Ristorante Sotto Sotto Toronto

Our server Chris elevated our whole dining experience! The food was amazing and with his input, he really made it better (there’s a whole other secret menu out there). Everything we ordered was amazing. Favourite dish was definitely the beef carpaccio “CARPACCIO DI FILETTO DI MANZO CON TARTUFO NERO DI NORCIA E STRACCIATELLA DI BURRATA” for ref on the menu

Will only dine back if Chris is our server

Worst experience

My recent visit to Sotto Sotto was disappointing on multiple fronts. Despite the restaurant's reputation for culinary excellence, the cold temperature of the food, unwelcoming treatment due to my Asian background, and the strict no-photography policy with tons of photos on the internet. It is very strange that the staff told us that we cannot take any photos in a restaurant or even outside it. The decision to seat us at the bar despite available tables further diminished the overall experience. The staff's indifference to our concerns only added to the disappointment. Regrettably, I cannot recommend Sotto Sotto based on my negative encounter, and I hope the management addresses these issues for the benefit of future patrons.

We came here for lunch because a friend had seen a write up about the restaurant. A lot of celebs eat here. On arrival another customer was there and told us not to get too excited about the food.
It was good, but not top marks. The bread came cold - and we were looked down on when we asked for balsamic vinegar. They like to serve only olive oil. But it is good olive oil.
The Burrata salad was good, and the pasta tasted fresh and home made.
It was a good dinner, and we enjoyed the atmosphere, but not somewhere we would be excited to return to.

Excellent authentic Italian food for a reasonable price. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. I will say the table service was pretty subpar, but the restaurant was almost full, so I understand.

I’ve been going to Sotto Sotto in Toronto for many years. My last two visits in 2023 has been quite disappointing. Upon my last visit, I did something that was unusual for me and complained about the fish to the waiter. We clearly had a problem with it as it wasn’t eaten. The waiter basically ignored our observation. Mentioned it to the owner on the way out, who seemed surprised initially, but then didn’t really respond as well. Hence the review I promised him. It’s unfortunate as Sotto Sotto was a legend, but it has definitely lost its gloss lately.

Staff needs to be trained better. Was told over email chicken is halal but at the restaurant was told it isn't. That's disappointing and misleading. Unfortunately we were a group of people celebrating my wife's birthday so decided to stay and choose vegetarian options

Service is amazing as always. The food was good but felt their grilled seafood tasted much better in the past. There wasn't much char on the seafood. Will try again next time.

Reservation was hard to get so it was disappointing that the food and presentation was mid. Compared to my previous dining experience which was fantastic, every dish was lukewarm and needed more flavour. Service was still on point, but I would recommend going elsewhere for Italian.

Excellent Italian cuisine. Eating in Italy, New York and other Italian hot spots. This place is phenomenal.

Always an amazing atmosphere with the best service. Gil was very attentive and made some great recommendations. Great way to spend the night.

Dined here before at the Toronto location & had the greatest time. However, my last visit to the same location was terrible. The wait staff made my table and I feel uncomfortable, rushed and insignificant/ less than to be served there. We weren’t treated with respect and had such a horrible experience. Do not recommend to go - they’ll make you feel like you shouldn’t be eating there.

I just called to book a reservation and the 2 employees I spoke with had the biggest attitude problems. I couldn’t ask for a name because they hung up the phone so fast. It was 2 different ladies. They were not friendly or well mannered. I’ve also decided to cancel my reservation as I don’t want to give my money to this restaurant. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone unless this issue gets resolved. Please speak to your employees and figure out what’s going through their heads. They should NOT be speaking to customers in that level of attitude and tone. Absolutely disgusting behaviour.

One of their specials of the day was fettuccine with truffle but when it was served it was only pasta with truffle oil (no truffles) for $30! Worst meatballs I've experienced in all my life. They were dense with no flavor. Overall the food was a 2 out of 10 but service was good. Will never return.

Classier joint with cool decor, old school showbiz vibes.incredible, incredible service. I find the Carbonara to be hit or miss though: work of art one day, then way too much guanciale fat the next. The steaks are always juicy and perfect though. Overall, would definitely recommend visiting. Good date spot

Service was good, but that’s where it ended. Meatballs tasted like spam, veal Marsala which is my favourite dish taste like flour, everything at the table was mediocre …. Wow how awful to spend over a thousand dollars and not enjoy the experience… NOT RECOMMENDED

This was the best Italian restaurant my wife and I have ever been too. We eat out frequently and often travel to do so, so that’s saying something. This is a small, intimate, cozy place in a big city. Our waiter and the staff were on point. The whole experience was phenomenal.

Amazing food, great service, very talented staff and bartenders.
Oh and the GS Warriors and Drake were there

This place use to be good but their quality burnt down with the original restaurant. Everything tasted sour or bland. Any dishes that were suppose to have truffle was only truffle oil. The meatballs are a disgrace to Italy. Also, they took out their risotto which was their best dish. Would not recommend unless they pay me to come like they do with Drake.

Came here for my birthday and my goodness, the food was DIVINE! Had a great time, the service was AMAZING and the drinks are VERY well made. Jorge was our server and he was absolutely wonderful. He really elevated our dining experience at Sotto Sotto. 10/10, recommend!

Amazing as per usual. Don’t even need to go in detail for this one, Sotto Sotto is always a no brainer for great food, vibes and service in Yorkville!

This place was honestly so disappointing! I was so excited to visit this restaurant after reading such great reviews about it but disappointment feels like an understatement now. We were there for dinner and the most saddening part was the service for me.
The server was so rude and cold throughout the service. He didn’t even bother to explain us the specials for the night or even the dishes when asked. He didn’t care to accommodate our dietary restrictions either and had such a ‘don’t care’ attitude. During most times, we felt pressured to order items we didn’t clearly want.
The food was fine, nothing outstanding though. I definitely don’t see myself ever coming back here.

Perfect for an intimate Italian dinner. Inside is dark and moody, outside is lush and sparking with string lights. The patio is covered and heated and great for fall nights. The staff are attentive and the food is classic and quality. The burrata was incredibly creamy and the tomatoes were bursting with flavour. The seafood in the pasta is abundant and the tomato sauce is perfectly seasoned.

The food was outstanding.
From. Main Course to Dessert!
Best ever Veal Dishes! & Tiramiso
Sterling Service!
All Male Servers were professionally efficient & kind.

Dinner and food was great. I felt like it didnt live up to the hype of a $500 dollar meal.

My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner here. We were celebrating our 10 year anniversary and we felt like we were treated like royalty. Chris provided exceptional service and really put our experience over the top. The food was nothing short of amazing. This wasn't our first time here, but it had been several years since our last visit. We will definitely be back much sooner next time.

Thanks again for a memorable dining experience!

This is probably one of the most famous places to go to for Italian in Toronto. The first thing you'll notice is wall of celebrities that have been there when they were in Toronto. I remember years ago when a couple of the Toronto Raptors came in.and only THEY can get away with wearing track pants and hoodies in a place like this. The food was excellent.you will NOT be disappointed. The people there are interesting.you'll see a combination of old money, yuppies, pretentious people, and those that are there just to be seen. If you ignore half of them and block out their conversations, you'll enjoy your meal.

The staff are very friendly and helpful
The food was delicious.
I loved the setting
It was nice to sit there and enjoy the atmosphere.

Really enjoyed our dinner here! Service and food were both amazing! We loved every plate we tried, and we will definitely be back!

Spencer Our Server made this experience fantastic. He read the needs and delivered before we can request, ending with his statement. "I love my job" The food was lovely especially the fish and seafood and the wine is well priced and highest quality.

Food and service like you'd expect from a top 3 restaurant. If you want a sure thing; this place defines that.

Had an amazing Sunday night dinner here. Chef Massimo and our server made the dining experience charming and unforgettable with their warmth, delicious food and wine. The quality and quantity of the food is excellent.
Easily the best Italian restaurant in the city.

Great food, great atmosphere, felt the server may have tried to upsell us a tad too much but his overall excellent service made up for it.

Amazing food! Amazing service! First time coming here with a group of friends and we loved our server Spencer. We will be back often for sure because of his elite service!

Always delicious! And, a classic and fabulous Italian restaurant in Toronto. Food was delicious, service great, and atmosphere is cozy and quaint. The pastas are soooo good.and authentic italian. Felt like I was back in Italy for the evening.

I’ve been to this restaurant several times over the years and I'm really glad it is still around. The meals are always enjoyable, delicious and aptly priced. I ordered the capellini nazzini which was delicious and light but I also had a taste of the pennette via frattina and this was devine. I will definitely be ordering this one next time. The creamy texture of the rose sauce with the smoked salmon and asparagus was to die for. The restaurant is a little small and cozy but definitely worth doing a take out if you can’t get a reservation. Prices are pretty reasonable for a well known restaurant in the Yorkville neighbourhood.

We had a great experience at this restaurant. We were abit worried at the time of booking because we were told that seating was limited to 1.5 hrs due to Valentines weekend. However we were not rushed at all. Arrived 15 mins early and was seated right away. From the valet parking to the server experience to the variety of items on the menu, there was everything we had expected of a high end restaurant. Wine selection was good. We finally settled on the bruschetta and grilled octopus as our starter. For our mains we went with the Veal chop and Zuppa di Pesce and finished off with their classic tiramisu and their strawberry tiramisu. Delicious. Overall a wonderful dining experience.

It was first visit to Sotto Sotto and definitely won't be the last. As a starter, we ordered the grilled octopus and for the mains, we ordered lamb chops and mushroom pasta with truffles for an additional cost. The octopus was very soft - probably one of the best I've had. The mains were also great, but was a bit disappointed at first when the pasta came because I was expecting actual pieces of truffles on it, considering the additional price. Howe the disappointment didn't last long because the taste was absolutely amazing. I had high expectations for the restaurant and they definitely met my standards. The service was top notch with the friendliest servers.

What a great little place. Beware that local celebrities show up here quite often.

Oh and you must try the octopus. It is my absolute favourite.

I love Sotto Sotto. I came here for the first time in Summer looking for a place that served authentic (and amazing) carbonara and I have yet to leave disappointed (and don't think I ever will)! Every time I have returned I have been greeted with the best hospitality and conversations. I always look forward to coming to Sotto Sotto - Thank you very much for being consistent with your quality of food and service. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

This restaurant is such a classic. The good, service and atmosphere are always top notch. You can never go wrong with anything on the menu but of course the pasta is my fave!

Great service, great atmosphere, great drink selection. My Ossobuco was not worth the price, and didn't live up to my expectations unfortunately. But the calamari as an appetizer was perfect.

This is the best restaurant in Toronto. Is the only one that can compare with the elite restaurants in New York City. Top quality food, not easy to find, has been consistent for long time, since they took over and gradually transformed from Trattoria. Fantastic extensive wine menu. From back in early 90ies has been the most authentic Italian Restaurant. I really miss 116 Ave. Rd.place, reminded me Rome all over, Marisa, Philipo, Fabio, their mother, i guess who doesn't.

Patio and service was nice but food was terrible. Overly salty and therefore nothing else could be tasted. Was NOT worth it.

The ultraviolet house red is exquisite. Cacio e pepe the way it is supposed to be done. Service always warm and accomodating. Our go to when in town.

Food was okay, wait staff was out of touch with client. No atmosphere, probably won’t go back. Disappointed

I feel like this place doesn't need any more reviews since every famous person there is has been here and it lives up to the reputation but honestly the 5 stars alone could be just for the exceptional service.

MAN our server was on point and amazing. There was not one critique I had for him. The food was also SO good we had a great experience.
The dishes we got and would recommend:
Arugula salad with pear and goat cheese
4 Cheese Ghnocci
Carbonara
strawberry tiramisu

Great authentic Italian food and even better service.
Cant wait to be back!

Had to change my review. Went two times in one week.
The first time: Excellent service! The staff were absolutely lovely.everyone! They didn't have gnocchi on the menu and so I enquired about it, and they made it for me and it was superb! My husband enjoyed his pasta dish. Our desserts were fantastic. A very pleasant dining experience. Covid protection was in place. Felt very comfortable. Definitely coming back!

The second time, 3 days later: decent service, however was completely scammed. Now, partially our fault for not asking, but upon arrival we were asked "still or sparkling water" we said still, which we assumed was tap water, nope, the waiter opened bottled water, and then brought another one without asking, again we should have stopped him. On the bill we were charged $20 for the bottles of water. On the previous visit I was asked if we wanted tap or bottled water, which is much clearer. I feel like the second visit was intentional deceit by omission.
Then we ordered a seafood appetizer for $25. And the waiter kindly offered to bring us two more shrimp as there were four people in our party. We thought that was really nice of him. However, he charged us $30 for the two extra shrimp, which was more than the entire appetizer was! We could have just ordered a whole another app and gotten all the other seafood with it for less!
We were in a rush to get to an appointment so we noticed these charges but it didn't even really register until we had left. So yes we should have asked to speak to the manager about this, but very disappointed in whomever was responsible.

Will I go back again, yes, the food is fantastic and staff is friendly, but I will be very aware of my server and make sure I specifically state exactly what I want, which is unfortunate that I feel I have to do that. I shouldn't feel bad about being taken advantage of. I was a server years ago and would never have thought about not being clear to my customers.

Such great menu options and friendly staff. Can get a little crowded because of the lack of space but worth going for a special date

Super disappointed! Food was cold and very bland! Also shocked at the false advertising claiming to be hi Emma de when clearly it was a store bought pasta. We had the veal in mushroom which was very bland and watery and ordered the “homemade” ravioli with ricotta and spinach as well as the rigatoni in 4 cheese sauce! We are Itahun and Trudy mr the food is NOT good! Definitely Not worth the price.

Had the opportunity to get a quick lunch at their patio before we entered lockdown again and it was great! Food was authentic and quality, and overall ambience was great.

A wonderful dinning experience on their patio. The food was exceptional and the staff are doing a wonderful job under difficult circumstances. Well done.

I love this place. Chef Massimo Renzi is the best in the world. Tasty food. Amazing wine selection.

Can’t even deny that the main reason I went here was because of these Drake lyrics:
Yeah, uh, after hours at Il Mulino
Or Sotto Sotto, just talkin' women and vino

Great atmosphere, I celebrated my birthday here and even went on a date (awhile back lol). The environment is excellent for any occasion, whether special or casual. The food is really good. The service is amazing. The pictures of Drake hanging on the wall is beautiful. Overall, one of the best places in the Downtown Toronto area (I was born and raised here, so been to several places all over and this one stands out). Hands down, the best Italian restaurant in Yorkville.

Worst experience ever, the waiter was extremely rude, would not explain or apologize why bill cannot be separated. Raised his voice over us, and asked me: so you want the scallop to be under your bill? I will put it under your name.

Unprecedented bad experience I’ve had at a western restaurant, asked for the manager, and the waiter went “ pay the bill first, because people are waiting, you can wait for the manager at the bar area”?

Delicious food! I loved the antipasto gordonia. The grilled tiger shrimp were fantastic. The atmosphere was more on the upscale side. My only issue was that there really isn’t any parking nearby so you basically have to use the valet parking. Other than this, everything was great.

Octopus is out of this world! It is not an easy dish to cook. I'm always impressed when I find a place that can do it right, tender inside and crispy outside. That will tell you the rest, everything is good. Cozy place too.

Beautiful dinner last night at Sotto Sotto. Started off with the Meatballs and arugula salad and then moved into the seabream special with a side of a four cheese pasta. My favourite high end italian in the city! Highly recommend.

Fantastic spot for dinner. The ingredients are high quality and expertly prepared, the servers are knowledgeable and welcoming. If we had Michelin stars in this city, Sotto Sotto would surely have a couple.

Great food, excellent service, yet to expensive. Sotto Sotto is an iconic restaurant, yet its hey days are passing. There isn’t a single thing on the menu I wouldn’t recommend, but there’s nothing I couldn’t get somewhere else for cheaper. The wine selection is incredible, yet it takes up a large portion of the budget.

Service is unbelievable and food is SPECTACULAR. The ambiance is beautiful and has a home like feel to it. Absolutely stunning!

Food was okay. I strongly believe just about everything but the Risotto is reheated then served.the meat balls tasted bland, the octopus was tasty but felt like that too was reheated/ microwaved.the grilled vegetables and seafood for the Antipasto was probably reheated/ microwaved.

The good? The Seafood Risotto was by far some of the best risotto I've ever had! Basically the one thing one must try when dining here.

Fantastic upscale Italian food with a great wine list. Still, the trend of lacklustre service in Toronto continues. Personally, service can make or break a meal, and to be questioned on menu choices, to not be able to recommend a wine, and to have commercial radio played (with commercials) during dessert, at 9pm no less, was a miss during an otherwise wonderful meal.

Great selection of food but it was over-priced. The quality was ok but feel if you charge those prices you should get more bang for your buck.

Food was good, service was not. Seemed like management, the hostess, and waiters were more concerned with their regulars then any other customers. Made reservations weeks in advance and still had to wait 45 minutes for our table. Very noisy and all in all did not feel welcomed at this restaurant. Not worth the hype at all in my opinion.

Visited the infamous Sotto Sotto on a last minute business trip and had an absolutely amazing experience. Making the dinner reservation was quick and easy and they even accommodated me when I needed to push back the reso because I was running late. Great cozy but upscale ambiance. Everything about this place says authenticity from the staff, to the food, to the cocktails.everything! I had the pleasure of being served by a gentleman named Victor and he was extremely helpful and on top of everything. I was even lucky enough to be able to try a custom cocktail crafted by Alexandro that was delicious and exactly what I had in mind. He really brought it to life. The food was amazing from start to finish. I had the beef carpacio, the burrata salad, the carbonara, and the molten chocolate cake for dessert. Every single dish was fresh, flavorful, and presented beautifully. Will definitely be back next time I visit Toronto.

Went there with my sis, I have to say this is the best Italian restaurant in Downtown！can’t be happier with their service and the quality of their food.

Overall a fabulous eating experience - a lively ambience, excellent food & wine coupled with very attentive service. All the fish dishes were very good especially the grilled octopus. Highly recommend.

I’ve been going here for a few years and I must say this experience was the worst. I first walked in and the hostess never greeted me, I was the one to say hello, how she was doing and I had a reservation for so & so time. She had just mumbled “follow me”, and we walked upstairs.she later put the menus on our table and walked away promptly, I was wanting to tell her I didn’t like the spot I was sitting but because she just walked away I didn’t get the chance too. I was crammed between two loud tables (I did notice other empty tables around, which happened to stay empty the remainder of the time I was there.) The waiter never told us no specials, once I got my food, the chicken I added to my pasta was bland, not to mention the chicken was cut into tiny cubes.it was kinda embarrassing.while I was still eating someone came around and asked me if I was done, which I clearly was not. I didn’t even bother getting any dessert since I was not enjoying my dinner at all. The whole experience was so sad, since this was my favourite restaurant to come to, I will now question wanting to come here in the future unfortunately.

Very, very good. Started with the caprese salad. I don’t even like tomatoes and I really only wanted the mozzarella but the tomatoes were so tasty that I’m wondering if I actually like tomatoes now. The pasta dish was so rich in flavour and cooked perfectly. Had the veal as a main which was really tender and a nice sized portion. Desert was the least favourite but that’s pretty standard for me. The staff were friendly and helpful. Really great restaurant. Definitely the favourite part was the pasta!