I recently visited Occhiolino's after hearing that the food looked quite good, and overall, it was a decent experience. The waiters were amazing, friendly, attentive, and welcoming, but the service was a little slower than expected. We started with the Focaccia, Burrata, Calamari, and Spiedini di Mozzarella, all of which were pretty solid and made for a good start to the meal. For the mains, we ordered the Spaghetti all'Amatriciana, Rigatoni alla Carbonara, and Fettuccine ai Gamberi. While the sauces were enjoyable, the pastas were somewhat underwhelming and didn't stand out as particularly special. A few of the dishes were also noticeably undercooked, some to the point where the pasta had an unpleasant crunch. That said, this seems like an easy issue for the kitchen to fix. I'd be happy to give Occhiolino's another try down the road to see if the experience improves. read more

Didn't get a picture of the pasta dishes, but the pasta was on the sweeter side. Most people in the group I went with did not end up finishing their dishes. The zucca fries were very oily. There are better zucchini fries at other restaurants downtown. The ambiance was dim and cozy, but the upstairs portion of the restaurant was extremely echo-y. It nearly impossible to hear who you're sitting with. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this restaurant. read more

Occhiolino - Zucca fritti - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Came here as a group of 8 on a Thursday night. We had a large table at the back by the window where you can see the staff making fresh pasta! Service was great - they were helpful in choosing pastas and apps. We tried a great variety - but my favourite was their parpadelle al barolo. Everything else was also good. The apps were good too - we tried their calamari and carpaccio. And the reviews are true about the portion size - they are on the smaller side. And for dessert, we tried their 2 soft serves (the infamous one with olive oil and salt) and cake. read more

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The staff were very friendly and welcoming. The bread and salad were both amazing and definitely the highlights of the meal. Unfortunately, one of the pasta dishes was extremely salty, and the drinks were just average. Overall, it was still a decent experience. read more

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This was a beautiful place! The pasta was so authentic and the salted ice cream was delicious. I got to try the rabbit pasta and it was phenomenal read more

Occhiolino - Olive oil sea salt, vanilla ice cream! - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We went when it was new back at the start of 2025 when we had the Trudeau Tax Holiday and could go for dinner and drinks without the tax. Remember that? I knew Trudeau was the only leader cool enough to think of this idea, which not only helped us have fun spending our cash, also helped out local small businesses by helping keep them afloat. I was under no illusions that this would ever happen again in Canada. Especially now with a conservative banker in charge of our taxes, there is NO WAY he will think the same way that a Trudeau would. First we thought, oh let's sit upstairs, for some reason when they went to seat us, and that was a mistake as it felt like we were sitting at a McDonalds instead of a nice Italian restaurant with the harsh lighting and a family sitting beside us blaring Dora the Explorer on the iPad to entertain the little one. We got moved to the chef's table area overlooking the kitchen and that was more like it. Still too bright for a nice restaurant but a lot better. The meal was ok and all, and I loved that dessert, but I felt that something was missing from our usual Italian dinners, as it was too distant from what we were used to going to places like the Dip. Let's hope they do well, in this oddball location I'm not sure that many businesses can survive there, but so far so good! Hopefully a patio in the front parking lot area will help. read more

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Came here to check out this restaurant since it's been all the hype. Had to taste it for myself! Barbabietole 4/5 - Usually not a fan of beets but my friend wanted this dish and man am I glad we got it. It was refreshing and tasty with the beets, orange, stracciatella, pistachio and mint. Great combination of flavours and beautiful colours all around. Zucca 5/5 - A deliciously fried kobocha squash that has a soft interior. Topped with honey and amaretti. Thought this was so good with the crisp, great for sharing and an overall amazing starter. Spaghetti All'amatriciana 5/5 - A great tomato sauced pasta dish. Topped with chili and pecorino. A great red sauce pasta that I'd get again. Pasta cooked perfectly. Gnocchi Al Zafferano 3.5/5 - This one lacked a bit of flavour and sauce to it as it was quite dry. Looked nice and tasty though! Got their soft serve dessert to end the meal and it was quite a refreshing note to end on. Overall, I loved the vibes here, service was great and food was good. Definitely worth checking out. read more

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We here for date night a couple months back when it first opened and really enjoyed our dinner. The focaccia was delicious and the squash and beet salad were so fresh and delicious! I also personally loved the pastas - they were freshly made onsite! Our waiter was really friendly and the service was overall amazing! Only con was there is no parking onsite, although there is street parking around and we were able to find parking relatively fast and only a 2 minute walk to the restaurant read more

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Occhiolino, which translates to "wink" in Italian, is a new Italian restaurant near the intersection of College and Bathurst (along Bathurst). The grey minimalistic building is a bit hidden but once you find it you can't miss it. If you've been on social media you've probably heard that one of the co-owners and general manager used to be the private chef of the musician/artist, Drake. The menu at Occhiolino focuses on freshly made pasta with a modern twist. There are also appetizers, desserts, as well as wines, cocktails, and mocktails available as well. I stopped by Occhiolino for a late lunch on Thurs afternoon. The restaurant is divided into a few sections, spanning 2 floors. The ground floor is accessible and has seating at the bar, chef's counter (where the kitchen and cooking takes place), and tables. The second floor does require you to manage a set of stairs which leads you to more tables. The neat thing is that the restaurant's pasta is all made in house at the back where you are also able to purchase the pasta to bring home to cook. Since I arrived at an odd time, there were only a few customers present. I opted to sit at the chef's counter where I could watch the kitchen in action (or no action this time since there weren't many customers haha). Service was friendly and attentive. I opted to get these two items: - Pappardelle al barolo (beef short rib, blue oyster mushroom, gremolata) - Soft serve (key lime pie flavour) The pappardelle was cooked well, el dente. The beef short rib was tender and the oyster mushrooms complemented the whole dish. Tasty flavours, not too salty, good seasoning. The soft serve was tasty as well - the key lime custard on top of vanilla soft serve with a crispy graham cracker throughout for texture. Overall, the food is tasty, simple, and cooked well, however, I felt it didn't have that wow factor I was looking for (or my expectations were too high after hearing all the hype around this place). The food and vibes of Occhiolino gives off casual, home-cooked pasta dishes in a sleek, minimalist environment. Service was friendly and the pastas all do certainly sound great. Would likely return to try more pasta dishes in the future! Tip - definitely quieter if you go for lunch! read more

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I'm surprised by some of the bad reviews. I was honestly concerned after making the reservation and then reading the reviews but we decided to stick with it and we had a great time. The place has a very simple and clean design. Tables don't feel crowded and the service was great. Portion sizes were perfect. We got the zucca and carne crudo to share among 4. Each of us got a pasta - chittarine alla teramana, pappardelle al barolo, and rigatoni alla zozzana. We also got the apple soft serve. I was pretty stuffed after the meal. Each pasta dish I believe is 120g of pasta. The zucca was perfectly crispy and slightly sweet with the honey drizzle, the crudo was very truffle forward and slightly salty but it went well. The pastas were all tasty sand the soft serve was a great way to end the meal. It's a solid spot for an Italian meal and not too pricey of you're sharing stuff, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back again. read more

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Came here for a work dinner on a weekday and was extremely impressed by the food, service, and ambiance. We were a party of about 20 people and they blocked off the mezzanine for us. Before I get into the food, I must say the exterior and interior of the restaurant is beautiful. Plenty of sunlight, some patio seats available, and very warm vibes. We started with drinks (wine for the table and cocktails). I got a frose which was very refreshing and had a nice guava flavour. For food, we had predetermined a set menu which included: - Foccaccia di Gesu: Normally I am not impressed by bread but this was different. Very crispy exterior, soft interior. Great texture. 8/10 - Burrata: An Italian staple but paired so well with the foccaccia. I loved it. 9/10 - Insalata D'estate: I think this is what we had for the salad but it may have been an off-menu item. A fennel and radicchio salad which I was pleasantly surprised to have liked since I am not a huge fan of bitterness. 8/10 - Calamari: This was really good. If you don't like the tentacles then you will like this because it was only large chunks of squid. The shishito peppers were also a nice balance. 9/10 - Risotto: This was not on the menu or I just cannot find it. Creamy cheesy corn risotto with a drizzle of margarita sauce (I think?). I'm not totally sure of the details but it was well done risotto. I wish there was more texture though, it was just the sauce and rice. 7/10 - Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe: This was a GOOD cacio e pepe. I always worry it is too salty but this was just right and the pepper was strong but not overpowering. The pasta they make in house by hand so you can trust it will be perfection. I have seen some reviews saying it is undercooked but personally it was al dente. 9/10 - Tonnarelli AOP: Yes yes yes this is a must try. There is garlic, there is spice, and some bread crumbs to top it all off. A party of flavour and texture. 10/10 - Soft serve ice cream: A fun way to end the meal. Reminiscent of McDonald's soft service but in a nice waffle cone. 8/10 I devoured this meal. I think I will come back and try the other items like crudo, gnocchi, and maybe a red sauce pasta dish. My one comment would be that I wish the portion sizes were much larger for the pasta dishes. It is really about quality over quantity here. read more

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Absolutely a fantastic dining experience here and for a restaurant that's so humble, we'd definitely come back again! We parked on College and walked a few minutes to Bathurst which wasn't an issue. The restaurant wasn't too hard to find but it wasn't really lit outside, but we still managed to find it with the help of Google :p. Service: 5/5 Food: 4/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Overall, we were very impressed with our mains, just but so sure about the Mortdella appetizer that might need a little work before serving. I'm not a huge fan of burnt food and it's understandable that food burns faster with sugar, but it should have been changed before being served. Maybe we'll try their Burrata and Calamari next time instead. Their cocktails and pasta were delish! Perfectly cooked pasta and seasoned, not overly salty, portion was just right! Top notch service here (really no complaints!), their friendly staff greeted us at the entrance and seated us upstairs shortly. Upstairs seemed to be more private and suitable for date nights and events and/or with children, but I suggest anyone who requires wheelchair access to ask the restaurant if they can be seated downstairs so you don't need to walk up the flight of stairs..(ask the restaurant)? Be sure to make a reservation! Will come back or/and definitely host an event here! Great job for a smooth opening and I'm loving this place already! read more

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Beautifully designed new Italian spot at College and Bathurst. It's a 3.5 for me but I have to round down. Apps were tasty but overly salty. We ordered 4 pastas and that the pasta itself was excellent. Freshly made and cooked all dente. We all agreed the rigatoni and spaghetti were the best. The truffle was a bit of a let down. The pastas are quite small so you'll need to have more than 1 per person (which they recommend). Felt pricey overall for the size of dish overall. Give it a try but not sure I'll be back soon. Service was excellent. read more

Occhiolino - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Skip this place and spend your money elsewhere. I agree with a lot that's been said already, and sadly little has changed since the earlier reviews. 1. Service For such a small space, the service was just not there. My group was told we could first sit at the counter and then wait for a table. No one followed up and I felt we had been coerced into sitting at the counter instead of waiting for an actual table so that was disappointing. Then when the waiter came around, it seemed like we caught them by surprise by asking for pasta recommendations which was a bit off putting. 2. Drinks. I don't know if something was off, but the drink we tried tasted terrible. It was like someone at one of those massive public events made it and gave very little thought into the whole process. Overly sweet and not balanced at all. 3. Food The focaccia was not well made and came in a bun shape (just why). At least the pasta was redeeming (two thumbs up to the pasta chef who killed it, running 3 stoves simultaneously and hustling the whole night!), but yeah the portions were way too small for anyone to be full. Overall seemed like a restaurant that belongs on king west if you know what I mean. read more

food was alright. the burrata was good but not the best i've ever had. for the pastas, the tonnarelli was severely undercooked and really hard to chew on - was not al dente at all. the radiatore was delicious and novel - i quite liked this! ambiance was 8/10. vibes were definitely there and lovely on valentine's day. i would say it was a bit too loud. service was 6/10. told our server we need some time (since my boyfriend went to the bathroom). she then came up to me while i was alone around 3 times. and once my boyfriend just sat down, she came immediately and we had to tell her again that we haven't had the time to look yet. we said we needed 5 mins but maybe gave us 30 seconds. i felt rushed and overwhelmed overall - at least she seemed kind. food came fast though. for the price, go somewhere else. nice to try though. read more

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A strange meal, but the pasta was superb. Why strange? There are no secondi on the menu, and even though the waiter was in pain, staff emphasize that the dishes were Italian style and size, there's nothing to follow the pasta with. The strange also because the waiter was completely indifferent and I suspect not particularly knowledgeable. The wine less gets a shout out for it is superb, especially the wines by the glass. Our favourite dish by far was the Casoncelli with fennel, nduja and pangrattato. I would definitely go back, but probably only for lunch. I do wish they would do something about the wait staff -- they need to at least pretend they are interested. read more

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Was very excited for this new spot however sadly was very underwhelming. Got the amoretto sour and it was not good... a simple staple but it was way too sweet. For the apps the focaccia was very disappointing - no flavour, tough and bland... the rest of the apps were ok. For the pasta id recommend the rigatoni but note that it has good kick. The pappardelle was very bland and meat was tough and dry... sadly wont be a spot ill come back to. read more

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Delicious fresh pasta. Thoughtful drink choices. Fun atmosphere. All around enjoyable.

i don't think they have an experienced chef the plates didn't make sense ... they were odd sized and terrible tasting The carpaccio was soaked oil topped with grapefruit the amount of carpaccio would be the equivalent of 4 small circles size pieces with grapefruit on top bathed in oil the barrata was small single serving sized it was a table of six and no one said they would come again read more

Quite a disappointing experience to say the least. Firstly, the portion sizing is extremely small for the price; much smaller than the average Italian restaurant in the city. I would suggest 2-3 apps on top of a main dish for an adequate amount of food betwen 2 people. This wouldn't be as much of a complaint if the food was exceptional but unfortunately, that was not the case. The dinner started off great with the calamari, which was crisp and flavourful. A bit on the saltier side but nonetheless enjoyable. However, the main dish was so shocking bad that the appetizer could not save the overall experience. The Chittarine alla termana was the most bland tasting dish I have every tried, and I have tried various other Italian restaurants. Bland may not even be the word, it is quite frankly tasteless. There was not an ounce of flavour, and it felt as though I was eating nothing. A frozen pasta kit from the grocery store probably has more taste. The pasta was on the softer side in terms of texture and the meat was not very good either. Despite being hungry, I could not finish the meal. Perhaps it was the specific dish I ordered, but I would advise to keep in mind the portion size and pasta flavouring of this place. Service was kind and the restaurant itself is beautiful. read more

Occhiolino - Calamari - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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New to the neighbourhood yet perfectly in sync with its vibe, Occhiolino Pastificio is a hidden gem for lunch or dinner. Clean and gleaming, cool staff and fresh, handmade pastas make it a cozy spot that's effortlessly trendy and inviting. Be sure to make a reservation as this is the newest hot spot! congrats to Executive Chef Nick Manzone for this winner! read more