The 38 Essential Toronto Restaurants

"In 2015, chef and owner Victor Barry left diners with a sad pit in their stomachs when he shuttered the nearly 30-year-old fine dining establishment Splendido, though he soothed their collective hunger pangs the next year with a new, sophisticated, and family-friendly trattoria. A departure from the gloved service and dainty dishes, Piano Piano kept the soul of Splendido while making Barry’s creations more accessible to the community. At its three locations in the city, the restaurant enchants with staples like fluffy ricotta served with rosemary-studded focaccia and finished with sunflower seeds and chile; paunchy octopus with downy tentacles that have been bathed in fermented garlic honey, served with Japanese eggplant; and naturally leavened sourdough pizzas, such as the Sweet Hornet: a smoldering whirlwind of fior di latte, spicy soppressata, and black olives, all finished with hot honey." - Tiffany Leigh