I think this would be the best restaurant in the Newmarket-Aurora area. Significantly changes my impression on the restaurant scene in the area, which are normally dull, mediocre restaurant (and nonetheless some still enjoys good reviews! Never understand how they got them) Nice decor, good service, and most importantly great food! Comparable to the downtown quality. It is a rare find. Hoping more restaurants like this come to this area read more

Locale Aurora - Bone marrow - Italian Near Me - Aurora, Ontario

My sister and I stumbled upon this hidden gem by chance. We were in Gromley for a visit and were hungry after the park. Our foodie selves started to look for local favourites in the area. We found 'Locale King City' with great reviews, delicious pictures & menu to satisfy our palette. However we weren't sure if we're in the right attire since we were at the park and the restaurant seem posh. I did a little digging and went to their website and later found a closer location in Aurora which open a month ago, called and asked about the attire and all was well. This is 'Locale' 2nd location and the decor is beautiful. The vibe at the restaurant is casual but modern with a hipster feel. The waitress told us all the fixtures and furniture are handmade and you can definitely tell it is. All the bathrooms are all-gender with individual toilet & sink, great for privacy. The dwelling itself appears to be brand new inside/out where it was revamped which is quite obvious when comparing to the attached plaza. I haven't been to the 1st location but the waitress says it's rustic and probably why this location is going with a different approach for decor. Also Aurora is their biggest location with a patio, bar and dining area. We ordered 3 appetizers: Warm Grilled Calamari, Featured 'mussels', & Funghi (wild mushrooms) Pizze. 2 Entrees: Branzino (seabass) & Gallina (cornish hen) Dessert: featured 'Gelato Sundae.' I'm not a fan of salty food and they cooked everything to perfection! I didn't order the cornish hen but did try it. Both my sister and I did notice it being salty but mostly skin. Other than being salty, it was still enjoyable. The skin was crispy and meat was tender. My seabass was perfect (5 star) from the taste to skin (mmmm) I really wanted the grilled octopus but they were out but the Calamari recommended by our waitress was delicious as a substitute. The Pizze are personal size but it's quite hefty for a small eater (can be shared) As for the mussels we pretty much finished the broth, even dipped our pizze in it. They didn't cheap out on the ingredients, including your normal items there were prosciutto, cabbage, & chorizo bits. The gelato sundae was made with whole milk vs cream, it was a feature item - definitely give it a try if it's available. The price is reasonable given that we ordered 1 non-alcoholic & alcoholic beverage + 5 dishes + 1 dessert for under $200 including 20% tip (note: pay machine sets their tip calculation after tax vs before. Presets at 18%; 20%; 25% but there are other options) This is a niche place great for dates and special occasion. Service was attentive and friendly! read more

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I dined in at Locale Aurora back in September as it was recommended to me by a coworker. DECOR: 5/5 The place is gorgeous. It's trendy and upscale - the design is something you'd expect to see at an upscale brunch place in downtown core. I'm pleasantly surprised a place like this exists uptown. They have an indoor area as well as a patio area. Although it was chilly that day, so we sat indoors. FOOD: 2/5 The food is decently priced - similar to chain restaurants that serve similar food (eg. Milestones, Scaddabush). However, the portions are small, and the food wasn't amazing. We had the calamari, pesto gnocchi, and a pizza. The calamari was seasoned well and delicious, but a very small portion. The pesto gnocchi was a tiny portion, and the flavour was very one dimensional (not sure what I expected from pesto sauce). The pizza was a large portion at least, but was lacking flavour. The service was okay, not a home run. This place is a solid 3.5/5. I'd be happy to try this place again for lunch/brunch if they have different food options, but their dinner menu felt very limited. read more

Went for dinner after a drive thru graduation, Patio was open for business. it started to rain as soon as we got there. The staff handled the situation really well and got us set up under an umbrella. The food was good and the service was good considering the situation. i'm giving them a 3 star because their was an apparent miscommunication and they forgot to make our order. After an hour long wait we finally got our food. What upset me was the fact they did not acknowledge there mistake and which tells me that the management didn't really train the staff how to deal with this situation i expect better from a restaurant at this level read more

I always said that Newmarket / Aurora never really had a good Italian restaurant but then came Locale! If you're looking for really good, authentic, Italian food- you need to eat here! The decor is beautiful, super friendly staff, and delicious food with lots of selection. read more

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Took my family for a Birthday dinner regretted it afterwards and won't be returning or recommending this place to anyone.

The service is really impressive and thorough here! We came for dinner on a weeknight and first had the calamari as an appetizer, shared a pizza and pasta as the mains. The price is on the higher end - the seafood pasta (29$) portion was a tad small but they were generous with the amount of seafood. Everything was delicious and I'm excited to go back try some of their main dishes like the sea bass and lamb shank. read more

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Was there for birthday dinner and the hostess was rude! Kept telling me the table was only reserved for two when we were five! Ended up two reservations under the same first name. luckily her male coworker has the sense to ask me my last name!!!! What a concept right!?!?!?!!! No apology From the hostess! just a few minutes of back and forth. "It's under two not five" so embarrassing! So unprofessional! We finally sat and felt rushed the whole night! Screwed up the bill! And then we're asked to leave! There's a limit of three hours!!!! We only heard of this when asked to leave abs the END of the night. We will not be going back again! Ever! DONT EAT THERE! Try the Local in King City!!! Way better service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a disappointing night In Aurora! don't go there!!!!!!!!! read more

Love this place! New fav restaurant in aurora! Love the mojito drinks. We got fries + grill calamari to start, I got mushroom pasta and my husband got special pasta for the day. The mushroom pasta is to die for!!! My husbands fav was the grill calamari, he would eat that for a main course! Maybe pair with some other seafood or fish . Ended off with a dessert. I wouldn't say this is a place I would go everyday causal dinner (I wish if I could :P) I would def go for small celebration and some occasions. comfortable atmosphere. We sat at the closest table to the entrance, it gets loud and crowded after 7ish. I would def go back! read more

Great food. Good service. The mushrooms pasta is really tasty, pizzas are also really good.

Better than I remember. We had been here before the pandemic and were not overly impressed. However, this time we ate on the patio, service was quick and attentive. We had the burrata crostini (a tad overpriced), funghi pasta, branzino, and a delicious caramel chocolate dessert (not sure what it was called). Everything was cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious. Looking forward to returning soon! read more

Amazing new location with an authentic, thoughtful and versatile dining experience. Chef Andrea Censorio offers impeccable attention to detail from farm to table and it shows. He will be the reason I continue to come back. The restaurant itself offers various dining experiences with a lounge upstairs with a bar and bistro-style dining on the other side and dining downstairs as well. It accommodates large and small parties, with live music as well on select nights. It's a great vibe and great addition to Aurora. The food was fantastic with a ton to choose from on the menu, including nightly specials (my personal favourite). I attended Locale Aurora for a holiday lunch. We enjoyed a charcuterie board with fresh honey, artisanal cheeses, fresh prosciutto, burrata, sweet nuts, fresh figs, prosciuttino and more. Followed by an assortment of pizzas (we did family style) and the Fried Chicken - which was exceptional and an awesome addition to our Italian meal. I loved that they had that option - it just gave us more variety. The service was wonderful and we were constantly taken care of. I highly recommend this spot for a girls night out, date night or party. read more

Locale or Levetto? After what seemed like a long time under construction, Locale opened, and it still took me a while to make it in. Finally, I had an occasion to visit. My guest and I were seated upstairs in the bar area. The interior decor is much more intricate than its basic boxy outdoor appearance. The fat green leather chairs remind me of an old school steak house, but everything else is pretty modern. The menu is not common Italian, but quite a selection of more upscale dishes. Bread is extra, but they bring complimentary 'bread sticks", which are more of a salty bread pencil than anything else. For a starter, I had the Mussels, which is a pound of steamed mussels with garlic, wine and fresh corn kernels. Very tasty. For a main course, I had the Tagliatelle pasta, my guest had the Gnocchi. Both were nicely done, but the portion sizes were small. I use reference points for everything. In this case, Levetto is similar in that each plate is freshly cooked. I have had the tagliatelle at Levetto, and it is pretty close, perhaps Levetto's version is even a bit more flavourful. And less spendy. If you want to impress, go to Locale. If you want to have fun and save money, my choice is Levetto. read more

Spent my 21st birthday here. Food was a solid 9/10 but the service is what takes all. We had Matthew as our server and he was amazing, definitely deserves 100% of tips that he brings in. read more

Hubby and I tried this newly opened location in Aurora for a lunch date.... It was empty when we got seated but quickly filled up over the lunch period. We ordered their set lunch menu and was not disappointed. Food was good and services were quick and friendly. It was a bit on the pricey side so won't be coming here on a regular basis...but will visit again for dinner on other occasions. read more

Locale Aurora - Fried chicken with rosemary - Italian Near Me - Aurora, Ontario

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Good local Italian cuisine. Fish is amazing also the octopus. We are visiting those place often read more

Locale Aurora - Italian Near Me - Aurora, Ontario

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We decided to come here for dinner for a moms night out. We were able to make reservations last minute, from the door to the seating there was a warm cozy feeling. Our server was super attentive and very knowledgeable. I got the seafood spaghetti. Pretty yummy, however I felt like the portions weren't big enough. That's the only reason I took off one star. Bathroom was big and clean. Lots of parking right in front of the restaurant. Most likely will return! read more

Nice gem in Aurora! Came here for a business lunch on a weekday. Cute little restaurant- nice décor and nice ambience. Their menu is nice and simple, and they have prix fixe lunch menus for $25 which includes an appetizer, main & dessert. I ordered a cavolo salad + chicken breast.(Chicken breast requires extra time though) The portion size is perfect for lunch, and the price is fairly decent. If I remember correctly it was $15+ $8 for the chicken. We also ordered a magherita pizza to share. Pizza was very tasty and light. Overall service was great as well. If you are in Aurora and looking for a nice meal, make sure to stop by. read more

All the things wrong with this place: Sun was in our eyes on the patio- told us the sun will cover the entire patio anyway lol Rice balls had no marinara sauce & so bland inside Friend wanted two apps for her main meal and asked if we could have them all at the same time so we could all eat together - told we cant do that because the kitchen has to serve apps first My pizza was floppy ( moist and wet ) My friend asked for Calamari - came out with no dipping sauce and she asked the server if she could have a dipping sauce (it was so dry and hard to eat with no sauce) ... her response was "at this restaurant we are trying to stay away from North American styles of dining and going for more authentic style of Italian dining, so we cant provide the sauce" (Later, I asked again and she said they have been getting alot of requests for sauce...) Olives on my boyfriend's pizza were not pitted (almost broke his tooth) We ordered a pesto pistachio gnocchi and the pasta tasted like DOUGH! It was also too soft. Server was condescending and made us feel like a burden.. such a pretentious place! read more

Good food, good service. We ordered two pizzas and they were delicious. Would be worth another visit the next time we are in the neighbourhood. read more

My friends all told me this place was absolutely amazing, so I wanted to try it. It was an hour wait, seemed pretty popular. The reviews were great so I was expecting good pizza, and the pictures online looked very appetizing. I'm not sure if it was just an off night or something, but it was actually inedible. The pizza was literally chunky clumps of sauce. Some pieces had 0 cheese, it was just completely saturated with sauce. It looked NOTHING like the pictures online. I sent a picture of my pizza to all of my friends who told me to go here, and they said their food has never turned out like this. I'm getting the vibe that this was accidental and perhaps they were just really busy so they didn't fully pay attention to what they were doing? I'm willing to give this place a second chance because of all the amazing reviews, but my experience was pretty bad. read more

Food and service was great but big turnoff for us was the fact that they charge for bread - pretty tacky especially given the menu price point. Spent ~ $200 for 2 which is around what we plan for wine and dinner but will likely not be going back because of that turnoff as several other great restaurants in the area we enjoy. Cheers. read more

Came here for the second time last night for hubby's birthday just the two of us. Love the chic ambiance and overall just a great place to dine. Food was delicious, service was great, and we had a very nice time. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for an elegant/ chic ambiance day or night without having to trec into the city. Amazing handcrafted cocktails as well. I recommend the Crush cocktail. read more

Locale Aurora - Crush Cocktail - Italian Near Me - Aurora, Ontario

Nice atmosphere. Drinks are small and overpriced. Octopus serving is small for price compared to Fishbone. Service is pretty good. Overall - overrated restaurant imo. read more

Locale Aurora - Octopus serving (quite small) - Italian Near Me - Aurora, Ontario

Sorry if you're KETO - because according to this restaurant it's not a dietary restriction. We sat at the bar. Started with a couple of martinis, muscles, beef short ribs and a steak. Washed it all down with an Amarone .... all sounds great, but! I asked the restaurant to swap out my mashed potatoes and carrots for Brussels sprouts and they refused. So I had to order a $10 side on top of my $35 short ribs. I wasn't asking for an entire order, so what's the harm I putting a few sprouts on my plate? Add to that in my opinion any bottle of wine over $100 should be decanted. Even though we sat at the bar my husband had to refill our glasses. Regardless of how much you do or don't spend customer service should be high on the list of priorities and it in this case it clearly was not! read more

Went to this place with my wife. Had Reservations But the hostess told us we have to finish eating in one hour or be moved to the bar. The server was very cold just try to up sell drinks, we do not drink alcohol and she was visibly upset by we just were Water. The menu was very limited. What are the Seabass, seafood spaghetti and a pizza. The portions were tiny, the pizza was ok. The fish is NOT seabass and the seafood pasta was as plain as if you just boiled everything and put butter and a tiny bit of salt in. When the pasta arrived the server did not even come by and offer any cheese. at the end all she cared was how much tip she got. This is the worst place I've been in a long time will not return ever, read more

I want to let everyone know what an amazing restaurant Locale Aurora is. I was there Oct.10 for lunch with my daughter and her boyfriend from Toronto. Thea(not sure how to spell it correctly) took very good care of us. She is absolutely lovely. So friendly, helpful and gave us excellent suggestions. Our meals were excellent. My daughter was very impressed with the food and the incredible service. This was my third visit there and I would recommend Locale highly. If you are fortunate to have Thea taking care of you, would be even better. Such a wonderful lunch with great food and atmosphere. Thank you. Debbie read more

Compliments to the chef! An all around exceptional dining experience. From friendly knowledgeable servers, to a well thought out menu, and fantastic execution. I have to say that was one of the best meals I have had in a long time! I tried the grilled calamari, beet salad, mussels, sea bass, pizza and every dish was outstanding! Our server was also amazing and made the experience that much more memorable! Looking forward to going back soon! read more

The restaurant itself is beautiful, service was great but the lunch portions are way to small for the amount you spend.

Excellent service, great atmosphere and very tasteful food. The mushroom truffle crostini was to die for. Calamari was fresh and delightful. Pizza was also well cooked. read more

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What a gem in Aurora! Came to have a celebratory dinner and this place delivered! You may not think much as it is located awkwardly in a plaza, but don't let that deceive you. Showed up at 7 on a Thursday night, and although busy, were able to to get a table. Loved the decor inside; very intimate. They also had a patio which had beautiful decor to block the views of the parking lot. We had a great waiter (I forget his name but he had a beard and shaved head), who took great care of us. He got the bartender to make me a great cocktail which tasted like a bourbon sour. We also had two glasses of delicious prosecco. For apps, we had the salumi platter and burrata. The burrata complimented the meat so well, and because they don't serve it with a bunch of bread, I didn't feel stuffed. For my main, I had the pizzicati, which was a carrot pasta filled with ricotta. It looked small but I found it to be the perfect size. The ricotta inside was so creamy, I wish I had more now. My date had the pizza which was also super yummy. For dessert we had the Italian doughnuts which had an apple cinnamon taste, and we dipped it into the budino. It was the perfect way to end the meal. The doughnuts were so hot, they just melted in your mouth. The bill was reasonably priced for two apps, four alcoholic drinks, two mains, and two desserts at just over 200 with tax and tip. I will definitely be back for this amazing service and food! read more

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My wife and I dined there this evening and were very impressed . Excellent food with generous portions and well presented. Service excellent. Calamari was perfectly cooked, beet salad sensational, pastas were superb. One of our better meals. Pizzas looked fabulous. Will return soon. I gave t a 90 and my wife a 95. read more

Our favourite spot for date night. We originally tried the king city location which is just as wonderful and we were so happy to see one open a little closer to home! We usually just get the specials since they are always amazing but there is one pasta dish on the standard menu that is really amazing - not sure the exact name but it's a mushroom traciatella. Be sure to try their pizzas as well. You really can't go wrong! If you have room for dessert try the little fried apple donut balls! read more

The modern decor makes it feel like you're dining somewhere downtown Toronto. The food was amazing. The mussels special (app) was addictive with it's spicy kick sauce. The Octopus (app) was cooked perfectly and balanced well with the sauce and fennel. The Sea Bass (main) had a crispy exterior but melted in your mouth - delicious; and the Budino (dessert) was the perfect way to cap it all off. I dare to say that the Budino stole the show in the end; and I would go back just for it! Absolutely Delicious! read more

It was very good the food. Tasty, fresh and served warm. I only gave it a four star brocade I found it to be a little pricey for the amount you get but it's good. I had beets salad which was 17$ and branzino $34 dessert served so hot and good not 9-12$ we dont drink we had water outu husband had fried fish platter then pasta he loved ana pudding dessert our bill came out to $140 a little much but I will say the food was fresh tasty and good but for the amount of food you get hair a little pricey. I would go back for sure. read more

Was surprised to find such an elevated dining experience in Aurora, to be honest. The service was excellent, very professional and only exceeded by the quality of the food itself!!! We started with the muscles with garlic toast, which were wonderful, and were only exceeded by the two pizzas that followed. These were the Sopressata and the Funghi. Though quite different from each other, they were both excellent for their individual flavours and also for what they shared. The Sopressata's black olives, Gorgonzola cheese and hot salami had a wonderful briny essence while the Funghi's mushrooms and truffle mozzarella brought a beautiful earthiness to the table. What they shared was possibly the best pizza dough/ crust we gave ever had (including Gerard's on the Danforth and Hey Pizzano's) !! Though deliciously thin, the dough had a lightness reminiscent of a danish! Delightfully surprising!! Most certainly, we will be returning and bringing friends and family to celebrate any special occasions !!! Most highly recommend! Superior food to Sarpa's - Less pretentious. read more

Good service and good food despite the pandemic. Although I wish the staff reinforced the physical distancing rules with patrons who don't respect them. I was at the reception - waiting to be seated - when a man and his buddy busted past everyone else, despite the sign on the door asking to wait. They stood mere inches away from me, as they tried to pull on masks, clearly disregarding the rules. When I asked that they allowed for some space between us - I'm pregnant and considered vulnerable - one of them snapped back at me "you should stay at home if you're so afraid of COVID". I understand that keeping disrespectful and rude patrons in line may not be easy, but I wish the hostess or Maitre-D' interfered and reinforced the rules - alas they stayed silent throughout the ordeal. It did not make for a good experience. read more

Ate on the patio last night. It was our 5th time at the restaurant but the first time we were disappointed with the food. The pizza dough tasted much different. It was dry. My wife had the pasta with eggplant in it and it tasted like a Kelseys pasta. This was our first restaurant visit in months and we were looking forward to it. I'm not sure if they changed chefs or maybe went with cheaper ingredients ? I will say the staff was doing a very good job and our waiter was very pleasant. read more

Very happy to have a tasteful restaurant in Aurora. The décor is trendy and modern. Our pizzas were perfect! Now I don't have to go to Toronto for a tasteful and authentic pizza. read more

We were a party of 3 with no reservations on Father's Day. The manager found is a table. We got there mid afternoon and the patio was pretty full. The service was great. The food was really good. The Oysters were fresh, mussels amazing and pizza as well. My wife and daughter enjoyed the cocktails. I recommend this location to those that enjoy good food and a good drink menu. read more