Casa Paco

The food is good, but not worth the $150 per person price tag. Drinks: music for the empty room—fascinating, with multiple layers of flavor. Everything is blended so well, it’s a true masterpiece of creativity. Starter: Tomato bread. Fresh and vibrant—the combination of flavors feels like a symphony playing in your mouth. Main Course: Seafood paella. Portions were small, and it was way too salty—honestly, saltier than any other paella I’ve had at other places. The overwhelming saltiness ruins the entire seasoning; it completely takes over your palate. The waiter told me it is normal to be salty, but honestly it is way too much.

Casa Paco is a really cute restaurant that feels like you’re attending an eclectic friend’s dinner party. There are not many tables, and it is a really intimate space. The chefs are a husband and wife, and the staff is also very small with a couple of servers and bartender. With all that said I was a bit underwhelmed with my meal. It was good, but there wasn’t any standout dishes for me. We also noticed that our server was a bit rude. She would spend a lot of time at other tables, explaining the dishes, and schmoozing, but then when she came to our table, she was short with us, and felt like she was doing the bare minimum. We were there celebrating our birthdays, but the service soured the mood. Also for us to spend almost $300 each, I feel like the desert could have been compt… but I guess not everywhere cares if it’s your birthday or not. It was overall an okay dining experience, and would make a great date night spot if you like Spanish cuisine, but for me there wasn’t anything I loved.

Casa Paco is such a charming spot with a cozy, family-run feel — yet they offer an elevated tasting menu experience. Every dish we tried was exceptional, made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Even something as simple as the tomato bread and stracciatella stood out — so fresh, addicting, and refreshing. The highlight for us was the bluefin tuna jamon (I believe that’s what it was) — it was so good we tried to order another at the end of the meal, but sadly it had already sold out. It’s been a few months since our visit, and I still find myself thinking about that dish — it was truly unforgettable. Everything on the menu impressed us, and I really appreciated that they don’t do multiple dinner seatings per night. It made the whole evening feel relaxed, intimate, and unrushed. We’re already looking forward to coming back to try their Paella Sunday one day — it sounds amazing! Highly recommend this place for celebrating a special occasion!

The atmosphere is fantastic! The restaurant only sits 20 people total per night, so it’s a really intimate vibe. The decor is great and feels like warm. The service was exceptional, everyone has a job and does it well. The food was great, we didn’t have a thing that wasn’t too notch. The rabbit was my favorite and the variety of Amaro’s to sup post dinner. We were the last ones in the restaurant and they didn’t rush us out.

Another incredible evening at Casa Paco. The food was fabulous and service stellar. Hands down the best supper we’ve had in the past twelve months, across several continents. Thanks !! Wow! We had one of the best meals ever in Toronto. The food was so tasty, fresh, wonderful and delicious. Service was brilliant. I loved the Dahlia cocktail. The porchetta was divine!

This is my new favourite Spanish place in the city!! Food, service, atmosphere was wonderful. On the weekends they have a fixed menu and honestly couldn’t be happier. The tuna and uni was to die for. The cured beef melts in your mouth. The service was so good.. they’re so attentive. Overall extremely pleased!!!

-We visited this restaurant as a group of four and spent $220 per person. Considering my extensive travels in Spain and Italy, I can say that the food here is just average good, especially considering the price. -The server was enthusiastic and friendly, but a bit pushy. We had planned to order the $100 per person set, but the server kept insisting that we go for the more expensive $135 set or order additional dishes, claiming that the standard menu wasn’t enough. -We eventually go with the $135 set, but the server wouldn’t reveal what was included. They claimed it was a secret treat from the chef, but it turned out to be just two plates of octopus and two plates of tuna, which could have been ordered as additional courses. If we had ordered these dishes individually, it would have cost us an extra $100, but we ended up paying extra $140, which felt like a scam. The atmosphere was pleasant, a little old house. It’s got the vibe, but it wasn’t exactly classy. Overall, the experience was okay, but I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant.

If I can, I’ll rate atmosphere 6 stars. I was a bit unsure when I booked this restaurant for our anniversary, since there are not sufficient google reviews for me to study. But after my first visit, I’m confident to say it’s a great option for anniversary dinner (or any other important occasions that you never want to xxxx up) Service is great. Feel welcomed the moment we stepped in. It was pouring when we walked over, so our jackets are wet. They help us to hang it and give us time to settle. All our questions about the menu and wine list are answered in details. Alva is really good at what she’s doing and you can sense the passion in her. Their tasting menu ($73 per person) portion is small. If you come hungry, you may feel like you need to add a few items. We had tomato bread, Piquillo Pepper, Castelfranco Radicchio Fonduta (charred radicchio with melted cheese) as appetizer from the tasting menu, and we added Boquerones anchovy (anchovy in criticus + olive oil) ($14). All the flavors are unique and each dish has it's own character. Then we have the Rubia Gallega, which is cured Ontario ribeye with chanterelle (a kind of mushroom), which is really buttery, soft, fragrant. We have to choose between Scallop Gnocchi and Charred Octopus (additional $16), and we chose the octopus. We were thinking a bit more octopus (eg. 2 tentacles) but turn out it's 1 tentacle cut up and some fregola. We didn't know fregola is a kind of pearl-like pasta, but it's written on the menu, so it's no fault from the restaurant, just we don't know well enough. Last dish, we can choose from 3 options. 1) Red Prawn Squid Ink Rice 2) Whole Grilled Market Fish (Mackerel) (Add $18) 3) Ontario Prime Striplion (Add $28) We chose the mackerel as we were told it's freshly arrived on the same day and it's debone. It's grilled perfectly, juicy and fatty! The wine that Alva suggested was a great pairing with the fish. We also added charred farm greens (rapani and kale) with lemon for extra $14. It was ok for me but my partner find is a bit too bitter and leafy. We normally don't eat too much carbs, but the paella from neighbouring table smells so good! Making us thinking to come back again for some paella. Ok, here comes the "down side" of this restaurant. But don't get me wrong, no one can please everyone, so same with a smaller size restaurant, they have their own limitations. I have heard that they have 2 front of house and 1 bar tender. Husband and wife run the kitchen. Therefore, they do all the prep work themselves, and can only open 4 days a week and starting service at 6pm. That means, seats are limited and difficult to book the desire slot if you didn't pre-book ahead of time. Also, they cannot accommodate big groups. From what I was told, they can only do group of 4 max. Also, if you don't go with the tasting menu, you cannot a la carte order the items on the tasting menu. Another common issue with restaurants in downtown, is that it is not wheelchair friendly. The washroom is in the basement and can only be access via a long and step stair. I would say I can get the same quality of food and wine from else where with slightly less, however, the atmosphere and service cannot be replicated.

Loved Casa Paco! Came here for dinner with my husband and we had the grilled octopus, the Iberico jamon, and the steak. Of note, they won't seat you early since only TWO people run the entire kitchen, so also along with that, come on time. The whole staff is so sweet and it's clear it's a passion project. Loved the food - one of my best meals in Toronto so far.

Intrigued that Casa Paco was endorsed twice in the recent Toronto Star article that interviewed 11 of Toronto's Michelin star chefs for their go-to spot to dine, I decided to visit for Paella Sunday. For the two of us, we ordered the Seafood Paella Set Menu and the Grilled Short Rib Steak. The good = The star of the night was definitely the paella. Every component of it was rich, smoky, and delicious. Generous and tender pieces of charred octopus and squid embedded in a flavourful seafood-infused rice, topped with juicy shrimp, mussels, and dollops of saffron aoili - it was an excellent dish! I was just a little sad that our mussels were on the smaller-side while the table next to us, who were well-acquainted with the chef, received the extra large and plump ones. The bad = Service was rather slow as it appeared that only one waitress was managing all of the tables. I had to ask for the finished paella pan to be taken away to make room for the short rib steak (our table for two was quite small) and it took some time for the machine to be brought over after our credit card was sitting out on the table. The coat check is a bit lackluster as they place them randomly on shared hooks spread throughout the restaurant. I watched one employee drop my jacket as he went to hang up someone elses'. The in-between = The starters of the Paella Set Menu were nothing to write home about. The flavour of the homemade tomato bread was tasty but the bread was more like a crostini and far too crispy for my liking. Additional slices would've also been appreciated as there was a generous amount of sheep's cheese that I wish I could've finished. The kale and cauliflower were charred well but way too salt-forward. Finally, the grilled short rib steak delivered as a piece of meat but was unfortunately uninspiring with no sauces or accompaniments. I wouldn't order this again. Overall, I enjoyed the paella enough to return just for it but I can't particularly say that I had a noteworthy experience with anything else.

We were looking forward to our reservation booked 3 weeks in advance. The restaurant is very cozy and the dining room is quaint and beautiful, the vibe is there and the service is great. When it comes to the food, unfortunately it didn't quite meet our expectations. The steak was tender after being braised overnight but the flavor was average, as you can see from the photo there is no sauce at all so it was a bit plain. The potato calamari mash underneath the octopus was pretty good. The third dish we ordered was a medley of mushrooms, had they served that with the steak at the same time, I think our experience would have been better. It was brought out as an appetizer first and the texture was one dimensional, the dish was all mushrooms.

When I see jamon iberico on the menu, it gets ordered. The thin slices of prized Spanish cured ham are all at once sweet, smoky, and savoury. Casa Paco points out that they serve the "pata negra" ($38) variety of the ham, which indicates it's produced with pure-bred Iberian pigs. Pedigree aside, it's tasty and the plate contains plenty of slices to go around. The duck ragû gnocchi ($26) showed promise with its sizeable portion - a lot heftier than my friend's tendril of octopus - and intoxicating aroma. And while the sauce was hearty and delicious (the shredded duck tender and flavourful), the actual gnocchi was overcooked and bordered on mushy. Perhaps its because the pasta was boiled and then also cooked in the sauce. If so, the chef either needs to boil the gnocchi less or consider pan frying it to form a crust, prior to finishing it within the ragû. A dessert is a must, and the coffee cardamom cheesecake ($15) is highly recommended. Prepared crustless, the outer edges of the sweet takes on a Basque cheesecake quality so it's caramelized and dense. Yet, at the centre there's a lovely coffee cardamom sauce that gives it a lovely hit of cool sweetness that's almost like a cold molten lava cake. A unique dessert indeed. I preferred the cheesecake to the brûléed lemon flan ($11) where the sugar was overly toasted and started emitting a bitter taste. The sugar slight slip aside, the dollop of cool cream against the slightly warm flan was a nice touch. It wasn't until after the dinner that I came across a Toronto Life article about Casa Paco. What makes it particularly unique is their four owners - Rob Bragagnolo, Caroline Chinery, Tommy Conrad, Ailbhe McMahon - are also the restaurant's only staff, giving the establishment a mom and pop feel as customers will continually encounter the same faces. Maybe that's why we found dining there so relaxing. We felt taken care of and loved hearing McMahon mention that several of the flora scattered throughout the restaurant was saved from a local resident who had too many at their home and forced by their landlord to dispose of them. If only I lived in Little Italy, I too would become a familiar face amongst Casa Paco.

Part of a longer review... Casa Paco's kitchen produces dishes that are, for the most part, astounding--both for the quality of ingredients and for the unpredictable twists Bragagnolo gives them. One that still dominates my thoughts is the bruléed chicken liver paté ($21) with seasonal crudité and grilled house bread. It's essentially what it sounds like--a creamy pate that's disguised as a crème brulée. The glass-like torched topping cracks like a sheet of ice when hit and reveals a silky paté. Throughout our meal, the rhythm of service is perfectly timed and we never feel rushed. I appreciate the attention to detail in every aspect--from the ambiance to the guest experience and, of course, the food.

Just stumbled upon this place last night, sat for a drink and we had three and still we didn't want to leave! Beautiful place with a cute little patio. Delicious cocktails and such lovely people working there. It's become my new favourite place to go to for drinks.

Excellent. Will likely be a 1 star Michelin restaurant. Food is delicious and the service is attentive. Had the following: Tomato bread & olives with boquerones and Iberico - delicious. The boquerones and iberico were plentiful. Probably needed to add another round of bread Steak tartare- their take on tartare is basically a blue steak. Delicious and different. Lobster pasticcio- cheesy and heavy Squid ink rice - delicious Porchetta - phenomenal. And large portion. Ganbarra mushrooms - very flavourful.