastic evening - one I won't forget anytime soon - made possible by the great ambience, food and vibes at gios. This place is actually really really really good. Mille grazie!! read more

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Good vibe great food !! Incredible incredible, would love to go again! Very busy so definitely call ahead!

Beware! I made a group reservation for 14 about a month ago. When the set menu was emailed to me, I noticed that it said "one bill" at the bottom. I called for clarification, and just as it says, they were only willing to do one bill for 15 guests, (not even subtotals). I was told that "people usually just chip in cash." This is ludicrous! Trying to sort out bills for 15 people with separate meals, drinks, desserts, appetizers, etc would be chaos. The worst part is that the two individuals I spoke with were extremely unhelpful and unwilling to find an alternative solution. I would NOT recommend Gio Rana's! For great Italian food, check out Terroni's, who were more than happy to accommodate us. read more

The food here is absolutely delicious. Went with some friends to celebrate and it was the perfect place to be. Reasonably priced and definitely worth repeat visits. read more

Pretty cozy dinner place with great taste of food. However I'm not very into their drink, we ordered 2 kinds of cocktails but they're all too strong for us. read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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The highlight was the meatballs. The services good. The atmosphere was casual. The seating was comfortable. Parking is abundant along Queen St. - at least it was when we visited. Unfortunately, the portions were small. I was disappointed especially knowing that they use off the shelf (no freshly made) pasta in a box that when on sale would be a dollar for a 500g container - and that's not the wholesale price! On that alone, they could have offered a couple of strands more of noodles with my lobster fettuccini. On the same dish, the lobster was way over cooked with the pasta coming out just a little better than warm. Overall, the experience was alright. The decor was a little interesting, but fit the neighbourhood. read more

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Enjoyed a belated birthday dinner at Gio Rana's. We arrived at seven o'clock on a Saturday night and this little Leslieville restaurant was packed. They don't take reservations for parties under six so expect some waiting time. I love the decor of Gio Rana's - for an Italian restaurant, they're going for a Bohemian chic look. It's a small space so you'll be sitting closely to other patrons. Easily accessible by TTC, you can also find street parking. One block east of Gio's, you can find free parking after six o'clock on Queen Street. Now to the food. We ordered rissotto balls (arancini) floating on tomato sauce. Perfectly cheesy and crispy. We also ordered pasta; I unfortunately forgot its name (it starts with a 'c',' dumplings in sage butter with butternut squash inside). The pasta was a-okay, it was a little bland. We also ordered the chicken dish, which was juicy and seasoned well. Service was excellent, food was delicious, and the ambiance was great. PS - It's a little expensive (2 glasses of wine, 1 app, 1 pasta, and 2 mains was $85), but worth it! Good for: Italian, dinner read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Server was attentive and knowledgeable. Suggested wines to our liking. We had the family style food wherein they bring us dishes for everyone to try. Price is per person not per dish. Antipasti is ok. The meats and pasta are good! Didn't come with dessert though. Their coffee is delicious! The place feels old. Unfinished walls, a projected Mr Bean video on the wall. I guess that's the style they were aiming for. Dimmed lights with Christmas tree lights makes it feel cozy and romantic. Not sure what's with the big nose hanging outside. No signage. read more

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Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant wears its name really really well! Maybe it was because it was our first indoor dining in, well 17 months, but I still rave about Gio Rana's! This is a classic Italian restaurant that mastered its cuisine.. the food is simple but a-m-a-z-i-n-g for a price point that is, in my opinion, just right! There were 4 of us, we shared a bottle of wine, appetizers and had a few additional drinks (no dessert) and it turned out to be just about $50 each, so not bad at all! We had the olives (yummy and with a nice kick, if you don't like spicy it may be a tad intense for you), the arancini, and the beef carpaccio as an appetizer. I'm lactose intolerant and most often opt out of dairy all together as most of the time it's not "worth it" and well, I opted in on the arancini and it was well worth it!! The carpaccio was a classic, well done, no fluff but tasty as it should be! First courses were a win! Two of us, including myself, had the paccheri in a sausage and fennel Bolognaise, my partner had the gnocchi in a mascarpone sauce and our other friend had the pappardelle in a creamy mushroom sauce (she is also lactose intolerant and well also agreed this option was well worth it, haha!!) The Bolognaise was extremely tasty, not a plain old Bolognaise I could make better at home.. I opted out of tasting the pappardelle as I thought it was "too risky" to opt for three creamy/cheesy options (as my 2nd bite of cheesy goodness was the gnocchi - see below) in one meal, but all three of my dinner companions were in love, they described it has rich and earthy without being overwhelming. Finally, the gnocchi were beyond really really nice!! They were perfect little clouds of lightness, the mascarpone sauce was de-vi-ne!! My partner had this dish so I didn't feel bad "sharing" and going back to it again and again. While there was a clear winning main dish amongst the table, we were all extremely pleased. The host and staff were also lovely, which added to the charm of the evening. They did a great job at making you feel safe in these uncertain times... it was the last piece of the puzzle that we needed to make the overall experience memorable, chapeau!! I am definitely adding Gio Rana's to our "must go back" list read more

Nothing better. My absolute fav restaurant in Toronto. Pretty much the only great thing in Toronto

Great service and great food. Highly recommend this restaurant! Enjoyed the fritto misto, beef carpaccio, beet salad and mushroom pasta. All very yummy. Service was great. Recommendations were great. Everyone was so friendly and got the time to talk to us. read more

This place is a hidden gem! Loved every dish and I hope you guys keep it this way!! Thank you :) read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Come in for a romantic Italian dinner in the lights or a bright brunch exploring the wild memorabilia in there. Also, give their Mona Lisa cocktail a try! A bite from our full experience review - "A tender and soft freshly made crespelle pasta wrapped the butternut squash paste - creating a fresh pasta almost ravioli like. We ordered a small dish which came with two large ravioli and plenty of sage butter creamy sauce. A beautifully fresh and flavorful dish." read more

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Consistently a fantastic spot! Good people, food and atmosphere. It's been a staple in our family for years!!

Really beautiful place.... Main courses seem reasonably priced and generous until you want a couple of side dishes which then unless you are sharing with multiple people and all want to have the same thing will put the price through the roof and much of the sides end up wasted... My suggestion is to increase the prices of the main courses by $5 per plate and give us a choice of starch and a veggie or double veggies... Great greeting upon arrival and our server was excellent... While the focaccia was great although slightly doughy and undercooked at $5 a crack you should serve some kind a complementary bread or roll while customers peruse the menu... Please get away from the nickel and dime theme to your pricing as its simply annoying... The cocktails were fine but over priced as well. They are doing lots right at this place and so I will likely go back and hope to see a few tweaks like those suggested. read more

This was a wonderful surprise when we got take-out this past summer after my youngest daughter and my new son-in-law decided to treat my husband and I for dinner! The food was wrapped nicely, no slop or messy packaging, and it was all PIPING HOT! This is something you want when getting take-out. I had the gnocchi and it was delicious! read more

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant - cream gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Hello, Hi, if you are thinking of coming here stop reading reviews and just go... This is my all time favourite restaurant in Toronto. The menu is fantastic, the staff are awesome and the restaurant itself has such a good vibe. I highly recommend the oysters, the grilled calamari, the buffala salad, the carpaccio, and MOST OF ALL MY FAVOURITE DISH ON EARTH, the squash crespelle (small size). I'm serious. The prices are fair the food is GREAT. I Don't recommend going off the menu for their specials unless you're sure it's your thing. But honestly. This place is the best read more