where jess ate

Since Mike and I previously had a great experience at the Waterloo Oliver & Bonacini, we decided to give the Toronto (Yonge and Front) location a try. This location opened up about a year ago, replacing the Shopsy’s Deli which used to occupy the spot. Upon entering the restaurant, I was surprised to see how large the space was. It has a large dining area, a bar/lounge area, as well as a large patio.

Although it wasn’t too busy when we came for an early dinner, the restaurant can get pretty loud (something I noticed when I came here subsequently for a work lunch). The place is also great for large groups – on my subsequent visit, a group of about 20 of us came for lunch and the service was extremely quick and accommodating. They must be used to catering to the office crowd who expect a quick sit-down lunch.

What I like about Oliver & Bonacini is their wide variety of menu items, which includes burgers, pizzas, seafood items, Asian dishes as well as classic items like mac and cheese. Although the menu here is similar to the other locations, there are some small differences. Most appetizers are between $10 and $15, while the mains range from $15 (burgers and pizza) to $30 (meat/seafood dishes).

We started with the Tuna Lettuce Wraps – “citrus soy dipped Ahi tuna, avocado & crispy taro” ($13.95). There were 5 pieces and were served open faced, garnished with radish, pickled ginger, pickled red onions and cilantro. It was a pretty simple and tasty dish, however, it certainly didn’t “wow” me, so I don’t think I’d order this again.

For my main, I ordered the Oven Baked Ricotta & Garlic Gnocchi – “slow braised veal in tomato, garlic & red wine” ($17.75). As you can see from the picture, it’s not a particularly attractive dish. The taste, however, made up for its unappealing appearance! The texture and the taste of the gnocchi were really nice. There wasn’t very much veal in it, but the few bites that I did eat were very tender and flavourful. Just be warned – this is a pretty heavy dish!

Mike ordered the New Zealand Lamb Rack – “potato gnocchi, haircots verts & black olive tapenade” ($29.95). I think the presentation could’ve used a bit of work since I found it to be a bit sloppy. But similar to the gnocchi, the taste made up for it. The lamb was cooked well and Mike and I both enjoyed it. I’ve had the lamb rack at the O&B at the Waterloo location, and found that although the Yonge and Front location did the lamb well, I thought that the Waterloo location definitely did a better job. The lamb was served with potato gnocchi, which was a nice accompaniment for the lamb.

For dessert we decided on Oliver’s Famous Carrot Cake – with lemon sour cream ice cream ($8.25), since Mike and I both love carrot cake. I was so glad we ordered this. It was one of the best carrot cakes I’ve ever had! It was incredibly moist and the icing was perfect. I think the one thing that really elevated this dessert was the lemon sour cream ice cream. I don’t even really like the flavour of lemon, but this ice cream was quite refreshing and went incredibly well with the carrot cake. I highly recommend this!

Overall, I had a great experience. I find the food here to be consistently good and offered at reasonable prices, like the lamb rack for $30! Having been here twice, I also have no complaints about the service. If you’re in the area for a show or to watch a game at the ACC, Oliver & Bonacini is a great option.

At a glance:

Consistently good food

Appetizers around $10-$15; mains from $15 to $30

Amazing carrot cake!

Large patio

Several locations in Ontario (this review is for the Yonge/Front location)

Ratings (out of 5):

Food: 4 stars

Service: 4 stars

Atmosphere: 3.5 stars