I didn't get what I ordered. The staff was friendly and everything but mmmm still it was not what I ordered. They should put more attention to what the customer asks, my order was not complicated at all, just bolognese with fettuccine pasta and they didn't get it right . C'est la vie. read more

**Updated 2017- while my previous review is still true, what I'm really raving about is chef Roberto Marotta who has since left Nodo & opened his own wonderful restaurant called ARDO, on King west right at Jarvis. Roberto has high standards for every ingredient he uses in his kitchen and is the one who brought the menu to Nodo. So if delicious authentic Sicilian food is your focus, you should give ARDO a visit as well. :) This is just a short review to tell you that the food at Nodo is amazing. Full disclosure: my cousin is the chef. That said, my family does a whole lot of things I wouldn't recommend -- I'm loyal but I wouldn't tell you to eat something that I didn't truly love. By the way, don't hire my uncle to fix your boat. Kidding. I don't have a boat. The food at Nodo is simple, because it can be. Its just so *good*. I had the anchovies (so fresh and delightful) the octopus (gorgeous and tasty, and for some reason the zucchini it came with blew my mind). My friend had the Old School gnocchi with wild boar ragu. It was every bit as awesome as he had hoped. Oh the cannoli! Perfection. One side crusted with pistachios, the other with chocolate with a tiny sliver of orange. Light, fresh, fantastic. There was so much more on the menu. We skimmed the surface really. Everything looked good. I can't wait to go back. There is a lovely room downstairs for private parties. And they have gluten free pasta. Open 7 days a week! Go. Eat. So good. read more

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I'm not one to easily give a 5 star rating, especially in my first try, but when the food was excellent and the prices were fair and the service was great, what more can you ask for ? Only open 2 weeks, I was impressed that I had no complaints. Didn't have to Wait long for food and the servers were friendly and knowledgeable. Maybe it helps that the owners seemed to be on site too. Italian food at its simplest. No try hard fancy over the top fusion stuff. Just pure taste and quality. We started off with the speducci appetizer ($8) for 3 skewers - would have been nice if there were a 4th. Although heavily salted, it tasted amazing. Pastas ranged from $13 to 15 (in fact noticed no dish was over $20). I think it was a fair price. The Capeletti (tomato with cream of parmesean Asiago baked) was like a glorified mac and cheese but it was so good. Not heavy and creamy but not dry either, came in a large ramekin which was more than enough for me. Husband got the calzone. Huge! But great man sized portion $15. Filled with goat cheese and eggplant and roasted red peppers. We really want to try dessert but we were stuffed. Downstairs there's a nice private dining area with a tv. Only complaint is due to the open walls, there were two flies that really wanted to join us for dinner. Annoying. We are ready to come back already and look forward for more restaurants for this calibre to open up on the street ! read more

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Was in own for TIFF and my friend suggested this place for dinner. They don't take reservations but we called ahead and they weren't too busy on a Thursday night. We were seated right away and the owner Charlie was really nice. He greeted us and made us feel very welcomed. The servers were very attentive and our food was brought out in a reasonable amount of time. I would definitely come back, this place lives up to the Italian food standard for me. Order the rice balls those are to die for read more

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We had a dinner here per Yelp recommendation. We ordered a spring salad, an octopus appetizer and a pasta (I forget the exact names). The salad was fresh but the dressing was too sour to my liking. My BF thought the salad dressing was alright. We both loved the octopus appetizer. The dish was created with fitness. The octopus was meaty yet sufficiently tender. The pasta was cooked al dente. Unfortunately, the pasta sauce was very salty. I could take salty alright, but the saltiness overwhelmed my BF. Maybe if we had ordered a pasta with Alfredo sauce, our experience would have been better. Services was great. The decor was European urban classy. The lighting was too dim. The value of main entree was outstanding. The appetizer was pricey due to overly small portion. read more

Nodo - Junction - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Wanting to take my wife out with our daughter to celebrate some recent success in her career, I asked her where she wanted to go for dinner. After some consideration she recalled that our last and only time visiting Nodo had been less for pleasure and more for function (we were starving and had to be somewhere very quickly) so we didn't get to truly enjoy our experience as we rushed through dinner, and vowed we'd return. So having a reason to celebrate AND visit Nodo again was a double win. We knew they had great mains but now we would actually have a chance to enjoy. I tried to make reservations but sadly even with a baby, they wouldn't as they're packed most nights without taking a reservation. So we tried our best to get there on time/early to get a seat but failed. We were fortunate enough to grab a few seats on the bar (not an easy task with a baby in a car seat). While on the bar my wife was feeling a little weary from missing lunch that day, so we asked to order a few appetizers and a drink each to help tide us over. We had: ARANCINI $9 crispy rice balls filled with mozzarella, peas,'ragù di carne' CARCIOFINI FRITTI $10 crispy baby artichokes, lemon- caper-cucumber aioli I missed the fact that the arancini had meat in it so unfortunately, with my wife being vegetarian that was a miss for her (my bad), but I personally loved their egg shaped rice balls that were so delicious I could have easily had a plate or two of that for dinner. The artichokes were a sleeper, something we were a little weary of ordering but wanting something 100% vegetarian it seemed like a safe bet. And it was... and then some! The portion was plentiful and tasty! Definitely an out of the box MUST ORDER for the adventurous. We were seated shortly thereafter and having just starred at the menu for 30 minutes while waiting we wasted little time, ordering a bottle of wine to share and the following: BRUSCHETTONE $14 fresh tomato bruschetta pizza (with light mozzarella), garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, olive oil ** Warning: The above, while easily the best tasting bruschetta I've had in ages, it is not Bruschetta, it's a long bruschetta pizza. Way too much for one person and damn nearly too much for two people who had mains on the way. Also a must order, especially if part of a group. ** She had... RIGATONI /// TRINACRIA $17 garlic-blitzed cherry tomato and zucchini, basil, smoked mozzarella, finished with fresh arugula, shaved ricotta salata ... and she loved it, but was so full from the rest of our meal she could barely put a dent in it so took most of this home for lunch the next day. I had... GNOCCHI (OLD SCHOOL) /// RAGÚ D'AGNELLO $19 homemade potato gnocchi, slow-lamb ragù, lemon-mint ricotta ... and I loved this as well. I've had lamb ragu on a variety of different pasta vessels and at it's lightest its a hell of a heavy meal, but on gnocchi, pastas fat, filling cousin - it becomes a delicious colon clogging, artery stopping meal. THEN add in that dollop of fresh ricotta and stir it into the sauce and it becomes so insanely rich that my blood type rapidly changed TO Ragu. I would say the flavours of this dish are amazing but the mix of heavy ricotta, heavy gnocchi and lamb meat sauce make this far too heavy for anyone to manage if they've eaten anything else that afternoon. I'd have this on rigatonni or penne next time. All in all a great meal, I wish they took resos, but they did do their best to help us out with our baby, and I want that Lamb Ragu pasta again but without the gnocchi, otherwise a near perfect experience in my books Eatcrest Out read more

So delicious! Without a doubt, this little Italian gem of a restaurant does not disappoint! Dishes are sophisticated, creative, and flavorful and they are not overpriced. Despite how 'common' it might be to order pizza and pasta, the combinations here are unique and awesome! I think you can't go wrong with whichever pizza or pasta you decide to go with, they all sound so good! If you like a strong, creamy, mushroomy pizza, I highly suggest Ca'Domini. Our favorite dish of the night was the Rigatoni (vegetable version) though be aware this is REALLY salty and the pasta is very al dente but flavor is bang on. The papardelle with duck is interesting, still very good on its own but the other dishes we ordered impressed us more. If you order this, despite the size it is very heavy and you'll be drinking lots of water to compensate for the salt. We also ordered grilled octopus and lamb skewers as appetizers. They were good but less value for it since for the price you don't get much. Complimentary bread with olive oil is served at every table. Service is friendly but veryyy slow. We were ignored/forgotten a few times. Lots of families come here and there is a beautiful room downstairs if you need to book a room for a special event. Highly recommend and would come back! read more

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This is quickly becoming my go-to spot to whisk away visiting friends into a quieter part of town (the Junction) and pretty much guarantee their satisfaction. With handmade noodles and the sound of Italian conversation wafting through the air (oh, and the smell of delicious food, too), Nodo delivers a truly authentic Italian experience that's a true crowd-pleaser. The decor is a charming mix between your grandmother's hundred-year-old home and your chicest friend's dining room. Seriously, whoever designed this place has an unparalleled eye for mixing styles into literal perfection. As for the food, it's unbeatable. My friends have had the calzone and have exploded from joy in front of me. Others have had meat-based pasta dishes and have actually imploded from sheer happiness with life. A vegetarian/vegan might have trouble with really authentic Italian places in general. At least from my experience, the most exciting dishes generally feature meat or seafood. However! Do not fear. Even their simple meals I have devoured with great joy - and by joy I mean several, "Oh my god," and, "I need five more servings of this." I ordered their most minimalist pasta dish - I think their pomodoro? - and I adored it. I dream about it at night, and when I open my pantry to nothing but Life cereal and peanut butter. If your time in TO is limited, I highly suggest making the trip out to the Junction for this place alone. If you live in TO, you have no excuse not to pretend to fly out to Italy and have some epic pasta. read more

Nodo - Junction - Moments before the calzone and fettuccine were devoured. - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Nodo No, do go to this place. It's good. Our party of 6 dined at Nodo on a Monday night and it was a very enjoyable experience. We will be going back to try it again the next time we are in The Junction! Nodo was a recommendation from a friend of a friend and I did little of my own review before dining so I was really going into this one blind. We were seated at the entrance of the restaurant which could have been very uncomfortable with strong winds outside, however, there was a heavy curtain preventing most of the wind from chilling us during our meal. That's a good start! Our waitress was excellent. She was very friendly and helpful (took time to explain the multitude of questions we had) and her service was prompt. We each ordered a starter and a main and shared two desserts, all which were excellent. The tastes were distinct and bright like Italian cuisine should be, however, next time we will order fewer starters as the portions were larger than we anticipated. The menu includes all of the traditional Italian categories (Assaggina, Insalate, Antipasti, Pizza, Pasta, etc.) which was a little overwhelming to some of our party but for someone who is more-or-less familiar with that format, all of my favourites were available. The highlight for me was the crispy, fried shrimp and calamari plate. It was well-seasoned, fried perfectly, and great for sharing. All plating was simple and elegant. The ambiance was very enjoyable. There were interesting fixtures and pieces of art which caught our eyes at various points in the night and the high ceilings created a perfect noise level for having a group conversation. I felt as though the food prices were very fair for the quality, variety and taste. We did not order wine but the list looked sizable. Next time I will request a table closer to the back of the restaurant as the vibe seemed cozier towards the kitchen. THE GOOD Delicious food that reminds you of Nonna's cooking. Cliché but it's true. Oh, and the portions are Nonna-sized too! THE BAD Cannot count on dining at a specific time as reservations are not taken. THE BEAUTIFUL Tasteful, comfortable, clean interior. It's not just the food that's yum -the restaurant is nice on the eyes as well. read more

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WOW! Amazing food ! Thanks Charlie and Frankie T for a great lunch! Wasn't one dish of the 4-5 I tried that I wasn't completely amazed by. read more

I had been eyeing this place for some time now when I finally decided to give it a try for Hubby's and I birthday dinner. We came in on a Friday night a bit after 7pm and the place was packed. FYI they don't take reservations. We were kindly welcomed in by a host who informed us it would be a 20 minute wait but we could have a seat at the bar which offers the full service dinner menu and the waiter would grab us when our table was ready. We decided to wait it out on the bench by the front as we watched more and more patrons come in. 20 minutes later true to his word our table was ready and the wait time had increased to 40+ minutes. We were led through the dim lit restaurant to the last table against the communal tufted black leather banquet that ran along both lengths of the restaurants. I particularly liked this table as it felt much more intimate as there was no one seated to the left of us and we had great views of the bar, kitchen, and entire restaurant. Our bubbly and friendly waitress came over to greet us and went over the entire menu with us and was super informative giving us honest opinions and helping us choose between dishes. We started the night with some crisp and refreshing pinot grigio that came served in a funky jug with a rooster on it. We were then brought over some complimentary bread with olive oil and lupini beans - which our waitress described to us as the Italian version of edamame. To begin our meal we shared a salad. Rucola E Fungi - Organic baby arugula, wild mushroom, goat cheese, toasted walnut, diced radish, lemon-balsamic vinaigrette Very fresh tasting, I enjoyed the tangy dressing against the spicy arugula with the creamy goat cheese and crunchy toasted nuts For our mains we decided to share two entrees and a side Rigatoni Bolognese - Slow cooked veal, pork, beef ragu, reggiano Very large portion of pasta cooked to a perfect al dente. My only complaint was the lack of meat. I was expecting a rich chunky meat sauce but there was only a few crumbles of meat through out the huge bowl of pasta which was mainly coated in the san Marzano tomato sauce which was still delicious. Lamb Costolette D'Agnello - Fire-grilled, marinated lamb chops, rainbow beets, roasted brussels, garlic rapini, rustic herb potato, nebbiolo-demi Cooked to a perfect medium rare the lamb was so succulent and flavourful! Again another large portion, 4 chops sitting on a bed crushed potatoes and a gorgeous array of winter vegetables. It was definitely the highlight of our meal. Blackened Brussels, shallot, maple-cider I adore brussel sprouts and always have to order them whenever I see them on the menu. These were particularly good with a yummy sweet and tangy glaze lightly blackened and with still a bit of crunch to them - I ate every last one! I was super stuffed by the time we finished our mains but who am I to ever refuse dessert especially when it's your birthday! Chocolate Torta Cioccolata - Warm Flourless chocolate torte, artisan vanilla gelato, white-honey, crushed nuts I'm a sucker for a warm chocolate cake especially when paired with gelato. What I really liked about this cake was it was more of a dark chocolate flavour and leaning towards the bitter side of chocolate which was great after all that rich food and it really complimented the sweet and creamy vanilla bean gelato. I scraped every last bit of my dessert off the plate. Tiramisu - Classic Italian tiramisu made with fresh mascarpone Hubby loves tiramisu so he had to order this. Of course I got to snag a couple large mouthfuls and it was also to die for! Just the perfect take on this popular Italian classic. I can truly see why this place is soo packed the service here is just amazing. Our waitress was soo warm and friendly - she surprised us with candles in our desserts and all the waiters wished us a happy birthday as we were leaving. The food came out in perfect timing with wonderful flavours and hearty portions, and the ambiance here makes you not want to leave. One downside to this place is that the tables are pretty tiny and it was circus trying to juggle all the huge plates of food. The servers were really great at clearing plates when you were done and trying their best to make everything fit. We were lucky we had no one beside us as we were able to stretch out and have more space. It's definitely worth checking out but make sure you stay away from the centre tables along the banquet as they are really squished together. read more

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We came in around 7pm on a Saturday night and was seated within minutes. I do have to say, the service was very friendly and attentive. After going through the menu three times (and I have to admit, I looked up the menu before we went to Nodo), we decided to go for the gnocchi (new school) and the steak, which was their special. My friend enjoyed the gnocchi and savoured every last bite. He did not let any sauce go to waste. The steak was cooked well. It wasn't amazing and mind blowing but hey, its better than any steak I could make. I liked it but that being said, I had better steak. Overall, this place was pretty solid with welcoming atmosphere. It is a great place to bring your friends to catch up. Note: They do not take reservations and this place is bustling. read more

Nodo - Junction - Gnocchi -New school - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

We came out for dinner and decided Nodo was the best option tonight. We were not disappointed. The food was delicious. We decided on the calamari, pizza and pasta special. Wow! The flavours were spectacular, the service was attentive. We had a minor issue with our meal, and the manager was amazing, dealt with our issues right away. We will definitely be back. read more

Ordered an Anniversary takeout meal from Nodo and we were very impressed. Cornish hen was delicious, my asparagus ravioli the same, but I think my favourite was the beet carpaccio (yes, beet not beef!) with fresh Burrata! So fresh and delicious! Had no room for the warm flourless cake so that will be an extra treat today. Happy to help a local restaurant during this crazy time. read more

One of my two favourite Italian restaurants (and one of my top 10 favourite restaurants) in Toronto! I usually frequent the Junction location. Delicious every time. High quality food and good wines at a fair price. Friendly and attentive staff, wonderful atmosphere and ambiance. Not pretentious. I can't say enough good things about Nodo. A neighbourhood staple for my family and I. Note: it does get busy especially if you are going for dinner especially Thurs-Sun! I know they have a private dining room downstairs. Most tables are for 2-4 people so just know that it may be harder to get seating for larger parties. The wait can be long but there is a bar in the back and also a lot of options in the neighbourhood while you wait. read more

One of my fave spots for Italian in the city. Friendly staff, great food and always a great experience. I love the new school gnocchi and their Brussels sprouts. But you can order anything on the menu and you won't be disappointed. Full of amazing options and there is something for everyone. read more

Absolutely amazing food. A must try! We started off with the beef carpaccio which was very thinly sliced and was nicely seasoned. I loved the pine nuts and deep fried capers on top, which was a very nice touch. For mains, my mom and I shared the duck parpadelle and the new school gnocchi. The duck was braised for a very long time, and was tasty and soft while retaining a slight gamey taste. You could taste the freshness of the pasta. The gnocchi was also very good and was pan fried first so that the outside had a nice crunch. It was in a mushroom sauce that had so much depth, and didn't taste like anything I've ever had before. If you're ever in the area, you definitely must visit! read more

I've ate here so much. Uber eats. Take out. Dinning inn. No matter what way the food enters my tummy it's always bang on. My fav place on st. Clair!! Hands down amazing! I may be the only person in the world who doesn't like pizza. But after eating a pizza made like that I'm a pizza lover now read more

I love NODO! This place never disappoints. Truly my favourite place for italian. Went there tonight. Always order the fish dish and husband ordered the linguini with clams. He loved it. I loved mine. My only issue was the wasabi flavoured broccoli? Please don't do that again. Otherwise, a great go to for italian. read more

Attended a small Xmas function in December and felt that the Server and Bar Staff were more interested in the Soccer Match playing on their Jumbo TV than serving us. NODO has already raised their prices prior to the January 1st Minimum-Wage Hike so you would expect better service. The wait for our meals was unusually long but the restaurant was busy. Server could have accommodated us with more bread and extra appetizers (not just a teeny-weeny dish of Chick Peas !). Our group should have brought our own bottle of Wine and just paid the cork fee . Avoid the thin-crust Pizza and order the Gnocchi . Oh well, next time.................NODO is a NO-GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I went to the junction one, pizza was incredible it's on my top 3 pizza places, also the bread is homemade and tastes delicious, the attention Is fenomenal, loved this place, we ordered couple of times via Uber eats as they are still open read more

Arrived at around 7:30pm on a Thursday with some friends and waited for about 5 minutes to be seated. I don't eat Italian very often but I'm glad that one of my girlfriends picked this place to try out. We ordered the rice ball and fried calamari for starters. Though they were both good I did have much higher expectations from the hyped up reviews. For our main, we ordered pizza, the new school gnocchi and the trinacria rigatoni. My friends and I agreed that the pasta was the best out of everything we ordered. The rigatoni is light made with a lot of fresh vegetables, a great summer pasta. The new school gnocchi was my favourite, it was pan fried and cooked perfectly through, though the portion leaned toward the smaller side. We ended off with the Tiramisu which was good as well. As for the service, they were friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back to try their other dishes! read more

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Slightly above average Italian restaurant. The food was alright and service was nothing special. Slightly overpriced for what you get. Went here on a Saturday night and the place was quite busy. We had a reservation, so we were fine with getting a table. I got the rice balls as an appetizer to start and then had pizza for dinner (can't recall the name, but it was a chef's special with pear, walnuts and honey on it). Rice balls - $9 for two rice balls. They were really cheesy and not very ricey. It tasted really good, but so is everyone covered in cheese and then deep fried. Pizza - just over $20. The pizza was pretty good. The dough was nice and fluffy and the presentation of it was great. The pizza itself is quite sweet, but that's because of all the honey. It's almost more of a desert pizza. Good for ordering in a big group and everyone having a slice of two of it. Service - I'm not sure if they were understaffed or what, but everything took so long. From sit down to leaving, we were there for about 2 hours. And that was not because we were taking our time. I think it took about 30 minutes just to put our order in. Overall, with the app, pizza and wine, total bill was about $50 including tax and tip. I don't think I would come back and if I was ever in the area I would opt to try out something else. But if nothing is available, this isn't a terrible choice. read more

I had no expectations for Nodo but walked away very satisfied after a Saturday evening dinner there. We started off with the Fritto Misto Gamberi E Calamari, mainly a fried calamari dish along with 3 pieces of decent mid-sized shrimp. It was deliciously battered and fried, served hot and fresh with a lemon and a small cup of 'Quattro Stagioni' sauce. I found that the calamari itself was flavourful enough to enjoy even without the sauce. The Pappardelle Ragu D'anatra was perfectly al dente pasta, rich in flavours, and the duck ragu was delicious. I would've enjoyed it even more if it had a touch of heat (i.e. chili flakes). The Garganelli Cavolfiore Gratinato was really good as well if you like creamy pastas. The breadcrumb-cheese-crusted cauliflower was a nice touch, I would've liked more of it in the dish. A little on the rich side but the portion was generous enough that I could pack up a little leftovers and save room for dessert. We finished with the tiramisu which was soft, delicious, and creamy. It was the perfect end to a great meal. The ambiance and atmosphere was nice, and the server was attentive without being overbearing. Overall, Nodo is definitely a gem for italian food in the city. I would visit again at this location or their new one that recently opened up. read more

Nodo - Junction - Fritto Misto Gamberi E Calamari - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I really enjoyed my experience at Nodo. The staff were very nice and knowledgeable. I had the cacio e pepe with pear and walnuts and it was super good. The others in my party had pizzas and they looked and smelled amazing. There are a few other dishes that I have my eye on, so I will be sure to revisit! Pasta la Vista, baby!! read more

Wow! Ambiance 5* Food 4* Service 4* Was recommended this place a year ago... totally should have gone a year ago! Italian in the area doesn't get any better! Go! Seriously..stop reading reviews and go!! read more

While visiting Toronto in May I dropped in just to see their menu. Decided to stay and ordered the calamari and a salad. I was totally stunned at the gigantic amount of calamari they served, I didn't count how many but it had to be around 30 pieces. Cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious. I've eaten a lot of calamari but this was the very best. I'll be going back next year when I return to Toronto. read more

We tried Nodo in the Junction on a whim one evening in late December. We arrived at 6pm and were seated right away but it got really busy, really fast. We ordered the calamari/shrimps...the calamari was not that great...the shrimps were good. My son had the pizza and being a kid, was turned off by the blackened/charred bottom (I guess from a wood oven?). Honestly, I had a piece just to try it and it wasn't great. I had the cornish hen dinner and it was SOOOO good. I actually crave it just thinking about it. My husband had some pasta (I can't remember which one - that's how unremarkable it was). Overall, I really liked the atmosphere and the waiter was super nice to us but I don't think we'll be hurrying back anytime soon. read more

I didn't really enjoy my experience here. We were in a large party close to the holidays and it was slammed. It took forever to get drinks (30 minutes ) and we only had 2 menus for 8 people. Each person had to pass the menu to decide. Our appetizers took 30 minutes and our mains came 45 minutes later. We had a child with us and she was just so hungry and cranky by the time the apps came. The food was okay. The risotto balls are good and my pizza was fine but I was so frustrated I just wanted to leave. The music is too loud and the ambience lighting too dark. Far too trendy and under staffed for me. read more

Man, what a bummer. This place just wasn't good. My fiance and I went on a Sunday evening, which apparently was our first mistake as it felt like we were eating at a frigging Chuck-e-Cheese restaurant. The entire room was just full of children--every table but ours had at least two and while the kids were pretty well behaved, I had to spend my time feeling sorry for those poor saps who can't eat a meal without having to cut someone's pasta into tiny bites (NO DADDY, NOT LIKE THAT!!!) or pretend to care about their crappy drawing. I actually like kids a lot but if I want the atmosphere of an Ikea restaurant on a Sunday at noon, I'll drive to Scarborough (and the meatballs will be better than my meal at Nodo). Anyway. The food was crappy which meant I also had to feel sorry for me and my bf. The main flavour profile of my gnocchi with wild boar ragu was salt. Some doughy potato balls laced with brown salt. My partner got the pasta dish with the grana padano and cauliflower and it had no taste whatsoever. The desserts were good (panna cotta and bread pudding) and I really liked my burrata appetizer. Our waitress was friendly and the service was decent. We left feeling damn disappointed. I don't have a lot of money but I worked a big ass extra shift this week so we decided to treat ourselves--I guess the plus side is I can enjoy my dollar PC mac and cheese knowing it's actually better than the pasta I had at Nodo. read more

So excited for another great restaurant in my 'hood. We checked out Nodo for dinner on a rainy Wednesday night. We were seated right away at a cute table for two near the window. Great menu, lots of pizza and pasta options. We ordered 2 different pizzas and swapped slices to try each. Really good pizza, nice crust and a generous size for the $13-$15 price range (better than Queen Margherita West IMO). We stayed away from the tempting wine list as I'm still on detox from my vacation and we skipped dessert as well. Service was extremely good, our server checked in on us quite often. We'll be back for more! read more

Great and comforting Italian food in the Junction. Love the look of it, the service and the variety of dishes. It's my good to place in that area to eat at, also Grasshopper is great too. :) read more

Came here on Friday night at 6:30 for dinner with 4 other people. They don't take reservations, so depending on what day and time you come you may have to wait. We got lucky and were seated very quickly. There are several places to park on nearby streets. This is right beside Playa Cabana Cantina, and is one of the newer restaurants in the Junction's food scene. They've done a great job with the decor and the ambiance inside, it's slightly rustic chic and not pretentious. The service was excellent the whole time, very friendly and great at recommending wines. To start we had the spiducci, a charcuterie board, buffalo mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes and a margherita pizza to share. Now when it comes to spiducci/ lamb in general, I can be iffy on it because I find unless it's a good lamb, and cooked properly, you get that unmistakable muttony flavour. This spiducci was cooked perfectly and flavourful, came right off the stick. The charcuterie board had a couple different types of cheeses (one of which had truffle in it), prosciutto, and a few types of salami, an amazing truffle honey and a couple things on it I can't remember which was amazing. The buffalo mozzarella was large, soft and fresh and the multi-coloured heirloom tomatoes were a nice touch. The pizza was excellent, tasted fresh, and had a nice thin crust. I was just in Italy for a month this summer and this pizza definitely compared. For my main I had one of the specials of the night which was a risotto with scallops and a peice of salmon on top. The risotto was comparable to a traditional northern italian risotto which is hearty with small pieces of vegetables added in like diced carrots, peas, and beans. The small scallops were a nice touch and did not overpower the nicely cooked salmon filet on top. For dessert, I had the flourless chocolate torte with vanilla gelato. OMG is all I can say. The chocolate torte was rich, moist, soft and warm, and combined with the ice cream was amazing. After our meal, one of the owners of the restaurant came by to talk to us, he was a very nice person and you can tell he's passionate about his business. Overall, was very impressed with our experience and can't wait to come back (probably very soon). read more

Just FYI - They do not take reservations. Some people recommended that in their reviews but it just can't happen. I'll be back if I get a table :) The 5 stars is because they were nice on the phone and you can't post without stars. read more

An amazing restaurant with traditional italian food, with friendly staff and very reasonable prices. I went for my first time today and I went in with high expectations from what I heard from others and my expectations were still surpassed. Firstly, the service is great, everyone is friendly and on top of everything, it is very organized. Usually the owner comes around and greets everyone and is really friendly and nice to talk to. Secondly, the food. They have a Sicilian chef who is from Italy and has only been in Canada for a number of years. You can really tell by the flavours in the dishes that the chef is great. Every dish was awesome, especially the pastas. Also, I highly recommend the cannoli's that are made in house. The cream is really good and probably the best Ive tried outside of italy. Thirdly, the prices, this restaurant boasts a wide variety of dishes, all under $19. I have to say, many other resturaunts I have tried with much higher prices have food that can't even be compared to Nodo. I highly recommend it and will guaranteed be returning. It is affordable food, great service, and amazing flavour. I'll definitely be back. read more

This place is fantastic......Terroni's please take notes. Amazing pizza, thin crust, firm and full of flavour. Actually anything I try here is done well..... Great food and awesome service without the pretentious attitude of other restaurants with similar food. read more

Went here for my mother's birthday, they do not take reservations, I hate when places are "above" taking reservations but anyway, we still went. Had the arancini which was really delicious, has a ragu sauce with some peas in it as well, never seen it done that way before. Also had the warm olives and bread knots, the olives were great, the bread was dry. Wine list is decent, I like how they group by price because come on, we don't all work on Bay Street. Selected a nice Barbaresco from 2010 but they brought out the 2011, no biggie. We enjoyed three pasta dishes as entres: Pappardelle Ragu D' Anatra it was insanely rich and tasty, the duck is excellent. A couple pieces of the pappardelle was stuck together and raw but the majority of pieces were cooked as pasta should be, slightly a la dente. Tagliatelle Straccetti di Manzo e Funghi, quite delicious my mom polished off the whole bowl. Spaghetti Aglio Olio Adriatico, again an excellent dish with perfectly cooked pasta, what they don't tell you is they use sea asparagus which is quite rare and delicious if you like them, the seafood was also very fresh and cooked as you would want it (i.e. not mush!) They also have cacio pepe which is a Rome specialty (even though this place is apparently Sicilian?) and as simple as it sounds it's very tough to get right, we didn't have it but I want to try it at some point. The most disappointing aspect of the night was when I told the manager that it was my mother's birthday and if he could bring over a tiramisu with a candle. He said of course no problem. I waited about 15 minutes and no Tiramisu and no candle, I wish I was able to tell the server but as you're trying to "sneakily" tell someone without my mother noticing it's kind of tough. The manager guy basically spent the entire night talking to a table of gentlemen who were speaking Italian. I guess I know where I fell in the pecking order of importance. I ended up leaving without being able to sing happy birthday to my mom, a little disappointing. Our server was great and no fault of hers. Would I go back....probably, would I ever go for a special night again? Nope. read more

Welcome Nodo! Lovely, friendly, warm service and tasty food. There was a great vibe here at 10 pm on a rainy Wednesday night. I felt like I was in Europe. The affogato with pistachio ice cream stole my heart. Congratulations on a successful opening. read more

The gals and I had much to celebrate this past week and we met up at Nodo, a new Italian hotspot in Toronto's Juntion neighbourhood. I liked the French country décor....but wasn't this an Italian restaurant? Whatever. It was a warm and welcoming atmosphere right upon entry. I joined my girlfriends, who were already mid-update and snacking on what I think were pickled or soured navy beans (Is it a French thing? I'll have to check), and sliced baguettes with olive oil. I loved how the table was casually dressed in a simple and elegant way. Three out of the four of us ordered that night's special, which was a veal chop with potato "cubes" resting on a bed of rapini and asparagus. Tan ordered the braised beef with vegetables. All plates were a very good size, very well presented and paired well with our wine. (And Barb's preferred mixed drinks :-) Nodo's chop was a chop all right. And a good-looking one, too. I cut myself a piece from the generous portion and thought about the bite as I chewed. (What I call the "Ratatouille Moment.") Not as crispy as my university-friend's version, but tasty. Truthfully, I found it a little on the salty side and it was an active explosion of flavours when paired with the bitterness of rapini and strong taste of asparagus, but when I asked my two friends (who also ordered the chop) one said: "A teensy bit salty, but very good," and the other replied "I'd like to marry the chef." It's funny how we all taste our food differently. In my opinion, the birthday dessert of handmade cannoli were the star of show (Happy Birthday, Tan!), and after one bite, I don't recall EVER eating one that good. The outside was fried and crispy, and the cheese on the inside was rich, creamy, a little tangy (yum) and I probably could have had more than just one. Ambience? Great. It was a cold and Thursday night and the place was full, warm and buzzing. Folks were still walking in when we were leaving. It wasn't too loud, it wasn't too dark and the place had great energy. Our handsome European server was attentive and the host (Giancarlo?) was happy give our favourite Event Planner a small tour of the private dining room that, although is in the restaurant's basement, was bright, warm and perfect for large dinners and small parties. By the way, the restaurant seemsnon-descript from the outside....but it's surprisingly big on the inside. While my dinner of choice may have been salty to me this first time around, I plan to go back and try another. What an awesome addition to Dundas West in the Junction. I'll see you all there again soon. read more

We came in on a crowded Saturday night and were promptly seated at the last remaining table. Friendly, quick service. Food was delivered incredibly fast and tasted great. Atmosphere was fun and lively. We stumbled onto this place by accident and it was great. Truly a local restaurant that is a diamond in the rough. read more