ARDO Restaurant

I just went to this restaurant with a friend for dinner and it was amazing! The pasta was cooked perfectly. I had the Con Le Sarde and my friend got the Ragu—we both had the same reaction: it was incredible! Everything was perfectly seasoned. Usually when I get Italian food in the city, it tends to lean more toward American-Italian. Not that I hate that, but if you're looking for authentic Italian, this place is a must.

We had a very nice experience at Ardo in Toronto. The place is cozy with a great atmosphere and attentive service. The highlight was definitely the pizza: large, perfectly baked, with a light dough and high-quality ingredients — absolutely worth trying! The tuna carpaccio was also very good: fresh, light, and nicely presented. Personally, I would have preferred a bit more saltiness, but overall it was quite enjoyable. The arancini were tasty as well, though considering the price and portion size, I’m not sure I would order them again. Overall, a great experience — high quality, nice ambiance, and I would happily come back.

We were truly surprised this evening on several levels. The pasta ragù was pure and delicious, and the gnocchi were unlike any we had ever tasted before. We sat at the bar, which allowed us to feel the passion behind the cooking up close. The waiter was pleasant, present at just the right moments, and made us feel very welcome without ever being intrusive. The cannoli was exactly as it should be—traditional and perfect. This place left us with a lasting impression and a big smile.

Quick update Jul 02, 2025: still as good as I remember! The beef carpaccio and the branzino (bigger portion now) were delicious! Great service as well. The food was simply delicious although a bit pricey with smaller portions for the $$ but in my opinion, worth it. They also serve Sicilian wine, which is different in a good way from what you usually see in other restaurants. I highly recommend you to order the tuna carpaccio with Kima (white wine) to start off!

Went for dinner and booked a seating at the Chef's Counter to overlook the kitchen preparing the dishes. The fresh pasta were excellent, particularly the Salsiccia, and really liked the lightness of their pizzas as well. Really good value for the quality of dishes we got.

I've walked by this place many times and finally got to try it! We went to Bar Ardo first by accident and the bartender went above and beyond to call Ardo to see if there was a table for us before we headed over. We went at 7:30pm on a Thursday and luckily snagged the last table for 4. ARDO is on the Michelin Guide and the food did not disappoint. Their pastas were cooked perfectly al dente. I got the salsiccia and it was delicious. I also got to try the ragu, tartufo and the pizza which were all good. Portions weren't big unfortunately, but everything tasted like it was homecooked. Would recommend and come back.

As always, an excellent meal. Probably some of the best service in Toronto, friendly helpful but not overwhelming servers. Third visit and it's been consistently exceptional. Fritters, olives, orrechetti, pizza Norma and canolli. All cooked well, portions large, leftover pizza for lunch!

Excellent Italian in Toronto! We've been here twice now and both experiences have been amazing. The quality and authenticity of the food is excellent. Some of the best Italian we've had outside of Italy. The service is always impeccable - not too stuffy, but still elevated. And the servers really know the food, the menu, the beverages, and make great recommendations that compliment what you're eating or drinking. We sat at the Chef's Bar our second visit and had a great time chatting with the chefs who were so friendly and eager to answer our questions about the food and how they cooked it. We'd highly recommend sitting here if you're interested in food and cooking. Excellent food, excellent restaurant!

Fantastic southern Italian spot on King East. Small but scrumptious menu of pasta, pizza and hearty mains made very well. Sat at the chefs bar to watch the show and enjoyed seeing everything come together for a dinner consisting of a very soft mushroom gnocchi and fresh eggplant pizza. Marinated olives to round out the meal. Everything was well balanced and delicate. Service was attentive and made sure we felt taken care of. Although not quite fine dining, the value is great while maintaining an air of sophistication.

To start, the ambiance, music, and vibe of the restaurant are excellent. A perfect date night location. Which is why I really wish the food was not as bad as it was so that we could have made it our date night spot. But alas, it was pretty bad. We started with the pulpo and sardines. The octopus was very good but there were a couple of pieces of artichoke that had a dense outer layer that couldn't be bitten into. I had to pull them out of my mouth. We both agreed the sardines had so much lemon that you couldn't taste anything else. Not enjoyable. For mains we had the gnocchi and truffle pasta. The truffle pasta was cooked well but we both felt it was just bland. It was like spaghetti in cream. The few pieces of truffle shaved on top were not going to give an entire dish flavour. The pancetta in the gnocchi made it too salty to eat. It's also not how I personally like my gnocchi. It was quite dense, I prefer them pillowy. My bf loves salt so we had to switch plates. he loved the gnocchi The cannoli and panna cotta were excellent. I didn't taste the fennel in the panna cotta but the lemon was to-die-for The waitress wasn't very good. She may have been new but that wasn't a factor in my stars. I have patience for staff that are trying. The only negative though is that when we ordered a coreto she said they didn't have. I knew there was no way an Italian restaurant wouldn't have sambucca so we asked her to check and they did. Don't say you don't have something because you don't know what it is. She didn't ask us about our drinks all evening with empty glasses on the table but that's ok. It saved us some money. I don't know if it was because we came at Easter weekend and it may not have been the chef back there but I can't imagine how this restaurant has gotten a Michelin nod or the reviews it's gotten with this food. It's very upsetting that we paid so much for really bad food. We will not be returning.

Overpriced super average food. This restaurant is an insult towards Italian cuisine. If I am paying 27 dollars for a burrata salad it better have real burrata and not cheap mozzarella. On top of it the portion is super small. That's just one of my comments and not wasting my time writing more. Never returning to this restaurant and I definitely do not recommend it. I miss Mangia e Bevi

Came here with my aunt and cousins for dinner last night. I am vegan and the chef was able to accommodate my vegan ass. Everyone else ordered directly off of the menu. And claimed that the food was super delicious. I ordered one of their veggie pizzas which they made vegan. It was really delicious. Super flavorful without feeling heavy. What I also liked was that the portion size was just enough. I would highly recommend trying this place. The total price that we paid was beyond reasonable for a fine dining restaurant.

If you expect to have the same same Italian food at Ardo Restaurant, you might be disappointed. Come with an open mind and you will be rewarded. Small neighbourhood vibe just like a little bistro somewhere in Italy. Great for a date night or just come for some excellent Italian fare with your friends. - sarde: spaghetti, fresh sardines, wild Sicilian fennel, raisins, saffron, toasted bread crumbs So good! And I don't even like sardines, raisins and fennel. But the combination just work! Great depth of taste and texture. - insalata di mare: fresh seafood salad with octopus, little shrimps & clams, frissée salad, celery foam - cavolo: organic kale, romaine, cabbage, radish, pickled red onion, crispy parsnips, shaved parmiggiano, housemade Caesar-style dressing - crudo & 'shroom: fior di latte, tomato sauce, 24 months aged prosciutto crudo, preserved mushrooms Enjoyed all the items we ordered! I guess I really love Sicilian cuisine?! A taste of Milazzo in Toronto!

I have always been fascinated by the beautiful cuisine Chef Roberto created at Dova, so I have decided to come to his other restaurant Ardo and boom! It blew my mind again. Each dish is made with love and passion. He kept the most organic taste of each ingredient in each dish and I just love every single bite of it. Must have: 1. Acciughe 2. Pane 3. Capesante 4. Tartufo 5. Ragu 6. And of course! Cannoli!

Ardo is a small Italian restaurant on King Street West. Food is always creative and delicious. Certain dishes have ingredients that I can never conceived would go together. Staff are friendly. Décor is chic and clean. Portion sizes are a little small compare to what you expect from an Italian grandmother. With all that said, the quality of food at Ardo Restaurant speaks for itself. You can put fruit on my pizza any day!

Ardo is perfect in every way--the ambiance is charming, the menu is superb and the staff are welcoming. Ahmer and Alessandro were very accommodating for our last minute reso to have drinks (and my friend was in a wheelchair). My friend and I only had a few rounds of cocktails (he was on his way to a birthday dinner), but we could both tell the food is quality.. and by 6:30pm, the place was packed. We will be returning for a Sicilian meal soon--Ardo is very, very special.

The perfect Sicilian restaurant on a rainy Toronto day. The food was incredible and the service was outstanding. The pizza is out-of-this-world with flavor. Try the unique and authentic appetizers.

Small menu, with sufficient selections and I think because it's a small menu they are able to execute it really really well. Barata - so light and yet flavorful. Just finesse! Lobster ravioli - fresh lobster, good balance in ravioli between the dough, skin, and cheese inside. You won't be disappointed coming here. It was full even on a normal Wednesday so book a reso.

Tired of the same old Italian restaurant with just basic spaghetti and marinara? This is the spot for you. A throw back to old country cooking with flair and flavor. I've met the chef a few times at different locations and he truly loves to cook and feed people. He cares about all of his recipes and dishes so nothing gets stale on the menu. He's constantly keeping up with seasons and inventing mew flavors. 5 stars all day.

Ardo is a small Italian (serving Sicilian style food) restaurant. The interior is clean and simple. However, the tables for two are extremely small. It didn't help that the plates are large. For a weekday lunch, it wasn't a full house, however, make reservations to be safe. The service was slow; The attentiveness of the server could be improved. Food: Polpo (Grilled octopus tentacle): The octopus had a pleasant smoky flavour from the grill. I don't recall much about the accompaniment, other than that we ate everything on the plate. I do wish the octopus was a bit more tender as it was ever so slightly tough. I will caveat that I asked the octopus not to have too much char. Overall, a simple and tasty dish. D'oro: Lightly dressed salad with lots of arugula and some golden beets. The freshness and slight sweetness of the golden beets is the highlight of this salad. The almonds at the bottom add additional texture contrast, though I would rather another type of vegetable. A simple light salad to balance out the rest of our meal. Pollo Porchetta: This was one of the specials of the day. The chicken was cooked to perfection. It was unbelievably tender; probably best cooked chicken I've ever had. The sausage is the porchetta. Unfortunately, it was overly salty and too rich due to the amount of fat used in the sausage. I'm glad my companion was open to sharing all the dishes because if I ate the entire dish, it would be too rich, heavy and salty. The cauliflower was also charred to an inedible black crisp on some sides. They need to rethink this dish. Ragu: While they didn't have the acclaimed duck ragu, they do have a regular ragu on the menu. The sauce was made with dry aged beef. The pappardelle, made in-house, has a gorgeous deep green colour. The pasta was coated well with the sauce and had the most pleasant texture. This dish tasted light (especially in comparison to the porchetta sausage), and well balanced. It was not salty or too rich. While the portion looks small, if one has a starter, main and dessert, IMO, it is the perfect portion. Gelati: Each order comes with two flavours. We opted for pistachio and cherry. The silkiest and smoothest gelato I have ever tried. I enjoyed the cherry more than the pistachio. It had actual cherries and the slightly sour cherry flavour was present. The pistachio tasted nutty, but it could have benefited from more pistachio flavour (maybe add some pistachio pieces?). Also, the each gelato had the perfect amount of sweetness so the natural ingredients could be tasted. While the gelati is not made in-house, it is of very high quality. Lastly, they were kind of enough to let me sample their extra virgin olive oil. It had a great dark golden/yellow colour and it was viscous. I also felt a great spiciness that hit the back of my throat. Overall, characteristics of a very high quality extra virgin olive oil.

I had such high hopes and came out sorely disappointed. To start off we got bread and olive oil for $7. This was 5 slices of the butt end of the bread and they were SMALL. You can see from the picture. Granted there were 3 types of olive oil to dip, but they were in tiny dishes and they didn't even bring out the bottle to show you what they were. I understand that they don't have to give you a big portion, but when they are charging $7 you would hope you either get more slices or bigger slices that don't include the end piece that is literally the size of a third of your palm. Anyways moving on. I came for the gnocchi (Italian porcini & local mushrooms, heirloom carrots, cream, parmigiano cheese) and there's just one word for it - SALTY. Also they don't tell you on the menu that it's actually fried gnocchi which feels like a pretty important thing to note. We also came specifically for the pizza that had zucchini flowers on it and it was sold out. Note we were 1 of 2 tables there for dinner (covid times). So we decided to get a classic magherita instead. The pizza was nothing special at all and the crust was really dry. Tons of other places in toronto to have better pizza. Do not waste your money here.

A cozy little gem! First time here and I HIGHLY recommend sitting at the chef's table. The ventilation is excellent and I had no issues smelling like food after my meal. It's so fun watching the chefs in their element, just fully focused and pumping out perfect food plate after plate! I ordered the anchovy crostini appetizer. It was tasty but as an anchovy lover, I'm also easy to please. The crostini should have been more substantial to hold the mouthful of flavour together. Hubby ordered a pizza which was pretty good but not spectacular. The stand out dishes seem to be their pastas (rightfully so). I ordered the duck ragu and it was spectacular! I've had a similar dish at Terroni before but it was too heavy. This dish though was perfectly balanced and not too rich. Every bite as delicious as the one prior, right to the very last forkful. This dish is a MUST for all! Will definitely return and exhaust all the other pastas on the menu!

Third time here last night. Nice place for evening with my family. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. The owner is very interactive with the customers. The food is nicely prepared. You can tell everything is fresh. Presentation is impeccable. Very extensive wine list. Dessert listing is short by sweet Reservations are easy to make online. Ask about buying the busiate pasta or the olive oil...

fyi prices are outdated on web site for cannoli, accigue, ragu, polpo, and cannoli (all $1 extra)

I went to ARDO to celebrate my birthday this past week. It was the first time any of us were there and I can easily say everyone enjoyed themselves. The service was really friendly and the food was delicious. We had a slight issue with one of the mains coming out late, however the house offered us a complimentary pizza to make up for it. In my book ARDO is very close to a five star restaurant. It is truly an underrated gem in the city, the dim lighting and delicious food kept me happy. Will be going back for my friend's birthday next month.

I've been thinking of Ardo since the last time I tried it and finally had it again tonight and it tasted just as delicious as I remember it. We ordered takeout from the website and the food was prepared hot and fresh and was ready shortly after we arrived. Normally when you get food for takeout, it never tastes as good as eating in but everything was so delicious. I recently tried gnocchi at Nodo and it did not compare to Ardo's - full of flavour and pan fried so that the edges of the gnocchi was crispy. The Ragu Pappardelle is the best I've ever had. Tonight's dinner confirmed that Ardo is my favourite Italian restaurant - in comparison to Nodo, Terroni and Gusto. I cannot wait to go back.

I tried to make my reservation here for a party of 10. My first email was ignored for 5 days so I decided to go into the restaurant myself to inquire. Afterwards, a staff member finally replied to me via email saying that there was space available at 5:30 pm on my requested night and asked me to sign a form releasing my credit card information for a deposit. I asked some follow up questions immediately regarding the deposit (they didn't even specify the deposit amount I had to pay) via email. The next day, the staff responded to my questions with "sorry, all our tables are now booked the night that you requested". I didn't realize it was so hard to make a booking at this restaurant. My initial email was sent 12 days before my requested evening. The staff at this restaurant went ahead and filled the restaurant knowing I had made a request for a reservation on that evening for my birthday dinner. Honestly, I felt hurt and disrespected by the whole situation.

My boyfriend and I stumbled across Ardo in an attempt to explore different pasta joints downtown. We were immediately seated and had the pleasure to sit in front of the kitchen/prep area. Neither of us have had a dining experience like this before and we were excited to be immersed in the preparation of delicious food. We started with the bread and had a side of olive oil and a spicy chilli paste. I ordered the funghi gnocchi and my boyfriend had the salsiccia pasta. This was the best gnocchi dish I've ever had and I was blown away by the simplicity of it. The salsiccia pasta had a great kick so we were stealing bites from each other's plate. However, the highlight of the night was being able to watch how the food went from kitchen to plate. You can see how focused the chefs were and the attention and care they put into their food. I would highly recommend sitting in this area if there are spots available. Kudos to them for being able to cook and check in with guests at the same time!

Ardo is located at King/Sherbourne with an open kitchen that serves traditional Sicilian dishes and pasta. I came by Ardo with a friend for dinner on a Wednesday night, we made reservations ahead of time. Service was attentive and friendly and we were given ample time to catch up without feeling rushed by the waitress. We both ordered pasta dishes (I got the salsiccia [orecchiette, house made Sicilian spicy sausage, Sicilian provolone, rapini, heirloom cherry tomatoes] and my friend got the funghi [Handmade gnocchi, local mushrooms, stracchino cheese, heirloom carrots, black truffle oil]). Both pasta dishes were delicious. We both also got drinks after dinner. Overall, good food and atmosphere.

Came here for dinner on a Sunday night with a reservation mentioning a birthday(Was slightly disappointed there was no special for a birthday, because I went to another place the night before and they included dessert). At 6.30 it was still a bit empty but filled up as the night went on. It was highly rated on websites for having good pasta so we went to try it out. The place is nicely decorated, wasn't that big but felt cozy. The servers were nice and knowledgeable on the specials, she really memorized a whole speech with the options for the night. We got the beef carpaccio and grilled octopus to start. Both were good, the octopus was nicely grilled and not chewy at all. The beef was thin and the parmesan and arugula and pickles on top added great textures. For the mains I got the salsiccia pasta, with orecchiette pasta and spicy sausage. The pasta itself was good, great texture and had a good chew. Had a good pasta to topping ratio. The portion wasn't too big I definitely could have used a bigger plate to be more full. I also tried the sarde pasta, with sardines. However the sardines felt too fishy and added a slightly unpleasant taste to it. The portion again was not big. The pizzas were also mediocre, seriously forgettable, there are much better pizzas in the city. Overall the mains were very disappointing especially with all the hype and reviews. We ended with 3 desserts. The cannoli and the adffogato was good, solid, although not outstanding. The cassata was interesting in a good way, pistachio ice cream hiding under ricotta mouse with lots of toppings of candied fruit, melon chunks and chocolate, it seems like a lot but everything together was delicious! Overall it wasn't bad but it also wasn't great, I don't think I'll be returning since there are much better options for Italian food around the city.

This review is written after my second visit to Ardo The first time when I visited with my significant other, it was marred by various issues - this small resto was too packed, and my water drinking glass smelled funky (like the moldy smell from a dirty rag) which my server had to change several times because the new ones smelled too. Other patrons had the same issue, so it wasn't just me. But anyway, after that was resolved, I thought the food was alright. My second visit was with a group of friends, and the night started promising. We ordered the crochette, octopus and the cavolo salad as starters. I didn't try the crochette nor the salad (both looked just ok, nothing special), but the octopus was delicious - it was tender and flavourful. For my main course, I went with the sardine pasta. Long story short, it was "meh". I did not love how the toasted bread crumbs tasted and hated the texture it gave to the dish; the pasta was al dente but the flavor was weird due to the sauce almost being "too sweet", which did not go with the flavor profile of the sardines. My companions ordered the truffled gnocchi, the etna pizza (fior di latte, sicilian sausage and rapini) which I had the first visit and liked, and the seafood cous cous. The person who ordered the pizza did not like the bitterness of the rapini (which I would have liked); the gnocchi was mushy and did not have any truffle taste to it, and the friend who ordered the cous cous obviously hated it since she barely touched the dish at all. For dessert, we ordered the cannoli, the affogato and the torta all'arancia. The only thing that looked good to me was the affogato, which is almost impossible to screw up. The cannoli looked a bit dry to me, and the torta looked like an ordinary cake. Overall, me and my companions had high hopes for this visit, and we left disappointed. The food is not "horrible" per se, but for a place that seems to have all the hype going for it and lots of patron-packed nights, I think the popularity might be unjustified. YMMV

Delicious food, friendly staff, nice ambiance. My in-laws have been regulars here for many years. The portion sizes are just enough, not too small or too large. Food quality is amazing. Will be back!

Great day to come to this restaurant when it's cold and snowy outside. Weekends are usually packed, which means you have to make early reservations. The service is impeccable plus the ambience. Personal, and the open kitchen that you can see people coming always excites me. The chefs pizza special was ordered, which was abit salty on the crust. But the pasta with sardines and raisins was amazing! The pasta has a really nice bite to it Al dente and fresh. It came as a surprise to me that they charged for bread. Not that it's a big deal, but the bread was mediocre. The saving Grace was the olive oil that came alongside for dipping. A must try, imported and directly flown in Sicilian olive oil. It's Grade A olive oil (besides from Kalamata). Chef Roberto has done well in making this one of the must try and go- to Italian restaurant along on King Street. But only if you like the Sicilian Italian food style.

Delicious food, cute and classy atmosphere - a great date spot! We ordered the Ardo pasta and I must say it was one of the most delicious pasta dishes ever!! I absolutely recommend this restaurant!

The Anatra... "house made fettuccine, muskova duck ragu with 5 secret Sicilian spices, crispy kale" is worth every, single, bite. As much as I wanted to inhale each mouthful of this heavenly pasta, I willed myself to savour the experience. We both agreed that this entrée had so much depth and flavour and really sustained quite the impression. *sighs happily TL;DR: ANATRA. ANATRA. ANATRA.

Ardo brings Southern Italian eats to Corktown. We were seated by the window which opens up onto King Street - there are only a few tables at the front, so try to grab one! Chef Roberto Marotta offers Sicilian dishes and refreshing Campari cocktails. The Polpo ($13) was my favourite dish. The octopus was perfectly grilled and tender, chewy and fresh. I found the burrata ($19) slightly underwhelming. The cheese was firmer and the wine-preserved peaches were not as sweet as expected. :( Carpaccio ($16) was good served with arugula, cheese, pistachios, and mushrooms. As far as salads go, the cavolo ($14) was fun, cheerful and colorful. Kale, romaine, radish, with crispy parsnip and shaved parm. The ragú ($17) was fairly standard, meat sauce on pasta. We packed the rest to take home. The margherita was topped with fresh basil, a midweight crust, but it wasn't particularly memorable. ($14). The desserts are simple. The cannoli is popular and plated nicely. The ricotta center was a bit runnier than desired. The pistachio gelato was delicious though. Overall, we had a nice meal here. In terms of service, it was a bit slow, but the restaurant is still new. We might have ordered a lot of carbs, but it might have been nice to have been offered bread. By the time we finished out meal, the table next to us had cycled through two seatings. We looked longingly at bread served next to us.. twice. Sometimes, all a girl wants is bread. Lots and lots of bread.

This is one of the first Italian restaurants I went to since I moved to Toronto. The food is fantastic! I have tried their pizzas and pastas and neither will disappoint. They do change up their menu quite frequently so you will always have a variety. Just make sure you make a reservation because they are always busy. I walk by this restaurant almost everyday and they are always filled with people in the evening.

Ardo is a modest gem in the Old Town neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. Situated at the corner of King St. E and Sherbourne; an area of downtown that doesn't have many sit-down restaurants this quaint Sicilian restaurant boasts a big garage style door that opens to the sidewalk for that al fresco or all'aperto dining experience weather permitting. The menu at Ardo offers the usual offerings of spuntini, insalata, pasta, pizze and dolci which are nicely prepared and presented with a Sicilian touch. I visited Ardo with three friends and we were all very satisfied with our food and drink choices and would put this place on the rotation of restaurants we regularly frequent.

I was lucky enough to visit this restaurant twice in two weeks. The food is very good. Portions perfect & flavours multi layered. However the menu needs to be more clear - ordered gnocchi and it came with a cream sauce with no mention of that on the menu. Our service was markedly different in the two visits. I believe this is because the lack of experience. Removing plates before everyone was finished, etc. But the server was very attentive - that happy medium between not enough and too much. And also there was barely five minutes between the first course finishing and second course being placed. Which is a kitchen issue. I really like this restaurant and the food, and would recommend it. Just interesting the two different experiences.

Staff are super friendly and looked after our group very well. Food needed a little salt but otherwise a great experience.we had the Burrata, Mushroom Gnocchi, Ragu Pappardelle & capri pizza.

Great place for authentic Italian food. Beautiful restaurant! Very nice menu. Definitely try any pasta AND pizza! The atmosphere is relaxed but also classy and romantic.

We came here for staff dinner on a Wednesday night. Overall great atmosphere and good food. The wine we chose was quiet enjoyable as well. But the food overall wasn't "exceptional" as I'd expected - everything tasted fantastic but nothing stood out.

"Is this place Ar-do or Ar-don't??" This was my exclamation last night after tasting yet another disappointing course. To be fair, the service was very good and so I have to be clear that this rating is purely based on the quality (or lack thereof) of the food. For our first course, we shared several dishes: the Etna pizza, anchovy crostini, octopus salad, and beef carpaccio. The pizza held such promise based on the description on the menu (tomato sauce, fior di latte, rapini, house made chili oil, house made Sicilian spicy sausage) but the execution left much to be desired. It came out tasting very bland and mostly of the dough on which the sparse ingredients were laid. It was a similar story with the lackluster other dishes. For our second course, a bunch of us ordered the lobster ravioli...problem was, they ran out of ravioli so had to substitute with bowtie pasta, which turned out to be a disaster. At least they gave us an option to switch, that I seized on to pick the salsiccia, which ended up being half-decent but nothing to write home about. The wine list was meh and no option to pay corkage and BYOW. As a result, I'm sorry to say that I will not be rushing back here.

We were very disappointed in the service at Ardo. The waiters were more concerned with the chef's desires than the enjoyment of the customers. The arrogance was a total turn off and we are experienced restauranteurs who dine out 5 out of 7 nights a week. We will not return to Ardo. The food was ok but the experience with all of the waiters was most unpleasant. When we need to request our dirty plates to be removed more than 3 times, something is wrong. \

Went there last evening with a group of 4 and had an excellent meal. The menu was clearly, service was great, and would come back if/when I'm in the area. I'd recommend the grilled octopus out of the appetizers we had though the carpaccio comes in a close second. I had the sarde as my main after reading reviews and it tasty as described, but probably not for everyone (you really do need to like sardines to like this).

Sat at the bar and had amaaazing drinks and GREAT food. Super friendly staff. Get the octopus. Trust me. And the pizza was soooo good! 10/10 would try again

Favorite restaurant in Toronto. Amazing authentic Italian flavor and dishes. I sat at the chefs table and the experience was perfect. Interaction with the staff was so much fun. Intimate atmosphere where you could stay all night.

I go to many restaurants throughout the gta (including Italian - being Italian myself) and this place was not at all as the many fabricated reviews say it is. They try to portray themselves as a high end restaurant unfortunately the quality of the food and how it is cooked is very poor. A Big Mac truly would have satisfied me much more than spending how much we did for such bad quality. My friend and I ordered a pizza to share and a plate of pasta each followed by dessert. The gnocchi was extremely soggy/over cooked. I mentioned it to the owner who was a real jerk about it saying he could recommend other places that serves gnocchi! Disgusting for an owner to say that. The pizza (literally) had absolutely no flavor to it. Not even the basics as salt. Lastly and most importantly. We had ordered the cannoli for dessert and the filling had gone bad/rotten. It tasted like rotten egg. I had to give it back and asked him to try it and he said it must be my taste buds! The waitress said she was going to go to the back to try it and that the owner wouldn't let her. It got thrown out and he was hiding in the back until we had left. Our waitress was friendly, the ambiance was nice, but the quality of food and the personality and mannerisms of the owner was awful. He was always at the front bar drinking glasses of wine when maybe he could have been ensuring their food wasn't past expiration and prepared well. I'd definitely NOT go back to this place. Terroni, Buca, Cibo, Dimmi's, Nudo and Campagnolo (to name a few) are all way better choices than Ardo. The owner mentioned he had other 'unfortunate experiences' in his other restaurant ventures and I can absolutely see why. I don't see this place lasting more than a year.

My boyfriend and I have become regulars here. I absolutely adore the atmosphere and how I always feel like I'm walking into someone's home. The owner Roberto and the young guys working the kitchen bar are amazing. So genuine and the food is just ridiculously amazing. I can't say enough great things about it. A hidden little gem. Homemade lemonchello to finish your meal ;)

We tried this place after reading reviews and recommendations from our friends, and so we had to experience this restaurant. We ordered a few appetizers, mains and a few desserts and I must say that the mains and the desserts were fine; unfortunately, one of the three appetizers that we ordered was wrong, and the bread that we ordered was stale. In addition to, the service seemed very chaotic, and there was so much commotion coming from the kitchen as they seemed to have caused one of their patrons an allergic reaction. Finally, the servers weren't too attentive. I probably would not return to this restaurant.

A truly artisanal meal experience! Have a seat at the chefs table to watch the creation of some really fantastic meals! Chef Roberto brings his years of experience in Siciliano cuisine to your senses. Try the Sarde pasta - it's sardines at the next level !

Great Cannoli The rest of the dishes fell short to me. The service was friendly and professional/upscale and design of the restaurant is pleasant.

Very good Sicilian food with interesting choices. This is a small, busy restaurant with a good buzz. Wine prices a bit high; good cocktails; small selection for beer. Excellent service. This is a great choice if you're looking for a quality food experience and don't mind paying for it.

Decor: Nicely done. Good feel. Polpi: Perfectly grilled, tender, with just a little char. Caponata complimented it nicely. Sarde: Just like the online menu picture (pity I did not look at it before going), it is one fillet of sardine atop of a tennis ball sized mound of pasty tasting pasta. Sauce has no flavour...just lukewarm and salty. Tried to eke out the sardine fillet to finish the paste/pasta. Disappointing. Cannoli: Best part of the meal. Crispy outside that breaks into delicious shards in your mouth, creamy, just sweet enough ricotta filling, studded with fragrant candied orange peel and bits of chocolate. Worst part of the evening: Our server. She kept hip checking my chair (once, hard enough to move me and the chair) in her eagerness to get to the table beside us (three gentlemen who made it clear they had expense accounts). Never apologized, even once. The tables were very close, so when she lingered (often) at their table, her ass was pretty much overhanging our table and in our face. She giggled and flirted with the expense account holders, showed them pictures on her personal cell phone and drank from one of their wine glasses,complimenting them on their good wine selection. Basically, our food was slammed on our table on the way to theirs. It was only at the end of the meal did she slow down, smile and ask how our food was. Tip time, I guess. Even though we live in the neighbourhood, we will not be back. Well...maybe just to get the cannoli to go....

Everything we ordered was melt-in-your mouth delicious. I have several dietary restrictions and they were kind enough to suggest modifications and make me the gnocchi with another sauce and a few small modifications (a lot of higher-end restaurants can be strict about making substitutions). I appreciated that they were patient and went back to the kitchen to see how I could be accommodated. I can't wait to come back! A few small things - they charged us for bread, the portions could have been a bit more generous, the restaurant is a bit noisy (likely because it is long and narrow), and took a while between courses (but we were a party of five). Otherwise, felt that the restaurant certainly lived up to the hype!

So refreshing to see passion and palate collide. Chef/Owner Roberto keeps to the authentic Sicilian flavour and sources his ingredients from across Canada and around the world. Highly recommend sitting at the Chef's Table where you can witness first hand Roberto and his team creating magic for the table. So glad this is steps from my door as I will definitely be a regular! Note: this is not the kind of place you ask for substitutions, if that's a problem. That would be like asking Picasso to use crayons! This is EDIBLE ART!

Authentic, delicious southern Italian food. We sat at the chefs table and got to witness some real passion in the kitchen. Ended up ordering way too much food because everything looked so good! Had the crostini, carpaccio, arrancini, pizza, sarde pasta and the beef shoulder. Everything was incredible!! Fresh, flavourful and made with love. Even the bread is made in house and it is to die for. I highly recommend this place. I definitely will be back!

We love Ardo! It's our go-to neighbourhood spot for any kind of celebration dinner. Came here last night for the fourth or fifth time to celebrate my birthday and as always we had a wonderful experience from start to end. All of the food was spectacular - the flavours are so authentic and unique. To start we ordered the bread (amazing! The olive oil is out of this world), the arancini and the burrata. All wonderful. For our mains we all had various dishes. I always order the funghi gnocchi and can't imagine ordering anything else it's that good. But luckily I was able to have bites of everyone else's so I tried lots of yummy meals! Some pizzas were tried, the orecchiette pasta and the feature seafood pasta of the day. The inside ambiance is also wonderful. A cozy little space which is perfect for any kind of occasion. If you live in the area I highly recommend you come eat at Ardo!