I'm a huge fan of this restaurant - the food is delicious!! I had one of their pasta dishes, and it was one of the best in the city. I even tried to get our company event at this restaurant! I went out with a group, and across the board our table was pleased. read more

This is one of my stand by favourites and what good, rustic Italian food should be. My favourites are the meatball app (just one giant yummy meatball), the roast breast of chicken, involtini, or slow cooked ossobuco. Mains come alone, veg sides come on a communal plate that is shared. Food is small plates Italian style. There is a good wine and cocktail slection. My only caution is that the place is loud, and always have a reservation. Book the wine/bank vault for larger groups for special occasions, reserve four weeks ahead for that. read more

this place is really yummy. it's so none pretentious yet cool. I love everything on the menu. The portions aren't huge especially for the pasta dishes but the price reflected is also very fair. And what's to complain? So you have room for more of their very reasonably priced dishes. I particularly love their meatmall in ragu sauce. Such a classic and they nailed it. read more

Such a fun, lively spot with great food and friendly staff. They only take reservations for large groups so be prepared to wait.

We were a group of 7 and ordered 3 appetizers to share. They were all great. My husband said the steak was one of the best he has ever had. Wow. I had the lamb, and it was delicious. Everyone was pleased with their meals, the wine, and the service. We will be going back! read more

Usually love this place but had a Really, Really, bad experience with the restaurant tonight. Arrived at 6:00 pm and the Host said we'd have an hour to wait for a table...which we did...only to be mocked by the host when he seated another party ahead of us. Unsure of whether it was because of our race, but we felt Really, Really unwelcome and we'll advise others to avoid this classless restaurant. Too bad they choose to put the rudest member of their staff at the front of the restaurant. read more

I echo previous reviewers. Went there last night for the first time. Ambiance was great, service was wonderful and the food was excellent. I had the very large Meatball with Ragu Sauce and my wife had the Salmon. Both were excellent. The Cappuccinos were among the best I have ever tasted. All in all - highly recommended! read more

To begin - TO FIND THIS PLACE, LOOK FOR THE NOSE. Some background - I am visiting Toronto from the Northern Virginia area, and I was not eating meat from Monday through Wednesday, so this Thursday dinner, I was looking forward to this meal. So I hadn't planned this meal, and I called a friend in the states to look up something on yelp, but since he wasn't sure of the layout of Toronto, he wasn't coming up with anything. I had remembered looking up restaurants earlier, and found this restaurant consistently coming up in the searches. I asked for the address. 1220 Queen St E. This might be strange for me to mention. So we got on the street car on Queen St, after walking from Eaton Center. This seemed to be a no brainer. We got there, we are looking around. Two things I learned after this visit to this restaurant. 1. Many buildings are not numbered in the city. 2. Make sure you have the phone number. We couldn't find the restaurant based on the number. We noticed a building with a big nose on the front that seemed funny. My friend who's from Toronto, thought that we must be on the wrong side, and my friend from the states must have read it wrong from the website. So we headed on the street car all the way to 1220 Queen West, which is completely on the other side of the area. As you might have imagined, once we got there, of course it wasn't there. I got a phone number to this place, and found that it was indeed East. So at this point more determined than ever, I decided that we were going to eat at this place. So once again, we got on the street car the other direction. It's a good thing she has a monthly pass, because these tokens were costing me an arm and a leg. So we get back to where we were roughly an hour earlier. Mind you we left for this place around 6 and got there around 8:30. So we're looking around, again not seeing it. We figured we'd got see what this nose was. And of course, it is Gio Rana's. SO, for anyone going to this place, LOOK FOR THE NOSE. LOOK AT THE PICTURES, otherwise you wont' find this place. TAKE DOWN THE NUMBER IN CASE YOU ARE LOST. We were walking around in this bitter cold, which added to the mess. Ok, now to the restaurant experience itself. 1. This place seemed to be bustling with a full restaurant on a Thursday night. 2. We were seated in another awkward place in front of the window, and had to slide by some other folks to get in there, but we had a bit more privacy. 3. We decided on calamari for an appetizer. 4. We asked two separate waiters for suggestions. a. the first waiter recommended - the involtini and the rib eye. He said he would often crave a involtini on many a late night b. the second waiter recommended - the involtini and the ossobuco So we ordered, the fritto misto appetizer, for entrees we ordered the involtini and the ossobuco. No alcohol or other drinks, just water. The fritto misto was decent, my friend said she had better. I thought it was ok. The ossobuco was pretty tasty. The involtini was ok. We took the leftovers home which I ate some of on saturday, and I had the same feeling. Ossobuco was tasty. The involtini was ok. It is amazing to see a cold ossobuco, and how much fat there is in the sauce. But I guess that's the price of eating out. The environment seemed pretty good for a date. We just had a long night even getting there. The service was ok. The waiters seemed pretty nice, but very busy. I am giving this place a 3.5, but since I can't it's getting rounded down to a 3. This was decent, but there seems to also be a lot of hype. I would have to try it out again with less drama getting there for me to accurately rate it. This also ran about 11-30 per person, again, no alcohol or other drinks, just water in the bill. REMEMBER LOOK FOR THE NOSE. read more

Nice ambiance. Better than average cuisine, nicely presented, but not overly special. Great service. Overall experience is good.

I recently dined at Gio Rana's with my girlfriends in the Vault. We had an amazing meal!! They don't usually take reservations BUT if you have 6-8 guests coming to dinner you can reserve the old bank vault and have a semi private dinner. Drinks were great, food was AMAZING. We really loved how they served our sides on a big platter for all of us to share. Most of us had the pork involtini and some had the salmon. Both were perfectly cooked. The timing of our food (restaurant was packed by the way) was just right. The only thing we would have liked is that our server pay a little bit more attention to us at the end of our meal - we were sitting for quite some time waiting for our bill and waiting to pay. We will all go back 100%. read more

Wonderful food, service, and atmosphere. But the music was so loud that it diminished the overall experience

This is my family's go-to place. We always know it's going to be good no matter what we order. We always splits some apps (sea scallops, risotto balls) and then go big with the main dishes. All the pastas are amazing and as for dessert? The tiramisu is classic and a perfect (and light!) way to end the meal. Hint: check out the back room - it used to be a bank vault. This fact alone increases it's cool factor at least 5 points. read more

I've only been to Gios once, but certainly interested in a return visit. The food was authentic, and tasty. Each item we had at the table was delicious. The room has a very cozy vibe and a mixed crowd, mostly attracting a regular clientèle. read more

Excellent service. The grilled calamari was a great recommendation by our bartender - super tender and packed with flavour. I had the gnocchi, and my husband the risotto - both delicious. While mine was super rich, it made me glad I ordered the small - my husband probably should have ordered a lg. All in all, great customer service and the food to back up the hype. Will be back. read more

Found this place by accident! Had grilled calamari, risotto balls, rigatoni, steak, osso, mix seafood and espresso cake. Everything we ate was very good. Good priced wine! HD the Veneto ripasso! Love love this place read more

Finally had a chance to visit Gio's. I had heard many great reviews so was really looking forward to it. Went on a Sunday night, not too busy but a good crowd. The staff however seemed to be running around. Unfortunately service was not as good as the food. And they could pay more attention to the table settings - the water glasses were badly chipped and the cutlery was not clean. The food was adequate, my primi was a linguini with a simple but tasty pomodoro. My friend had the risotto. Both servings were actually quite large for a primi, very filling. The beef tenderloin was cooked as ordered, no complaints. The bass, served as a whole fish was also well cooked, if a little hard to eat with all the bones. Just needed to be attentive. But serve was awful. The wait staff seems to float between tables, which in some cases might mean you get over served, but not this time. The server dropping off the first course never offered fresh ground pepper, we had to call over staff and it took a long time to actually be able to get their attention. Since this happened with the primi you would think on the main course we wouldn't have to ask again, but unfortunately the same thing happened. We were almost done each course before anyone came over to check how things were. read more

We went here for dinner a few weeks ago on a Friday night and it was extremely busy with a good relaxed neighborhood vibe. Food was mixed, we shared two appetizers, one was a giant meatball which was ok, nothing special, similar to a Martha Stewart recipe. Second app was a red pepper spread on flat bread which was quite standard as well. For mains, my husband had the risotto which was absolutely TERRIBLE! Can't believed they served it, it was uncooked rice. I had the seafood linguine which had absolutely no flavours. My friend had pulled pork wrapped with bacon which was very delicious and the pulled pork was nice and soft. It's a good spot if you order the right items on the menu. Price was quite reasonable: 2 apps, 3 mains, 2 deserts, 2 bottles of wine, taxes and tips came up to $200. read more

Great food, casual atmosphere, decor is not really my style but the food makes up for it. Overall its one of my favorites.

great food, great atmosphere. try the giant meatball its delicious. the restaurant is a bit out of the way if you dont live in the beaches or really east of the city but its worth the drive! I've never been caught waiting for a table and always had a good experience. try the Lalot Italien Pinot Grigio if they still have it, its awesome! read more

I have to say this place has great food, service, atmosphere and pricing! Really a great place for a date or a nice catch-up with good friends. A+ from me! read more

Food was ok but they seem confused about what they are. The music was soo loud my husband lost his voice shouting just to communicate with the group we were with. We asked for it to be turned down and apparently lots of guests request the same. Management should take note. We won't be going back because of this. We don't like eating at restaurants that think they're clubs despite customers requesting for lower volumes so they can have a conversation over dinner. read more

Great atmosphere, great service, and great food! This place is a gem, one of my new favourite spots. Perfect for a date night!

I love this restaurant. The food is amazing & the staff are great. I have booked them for many birthday dinners & highly recommend the private table in the wine vault if you have a group of 8+ people (except in the summer, it gets really hot). read more

The service was perfect. The food would have been absolutely perfect but for a bit too much salt. The whole experience was ruined by ridiculously loud music that strained talking and listening. read more

For a restaurant with so many positive reviews, I was extremely disappointed with my experience. Service was what really ruined our evening. Waitress wouldn't take our order until all members of our party were there because of the way their kitchen system worked - so we couldn't even order an app while we waited. When we did order, it took over an hour for our meal to be ready. One member of our party ordered the special - and our waitress brought out the wrong dish. When he explained he didn't want what they had brought, no apologies were made, she tried to convince him the special was awful, then guilted him when he said he really preferred the special (this after we had waited over an hour) before grabbing it from him. Food quality was mediocre over all. Trademark meatball was very good, as was the oso bucco; special of the day the rack of lamb was satisfactory despite the mix up. Side of potatoes extremely dry; chocolate brownie dessert was seen taken straight from the oven - but it too was extremely dried out. Prices were reasonable. Although the ambiance is neat, it's extremely loud. If you really want to talk to somebody, make sure you're seated next to them and not across the table! read more

Very pretentious. The food portions were incredibly small and not filling or particularly impressive. I spent just under 80 dollars for myself and my girlfriend on two orders of rigatoni (which was an ounce of dollar store pasta with tomato sauce), pulled pork (three stuffed 3 by 1 inch portions of meat) and 2 beers. We had to go out to another place after because we were still very hungry. I would recommend this establishment to upper middle class thirty-somethings looking to spend a days paycheck on a few drinks and a light snack. The only redeeming quality was the friendly staff, but they didn't seem to work out which one of them was serving our table into about 30 minutes into the meal. Will likely not return, Cheers. read more

What a great experience! The Nose has instantly become my new favourite local!! The staff are so great and the food....super yummy! Thank you; can't wait for my next meal read more

You may know Gio Rana's as "The Nose" based on the fact that there is no signage indicating what the store front is called at the corner of Queen and Leslie St. It works though because the large 3D nose hanging over the doorway helps people find the Italian restaurant a mile away! Overall, Gio Rana's provides a good option for those that may need level options to dine, but small doorways and a cluttered washroom make the space less than perfect. Front entrance is divided into two doorways with the front door being 34 inches wide and the second door being 28 inches wide. Vestibule is quite spacious if waiting for a seat. Indoors, the space is divided into average square tables and bar height tables with no level changes. The walkway from the dining area to the washrooms seems generally unobstructed but this place gets very busy, very fast! If in a wheelchair, I would advise asking for a table away from the bar. The accessible washroom can be found behind the kitchen in a hallway measuring 42 inches wide. The doorway is 28 inches wide. There is 2 grab bars and a small sink that allows for ample leg space underneath. Not uncommon in many restaurants, the accessible restroom also moonlights as the staff room so you may want to ask your server upon arrival for directions (not indicated on door). Public transit to Gio Rana's may be an issue so I would recommend driving if possible. There is free parking on Leslie St. and paid parking along Queen St, but come early to ensure a spot! read more

We WERE long time clients of this restaurant and went twice a week. Last night we went to find that the last of the original staff had left, and had the worst service we have ever had at any restaurant in any country ever! In fact, the waiter was confrontational to the point we thought we might call the police! The excuse for the terrible service was that they got "slammed"....Ive see this restaurant way busier and still had awesome service. The owner proceeded to replace our waiter who was great however the original hot-head waiter glared at us for the rest of the evening and also came back to confront our table one last time!! The most uncomfortable experience in a restaurant I have ever had! A very disappointing end to a long time relationship. read more

We were a group of 20 to celebrate my wife's 2nd 20th birthday party. After much debate about where to go with such a big group we finally settled on Gio's. Having been there many moons ago I remember how great the vibe and food was. Immediately from the moment we walked in until we were done the level of service was bar none amazing. Our waiter, who kind of looks like a young Matt Damon, was amazing. Always refilling the alcohol, always on top of everything. The chef-selected food was great, too. From the appetizers to mains, everything came out a plenty and high quality. Great wine selection for price and options. Overall I can't say enough great things about this joint. Everyone who came praised the idea of coming there after the end of the night. We were thrilled! Thanks Gio's staff! read more

Pricey, but so good. Great vibe. Rent the back room if you can.

After reading many sparkling reviews and walking past the big nose for a year, I was really excited about going. As expected a table of two without reservations on a friday took about half an hour to obtain. Unfortunately they slapped us right up against the kitchen, which made it difficult to hear what my dinner friend was saying. A waitress scuttled over in due time to take our drink orders and give us menus. My drink was delivered in a somewhat timely fashion, however the woman that brought it was not our server and auctioned off the drink. When our waitress took our orders, it took a couple of times to get her to remember what we ordered, and when I asked for a glass of wine to be served with my meal, she brought it right after I ordered it, before we even got our appetizer. In fact, I had barely taken a sip of the first drink that I ordered. The mozzeralla balls that we ordered were fairly good, although three balls and five slices of tomato seem kinda skimpy for 9 bucks. (they have increased their prices) When our mains arrived, I had ordered the sexier duck leg. The duck's outer skin was so charred that I couldn't cut into it, so I just peeled it back to get to the meat, which was super dry and impressively tasteless. The sauce that they poured all over the dish was also curiously devoid of flavour. The garlic mash potatoes that came with it were lumpy, dry and watery all at once, without an inkling of garlic. I decided that maybe salt would help, and our server was so inattentive my friend had to go fetch her. I put about a teaspoon of coarse salt on my plate, and finally resorted to dipping my duck in the balsamic vinegar and oil that they had provided for our bread basket. There was a mouthful that I had to to wash down with wine due to the lack of moisture. We both had coffee, asked for the bill, which turned out to be around 87$. I put in 100$, and she took the billfold and never returned with the change, which was probably the first wise thing she did all night, as there was no way I was going to tip her more than 10%. So disappointed. read more

After having sat in the entry way, because a group of 3 was not acceptable to their standards we had to leave after an hour. Seeing groups of 2 or 4 go ahead, whilst we were on the list way ahead of them they informed us that there was only one table for 3 people and we would simply have to wait. After spending $50 on three glasses of wine and seeing a former colleague being served free cocktails and being seated ahead of us - it was insulting and embarrassing. I'm fairly certain there was racial bias involved. 3 people is an odd number but when hosting a friend from out of town and being treated so poorly, it does not reflect well on Toronto, Gio Rana's or us. Thanks for nothing. read more

Came here for a birthday with some 3 friends. I had the osso bucco and we shared the giant meat ball and crespelles. Was a lot of food (good portion sizes) The osso bucco was pretty good, and the foccacia for soaking up all the sauces was amazing, but the highlight we all agreed upon were the crespelles. Soft pillowy texture surrounding silky cheese. It is really loud on account of the high ceilings (This used to be a bank of Nova Scotia, but it closed after getting robbed too many times) but not so bad that I couldn't hear other people at the table. Great atmosphere with cool artwork and dim lighting. Service was attentive and on point. read more

Been coming here for years with my family. Always got the big meatball growing up and loved it but got a lobster pasta once that I wasnt told came with an entire lobster on it. Otherwise every experience there has been wonderful. The service is amazing and the family that owns it is extremely kind and fantastic. read more

Amazing food especially the River Steak, Rack of Lamb and daily specials. Reasonable wine prices! Good service despite busy crowd. Good ambience. read more

I was first introduced to "The Nose" a few years ago. I was a bit taken back because there was no signage and it seems a bit run down from the street. But once you walk in you realize it's a very unique and eclectic restaurant. I've been to "The Nose" a handful of times and have always been completely satisfied with the service and food. It is a bit far from where I live so I always plan to go when there's a special occasion or something to celebrate. You really really really are a nice restaurant. read more

I hosted my boyfriend's birthday dinner for a large group at Gio Rana's this past Saturday, and I would give this restaurant 6 stars if I could. I spoke with the manager a couple weeks before the dinner and he walked me through the prix fixe menu option, the wine list, and answered all my questions patiently. Our server Victoria was on the ball the entire evening, and was even able to give us separate bills without any problems. The service was quick and friendly, including the bartenders. Everyone who works at this restaurant seems to really love working there, and it shows in their enthusiasm. The food was absolutely delicious, we had different courses including calamari, boconcini salad, spicy shrimp, pork loin, salmon, beef brisket, pasta, meatballs, sweet potato ravioli, and other items I'm sure I'm forgetting about. Everyone was absolutely stuffed by the end of the meal, and it only cost $40 per person. Amazing value. The decor is fun, chic, cool, but not too stuffy. Somehow it's the kind of environment where you can wear anything from jeans to a cocktail dress and still feel comfortable. We were lucky enough to get the side room behind the main bar which has a large retractable garage door that opens up onto Queen St (there was no extra cost or minimum-spend to use this room). Everyone in my group was raving about the restaurant, from the decor to the food to the service. If you're looking for a fun, trendy but laid-back place to host a group dinner I HIGHLY recommend Gio Rana's read more

I've yet to find a restaurant in Toronto that has a better all-around dining experience. From the incredible food, great service, trendy design, fantastic music and fun atmosphere, the Nose is by far in a way my favourite restaurant to go to. Whenever I need a place to bring out-of-towners, or a cool date-spot, this is always my go-to. Everyone I bring seems to love this place by the time they leave, and you can always count on it to be hustling and bustling with activity - even on a Tuesday in the dead of winter. My menu must-haves are the giant meatball, the crespelle, the fried calamari, the beef ribs and the osobucco. Delicious! read more

I love this place so much, I only been here once.. but if I could go everyday.. I would. The food is Amazing! Easily one of the best restaurants I've ever been to. I haven't went recently, but I swear I need to go before Christmas and just eat, drink wine and chat the night away. It's really dark in this restaurant, but I don't mind. it's very soothing and comfortable, and has a nice atmosphere. I simply love it. It's a must try, watch when you come and thank me later, I will just say I told you so. read more