We stumbled upon this place when we were on a walk along St Clair West. At first we were skeptical about it since the front door and interior looks outdated, and there were not a lot of people inside.Glad we took our chance — the pasta tasted fresh and homemade. They even gave us complimentary bread and tomato salad which was very refreshing. The chef seem to have learnt how to cook Italian food throughout his time in Europe, and is very friendly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Arroyo Spero
The chef is a master. I thoroughly enjoyed his creations and the atmosphere in the restaurant which I had to myself on a Monday afternoon. I left very happy and the chef totally made my day better.Edit: Wow I didn't realize the photos from this review would have over 1000 views in a month!! Just validates my review and how good the chef is. To be totally clear, in my most popular photo, I ate the first piece of zucchini and pumpkin puree with that delicious sauce BEFORE I took the photo. Hahahaha it just looked too enticing. What an experience and I feel so blessed to have experienced it. Be good to everyone and the chef will do the same for you! Thank you again!!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Raymond Mendelovits
Absolutely delicious spaghetti Bolognese. The meal starts with fresh bread and oil, followed by a taste cleanser, and wow what a great main meal. I recommend this place to those visiting. Clean bathrooms, amazing service, and an atmosphere to die for.Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetarian optionsWheelchair accessibility: The place is NOT wheelchair accessibleDietary restrictions: The waiter asked about dietary allergies, very nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Romanova
Great owner, made carbonara off the menu.Creme brule is really good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cr
Joy Kwon
I feel like I am in a trattoria in Italy. The food of the chef is very authentic and unique. The penne with shrimp arrabiata and carbonara are amazing! I strongly recommend the appetizer, the fried cauliflower with pesto and mayo sauce. They are perfect match!!??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adriana Crivici
We drive in to the city and choose to eat here. The chef is a doll and his food is soooo good. Takes me back to my Nonna’s gnocchi (I get it with the bolognese sauce.) Your food is all cooked to order. The chef’s passion and love for Italian cooking radiates through his food and little meal add ons. Highly recommend.
Andrew
Agio is a seafood restaurant situated on St Clair Avenue, a bustling hub for Italian cuisine in Toronto. My cravings for seafood led me to venture to this new eatery. I had previously heard of Agio, with positive reviews on Yelp and Google, so my expectations were high upon entering. However, the decor was rather understated, not matching my preconceptions of a fancy Italian restaurant. The interior was adorned with flags from around the world, and an older Asian man awaited our arrival.Initially, I was unsure whether this was a genuine Italian restaurant, but I was soon corrected by the owner, who revealed his fascinating backstory. Born in Korea, he worked in Japan before extensively training in Italian restaurants. He even tested my Italian skills and impressed me by mentioning that he could read Vietnamese. His love for Italian culture was evident, and we bonded over our mutual admiration for this great country.The owner recommended spaghetti alle vongole and calamari fritti, and I happily obliged. Before our mains arrived, he offered us fresh bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, as well as a delightful amuse bouche of zucchini drizzled with squash and balsamic glaze.I must admit that my assessment of the restaurant is somewhat contextual. The owner is evidently an older man who works single-handedly. He serves as the waiter, entertainer, and chef, making everything fresh to order. In this sense, his passion for Italian cuisine shines through, and I have the utmost respect for his efforts. If I were to judge the food as home-cooking, I would give it a solid 4/5. However, if I were to evaluate the restaurant against the standards of a high-end establishment, the story would be different.The decor was outdated, service was not the quickest, and the tableware could do with an update. However, given the owner's limited resources, this would not be economically feasible. Despite these minor critiques, my overall experience was highly enjoyable. The owner taught me much about Italian culture, and the calamari was fresh, light, and crispy. My only complaint was that the clams in the pasta were not pre-shucked, resulting in many shells in the dish. However, given that the owner was working alone, this was understandable. The flavor of the dish was on par with that of many high-end restaurants.I highly recommend supporting independent business owners like the proprietor of Agio, who possess a deep passion for food and the culture of Italian cuisine. The restaurant's namesake, Agio, meaning comfortable, aptly describes the ambiance of the establishment, and I felt right at home throughout my visit
Fatima-Zahra MAHBOUBI
Best Italian in Toronto. We had the pasta alla vongole and the butter squash ravioli, amazing taste. The caprese salad was small but full of flavour. Marino, the owner and chef, accompanied us during the whole evening, sharing funny stories of Italy and other anecdotes. This restaurant is a complete food and culture experience not only a meal to eat. Definitly recommend and we will definitly come back!
Heather Kim
The owner/chef is an incredibly interesting man, he has a lot of stories and is friendly. The food is also very good and you can tell he truly has a passion for cooking (we had the alfredo, mare, ravioli and spaghetti pastas! He probably will remember us). The place itself is definitely a hole in the wall and may not look like the biggest/fanciest place, but that's how we knew it'd be good. Don't be put off by the ambience. Will definitely come here again when we visit Toronto!
Rijuta Menon
My husband took me out for dinner here a couple of weeks ago and this was hands down one of the best Italian restaurants that we have been to ever! The food was mouthwatering and delicious and the service was exceptional! The chef even gave us free extra appetizers which were delicious. All in all a great experience and we would 10/10 dine here again
Great hospitality, food, and service by the owner. This place should be more well known. Will be coming back here again.
Jason Marques
This is my third visit here in a month and a half. I’m happy to be a returning diner to a restaurant with amazing options. I love the ambiance.All the dishes were winners. Also I am not a dessert person but this is the third time I’ve ordered the dessert cake which I appreciate for not being too sweet.Looking forward to returning and inviting more people to dine here to try out some other options.5 stars!!! Thank you!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Ravioli
15501Bob
Agio was a real favourite of ours before the pandemic, but we stopped eating out during Covid - until now. Thinking about Marino's gnocchi boscaiola had been drooling though, and we are getting out more, so off we went to Agio. Wow! Just wow!! No, the decor is not particularly attractive, and no the restaurant is not as well located as some along the St. Clair strip, but if you like really good Italian food prepared by a wonderfully somewhat eccentric chef/owner, grab your coat and make your way to Agio. Then write a review and thank me for the recommendation.
Sandra Wilczynska
The food is incredible! My friend found this place on google and we decided to go for her birthday. Don’t be discouraged by the lack of fancy decor, as the food is amazing and you won’t be disappointed. The owner/chef spent years in Italy, and knows what he is doing. We all had different mains and all three were amazing. We will be going back for sure.
Shanilka Fernando
It's a cute little place with amazing food. The chef's service was great and food even better! We will definitely go back.
We stumbled upon this place when we were on a walk along St Clair West. At first we were skeptical about it since the front door and interior looks outdated, and there were not a lot of people inside.Glad we took our chance — the pasta tasted fresh and homemade. They even gave us complimentary bread and tomato salad which was very refreshing. The chef seem to have learnt how to cook Italian food throughout his time in Europe, and is very friendly.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
The chef is a master. I thoroughly enjoyed his creations and the atmosphere in the restaurant which I had to myself on a Monday afternoon. I left very happy and the chef totally made my day better.Edit: Wow I didn't realize the photos from this review would have over 1000 views in a month!! Just validates my review and how good the chef is. To be totally clear, in my most popular photo, I ate the first piece of zucchini and pumpkin puree with that delicious sauce BEFORE I took the photo. Hahahaha it just looked too enticing. What an experience and I feel so blessed to have experienced it. Be good to everyone and the chef will do the same for you! Thank you again!!!!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely delicious spaghetti Bolognese. The meal starts with fresh bread and oil, followed by a taste cleanser, and wow what a great main meal. I recommend this place to those visiting. Clean bathrooms, amazing service, and an atmosphere to die for.Vegetarian options: Plenty of vegetarian optionsWheelchair accessibility: The place is NOT wheelchair accessibleDietary restrictions: The waiter asked about dietary allergies, very nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great owner, made carbonara off the menu.Creme brule is really good!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cr
I feel like I am in a trattoria in Italy. The food of the chef is very authentic and unique. The penne with shrimp arrabiata and carbonara are amazing! I strongly recommend the appetizer, the fried cauliflower with pesto and mayo sauce. They are perfect match!!??
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We drive in to the city and choose to eat here. The chef is a doll and his food is soooo good. Takes me back to my Nonna’s gnocchi (I get it with the bolognese sauce.) Your food is all cooked to order. The chef’s passion and love for Italian cooking radiates through his food and little meal add ons. Highly recommend.
Agio is a seafood restaurant situated on St Clair Avenue, a bustling hub for Italian cuisine in Toronto. My cravings for seafood led me to venture to this new eatery. I had previously heard of Agio, with positive reviews on Yelp and Google, so my expectations were high upon entering. However, the decor was rather understated, not matching my preconceptions of a fancy Italian restaurant. The interior was adorned with flags from around the world, and an older Asian man awaited our arrival.Initially, I was unsure whether this was a genuine Italian restaurant, but I was soon corrected by the owner, who revealed his fascinating backstory. Born in Korea, he worked in Japan before extensively training in Italian restaurants. He even tested my Italian skills and impressed me by mentioning that he could read Vietnamese. His love for Italian culture was evident, and we bonded over our mutual admiration for this great country.The owner recommended spaghetti alle vongole and calamari fritti, and I happily obliged. Before our mains arrived, he offered us fresh bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, as well as a delightful amuse bouche of zucchini drizzled with squash and balsamic glaze.I must admit that my assessment of the restaurant is somewhat contextual. The owner is evidently an older man who works single-handedly. He serves as the waiter, entertainer, and chef, making everything fresh to order. In this sense, his passion for Italian cuisine shines through, and I have the utmost respect for his efforts. If I were to judge the food as home-cooking, I would give it a solid 4/5. However, if I were to evaluate the restaurant against the standards of a high-end establishment, the story would be different.The decor was outdated, service was not the quickest, and the tableware could do with an update. However, given the owner's limited resources, this would not be economically feasible. Despite these minor critiques, my overall experience was highly enjoyable. The owner taught me much about Italian culture, and the calamari was fresh, light, and crispy. My only complaint was that the clams in the pasta were not pre-shucked, resulting in many shells in the dish. However, given that the owner was working alone, this was understandable. The flavor of the dish was on par with that of many high-end restaurants.I highly recommend supporting independent business owners like the proprietor of Agio, who possess a deep passion for food and the culture of Italian cuisine. The restaurant's namesake, Agio, meaning comfortable, aptly describes the ambiance of the establishment, and I felt right at home throughout my visit
Best Italian in Toronto. We had the pasta alla vongole and the butter squash ravioli, amazing taste. The caprese salad was small but full of flavour. Marino, the owner and chef, accompanied us during the whole evening, sharing funny stories of Italy and other anecdotes. This restaurant is a complete food and culture experience not only a meal to eat. Definitly recommend and we will definitly come back!
The owner/chef is an incredibly interesting man, he has a lot of stories and is friendly. The food is also very good and you can tell he truly has a passion for cooking (we had the alfredo, mare, ravioli and spaghetti pastas! He probably will remember us). The place itself is definitely a hole in the wall and may not look like the biggest/fanciest place, but that's how we knew it'd be good. Don't be put off by the ambience. Will definitely come here again when we visit Toronto!
My husband took me out for dinner here a couple of weeks ago and this was hands down one of the best Italian restaurants that we have been to ever! The food was mouthwatering and delicious and the service was exceptional! The chef even gave us free extra appetizers which were delicious. All in all a great experience and we would 10/10 dine here again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Penne with Shrimp Arrabiata
Restaurantji Recommends
Great hospitality, food, and service by the owner. This place should be more well known. Will be coming back here again.
This is my third visit here in a month and a half. I’m happy to be a returning diner to a restaurant with amazing options. I love the ambiance.All the dishes were winners. Also I am not a dessert person but this is the third time I’ve ordered the dessert cake which I appreciate for not being too sweet.Looking forward to returning and inviting more people to dine here to try out some other options.5 stars!!! Thank you!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lobster Ravioli
Agio was a real favourite of ours before the pandemic, but we stopped eating out during Covid - until now. Thinking about Marino's gnocchi boscaiola had been drooling though, and we are getting out more, so off we went to Agio. Wow! Just wow!! No, the decor is not particularly attractive, and no the restaurant is not as well located as some along the St. Clair strip, but if you like really good Italian food prepared by a wonderfully somewhat eccentric chef/owner, grab your coat and make your way to Agio. Then write a review and thank me for the recommendation.
The food is incredible! My friend found this place on google and we decided to go for her birthday. Don’t be discouraged by the lack of fancy decor, as the food is amazing and you won’t be disappointed. The owner/chef spent years in Italy, and knows what he is doing. We all had different mains and all three were amazing. We will be going back for sure.
It's a cute little place with amazing food. The chef's service was great and food even better! We will definitely go back.