Vie Strada Food& Drink ( Clandestino)

My partner and I had an amazing dinner at Clandestino. We went for their date night package ($100 for a cheese board, 2 apps, 2 mains, 2 desserts & a bottle of house wine). Truly unparalleled service, food, and pricing for date night in Toronto. The husband & wife team is amazing and they truly put their hearts into their food and restaurant. We will certainly be back!

This is Toronto’s #1 gem for food & dining! I can’t even put into words how worthwhile it is to come experience an evening (or brunch!) here. Service is impeccable always, the food is original and delicious & the wine selection can’t be beat. The date night special value is unbeatable for this city and you can’t leave disappointed… it will always leave you wanting to come back to try everything on their menu. A Michelin star deserving value with a feeling like eating at a place that is home. 100/10 will always return.

Phenomenal food, fantastic prices, excellent service! Catch the $90 date night deal while it lasts. Yes, you read it right! $90+tax for 2 people: 2 alcoholic beverages are included. Already recommended to all of our friends. Keep up the good work! P.S. Best carpaccio in the city hands down!

Last week I went with my boyfriend, and I loved everything I ate!!! Normally, I don’t like going to the same place twice, but I’ll definitely come back here again and again and again! A chef who personally takes care of their guests! My new favorite spot. I especially recommend the scallop as a starter!

This place is absolutely the best hidden gem in Toronto. Not only is the food and atmosphere amazing, but we were personally served by the owner himself which made the experience even better. Me and my boyfriend went for the date night special, which is already perfectly priced at $120 regularly, but even more discounted temporarily right now at $90! We got a full size wine bottle, charcuterie board, two appetizers, two mains and two desserts. It’s safe to say we were beyond full. And not only were we full but the quality of food is excellent, you can really see what the owners are doing behind the scenes and how proud they are of what they produce. I’ll keep coming here again and again. The pictures doesn’t do this place justice!

This was the best meal I have ever had. The photos speak for themselves truly. It was an impromptu date and it far exceeded any expectations I had. Veso, the owner had fabulous hospitality and I was so comfortable in his space. I will be back again, thank you.

Great food and great drinks. Date night special is a fantastic deal. My duck breast was excellent but my buddy’s bone marrow gnocchi stole the show.

Small intimate place. Reminds me those excellent family run restaurants in Europe. Bit old school feel, great interaction from chef with customers. Food is amazing, and in today's inflation is unmatched in terms of price/ quality. Date Night starts with little board, even though simple, is an amazing treat considering that in many restaurants you pay for stale bread and salty butter or what they call olive oil. Wagyu Tartare and Octopus are definitely my favorites, but Tuna plate and Wagyu dish are amazing as well. House Wine is delicious and since it was just 25$/ bottle we ended up getting the second bottle. I will definitely be back and become a regular at this amazing place. Highly Recommend. Try to get in early as they get pretty busy later in the evening. Also, Sundays they offer Buck a Shuck. Will definitely be back soon on a Sunday to enjoy some Oysters.Back Again. Could not believe it. The date night deal is just $90. Excellent as always. We are coming back for tasting menu.

We came here to try out their Date Night package and we were so impressed with our experience. This is a family-owned restaurant that offers a cozy and friendly atmosphere and service. The owners, who run the restaurant, are very friendly and take the time to connect with the customers. They deeply care about providing the best quality food and experience. The Date Night package includes 1 Amuse Bouche, 2 appetizers, 2 main dishes, a bottle of house red or white wine (or an individual drink from the menu, 1 drink per person) and a dessert platter, for $120; which is a great price. They have impressive variety on their menu which changes every 3 weeks. We ordered "Octopus" and "Steak Tartare" for appetizers. Octopus was one of the most tender ones I have ever had. Steak Tartare was perfectly seasoned and we loved the flavours. For main, we ordered "Top Sirloin Steak" (mediums rare) and "Grilled Rack of Lamb". The steak was so tender that we could cut it without much effort. Lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned. We loved both of the main dishes. The dessert platter was the perfect way for finishing our meal; it included: Lychee Pana Cota, Tiramisu, Ricotta Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse. My favorite was Pana Cota. Since this is dry January for us, they were kind enough to prepare mocktail for us; which was a great pairing to our dinner.

In this economy, it's difficult to go out without breaking the bank. Cue the Date Night Special at Clandestino for $100, where you can get a 4-course meal for 2 including drinks. To start the meal, we were served a small platter of amuse bouche, which included cheeses, sausage, fritata, and my favourite - the terrine (very savoury and flavourful, paired nicely with the pita). For drinks, you have a choice of a bottle of wine (amazing deal!), or 2 drinks of your choice from spritz, cosmopolitan, negroni, martini/espresso martini, prosecca, manhattan, old fashioned, beer, or margarita. The spritz was okay but could use more bubbles as it was kind of flat. For appetizers, we had the Sangria Braised Pork Belly on top of grilled apple with scotch bonnet mousse and the Wagyu Tartare (truffle oil, onions, chilli, lemon, capers, egg yolk, parsley). The pork belly was fatty and melt-in-your-mouth, while the tartare was well-seasoned and claimed one of the best tartares my partner has had in Toronto (he is French). From the mains, we picked the Bone Marrow over Gnocchi and Tagliata Steak. There was a hint of truffle oil in the gnocchi and the sauce was super creamy, but could have used more flavour. The steak was quite tough and chewy unfortunately. Finally, we had the panna cotta and affogato for dessert - both were lovely. The service was fast throughout and our courses came out one after the other. We also had a lovely conversation with the lady in front.

I can't gatekeep this place--Clandestino is a local gem that deserves to be shared. Their $120 date night special might be the best value in the city: an amuse-bouche of cheeses and terrines, two appetizers, two mains, two desserts, and your choice of either a bottle of their house-made wine (their red is VERY drinkable) or 2 cocktails. Amazing, right? We kicked things off by adding $10 Dirty Gin martinis and 18 buck-a-shuck oysters. Loved my steak tartare app and my grilled octopus main - both generous portions and very well-prepared. My husband really enjoyed the carbonara and thought the chocolate mousse was a standout. Warm, cozy vibes, quality food, attentive service, and unbeatable value--Clandestino is a date night must. Don't sleep on this spot. Also, if you're going to Uber here, don't assume the address that Uber has is the correct one. Our uber took us to their former location on Queen West, which meant we had to pay extra to get to our destination, so be certain to double check.

Great place for date nights. Intimate atmosphere, super friendly staff, great food! I've followed this place for a few years and only have been twice, both times were amazing and I was very impressed! Underrated place for a night in Toronto

Great date night promo! $80 for two is a steal for eating out these days. And each dish came with flavor and presentation! You definitely see the chef's effort and he personally comes to tell you about the dish. Can't get more intimate than that :) For $80, you get a charcuterie board to share, 2 appetizers, 2 main courses and 2 desserts of your choice. Still waiting on their liquor license and not a fancy decor fine dining spot if that's what you're looking for. But great bang for your buck! Ill definitely be back!

This economy is rough, so it's nice to find a date night restaurant under 100. This is a cute place tucked in College by Ossington. Small intimate place but you can feel the Chefs passion. Service was good given it was just the chef serving us and 2 other tables on a Fri evening. Food was good, we enjoyed our apps more than our mains. It was a prix fix dinner with a drink, starter, app, main and dessert. We were definitely full be dessert and needed to talk around the area a bit before heading home

Came here on a Friday night at 6:30pm. We were the first ones at the restaurant, so it was very quiet. The tables started filling up around 7pm onward. The place itself is pretty small. They have around 6 tables in their covered patio in the back. There is also seating inside, but it's a totally different vibe with it being darker. We happened to come on the last day before they close for renovations. This resulted in some of the menu items not being available. However, the chef was great and came up with dishes based on what he had. All the dishes we had were so delicious and presentation was on point. We got the date night deal which comes with 2 drinks, charcuterie board, 2 apps, 2 mains and 2 desserts. Well worth the price given the quality of the food. We were so full! We definitely will be back here and can't wait to try the new menu and other dishes.

Unbelievable. Great food and service, warm ambiance, friendly and knowledgeable staff, which is very hard to get these days in Toronto.

We had the 6 course valentine's day reservations here for 7:30. The place was not busy when we first got here and initially the service was great. Each dish that was brought out the chef himself came and explained to us what it was. It was near dish 6 & 7 when the restaurant got really busy, service went downhill and we were kind of waiting around much longer. The valentine's day package also came with a bottle of house white, it was good nothing special. 1. The oyster tasted a bit gritty and not as meaty (I think its just the type of oyster) wasn't bad, caviar and sturgeon tiradito (5/5) 2. Scallop was cooked perfectly and super delicious. 3. Ricotta gnudini truffle alfredo flavourful 10/5 was my favourite dish of the night. 4. Octopus was a bit over cooked and chewy with the rice croquet tasted a bit bland. 5. Wagyu bavette wayyy overcooked and tough. The kohlrabi and carrot puree was very very good. 6 Lastly, the dessert chocolate gromesque which was a breaded deep fried milk chocolate (breading tasted salty and a bit like chicken) with a lemon creme (light and airy). With kahlua shot.

My bf and I had a 6:30pm reservation. We're not the type to spend more than an hour at any restaurant. We usually eat our food and get out. We spent 2 hours and 15 minutes here. We came with the intent of ordering a la carte, but the date night special was too good to be missed. The charcuterie for two came with the most DELICIOUS oven-hot bread that I've had in a long time. The starters that we ordered were both EXCELLENT (the waygu beef carpaccio and the tuna something). Waygu could have used more salt. The main proteins were great, but the sides were less so. Bf's rack of lamb came with a baked potato gratin thing that had no flavour. My duck breast came with either cacio de pepe or a carbonara- I couldn't tell because it desperately needed salt. The duck was also slightly overcooked and not as pink as I would have liked. BF was very complimentary of his rack of lamb. This restaurant started as a solid 5, but as the time dragged on with our inattentive server, it fell to a 4. I might still come back and try more food items. But if you're coming for dinner on a weekend, be prepared for a 2+ hour sitting.

Amazing.Where is the sixth star? Wow, the Wagyu Tartare. Scallops, picanha, to die for. Place is small and intimate, very cozy, romantic.Highly recommendad.

Great restaurant for date night. Staff are friendly and food was excellent. Had a great experience at the previous Parkdale location and look forward to visiting Dundas soon!

Been wanting to try this when it first opened. They have many specials for everyday of the week. The specials that caught my eyes were the $10 pasta on Sunday's and the $10 pizza on Tuesday's. I finally went to check it out on Tuesday and we got three pizza's; 4 cheese pizza on white , pizza of the day: pepperoni, and fungi on white. The pizzas came out super quick, we saw the pizza oven, as our table was next to the kitchen. Loved all three pizzas but the 4 cheese and the fungi are tied as my favs! The pizza is super thin and filled with toppings. The bottom is charred, didn't enjoyed that too much, but the toppings made up for it. Maybe next time I can tell the kitchen to not char it too much? Overall I must come back on Sunday's to try the pastas and Tuesday's to try the other pizza flavours! Definitely recommend this place, super affordable prices and awesome quality food!!!!

Had a fabulous dinner here with a friend. The food was fresh and the staff were kind and accommodating. We did the date night special which included charcuterie, apps, mains, dessert and wine for one price. We also indulged in fresh shucked oysters. It was the perfect amount of food and the atmosphere is cozy and relaxed.

First things first- for those attracted by the affordability of this place aka the date night special, take note they have removed the bottle of wine from this deal! (This change was discovered only upon arrival). Value is average. This place is run by a couple and in a challenging environment of food inflation. To be clear, I hope they succeed. My personal experience was just unremarkable. Despite the promo change (why we went in the first place) we decided to stay and try it anyways. I see others have noted this is "fine dining"- the food is decent but in our experience it was far from that. The good: the bread that comes with the charcuterie. Huge portions so come hungry. The bad: the tiramisu. Typically my favourite dessert in the world. Dreadfully sweet. Avoid. Also don't come here looking for a "wine bar" - the selection of wine is limited and uninteresting. I'm tempted to put the ambience in this category too- it's run down. The average: everything else. Seemed like premium ingredients were used, but I found the taste uninteresting (more akin to a home cooked meal). The veg tasted a bit bitter to me too. The service was also not worth the forced 20% tip. Again, I feel bad knowing it's a family run op, but I would rate it well below average. Incorrect orders were brought out, tableware was not promptly removed (and asked to be handed over), all about the transaction (no "how are you doing today"). My take-away is that they have set themselves up to disappoint customers. Through marketing and by enforcing a minimum tip, my expectations were set high - but the food, menu and service didn't live up That's the story I will be telling my friends.

We came here for their date night special. The value is good for the ingredients and proportion. However the service was slow because it is a husband and wife team. I found some dishes were executed better than others (apps are better than mains). The food description sounded exciting, however the taste was about 80% of the description. Still great value! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I would highly recommend not to eat here. This is one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to. We chose the date night option which includes charcuterie, two appetizers, two mains and two desserts with a bottle of house wine. We usually love opting for our servers' recommendations when we are dining out and so we did the same thing here and asked for her recommendation. We should have recognized the red flag when she didn't recommend a single thing but instead told us to choose things we wouldn't normally eat. We started with the charcuterie which unfortunately included burned bread. The ham served was literally just plain deli ham and the cheese looked like someone closed their eyes to slice it. Our appetizers were the lobster croquette which was served luke warm and the cuttle fish which overwhelmingly tasted like anise. Both were served with a strange fishy tasting foam on top. Our mains were the lamb with spaghetti and risotto. The risotto was undercooked and had way too much black pepper in it. The lamb and spaghetti were so bad it was inedible. The lamb was cold in the middle and had clearly just been reheated. The spaghetti was just bad I don't really know how to describe. I had one bite and didn't want to eat anymore. Any store bought pasta sauce and pasta would have been better. Although we had desserts included in the meal we had enough and wanted to leave. Our server was inattentive the entire time, first bringing the wrong drink to my partner. Later she didn't clear our appetizer dishes when our mains were brought to the table and the person bringing our dishes had to awkwardly shuffle very thing around. When we asked for our bills with uneaten Entrees in front of us, she didn't ask if we didn't like our meals or if anything was wrong. The bill was $160 for the date night special and two cocktails. The credit/debit machine only defaulted to give a 20, 22 and 25% tip. Overall I had a terrible time but I am not writing this review to be mean. I simply do not want anyone to waste their money or even worse get ill because of their food not heated to the correct temperature.

Came here for a date night with my partner! This is such a low key cozy spot with AMAZING food. You can tell the chef is extremely passionate! We decided to opt out of the date night special, although it did seem like a really good deal. We'll make sure to get it next time though! We ended up getting 3 apps: wagyu beef tartare, bone marrow and the squid ink pasta. We also got the duck breast for our main. They started off our meal with a small amuse bouche of bread, olives, a slice of cheese, and a piece of sausage. The bread was quite dense but everything was a small pleasant taste. Then came the first app: the beef tartare. Did not expect it to come on top of a salt block!! The concept was cool but the taste was even better. The block chilled the meat and the longer you wait, the saltier it gets. The bone marrow was amazing, perfectly seasoned and so hearty! I loved the chickpea salad that came with it too. We got the squid ink pasta in the appetizer size and the duck breast as our mains and it was the perfect amount of food for us. The squid ink pasta was extremely creamy and didn't feel heavy at all! I loved it so much, we even asked the chef how he made it. The duck breast was so sweet and juicy and the potatoes that came with it was absolutely delightful. We didn't end up getting any drinks, as we both do not drink alcohol, nor any desserts since we had ice cream plans for later--but we are definitely coming back here for more! Such a hidden gem, you won't be disappointed.

Clandestino is located on Queen Street West in Parkdale in a beautiful room with gorgeous tin ceilings. Small - not sure it seats more than 30 people. Thursday is date night at Clandestino. Thursday is also the night they offer "buck-a-shuck" oysters (as long as you spend a minimum $50@). We were drawn by the oysters and wanted to try their eclectic menu that ranges from bison tartare appetizer to Octopus to its own version of surf and turf - escargots with black tiger shrimp or squid ink black tiger lasagna. The first hint that we were in for disappointment was the wine list. Very few choices. None of them special. You know it's pretty limited when Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is their high end white. The $70 pricetag revealed a consistent 300% markup on wine. And the wine choices were limited to maybe a dozen choices - none of them interesting. How is this a wine bar? A few cocktails on the menu And just one choice for beer - cans of Steamwhistle. Not an auspicious beginning The oysters came with Tobasco, quartered lemon and processed horseradish. No fresh grated horseradish, mignonette or the dreaded cocktail sauce that one expects. When I asked for mignonette the chef/owner resisted saying "everyone serves that". Reluctantly he produced some in a few minutes. The good news is that the oysters were great. Fresh. Plump. Only complaint was there was grit in almost every one. Clear sign of an inexperienced shucker. My daughter and I are both tartare fans. We have sampled it all over the world. The Bison Tartare was awful. Was presented on a solid Block of Salt which was interesting. The spicing of the tartare was different from any we have had before. No hint of the usual dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, capers or even Tobasco. The scallops appetizer and the octopus were both much better. Scallops and octopus perfectly cooked. The spaghetti Carbonara main was mediocre. None of the cheesy creaminess one expects Instead it was thin and surprisingly bland. There was a complimentary dessert of Creme Brule that was very good. Service was slow. Amateurish. Unfortunately the food and service disappointed as did the bravado and attitude of the owner/chef. Bottom line....we all agreed it rated a C. No plans to rush back. Expensive and average, at best.

I wish I could give this place more than five stars. All the flavours were stand out and perfected with each dish. It was obvious that the owners / chef had put all of their soul into their food. Besides this, the price was completely affordable. Not expected for a gastronomic event like we had last night. I hope this place never changes. I can't wait to bring a date their. Toronto is lucky to have such unique gem.

I've been to Clandestino many times and, no matter what I ordered, I was never disappointed. Chef Deso always finds ways to surprise us on each visit. Every modification we request comes back even better then we expected. He know very well know his ingredients work together and he won't let you have a subpar meal.

Generally pleasant food. Online menu was out of date in terms of offering and price. Left many messages during I open hours and had no call back. Appetizers of scallops and carpaccio were nice. Main course lamb was overcooked and no option to request cuisson. Salmon was over cooked tasteless and small Desserts of afogato and fritters were very good. Definitely the highlight of the meal. Service was sullen and no option at all to tip less than 20%. We enjoyed our own company and some of the food. We will definitely not be back

Well thank you for setting the record straight. It would be so good for you to post something positive in the window explaining this. I am not alone with my perception. I am truly sorry the landlord is not helping out

Wonderful restaurant! Can't believe the chef isn't a household name in Toronto - his work is right up there with McEwan & Lee imho! Enjoyed a terrific evening with 2 couples - we all selected the "date night" option. Incredible value for incredible food. Highest quality ingredients - carefully & passionately curated & presented. Delights all the senses - visually stunning, aromatic and gob-smackingly delicious. We will go back for sure! This lovely west-end Queen Street eatery is defintely NOT to be missed. Go. Go NOW!

Great restaurant, amazing food and service at very affordable prices. If you like pasta, pizza, oysters and vino, this is a MUST Try.

Great new addition to the neighbourhood. Great owner with very friendly staff. Excellent coffee! Great food with lots of choices. And of course, an awesome wine list. Enjoy!!

Great place, great food, superb drinks ! Can't get enough of this place ! Keep up the good work Des !

Really nice new place in Parkdale. Food was good, staff were lovely and it was very affordable. Will be back for sure.

Our favourite local restaurant! Everyone I have ever brought to try the food have become instant fans. Their pizzas are the best this side of the continent. We took our very particular son today who recently visited Italy and he said (without prompting) that their pizzas were the best he has ever had and rivalled that of Italy! He has requested to come back for his birthday celebration. Amazing pizzas and well priced. Does a fabulous job with the meat! Love their affordable wine selection and great service. Tried brunch today for the first time and was not disappointed. Love it here for all occasions!

Deso is a fantastic owner/ chef. Fresh interesting ingredients. Great location for food and drinks. Amazing service with a smile

I heard about this place in a neighbourhood fb group and then decided to check it out because the deals seemed to good to be true. We had a 4 course meal and a bottle of wine for UNBELIEVABLY inexpensive. The food was delicious with large portions( the salads were way too big though). The service and atmosphere was fabulous. The chef and server are always so nice. They have a stone oven at the back they use to make fresh bread and pizza.yum. Honestly will continue to come back and already reserved for NYE. My big worry is that they will close down because they don't charge enough! (Also the salad actually was unnecessarily big Which is a bit of a food waste)

My husband and I popped in for a quick bite Saturday night and were so happy we did. We were greeted by a lovely wood burning oven / campfire smell, great service and fantastic food. We took advantage of the winterlicious menu and the $5 glasses of house wine. Everything was delicious, fresh and quick and the whole place had a really positive vibe. Will definitely be back!

Excellent cuisine. The staff is very friendly and the head chef comes out and says hello to the customers. Very endearing. Delicious and at very affordable prices. I highly recommend this place.