I had seen La Veranda Osteria outside Royal York subway station for a few years now, admired their…read moreflower-festooned summer patio, and enjoyed the aromas wafting across the street. Finally, I visited for the first time. I had perused the menu extensively, as part of a quest to find an Etobicoke restaurant suitable for my Mother's upcoming Birthday Celebration. They had so many, appealing Italian and Italian-Canadian options, with pasta, veal, steak and seafood selections.
My Mother wanted to check it out before committing to a family gathering, hence our recent visit.
The restaurant is airy and spacious, with pleasant and elegantly simple decor. Its vibe is upscale casual. We were greeted and seated right away, and our delightful server offered us beverages and answered our questions about the menu. She was, throughout the meal, really excellent: charming, with a good knowledge of the menu and thoughtful recommendations.
We started with some cheesy garlic bread, which was very enjoyable: a good artisan bread with plenty of garlic and melted cheese. They clearly had heeded our request for extra garlic.
The stuffed pastas had been enthusiastically recommended by both the menu and the staff, so my Mother and I went for that. She had the Veal-Stuffed Ravioli, with pesto rather than rose sauce. I had the Manicotti Gratinato stuffed with ricotta, with a rose sauce. My daughter ordered the Gnocci with Pesto Sauce. All three choices were excellent, and I can highly recommend the pastas at La Veranda.
Although we were feeling quite satisfied, we couldn't resist the European desserts. We shared house-made Tiramisu and the Italian, imported Hazelnut torte. They were both excellent. The Tiramisu was light and flavorful, and the Hazelnut torte was bursting with hazelnut flavor. The desserts were not too sweet, which is how we happen to prefer them.
In short, everything was to our satisfaction, and more!! The prices were not to bad either. My Mother felt that this would be a great location for her birthday gathering, so we made the booking then and there. Evidently, we were not the only ones thinking along these lines, as it took a while to find a Saturday night which was not already booked up by large parties. If you want to book at La Veranda for a larger gathering, best to do it well in advance. We finally settled on an evening about a month away from the date of our visit.
La Veranda is a wonderful place to gather and dine, from couples to larger parties. The washrooms are beautiful, the service is gracious and knowledgeable, and there is plenty of parking across the street at Royal York station. It is accessible to disabled diners as well. With excellent food, great service and amenities, La Veranda is worth consideration if you are in Toronto's West End.