Vaticano Italian Restaurant

I never write reviews but this place is horrible. Ordered a vegetarian pasta and they put pork in it. We had asked the server multiple times is this pasta veg and he said yes. Our remake came and the pasta was undercooked and sauce was bland. Mojitos and Shirly temples tastes so watered down and bland, had to get them remade also. Cutlery on the table was dirty and we spent 10 minutes trying to get a new clean cutlery. Save your money and go to other places downtown.

Great italian food and truly authentic. A real hidden gem in yorkville. I had the veal and it was melt in your mouth and would highly recommend the prepared in house cheesecake for dessert. Really happy and will be my go to place for real italian food cause was just like my trips to Italy. BRAVO

I had a terrible experience at Vatican. The food was not good and the service was poor. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. My drink tasted nothing like a margarita. Just some concentrated lime juice, with garam masala on the rim and no ice. Customer service was poor.

Not worth the price, especially when some « ingredients » of your meal were still cold/frozen. Hopefully, there are other options in the neigbourhood.

Excellent service and authentic Roman food. One of the best experiences I've had at a restaurant in the city. Go on a Friday night and the original chef will cook for you. We even got to tour the kitchen. What a pleasure

I very rarely write bad reviews - but this was THE worst restaurant experience I've ever had. The only good thing about this restaurant was the location and the fact that they had a patio.

First and foremost, the food and drinks were expensive and yet nothing to brag about. I had a dish which I was believe called the Penne Cleopatra. It was supposed to be a smoked salmon penne. There was a tiny piece of salmon in it, and then I tasted no salmon at all. It was just a very mediocre penne with rose sauce and 4 pieces of spinach (in short, something a student would make on a budget. At this restaurant.this dish was $24).
I ordered a red sangria with it - I tasted no alcohol, and all orange juice for $16! It looked like a Bloody Mary and tasted like Tropicana. One of us had such a bad margarita we sent it back.

The service was laughable. No.abysmal. Our server first came around to take our orders after we had waited for a while and neglected to tell us that an ITALIAN restaurant did not have any pizza available in addition to several other menu items. He then refused to start any of our orders (including drinks) before everyone in the group was ready even though some of us were not planning to order pizza and were ready. He then came back half an hour later and blamed us for taking a long time to think of an order (again HE was the one who didn't tell us half the menu was unavailable to begin with).
In general service took a very long time (but in fairness they were short staffed so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here). But I did notice that several tables left without ordering, or left when things took too long. There were a lot of very unhappy customers who didn't get the right order either.

At the end of this experience, despite every cell in my body knowing that this place did not at all deserve a tip, I still gave a small tip instead of no tip. Before I paid, the server gave a full story about how nothing was his fault - even more than anything I was disappointed at this lack of customer service or just manners. When he saw that I gave a small tip he looked back as he walked away and gave me a sarcastic, "you didn't have to do that".

I do want to say that the host who was escorting people to their tables was trying his absolute best - I didn't get his name, but it was his second day on the job and I had no issues with him (he had a black ponytail and a tattoo in case management sees this).

Needless to say, I won't be coming here again, and I do not recommend this place.

Awful service, warm wine and bland food! It has such bad reviews for a reason. Totally overpriced for what we ordered.

Wow what an experience! This looks like any other restaurant in Yorkville. However upon entering, there seems to be a certain charm that is distinguishable from the rest of the competition and you're made to feel as though you're in Rome.

The pasta was made fresh and the steak delectable. It did take a little more time, as all restaurants of quality do, just so they get it right.

Then came dessert. A varied choice with each of us having indulged in each other's selection

It should be mentioned their wine menu was extensive and our choice (we had a sommelier as part of our party) was a perfect accompaniment.

This is a place where we will return, sooner rather than later.

I usually don't write reviews but I wouldn't want others to waste their money here. If I could give this place "0" stars I would. The service and food were terrible.

We went there on a Thursday evening around 8pm. The restaurant didn't appear to be busy. 2 couples on the patio, and a group of? 5-6 inside.
We sat on the patio, it took about 15 minutes to get the food menu and water then another 30 minutes to get the cocktail menu, so about 45 minutes before we ordered. When we ordered food, I asked the server if I could see the wine menu. He told me no he wasn't getting me one, and the two options were "red" and "white" and he could recite it to me, and that was it.
When the food came another 50 minutes after we ordered, we received what I would call the biggest embarrassment to authentic Italian pizza. Caesar salad was like bagged salad from the supermarket definitely not worth $16. The Sicilian & Parma pizzas we ordered were cold, the tomato sauce looked like it had sat out on the crust and wasn't fresh, the crust was hard, yet over done and not edible. The Sicilian pizza had four single slices of onion and not cooked salami. I rather spend $5.00 and grab a slice from a generic pizza place then waste money on garbage. The food was absolutely disgusting. To top it off when we got the bill it was $86.00, the sever said "it's okay if you don't want to tip me"

This was honestly the worst dining experience I've ever had. The service is rude the food is absolute garbage. Don't waste your time and money at this place.

From the wine selection to the antipasto to the pasta… everything was delicious and Damian was a better than great server. Definitely recommend!

Great service! Have lovely chats with the servers and bartenders every time we go. Good food, big portions, and great cocktails:)

If I could give lower then a 1 star I would.

Possibly the worst restaurant I have ever Stepped foot in.

Where to start…

In all honesty if this doesn’t put you off nothing will. THE FOOD CAME OUT FROZEN!

Not defrosted and fresh out the freezer.

If frozen food and long wait times is your thing then this is the place for you.the pizza was a ready made one, not home made in the slightest and the food still took way over an hour to come.

Not entirely sure the staff knew what they were doing either!

The service was disgusting. The food took forever to come and they didn’t know how to split bills. It took 50 minutes for them to tell us they didn’t know how to split a bill. The food isn’t good either. Do not go here.

Without a doubt this was one of the most disappointing dining experience I have ever had. The service was terrible. Very slow. It took us almost an hour to get our food despite having to ask several times what was taking so long for very simple orders There was no more soup by 8pm which didn’t matter because neither waitress knew what it was. We had to ask for bread and water refills. The wine order was mixed up but thankfully replaced. They were out of lasagna by 8pm as well. The pasta portions were very small and more like a side dish than dinner entre. Extra pancetta was scant and did not warrant the extra charge of $10 which was no where on the menu or disclosed by the waitress. We had to ask three times for our bill. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone and would never go there again. We weren’t the only dinners who complained. The manager’s response was unsatisfactory. He said there was nothing he could do about our complaints. Over priced and bad service.

Just finished a meal food was delicious and arrived within about 25 minutes. I ordered the pepperoni app to share with my wife as well as the pappardelle vaticanus and bolognese. The service was outstanding and they have a great vintages amaromes
…highly recommend

We walked in when another restaurant fell through hoping to get a table. It was busy but Damian found us a table and made us feel so welcomed and was an absolute delight. The food was spectacular but the service was what won my heart. Thank you for making the night very special.

Fantastic experience! They’ve been at it for 20 years and it’s still wonderful food and such good Italian food and wine!

We were group of 6 celebrating friend’s birthday and Felice (the super Chef) and his crew were amazing! Friendly servers and very talented chef served truly Italian delicious feasts! Thank you guys!

Had a great dinner for my partners graduation. We were the only ones there but it was still a lovely time! Damien our server was great and the food was the best! Best gnocchi I've ever had! You gotta get it with the 4 cheese sauce! I'll definitely be back!

Had a great time at Vaticano! The staff was extremely friendly and the food was delicious. I loved the ambience, and I would definitely come back!

Amazing Food and Service. The Lasagna is incredible. Got a spicy sauce on top, try it you won't be disappointed

We came for dinner this weekend and I must say it was phenomenal. One of the best authentic, Italian dinners I have had in my life. Staff was super kind and friendly. I highly recommend Vaticano; it’s a must try in Toronto!

Had the Caprese Salad and Funghi Alla Griglia. The food was delicious especially with a cold glass of Pino. Our server looked frazzled. A bit of "customer service fine tuning" would help. Also the jazz quartet performing on the stairs was absolutely SUPER!

The service was great but the quality of the food left a lot to be desired. Mussels were inedible (raw, too salty, no bread), salad was wilted (no dressing, cukes and tomatoes missing), pastas/ fettuccine alfredo (not from the menu) was cooked properly. Price? $$$$$ Ouch!

We came between kitchen closing in preparation for dinner. The manager was kind enough to open kitchen for us to eat. Had two pizzas and fries. Pizza very good. Fries overcooked but we appreciated the service which was quick and friendly.

So I am just writing this as I am eating at this restaurant. I came here and ordered grilled calamari and veal and jumbo shrimp. First of, it took over an hour for them to bring the calamari. It's $27, but we got 9 rings of calamari. Not worth it at all and it wasn't that great either. On top, the veal and shrimp were so salty we had to reorder the food. To top it all of no one apologize for this. The meal server was upset cause we ordered it again and not apologetic at all. They only had two servers, the female server was a bit apologetic. However I will never return here. And it's not worth the time or money. Bad food. Bad experience. Waste of everything.

Amazing food and welcoming staff! We had an absolutely wonderful evening. Outdoor dining is fantastic and the kindest waiter ushered us inside the moment there was a tiny bit of rain—absolutely no interruption to our perfect date. Can’t wait to come back—only wish we’d saved room for dessert.

I came here for my birthday dinner on a Sunday with a large party. The service was exceptional! Our server was so kind and attentive to us all night. Our food was so delicious. All my friends enjoyed their orders. The steak is out of this world. Pasta even better. 10/10 will definitely be back. Thank you guys again!

I've been going to Vaticano restaurant for many years and Iove it! The last time I had been there was for my daughter's 32nd birthday in October 2019 when her dad visited from Germany.
Although it's a busy location; the atmosphere at Vaticano is very quiet and pleasant so that you can enjoy a delectable meal without any distractions! The servers are always pleasant; they'd regularly stand in view, looking at your table in case you should need their services; one of the few things that I do admire at restaurants and
I've been to many; sometimes you need to get something and there're no servers in sight, to me, that's very unmannerly! Last but not least, the foods have always been very scrumptious! I’ve taken, and will always take my guests there, as am very sure that they'd enjoy dining in the lovely ambience of Vaticano!
When thinking about dining out the first name that pops into my head is Vaticano! Due to the Pandemic I've only dined at one restaurant in my area but I'll be returning to Vaticano to celebrate one of my friend's birthday on July 5th.
Thanks to the Chef and Staff of Vaticano; you guys are just wonderful; God bless you all!
I'm editing to add to this comment.

As planned, I took my friend for her birthday at Vaticano last evening to have dinner and we both enjoyed it; our meals were very delicious and the servers were warm and pleasant as usual. I asked my friend to choose a dessert but she said no, I don't think that I can eat anything else. I said, girl it's your birthday so you can have a slice of cheesecake or Tiramisu; what's a birthday without a piece of cake but she still said no. I then asked for the bill but instead Damian, our charming server brought a slice of cheesecake with a candle on it and two spoons; he lit the candle and said happy birthday, then we also sang happy birthday to her; she was extremely happy. After eating the cheesecake which was so heavenly, we were really stuffed! Thanks again to the Chef and servers; you guys never disappoints and we both had an awesome evening; God bless you all.

I came to Vaticano restaurant now, after one year of restrictions, and I met here excellent service and food, like before Covid.
I would like recommend this friendly place, to everyone.
Igor

We were celebrating a friend's birthday. It's heaven for fish lovers, though we did enjoy some splendid meat balls in marinara sauce.

Gnocchi and lasagna was equally scrumptious. However, I did not enjoy the pizza. I wouldn't suggest that. It coul be because am not much of a pizza lover.

It was a very interesting experience.
The staff were excellent and we had a great dining experience

Such incredible service and amazing food! The chef came to speak with us personally and it’s clear how much he loves and cares about his craft. Highly recommend!

My wife and I stopped here on a Sunday night just over an hour before closing. The chef and staff made us feel very welcome and, since we had never been there before, made some suggestions on what we should order.

I had the Penne Cleopatra and it was fantastic. The portion size was large and the house-made pasta was cooked perfectly. The price was also very good considering the quality of the food and the location.

Great food and awesome hospitality!

Best food and atmosphere I've ever experienced. The Vaticano team goes above and beyond Being in business myself I know its impossible to keep everyone happy keep doing what your doing and cant wait to return:)

Really slow service, we waited more than an hour for a bad pizza, I can say the worst I had in a long time. After reminding them we have been waiting for a long time just to order, they brought bread for us that was not fresh at all. Never going back.

Absolutely Spectacular Dinner Experience - Had the "Gloria" salad to start - Warm radicchio salad with Portobello mushrooms, caramelized onion, topped With goat cheese and aged balsamic dressing - incredibly delicious and when served warm - a delight! My wife had the Cesare salad which was perfectly prepared with home made croutons and Romaine lettuce, Parmigiano and pancetta. The Caesar dressing was pure perfection. Main course was Fettuccine Aragosta -
Pasta with lobster tail in a light truffle cream sauce - brilliant, delectable, memorable and oh so perfectly el dente! My better half enjoyed the Agnolotti alla Sasha    - Stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese, in a truffle cream sauce which was profoundly flavourful - we asked for more bread to sop up every morsel of sauce. So good you want to lick the plate!

Once again Vaticano does not disappoint, friendly and professional staff… the food was even better than before, had their Ravioli Fungi and omg I never had anything like it. And this year the patio looks even better as well

Wonderful ambience & delicious food! Wait was longer than usual, approximately an hour. Servers are very kind & hospitable.

I was walking in yorkville looking for a new place to try. I walked in asked for a table for 1 person. The server wasn’t friendly. Said give me a minute than 2 seconds later he says I only have a table for 4 people. Than I said okay so you have no table for me? He’s like not at the moment. Mind you he didn’t even check to see what’s available. I said okay no problem I’ll go somewhere else. He’s like okay take care. As I walk out I literally see 3 unoccupied tables for 2 that needed to be clean. And yess one table for 4 that was cleaned. So I guess I’ll never come back to give this place a try, due to this experience alone. L

I’m soooo in love with this place, honestly, this is the best Italian food in whole Ontario! The waitress Damian and Luca are such amazing people, they make me feel I am their friend! And the chef is fantastic! The food is amazing! If you wanna eat authentic Italian food this is the right place!

Thank you guys for making our night so wonderful!

We ordered dinner at Vaticano restaurant, the food was exactly like I ordered in Italy, and the delivery was fast and everything was delicious thank you.

Vaticano is my favourite place to dine and take out. What u love about vaticano take out is very good with very good portion and I always have extra food leftover for my snack or for the next day! I recommend vaticano to take out and when everything opens I suggest to go to vaticano first.

Vaticano Restaurant is the most amazing experience that I have had in Yorkville: a variety of authentic Italian recipes and remarkable friendliness. I do suggest this one of the kind places to be an absolute choice, enjoying their patio when re-opening soon.

One of our favorite spots in the neighborhood. Vaticano has been around for a long time for a reason! Fantastic staff and really good Italian cuisine.

Finally a restaurant with a extensive menu.and excellent wine list! I have been going to this restaurant since forever.
It is a Yorkville’s must go! Try the gloria salad, the seafood pasta and, off course tiramisù!
You can also seat at the bar and watch the game!

We went with some friends for a casual Saturday night dining experience. I will be honest, we are rather impatient but they entertained us with amazing antipasti (fried calamari: FRESH!) until the food arrived: HEAVEN! I’ve been to Rome a few times and let me tell you something: they can comfortably hold their ground. Their food speaks for itself, marvellous pasta and fish! I would come back because now we need eat our way through their extensive menu (wine cellar: IMPRESSIVE)

This place is my first choice restaurant. Of all restaurants I know I like it most. I always suggests to my friends to go to this restaurant.when I I need a decent lunch, this restaurant comes right away to my head.excellent and all sorts of food and a large menu.generous crew, and good ambience. And very important, the price is fair. I recommend this place with pleasure.

The food here is absolutely amazing! I had the carbonara as well as the della salad and it was delicious. I love this place I recommend the food to anyone who wants a good Italian authentic meal.

Always heard great things about Vaticano restaurant, finally ordered some take out, wow fantastic meals on top of that the portions are very impressive and large, my new spot for takeout, highly recommend for everyone to try,
can't wait to dine in at vaticano restaurant once the inside dinning is allowed back in Toronto

One of my favorite restaurants in Toronto has survived and reopened safely and intelligently for dining the street patio is beautiful and service is very good as always I ordered from the various fresh seafood choices from the menu this time I had the cod with pasta. The cod is served with cherry tomato and olives so lovely in its European authenticity I had garlic and olive oil on my pasta so simple so tasty. Next week I will have the pasta fruit de Mari in their famous tomato sauce. The other thing that impressed me was that the owners son is now helping to command the restaurant Luca is a very focused very skilled young man and he took time out to say hello and see how the guests were doing just fantastic if you haven't been here or haven't been back I recommend that you do soon you have been missing out

Great Italian food at the heart of Toronto.
This restaurant was recommended to us by the hotel concierge, and we were very happy with this recommendation. The food was great, authentic Italian as you can hardly find outside of Italy. The service was respectful and generous. The dishes kept up with the generous theme. Will definitely return the next time we are in town.

The experience was like the flavours of Italy
Homemade pasta, homemade bread and homemade love. The best restaurant I ever ate in. It's like going home to mamma ask anything you need and the answer is never no. But the food is out of this world and certainly and experience that someone should go to get the best food and service with love.

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High quality of service. The food is fresh and authentic. Excellent job from Chef-Owner Felice. Absolutely, the best Italian restaurant in Toronto.

While visiting the Toronto museum, we could not leave Toronto with out visiting our favourite Italian restaurant. The updates look great, new look for 2020. Thanks Felice and staff for great food and service making us feel at home. See you next time.

Very good place for Italian food for lunch, dinner or dinner party. Nice food great service, good ambiance. I would highly recommend this place.

The worst restaurant in my life I have ever been.
The owner fighting in front of me in the bar area. The staff arguing in front of me in the bar area.
The food Aewsome after 33yrs years going to this place.
Please do not go to this restaurant.
I hated the place

Was in this area and tried food here on a Thursday night. There was another table occupied, otherwise the place was empty.
We ordered pesto pasta and pizza gorgonzola.
The waiter was courteous but that was it if I have to say anything good about the place.
Pesto Pasta had almost no flavor. We had ordered for additional veges, which were charged extra. The pizza was decent but for the price charged, it had almost no toppings.
Even on Pesto pasta, when after black pepper, grated parmesan was being put, server didn't even check how much quantity was needed. Just did it for formality and ran away. You can see it in the picture.
Place is dated, roof has patches and the place surely is dim so that one can not see how unclean and unkempt it is.
We were near the window and kept feeling cold, not sure if proper heating is installed or not.
Not a place where I will spend my money again and will recommend others to avoid as well. Save your money.

We were invited to a Christmas party to a restaurant called Vaticano restaurant in Yorkville area, 25 Bellair St. We enjoyed our stay very much. So food started appearing on the tables, being a party and all but needless to say we tasted the many delights that arrived. IT felt like being home in the old country of Italy, because of the freshness, taste and authenticity. Was a great experience and we have been back quite a few times, not planning to stop any time soon. Good luck to the restaurant keep up the great work.

Homemade pasta and lobster tail best meal out in a long time star service while star sightseeing I just cannot get enough

We attended Saturday night, it is a shameful representation of Italian food, the food was just bad period. Clearly the owner has either lost his passion or touch because it doesn't take much to clean the filthy restaurant or to have his wait staff properly represent his establishment. Close the doors before somebody gets sick!

Server was really rude, rushed, and didnt have anything on the menu.when we did finally get our food, it was awful.proportions were incorrect and was no where near acceptable for the ratings this place currently has.

Horrible experience our waiter was extremely rude he did not want to serve us, his name is Tony. The whole time he kept making snark remarks I’m pretty sure he was racist because compared to everyone else in the restaurant he would treat the minorities horribly. He looked drunk his face was super red and he was raising his voice at us for taking too long to order. I am absolutely repulsed and never going back.

I wanted to impress a client with some great Italian food, Vaticano was recommended to me by a family member and all I can say is hat's off to the Chef and amazing staff. Being Italian I am very picky with Italian food, not too many authentic real Italian food places out there.so if your looking for one this is the place. I had Gnocchi and Vitello Marsala then shared a pizza, the pizza tasted like I was actually in Italy! Service was very friendly and accommodating. I will defiantly come back I highly recommend this place.best Italian food I've had in a long time.

Good food. Not good for a large party. One persons meal was forgotten. By the time she got her meal the other 16 people had room temperature dinners. Space was so cramped I had to keep getting up to let people Go to the bathroom and let waiters by. Food cooled off.

I went here for an anniversary dinner last night and WOW - what an incredible experience. Our server was easily the best I've ever had: attentive, friendly, and very knowledgeable. My boyfriend and I had the arancini to start (rich flavours, and large 2-piece serving), and then had the gnocchi quattro formaggi and pappardelle Vaticanus. Again, both SO delicious and very filling - neither of us could finish our meal. Definitely affordable for the area, quality of food, and experience. There aren't many Italian restaurants that provide the variety of appealing options at Vaticano - that alone would have been enough to bring me back. For so many reasons, we'll be repeat customers. Thanks for the wonderful evening!

Decent Italian food. It was ok but didn't stand out for me. Went here for the winterlicious lunch menu. On the pricier side of course as all restaurants in Yorkville are. Service was a bit slow considering that there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant.

Food was delicious and the staff were really friendly and attentive. Went here for Winterlicious on a Wednesday evening, and ordered deep fried rice and meat balls as an app, steak and mushrooms with truffle sauce, pork tenderloin in a Riesling sauce, and cheesecake. All really delicious - the sauces for the meat mains were amazing. Would come back to this place.

Friendly staff but slow service, under cooked food, and dessert that looks like it came from a box. Very overpriced too. Would not recommend this place.

The waiter was drunk and I could smell the alcohol from him. He poured out water on me ‍️. Me and my girlfriend were waiting for pasta for 45 minutes. The food was good though