I went here with my family and had a blast. The server we had (although I forgot his name) was superb and knew the menu inside out. The food took a while to come out but they held us off by giving us delicious bread and olive oil. I ordered the lamb risotto and it was out of this world! My father had the fish and it was also very tasty. Overall, I would recommend going here if you want some great food. Make a reservation if you go on the weekend as this place can get busy! read more

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Where has Paese been all these years and how have I never stumbled upon it? Came here for lunch with my manager one day. Loved it so much, brought my boyfriend in for dinner. Everything we had here was delicious. However, I'd highly recommend the Gallo pizza or the Mushroom and Spinach Garganelli. Both were made to perfection. Hats off to the chef (and the service)! Side note: parking is a little bit of a hassle here. There's few in the front and really tight, claustrobia-induced spots in the back. read more

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I live in the neighbourhood and drive past Paese all the time, and have always wanted to go-- but was a bit worried after reading the reviews here. I am So glad we checked it out, despite the picky ness of others!! We went on a very busy Friday nite, made a reservations and at first we were seated by the front door, not a great location especially when we did make a reservations. We requested to be seated somewhere warmer, and the hostess seated us in a booth at the back. Very Cozy! The waiter was very friendly, knowledgeable about the menus and wine and extremely attentive during the evening, so i am really not sure what all the fuss was about with other reviews?? Maybe they are just crazy?? A warm rosemary bread basket and luscious lemon hummus was brought to out table to start. A nice touch... We ordered a pizza to start as an appetizer to share. We had the Affumicata di Bufala pizza-- VERY yummy and the crust was thin as pizza should be. For the main dishes we ordered the Pasta--Linguini di Pesce, Goat Cheese and Leek Ravioli and the Paese Special Lamb Chop dinner. Our meals were amazing! The Linguini had 2 giant shrimps and a scallop. Very fresh and sweet...... The lamb chop was incredible and if they had this on the main menu we would be at Paese all the time! The evening was wonderful and Paese you did not disappoint! Looking forward to another great evening soon! read more

Excellent place to go for special occasions and if you are trying to impress somebody. Great ambience. Dim Lighting. Amazing Wine List. You can see your reflection on the floor. Plus the food was great as well. Meat quality was amazing. I got lamb chops and a steak. Cost me an arm and a leg but was a good trade for a satisfied belly and overall great experience! Its not somewhere i would frequent all the time as it is pricey but if there is an occasion where I want to go above and beyond. This is it !! read more

I love dining out with friends, especially fellow food-blogger friends who understand the importance of taking photos before eating the meal. This was the case a few weeks ago when 4 foodies dined out at the lovely Paese restaurant located at 3827 Bathurst Street in North York. Linda, Shuang, Via and myself were invited to Paese to try out some Italian-inspired eats in this cozy restaurant that has been around for 25 years. The menu is quite vast, with many meat, seafood, pizza and pasta options. The menu stays true to Paese's philosophy of food that is "inspired by Italy, Made in Canada'. The chef's use traditional techniques combined with homemade precision to create comforting meals with a modern twist. Not only is the food exceptional at Paese, but the multi-regional wine list is quite memorable housing over 800 labels in their wine cellars. The 4 of us arrived at Paese just before the rush and were seated at a lovely window table so that we could have the sought-after natural light for our food photos. How ideal ;) Our waiter was very friendly and helpful in helping us decide on drinks, appetizers, mains and dessert. After some tough deliberations here's what we tried: Complimentary Homemade Focaccia with White Bean Dip Mojito and Paloma Cocktails Polenta Fries with Roasted Garlic Aioli & Sundried Tomato Ketchup - $9 Grilled Octopus with Potato,Grilled Escarole, Mint, Lemon & Chili - $16 Roasted Scallops with Fennel and Tarragon Slaw & Citrus and Blood Orange Vinaigrette - $16 Pan-Fried Salmon with Potato, Tomato/Olive Relish, Beans & Roast Corn - Special of the Day Veal Scaloppini Al Limone - $27 Grilled Lamb Striploin with Cherry Compote - $29 Goat Cheese & Leek Ravioli - $18 Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait - $11 Cioccolato - $11 Butterscotch Pudding - $11 White Chocolate Affogatto and Cookie - $10 My favourite appetizers were the Scallops and Grilled Octopus. Both dishes were cooked to perfection which is very important when it comes to seafood. The scallops were big and juicy and paired very nicely with the fennel and citrus flavours. The octopus was the main highlight for me. It was nicely charred and tender, I could've ate the entire portion all by myself. My main was the Salmon Special which is not always on the menu but they do have a similar dish with Steelhead Trout which is always available. The salmon was done very well with great flavour and accompaniments. The best dessert was the lovely Cioccolato which is composed of a dark chocolate terrina with white chocolate mousse, nutella and hazelnut brittle. It was full of delicious chocolate flavour but wasn't overly rich or sweet. I had the Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait which was nothing special. It would've been better as a layered cake with fresh strawberries. Paese is definitely worth checking out if you want to experience a lovely dining atmosphere outside of the busy downtown area. The menu has so many options which cater to everyone and everything is reasonably priced. Paese also offers private dining for business or social functions, takes reservations, has free parking and has a partner catering company called L-eat Catering. read more

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Excellent wine list. Attentive service. Carefully crafted salads. Wonderful entrees all around. Intimate space. Good for a business dinner or other small group. All adults in attendance. No kids menu. Tight parking. Reservations a must. read more

Paese Ristorante is a pleasant high-end Italian restaurant located in Wilson Heights. It's not in a location where you would typically find other fancy restaurants therefore stands out on its own. It's attached to L'eat Catering, the original parent company that provided food to local businesses since 1983. Afterwards, Paese Ristorante was created in 1989. L'eat Catering is one of the top 5 catering companies within Toronto, I had the pleasure of sampling some items off of Paese's menu with my cousin. I tried one of their cocktails, which was the Paloma Italiana with pink grapefruit. I really liked it because I am a huge fan of sweet girly drinks. So it was a great choice for my preference. My cousin picked up their Bellini but found that the prosecco overwhelmed the taste of the peach nectar. I highly recommend one of their appetizers, the Grilled Octopus. We absolutely loved the dressing mixed with the vegetables that came along with the octopus. It was a perfect blend of taste. Afterwards, we got to try a couple of their pizzas. We had the Pollo and Laabroni. I think their Pollo, which consisted of roasted chicken, smoked cheddar, eggplant, sliced tomato and basil, to be the best of the two. It had the best combination of toppings since I'm a huge fan of cheesy pizza and eggplant. We tried pasta next. My cousin got one of their basic spaghetti dishes (I don't think it's on the menu) and I tasted their Ricotta Gnocchi. I liked the gnocchi in my dish but not so much of the chicken that was mixed in with it. The chicken was quite bland and was out of place in terms of taste. My cousin wasn't a fan of the spaghetti either. The two pasta dishes we tried were a missed for us. Lastly, we made room for dessert. I got the Butterscotch Pudding and my cousin chose the Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait. When I took the first bite of the Butterscotch Pudding, it was perfect. The more I ate though, the sweeter it became, As someone who no longer craves super sweet desserts, it got overwhelming for my taste buds. I recommend this dessert, but only if you share it with someone else. Paese has great customer service if that is what you are looking for in a dining experience. They also do private bookings. read more

Another tasty meal from Paese. We both had specials tonight - I had the thick cut New York steak with red wine reduction, while my wife had the manicotti with fresh mushrooms. Delicious! Steak was melt in your mouth at med-rare. Coupled with a nice bottle of wine, heavenly! Paese is always a nice casual dining experience. read more

I used my TeamBuy coupon $20 for $40 last Friday. Man was this place busy! We got seated by the entrance, not the best spot in the world. The waitress was extremely friendly and gave us wonderful recommendation, The Funghi (Mushroom Pizza), the Ricotta Gnocchi and their House Smoked Beef Short Ribs. The pizza was delish, seriously. The crest wasnt too thin nor too thick. And my friend liked their deep fried crest taste. The Ricotta Gonocchi - AMAZING. When I first saw it (white, creamy, thick) I was afraid it might be too rich and cheesy, but it wasn't at all. The dish literally melts away in your mouth. The short ribs was smokey but sweet when you add the sauce and the choice of veggies was made to compliment the meat. You can tell some thought process went through when making that dish. Overall the staff was extremely knowledgeable of the food and very friendly. Special thank you to Jasmine and Kate for the wonderful recommendations. I definitely recommend this place and I am very interested in trying their King location now. It would have been 5 stars if it wasnt for the seating, but the General Manager told me to let her know the next time to seat me and my friend somewhere better. read more

We decided to check out Pease today for our date night. As the host's mentioned it was a hidden gem. The place looks amazing, a great place for a romantic dinner and definitely amazing for date night with the wife. The stuff are very friendly and were very accommodating with our requests regarding special drinks and food. I got myself for starters Arugula Salad and my wife Polenta fries. The salad was very refreshing and perfect dish in my opinion before the main dish. The fries looked quite a small dish, but my wife loved it and said it was a good appetizers with perfect size. For main dish we got Han and a trout. Both were a recommendation by the stuff. They were delicious and perfectly cooked. And for deserts we finished it with a butterscotch pudding. It was just to die for! Highly recommended and definitely a place we will back to. Thumbs up, thank you for making our date night perfect. read more

Great food. Some good traditional dishes. Accommodated my diet restrictions. Highly recommend.

Wonderful service and staff! It's a very fancy area and the servers are so nice. Store owner or manager was very nice enough to give me some deserts along with my take home leftovers. I recommend this place for special events such as birthdays and dates! Such a romantic place and a very perfect cozy setting. Definitely would come back. I can't complain, just perfect! read more

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Been sitting here for 30+ minutes and haven't been served. Don't ever come to this piss poor establishment.

The restaurant had a nice atmosphere. We started off with a nice glass of wine and they brought over some bread for the table. We ordered the Margherita pizza - Mozzarella, fior di latte, basil and tomato sauce. The crust was very thin and crispy. Even though it is a simple pizza, it was very delicious. We were already half full from the pizza. Now for the main course. I got the orecchiette with wild boar, sausage. My friend got the ravioli. They were both very very good. The pasta was fresh and chewy. The meats was very flavourful. I clean the plate very quickly. We both liked our pasta dishes a lot. Very satisfied tummies. read more

Paese has my favorite pizza with figs (as seen on photo) but they have way more to offer and please you with, amongst that their fish and meat entrees and a selection of exceptional wines, five stars. I have celebrated there my birthday twice with a group of friends who understand gourmet food well. Will recommend 100% read more

Paese - Italian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Wonderful restaurant and the owner is especially fantastic. Charming and friendly and appreciative of every patron. We must support the local restaurants and the food at Paese is wonderful. You won't be disappointed, ever! read more

Delicious, delicious, delicious! I've been to this place three times and it is always great. Awesome pizza, pasta and meat dishes. You really can't go wrong here, it's all sooo good. The restaurant has great ambience. The waiters are really on it - professional, very nice and they just do their job really well. Don't skip dessert! Everything is delicious! Go tonight!!! read more

Frozen seafood, chewy steak, greasy pizza. Pass!

Came here to celebrate my mom's birthday. What a hidden gem this is! The food and service were out of this world. As an Italian, I can vouch for the food. It is delicious and very authentic, with generous portions as well. You have to try their desserts as well. I had one of the best tiramisu slices here. Our waitress was very attentive and had a tonne of energy and character, and she really made our night. Highly recommended! read more

Arrived at 6 pm, 2 tables had guests, the rest of the restaurant was empty. My mother asked for a table for two, she was told "If you can't call ahead, you shouldn't bother coming." Apparently they had many reservations for 8 o'clock and were not able to seat my mother and her husband, who arrived at 6pm. Regardless, this is not how you speak to patrons. Rude is the only way to describe the Hostess. Very upsetting experience for customers who in the past have held large parties here, will NOT be returning. read more

Hi and Good Day!!. My impression of Paese. I think that what I saw was different than other restaurants. I am not sure what it was but it was a different environment. I will not comment on the staff or what I noticed. I think that what I saw I was surprised at but food quality it was good. No comment on the chefs or what I noticed. The restaurant is good but pricey but the fact is you get what you pay for. read more

Went cause it was one of the only patios that wasn't fully reserved. Food was okay, nothing outstanding, but it was very pricey. Staff was a little weird. Water was warm and not crisp, and they gave me a very dirty cup. read more

A gem! Such a cute little place. Good was amazing and service was impeccable. Sal is so great! Had an amazing girls night out here. Definitely coming back! See you soon Sal! read more

This restaurant is amazing. You can't go wrong with this pick. Visited originally for Winterlicious years back, and have been coming back ever since. Their salads are delicious, soups are fantastic.. The pastas and pizzas cannot be beat and their meats are wonderful. All of the desserts too are exquisite. This is one of the best choices for a night out or a special occasion in the area. Once you check this place out.. you'll be back for more. The atmosphere is lovely and all of the staff are great. Good full bar, nice ambiance. Thumbs up - try it! read more

Came here for a work function. Very good since I got to taste most of the menu in one go! The hummus was under favoured. Deep fried pickle was good, juicy and had a meat ball inside The mushroom pizza was delicious Polenta fries, good The really good soup was a turnip soup, it was ok. The steelhead trout was good, well cooked, not over cooked and the pesto accompanied it well read more

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I came here for a lunch on the patio with my girlfriend on a Saturday afternoon. It was fairly empty, which was a good thing since service tends to be great when you're one of the few people there ;). They gave us some bread with chickpea dip as a appetizer and I ordered a nice little bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio to drink. It was our first date out at a restaurant for 5 months so I was definitely in a great mood. My girlfriend ordered their salumi pizza while I got the veal scallopini. The lemon sauce on the scallopini was superb and even my girlfriend liked it and dipped some of her bread in it. The pizza had a bit of a peppery kick and the portion size was nice. Afterwards I got their affogato for dessert while my girlfriend got the apple crostata. I loved the cookie that came with the affogato and the ice cream/espresso mix was nice too. I thought this place was quite the hidden gem as you wouldn't expect a restaurant of this quality to be located so far up north in Toronto. I definitely recommend you try this place out if you like Italian food. read more

We had our first COVID dining out event at this wonderful restaurant. They have done a great job of converting their outdoor area into a safe, yet romantic, venue. We were able to just relax with their fabulous service and delicious food. The place was hopping!! read more

If you have good taste, you will not like this place. However, if you are the average citizen, you definitely might. The service was less than stellar (especially with out server). We were not appropriately greeted, checked on, etc. The food was subpar. The caesar salad had old lettuce, with pieces that were browning. My mom's shrimp linguini was sour. I could go on, but I will just finish this off by stating that I would not return. read more

Although the service was excellent, the prices were very high for the quality of food we received. Portions were small and my fish was bland and not very tasty. It was surprising and disappointing. read more

We went there last night for dinner, it was a group of 8. We had made reservations, two of the members from our group were running a bit late. Before they arrive a big guy comes and says that we can only give you your table for another 1.5 hours and we should have you out of here. three minutes later someone comes back and says we need you guys out of here before your 8:15. Not the best way to start your evening. The rest of our party arrives and we order our meals right away. 3 people got the spaghetti and meatballs, one person got the veal, one person got a Margarita pizza, one a garganzale pasta, one short ribs and I can't remember what the other got. We also had apps, most of the party had beet salad, which they could barely see the beets, we also had the Paese green salad, which felt like a container of dole arugula mix from Loblaws. It was the biggest waist of money on $14 salad ever. 2 of the 3 people with spaghetti liked it, the garganzale pasta was crap, absolute garbage, the big dude said it was made with cheese and marinated in a wine sauce and it was great. We'll it was crap, saw no cheese, the pasta cooked well, and as for the sauce it had wine poured over it. Total sham. We also had ordered beers and drinks, we asked the for a non alcoholic drink, something fizzy. The big dude comes with juice and fiz, fine. We get the bill they charged us $15 for fruit juice. Total waste of money. Bad service, mean intimidating looking hostess. Will never come back. read more

Was at Paese tonight and had a fantastic experience. The waiter was very attentive and service was as good as it gets. All four of us had amazing meals. The owner Tony was available and made our experience one of the best dinners out in a long time. I would highly recommend Paese for great service and fantastic food read more

Picked it randomly for a drink with a friend and was pleasantly surprised. Amazing unpretentious not-in-your-face not-fake-intimate service. We loved the funghi pizza. Packed room on a Wednesday night says a lot. I'll definitely be going there with friends again. read more

This should actually be 3.5 stars. We had been to the King St location before and enjoyed it with a Groupon. We bought another and used it for this Bathurst location, and it was a solid performer. Bathurst has more families there than King does, and has a different menu to accommodate. I think King is better than Bathurst though. Dishes we enjoyed: - grilled octopus - leek & spinach ravioli - butterscotch pudding We'd eat here again if in the neighbourhood. read more

The food is consistently good. I especially would like to mention the thoughtfulness of the staff. My father is in a wheelchair and whenever we call they put out a ramp so that the restaurant is totally accessible. We very much appreciate their kindness. read more

Neighborhood haunt - I've been many times over the years. Really great to have a really good Italian restaurant in North York....however, our most recent dinner (May 2015) was disappointing. The server was tired (burnt out) and a tad sarcastic ---yes he does know more than I do about the food so please do share in a nice tone. The food --well the place was busy (as usual) but I have to say, it wasn't very good. The octopus was served differently (not charred and colourful) but white and bland, the pasta was too al dente, the pizza good but very oily...my biggest thought after I left, driving home was...Longo's fresh upgraded take-home food bar (HMR) is at least equal to Paese in terms of quality...and much less expensive. But yes, I will give Paese one more try. read more

Outstanding , delicious meal. We went at 5:30 on a Tuesday so it wasn't very busy that early. Good service and all 4 of our meals were delicious. I have never been disappointed in their catering and now am so pleased I was able to sit and enjoy a meal in this restaurant. We will be back soon for more. read more

I was here for a 20 year Tignanello vertical tasting last year and was blown away with their food and wine list (only a $25 markup on Tig). Finally got back yesterday for a lunch and it reaffirmed how good this place is. Service is top notch, food is great, good selection of by the glass wines and their wine list is extensive and reasonably priced. read more

Excellent food, though a bit pricy for the neighborhood. If you ask nicely, they'll seat you in a booth! There's only one and it looks kind of sketchy because it's right near the entrance, but it's way more private than the tables in the other room. read more

This is a great italian mainstay - I know I'll always get a wonderful meal.

I really enjoyed dining here. The food was great and the staff were friendly and professional. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant. It wasn't very loud but it wasn't so quiet either that you can't have a decent conversation. It was very comfortable. A great place to go on a date or have dinner with the girls. I would definitely go dine there again. read more