We were told before ordering that service would be slow. When we paid, we were asked how was everything. "You were told service would be slow," we were reminded. Upon leaving and waiting, we were approached and apologized but in the same breath we were warned service would be slow for one reason or another. As a customer, I then would give some concessions but everyone was clearly upset it was almost 4 hours. It would have been better if the customer service was present. But when we one of us went to grab the water decanter to refill water three times even while our server watched us and kept walking - that was a no, no. The food was okay and perhaps suffered from staffing issues but when you're paying 100 per plate I would like a better dining experience. The best thing we had was dessert but we waited almost an hour for this. One almost fell asleep waiting. The atmosphere clearly suffered from the tables around us. We could hear how upset people were and they asked for their food to go. I could hear the table next door in Portuguese want the bill. They wanted their dessert and it just wasn't coming. We were in the same boat. Had at least the customer service been positive - our table would feel better. We asked for help with our table that kept shaking but that didn't happen. Not fun to eat while table is shaking. We watched while everyone had received bread so we asked. She clearly wasn't pleased we requested this. Her facial expression read upset while her eyes rolled up. I was a honestly regretting asking. Then when she brought it to our table, she firmly planted that plate on our table and walked away. That's not very kind at all. It was one of the most upsetting evenings. read more

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Spoiler Alert: it sucks! As a Porkchop (Portuguese) myself, taking my porkchop mom out for Mother's Day, I haven't been this disappointed in ages. This was worse than when Portugal lost to Greece in the 2004 Euro finals. I spent just shy of $400 for 4 people, without wine, and the food was below mediocre. Octopus ($50) was over cooked and bland. Lamb Shank ($45) was a good portion but over cooked and bland. Piri-Piri shrimp app ($40!!) was ok taste wise, but again, a bit over cooked. 5 average shrimp for $40...$8 per mother f'n shrimp. What on earth did these shrimp do to get that price tag? Cure shrimp cancer? Win shrimp Nobel prize? I drop stupid amounts of money on food every month, and it doesn't always work out, but this was a brutal experience. I feel like I got scammed by my own brethren. The pictures on IG look good, but the food is not good and the prices are outrageous. It was like a tinder profile with tons of filters and only the face shown....you know how this story ends. Just go to Mercado Negro or Piri-Piri and thank me later. read more

Excellent! We ordered squid as an appetizer followed by the special fish of the evening. All wonderfully prepared in simple sauces or glazes. The sangria made a great compliment to the meal. And we even enjoyed a glass of port to finish the night. William and Rafaela were outstanding, certainly ask for them! We'll be back the next time we're in town! read more

Food is ok - service is terrible - one person to assist the whole place - rude - in a hurry - would. It recommend !

I came here for Winterlicious with my cousin and had a wonderful dining experience. Giving 5 stars because not only was the food absolutely delicious, but the staff was welcoming and down-to-earth. Our server, William, deserves a high-five for being so friendly, talkative and attentive throughout the evening. As for the food, I ordered the lamb shank and off the bat, it was braised to perfection...great portions, fall-off-the-bone meat and great selections to choose from. Highly recommend dining here - kudos to the staff and talented chef :) read more

Via Norte Restaurant - Braised Lamb shank - Mediterranean Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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delicious Portuguese dishes with simple yet amazing flavours. a place to check out for sure

My friends & I went here for The Summerlicious menu. The restaurant is not that busy at all but the server is not that friendly either at first. The steak is not cook in our liking but we didn't really complain about it. It also seems like the cut is against the grain or something as it is really hard to cut or maybe just the knife. I give it a 4 star for flavour and the desserts are simple and plated nicely. Fish is good as well. read more

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Reserved a table for 4 re Winterlicious. Although we were seated on arrival, staff could not find our reservation. Asked for still water, should have asked for 'tap' as we were charged for it Bread was great Mixed green and arugula salad w goat cheese was good, but only came w arugula as the green. Soup of the day was luke warm (a pre-cursor for things to come) Entrees were flavourful, but the salmon was cold, although the plate was hot. Lamb shank was 'good', but upset stomach later?? Service was good, but always annoying when you need to get someone's attention to get the check. Surroundings very pleasant, well decorated. Surprised to see an automatic 18% surcharge for service for 4 diners. Unfortunately, will not return, although with some tweaks it may be a very pleasant spot for dinner. read more

Just got back from my cousin's birthday gathering. I was kind of skeptical at first because of the number of negative reviews, plus we were coming during Summerlicious and it's sort of an unspoken expectation that the experiences *usually* are not as good since you're paying far less than you would the rest of the year. With that being said, our server, Will, was FANTASTIC -- incredibly accommodating and attentive (never had to ask for water to be refilled, consistently did quality checks, suggested dishes, made conversation, etc.). The atmosphere is definitely romantic... mood lighting, candles, etc. Perfect for date night... I made a mental note. I ordered from the regular menu: App: Broiled goat cheese and arugula salad (also on the Summerlicious menu) - $8 Main: Monkfish and coriander risotto - $24 Dessert: Vanilla Créme Brûlée - $6 I was informed that they didn't have any monkfish, but they'd be happy to give me tuna steak instead for the same price (which would have been $35). When I received it, Will told me that is was cooked medium rare, but if I would like it done differently, they'd be happy to change it. It was delicious as is. We had an 8-person party, so I can't comment on the 18% automatic gratuity that people have complained about. But I gladly gave an additional tip because the service was really superb. The rest of the party was going to go for karaoke and asked Will if there was a good place nearby. He called his favorite place and even reserved them a room under his name so they would't have to wait. Great experience; I would definitely go again. read more

This was my second visit here. The first was during last years Winterlicious Festival and the second was last night for a birthday dinner. Our waiter was friendly and answered all of our questions regarding the menu or wines. Everyone enjoyed their meals very much and appreciated the Portuguese sized portions :D My Grouper and risotto was an excellent suggestion. I had the lamb shank at my last visit which was just as delicious :) I will definitely return for a third time in the future!!! read more

You should enjoy the food if you're not extremely critical. The sea food linguini was mediocre and on the greasy side. We had the skate fish, sole and sardine appetizer. They were well done. Overall I'd say 8/10 for the food and 7/10 for the service. The staff needs training. The waiter grinded the pepper right over my head (standing behind me). How silly is that? They needed to be friendlier and more attentive. It's not terrible but the enthusiasm was not there. If you don't care, you'll enjoy the food. read more

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The food was really good. I went for summerlicious and had the duck with veggies and sweet potato, it was awesome. And the desert was really nice too. The service was not that great though. The waiter seemed very flustered and was literally running back and forth in the restaurant. He was on his phone in front of all the customers too... He just needed to relax I don't know what was wrong with him lol. His energy was ruining other people's time too, I could see it on their faces. Other than that the food was good. read more

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Okay - full disclosure, This was a Summerlicious meal - so not as expensive as some. However we were less than impressed. My friend had the goat cheese salad, the Dourado and the tartuffo. Salad was tasty, but not spectacular. 7/10. Dourado was very boney and a small portion, but nicely charred. 7/10 Tartuffo was meh. 3/10 I had the grilled sardines - excellent! 10/10 Then the duck - what a disappointment! It's already fatty, and then it's deep-fried??? Not very good. 2/10 But the meringue dessert was lovely - little heavy on the caramel sauce, could have used a little more fruity-tartness. 8/10 The Sangria was overpriced and oversweet - I asked for sparkling water to be added to take away from the cloying sweet, and got charged for it. Half-empty restaurant with loose floor-tiles. Will not be returning. read more

Service was really good and the waiters were all very friendly and welcoming! We went there for winterlicious. The waiter recommended a portuguese red wine within our price range that was very good. I got steak with fries for the main course. I loved it but there was a tad too much oil and my stomach didn't quite agree with me afterwards. Overall, a really good experience. Definitely recommended read more

Had my kids communion party here and went to a baptism here also. There is a side for private parties, that fits about 25-30 people and space for a cake table. Nice space for a larger group and the food is really good. For my party I called and discussed menu selections the day before so that I knew what the specials would be. Excellent, friendly service and very patient and accommodating. Food is excellent. Go with the specials as the fish has just come in and the meats. Lots to choose from and pricing is fair for the food you get. Portuguese style cuisine, but not your home cooking. Definitely better. read more

We loved this place (5th time) but last week was just a horrible experience. We ordered two veal specials, the fish special, what was supposed to be Boar but we were told was just pork cubes because they ran out of boar ( it was dry) and a couple of other main courses. Everything was over cooked and over salted this time. We even asked if the chef was away for the March break but the waiter didn't get the hint and insisted he was there. Didn't offer to take back and redo the food. The waiter also convinced us to try a different $65 wine then we usually have and insisted it was better than the one on the menu. It was not very good and even though he told us his brother brings it in from Portugal exclusively for them we found it at the LCBO for $16. It's a shame when a good place goes bad, for almost $400 it's just not worth it anymore. Bad new waiter and bad food. We will never go back. read more

Checked out Via Norte for a Winterlicious double date, was pretty satisfied. Sever made a solid wine recommendation that was within our price range, and went well with dinner. I had goat cheese and arugula salad for a starter, goat cheese was warm and flavourful. Had delicious duck as the main, I could have just eaten the wonderfully crispy skin and been satisfied. My partner had the steak which she said was good not great, but overall I would recommend Via Norte for anyone looking for a nice Portuguese night out. read more

Went there with two girlfriends for Winterlicious. Food and service were decent, atmosphere and space pleasant. I haven't noticed anything particularly "Portuguese" about the place, apart from the sardines and desserts which were incredible. 18 % automatic tip for three diners after HST was out of line. read more

I'm going to start by saying that food was very good and environment was good, the place look really good and clean. Saying that I have to say that I was disappointed with service. When there's a big part they should know that people will sometimes change places/seats and they made a bit of a fuss about that. I have served for 10 years and you have to have a good memory. I get it that it is "easier" when people stick to their seats but in bigger parties its most likely that it will happen and you have to be prepared and not be sour about it. The other thing that i DID not like/appreciate was not being advised that they would charge to cut the cake that was brought in. They should've advised the person that made the reservations of the charge and let the person make the choice or not. They pretty much charged $5.00 per person for them to cut the cake. So that for me was a big DEAL. You are not going to make your guest pay for birthday cake. They should give the choice instead of charging without notice. And because of that i'm only giving it a 3 star. read more

Via Norte's fish - we had the grouper - transported Alex and I (Stacey) back to Lisbon. Our server, Udo, was very attentive and made excellent recomendations. He literally made us feel like the only couple in the resturant. The only thing better than the grouper was the grilled squid appetizer. Don't forget the aperitif; ask Udo for a recomendation. read more