This cash-only takeout window uses fresh ingredients to serve up traditional Italian gelato. Bar Ape Gelato Co. is open from May to October to offer a refreshing relief from Toronto’s heat. Other sweet and chilly treats on Bar Ape’s menu include soft serve, sundaes and ice cream bars. Bar Ape offers a rotating menu, meaning

North York restaurant Burgers Park draws inspiration from US burger joints like Shake Shack for its classic smash burgers. Meats are locally-raised and halal, plus free of hormones and antibiotics. Their namesake Park Burger features an Angus beef smash patty served on a sesame brioche with sauteed onions and American cheese. Other menu items include

Cantina Mercatto is the newest addition to the Mercatto family of restaurants (Taverna, Locale, Trattoria and College) that started some 20 years ago on Toronto Street. Close to both the St. Lawrence Market and the Financial District, the new space is meant to be a one-stop shop for lunch meetings, special occasions as well as

An elegant Italian dining experience in the heart of the downtown core, Carisma is one of the city’s best Italian restaurants. After eight years in their quaint and cosy King Street East location, owners Michael and Margi Pagliaro moved into a larger space on Toronto Street that fits the whole extended family. Known for their

Carole’s Cheesecake delivers on the promise of its name, offering over a dozen types of the delicious dessert which range from classic with fruit toppings to speciality varieties like Reese’s Peanut Butter. Founded in 1972, Carole’s also claims to have been the first bakery to introduce carrot cake to Toronto and they still make a

Chef Robert Rubino is taking his skills from Italy to Etobicoke at Cellar Door Restaurant. Classically trained at Il San Domenico restaurant in Italy, Rubino learned to make handmade pasta and pizza dough like a true pizzaiolo. Cellar Door is a Canadian-Italian restaurant that is making some of the best and freshest Italian fare in

Established in 1957, Commisso Bakery has become one of the most well-known establishments in the city. It’s open 24/7 and 365 days of the year, serving hearty Italian fare in the form of sandwiches, pasta, soup and pizza to the masses to satiate even the hungriest of appetites. There’s a hot table and a deli

Just like the main character’s obsession in the Italian-French drama and novella this gelato shop is named for, Death by Venice is to die for. In 2015, owner Kaya was the winner of Chopped Canada with an original ricotta, lemon and rosemary ice cream. With the winnings, he purchased an Italian Carpigiani gelato machine and

On the Danforth, this Toronto gelato shop is serving up some of the most traditional Italian gelato in the city, and east enders can’t get enough. With three locations in Toronto, Dolce Gelato is one of the most well-known spots to go and find a myriad of delightful colours and flavours all tucked away behind

This restaurant is bringing the taste of the Mediterranean to Midtown by offering traditional dishes inspired by French-Italian regional cuisine. With an owner who has been a restaurateur in Midtown for three decades and a chef who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants across France, it’s no surprise Domaine Mamo has perfected the art of French

The powerhouse team behind Ardo on King East have officially added Dova Restaurant to their culinary triad — which includes their company VIVI Imports, that brings carefully chosen goods into Toronto for sale in their restaurant pantry. While the emphasis is on Sicilian food at Dova Restaurant in Cabbagetown, the menu is uniquely dedicated to

Get ready carb-lovers: this is not a drill! Canada’s first Eataly outpost is opening its doors on Nov. 13 in the Manulife Centre at Bay and Bloor. Food fiends who have visited one of Eataly’s 40 other locations worldwide have been counting down the days until the beloved brand arrives in Canada. Eataly Toronto does

After being one of the pioneers who worked on building packet-switching networks, a.k.a the Internet, retirement for Ed Francis is filled with ice cream. Ed’s Real Scoop was founded after Ed Francis could not find any premium, homemade ice cream stores near his home. Now, Ed’s Real Scoop is a neighbourhood staple in the Beach,

Riverside’s ēst offers beautifully plated tasting menus and artful cocktails in a refined space. Helmed by chef Sean MacDonald – the only Canadian chef to be recognized at the Top 300 Chef Awards in Milan, Italy, in 2018 – ēst has traditional and vegan versions of its tasting menus, which emphasize contemporary, locally sourced Canadian

The line starts forming at 11:15 for a noon opening at this culinary dark horse of Geary Avenue. Behind Famiglia Baldassarre’s counter, pasta-makers stand at a large work top, forming perfectly uniform squares of ravioli, totally unfazed as the front of the room fills with hungry diners who are just getting a taste of whatever

Master gelato makers from Florence, Italy, have graced us with their icy sweet treats at Gelato di Carlotta. Located inside Vaughan Mills shopping centre, this gelateria embodies the truest sense of the Italian ice milk shop. From real Florentine recipes and superior fresh ingredients, they want to ensure we can find a taste of Italy

Award-winning chef Lorenzo Losetto is cooking up Canadian fine dining fare at his Moss Park restaurant, George. Expect to eat from an inventive tasting menu that highlights locally sourced ingredients and other innovative dishes that celebrate flavours of the world, such as the lobster with artichokes and guanciale. The refined space includes a dreamy private

Toronto’s obsession with Italiana never seems to abate, and Giulietta is one of the reasons why. Chef Rob Rossi was at first pooh-poohed (the nerve to close Bestellen!) before being embraced twice over. Rossi partnered with David Minicucci (L’Unità), and they ran with their idea of serving Italian food that’s clean, simple and addictive. Pasta

Toronto’s first gelato bar never disappoints. With its 22 original and handmade flavours, Hollywood Gelato remains the city’s premier place for a scoop of this sweet Italian dessert. At the corner of Bayview Avenue and Manor Road, this gelato shop has been serving Torontonians some of the best authentic, made-from-scratch gelato since 2001. This store

Once you check in, you’ll never want to check out. Hotel Gelato has been Forest Hill’s go-to destination for rich and delicious gelato for more than 10 years. Decorated to look like a boutique hotel in Europe, a trip to this gelato destination feels like being transported to another place and time. Regulars that come