Carisma

Worst restaurant I've been to. Food was terrible and badly portioned. Service was bad and it took long. It was my friend's birthday and I was offered a "complimentary" desert that ended up on my final bill

Been here only once, on a busy week night. The food was phenomenal. The ambience was very nice. But the service could’ve been better. No one greeted me when I entered and I had to wave someone down and wait for a few minutes even though I had a reservation. Also, the server who ended up greeting and seating me initially disappeared for a while. Servers kept changing throughout the night. Most of them were polite yet curt & seemed slightly stressed. This is obviously a pricey establishment so avoid it if you’re price sensitive. Overall, I had a positive experience and would gladly return for another phenomenal meal.

Nestled in the heart of Toronto, Carisma offers an Italian dining experience that strikes a fine balance between elegance and comfort. The chic decor and soft lighting create a welcoming atmosphere that, despite the lively chatter and full occupancy during my visit, maintained a level of noise that was animated yet not intrusive.

From the moment we stepped in, the service was exceptional. Attentive and friendly staff ensured our evening was enjoyable, frequently checking in to ascertain our satisfaction.

The presentation of the food was a visual treat, with portion sizes that were satisfying without being overwhelming. For our appetizers, the burrata salad was fresh and creamy, while the tuna tartare was seasoned to perfection. The main courses, raviolini and spigola (seabass with vegetables and extra virgin olive oil), were both standout dishes that delivered on taste as beautifully as they were presented. To finish, the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream and the tortino al cioccolato were indulgent and a delightful end to our meal.

Carisma truly captures the essence of Italian dining with its combination of a warm ambiance, friendly service, and delectable cuisine. A gem in Toronto's culinary scene, this restaurant comes highly recommended for those seeking to enjoy Italian fare with flair.

Omg! It was the best Italian restaurant I have ever been to. Great atmosphere, superb food, friendly staff. Did I mention the food? Large group of 16 people, accommodating and very attentive service. It's worth every penny

Thank you Carisma restaurant for your phenomenal service and sensational, divine food! You are always consistent and I can count on an amazing dining experience with you every time! I am appreciative of your generous kindness, exceptional service with a smile and delicious food! I appreciate you making me look so good with business meeting gatherings or social mingling events by always being marvelous, fun and professional! I am truly grateful for how you make every gathering special and delightful! A special heartfelt thank you to Margie and Michael for always ensuring their staff pay attention to details to accommodate and ensure our experience is nothing less than the best! Truly grateful for Carisma in my life!

Thank you!

Dr. MV

Food is okay, the gnocchi is bland and has no salt. The portion sizes are extremely small and the quality of the food is worse than average. Was expecting amazing quality for the price I’m paying and was extremely disappointed. Their cocktail menu is a joke.they give you a drink in a champagne glass, when it’s supposed to be a cocktail you are expecting a decent sized glass and not a mini champagne glass. Also the worst thing was I put a note in my reservation that it was my girlfriend’s birthday and I would like them to bring something out for her. And nothing, I waited and waited and they didn’t even acknowledge my note. Extremely disappointed with this place would never come back or recommend. I wish I could give lower than 1 star.

High end Italian restaurant and the best in Toronto. Service was great. Price is towards the higher end but the food quality is great!

A fantastic lunch at Carisma! Our group of 5 requested the family style lunch and we were not disappointed! The bistecca fiorentina was fantastic. We will be back!

Dined here with a group of 10 people for a weekday lunch. The server pushed hard for our group to dine "family style". We had wanted our own entrees but she insisted we would get a lot of food and good variety this way. Personally I think she did it because the kitchen was slammed and it was easier for her. The food was underwhelming and we didn't get our moneys worth. Lousy portion of butter pasta with 3 truffle shavings, overcooked t-bone steak, and only enough fish to feed half the table. Not a great first experience here.

Very nice ambience in a relaxed, upscale setting. The staff are friendly, professional and do everything to make your dining experience first class. What ever you do do not leave without trying the tiramisu.

Just called to ask what time they are open till because Google said they open till 2: 30. A lady answered and I heard a male voice in the background saying “just hang up”. Called back and the lady answers again and passed phone to guy just after I asked if they are still open for drinks. The guy was extremely rude at this question and said they are a restaurant not a bar. Over all never been and would never go after this. Just say your restaurant is closed instead of satin your kitchen is if you don’t want people asking if you guys are open for drinks. Soooo unprofessional. Less than 1 review even.

Wow, first time here with a friend and I have to say it was amazing. Service was top notch, ambiance was amazing and food was incredible.

Ordered a plethora of menu items all had a great taste and were cooked well using quality ingredients. The steak was presented in a very cool manner with flaming rosemary overtop, giving it a smoky taste as well.

Pastas were perfectly al dente and sauces packed great flavor, carpaccio was fresh and so were the salads. Honorable mention goes to the bread (it’s so damn good!)

Overall great experience, will definitely return!

Went for a christmas party reserved the private area.food and service was fantastic until they started to come every few mins to see if we wanted to pay the bill! If u need a party out by a time then give a time limit! We were so annoyed at the server who was being forced to come to the table to see if we wanted to pay!

TLDR: Dine here if you want to get soaked in wine. What a way to ruin the night.

Waiters were rude and the service overall was very underwhelming. Even worse, one of the waiter tipped over a full glass on wine and spilled it all over my girlfriend's dress. No apologies were extended what so ever and we had to finish our dinner soaking wet! If you are reading this, I strongly advise to think twice.

Service, food, drinks…all phenomenal. Sasha provided excellent service and ensured we had all that we needed.

Amazing service w/ incredible food is hard to find in Toronto. Stop chasing the silly Michelin stars & discover this star on your own. Called last minute & was greeted by a welcome & come join us approach. Owner was there w/ a smile /welcome to our restaurant. Service was beyond great & the food was delicious. No pretentiousness here like 99% of restaurants in Toronto, great food w/ great service. Thank you for a delicious & delightful evening!

This is my favourite Italian restaurant in Toronto!

Incredible food and cocktails, lovely ambiance, fantastic service.

The food is incredibly memorable—I think about how great the lamb chops and crème brûlée were all the time!

We were a party of 11 for dinner in mid-December and the experience and food was not great. It seemed that they packed an extra 20% of tables into the restaurant, which made it very uncomfortable. Every time a waiter needed to walk by we had to pull in our seats, and I had cutlery dropped on me in the process. The kitchen also seemed overwhelmed because the food quality did not match reviews. My Osso Bucco was tough and my friend had to send their steak back because it was over cooked. The servers were very attentive and apologetic. So disappointed.

Très bon restaurant,
L’ambiance est très belle,
Le service est rapide
Le restaurant est conviviale,
Leur burrata est super bonne,
Leur pâte au truffe est très bonne,
Leur gnocchi au fromage est excellent,
Je le recommande fortement

The overall place is great but the only thing that's wrong with this place is that they have no locks on their washrooms yes there is not one lock on the washrooms if and when they fix that its perfect.

This is the best Italian Restaurant in downtown!

If you wanna take a girl out on a date. It has the best ambience ever.

Some good Cocktails and Wines

I love this place so much. I went there for a solo dinner on a Friday night and was greeted by the owner. The staff was definitely the highlight of my night, what beautiful and positive energy to be surrounded with while eating delicious Italian food! I got some shaved octopus antipasti, a mushroom salad, and the grilled sea bass. I also got the carisma cocktail and a glass of Faranghini. Everything was delicious! I’d never had shaved octopus before but it was super tasty and delicate. The sea bass was probably the best I’ve had in Toronto, it was fresh and simple with a generous portion. 10/10 will definitely be back whether solo or with friends, the staff here were so sweet and kind and made me feel right at home!

Great location in old Toronto. Wonderful ambiance. Tuesday night and it was full! Great service, food and conversation with a friend.

Very disappointed with this restaurant. Charged $9 for water. Charged $40 for an appetizer size pasta with 3 truffles in it. Tiramisu had a hair in it but I didn't want to make it an issue. But seriously this restaurant is definitely not worth the price. Way better restaurants out there.

Holy expensive. Wow the dishes were like a kids meal. We came because this place had a good reviews but seriously are disappointed. The places is so small and stuffy. Food (pasta, fish and streak) was nothing to rave about and we paid over $200 with just a couple glasses of wine and a few dishes.

Bad place.

Best dining experience I've ever had. Great food, excellent service, beautiful restaurant.incredible.

I went there once with my family for a dinner reunion. The staff was very kind and enthusiastic, they gave lots of positive energy to our table. They also gave lots of great suggestions. The food was delicious. Although, the place gets really crowded. The place looked very beautiful with the decor and it was very clean. Overall, the experience was amazing.

The ambiance was amazing but the food was just fine. The tuna tartare was too tangy and the halibut special was a bit dry. The truffle pasta was excellent though, as was our biscotti and affogato dessert.

Completely underwhelmed by this restaurant. When we got there it looked like a seniors home. Average age 60 plus. Food was terribly bland which makes sense when it caters to mostly elderly people. Not the weekend vibe you would like if you are younger folk.

The food was extremely over priced for what you get. Be careful of going off menu without knowing the price. They will over charge for everything. Easily shell out $200 without alcoholic drinks. Don Alfonso is a much better Italian restaurant and this was more expensive than even them.

Definitely a pass on this restaurant.

The waitress got our salad order wrong and did not offer to bring the correct order. The Osso Buco their signature dish was tough and when I told the waitress she said she would let the Chef know. No one acknowledged this or made any attempt to rectify the situation until we asked about what the Chefs response was.
Deeply disappointing and will not be back. Very poor customer relations.

This restaurant is classy and beautiful. I came here with my company for a team dinner. The overall atmosphere was a little chaotic, that could have been because we had quite a large table positioned right in the centre of the restaurant. The service was good and very frequent, and everyone had great recommendations for us to eat and drink. Most people thought their main dishes of various pastas (ribbon, gnocchi, and ravioli) were just okay. The appetizers were delicious - we got the beef carpaccio, grilled calamari, and tomato basil. The menu is extensive enough for you to choose from many different things, and those who got steak and lamb chops really enjoyed their meals! I would recommend.

Atmosphere, service, food, cocktails & staff recommended wine was amazing! It was such a pleasant dining experience. Serving staff was very knowledgeable on what they were serving. High quality ingredients. Portion size is on the smaller side, but it is with intention: warm olive oil- rosemary bread (complimentary), appz, main & wine will fill you up just to hit the spot, no leftovers. Very quality ingredients & flavour without compromising for large portions of mediocre food. Price tag is high and it is for those who appreciate all of the above.

This is my first time back at Carisma in the new space. I didn’t think they could get any better before but its true, our meal was absolutely delicious and better than the last time. It’s the restaurant I want to go to on my birthday every year because it never lets me down. The new decor is lighter and warmer and very inviting. The buratta was soft and creamy, just perfect with aromatic basil, scallop, cranberries as our first course. Pappardelli with wild boar ragu, tenderloin and focaccia - it was all pretty incredible! Closed off with a decaf espresso and the best tiramisu! I just love this place and am looking so forward to going back yay!

Incredible food. Great service. Very well designed interior. Pricey, but worth every dollar. Definitely favourite restaurant in Toronto, and I try to visit whenever I can. Be sure to make a reservation a day or two ahead of time so that you can get whatever time slot you want.