Sempre Pizza & Pasta

Visited this place last night with a good size group. The atmosphere was very dark with very little table lighting. I ordered the veal in a mushroom Marsala cream sauce which was tasty however the veal was so chewing my jaw hurt after just one bite. 3 of us ordered the same dish which was their special that evening and all 3 of us had chewy veal. I did mention this to our waitress once asked how everything was she advised us she would let them know in the kitchen, and that was that! Why bother featuring a special your chef doesn’t know how to prepare properly or is it poor quality ingredient. The food was meh… won’t be revisiting. Oh one last thing if someone who works from the restaurant actually reads this… if u say crispy roast potatoes then that’s how they should arrive on my plate not partially cook potatoes!

Dropped in to Sempre this evening after a four year absence (not because of a previous bad experience but simply because there are too many other great places to try). I was in the mood for a «light» meal so my partner and I shared a pizza and greek salad. The sempre namesake pizza was exactly as I remembered with a thin crispy crust and decent smattering of veggies including artichoke. The greek style salad was good and fresh and the right size for sharing. It wasn’t busy this evening and the service was prompt and friendly. One pizza, one salad and one 6 oz glass of wine was $ 46 incl tax and tip and it was just the right amount of food for moderate appetites. Sempre is a good family style restaurant. It’s not trendy or upscale but it’s good and consistent.

I feel bad giving this place such a bad review based on my experience a couple of months ago, and never usually dislike places this much, but here I am. I am a resident of the Bloor/​Kingsway area in which this restaurant is situated. Now if you know the strip of Bloor where this restaurant is, you know that every second place is a restaurant, and they are all pretty busy. With the selection of restaurants in this area and other Italian restaurants in Etobicoke (just go to La Veranda around the corner!!) I don’t know how this place stays open based on my experience. There is just so much better Italian in Etobicoke to be had.
Anyways, I have been here twice. The first time was something like 2 or 3 years ago with a friend for a casual dinner and I think I may have had a salad or something. I don’t really remember my experience, I just remember I wasn’t unhappy with it and generally enjoyed the experience and décor of the restaurant. But this review isn’t based on that.
So a couple of months ago my boyfriend and I were craving Italian and wanted to go somewhere close by. I wanted to go somewhere new and my boyfriend hadn’t been there before. Being a creature of habit, he wanted to go to La Veranda around the corner which is an Etobicoke failsafe of ours but I insisted on coming to Sempre.
My boyfriend went to culinary school and is a sous chef at a very busy Italian restaurant in Toronto and he really found the menu to be lacking. He wasn’t super hungry and ordered a pizza. I ordered a pasta (don’t remember what it originally was now) which took a super long time to come (even though it wasn’t very busy), and when it finally came out I noticed that it really did not seem to match the description of the pasta that I had ordered. I recall that when giving my order to the waitress she seemed slightly confused with what I had asked for even though what I had ordered was right there on the menu, and I didn’t ask for it with any changes or anything. I recall the pasta I originally had ordered was supposed to have a white sauce and the one I received had a rose sauce, as well as being tortellini. I was honestly so hungry at that point and not one to complain anyways that I just decided to eat it. Well, if what I had received had turned out to be good I wouldn’t have been too unhappy but I honestly would equate the pasta and sauce to some crappy wedding banquet hall food. The tortellini had no flavour and tasted like something I could have boiled at home from a package from Costco. The pasta was definately not made in house. The sauce was probably the worst part and made me dislike it so much. It was just too thick, had no flavour, and just so reminescent of crappy banquet hall food and generally unpleasant. The pizza was not up to par of what you would expect to find from an Italian resto in Toronto, had not much sauce and the crust wasn’t great.
There are tons of options along the Bloor strip, if you really want Italian skip this and go to La Veranda around the corner.

I have been here twice — once for an intimate dinner and once as a group. The food is delicious and we never had to wait long for our food.
I’ve heard the tiramisu is made in house daily and is very good. The kitchen is open so you can see the chefs preparing your meal.
I would recommend this place to anyone looking for good pizza and pasta.

Four of us went out for a birthday dinner to enjoy some time together. Once we arrived the waitress pointed to our table and we sat down. Our waitress was is a very bad mood with no personality whatsoever. She advised us of the specials but offered no bread for the table (it is an Italian restaurant). When our food came she plunked it down in front of us and walked away. She did pass by once to ask how everything was but left before we could all respond. The food was delicious mind you. We had to ask if there was a dessert menu, tiramisu was delicious. At 930 ish we asked for tea and also asked what time they close… the waitress responded «right now».we advised the website said 1030pm. her response «our website is wrong so are the prices»…wow…Our experience didn’t end there but why go on… we will never return.

Food is absolutely delicious but the service could use improvement. Yes the restaurant was busy but it was not completely packed. It looked like there were only two servers. We were a large group of 9 business colleagues having dinner. Service was abrupt and slow. It took a long time to place our order. We had to flag down a server to get their attention. Once the order was placed the food came out quickly. One of our party ordered a pasta dish that had pork (prosciutto). He did not realize or know that prosciutto was pork. Server was abrupt and said it was written on the menu. The customer is always right even when they’re wrong! She did allow us to order a replacement meal. Not sure I would come back even though the food was good.

I’m a huge fan of this restaurant and have dined here several times, whether in large groups or an intimate setting with my husband.
I absolutely love one of the waitresses there, she wears glasses and I am not sure of her name but she is an extreme delight, all the time.
If you are a pasta and chicken lover, I suggest the Nicola Special. It’s definitely different and you won’t find it in any other Italian restaurant.
If you are adventurous and like the curry taste along with shrimp, I suggest the Farfalle Con Gamberi.
The only thing I would say they need a little work on are the Cappuccinos. The taste of it is way too heavy even for someone that can handle it.

T.H.E B.E.S.T. T.I.R.A.M.I.S.U you can ever get! Light, moist and melts in your mouth. Great service, great food, decently priced. Cozy ambiance, great location, mostly easy to find parking. Can’t wait to go back!

I had never been here before and was surprised at how great the food was! The food was very fresh, super delicious (with well balanced flavours), great portions and was served hot!
Service was great. Our waitress was very professional, friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. The décor is simple but nice. Overall the stand out feature is the fantastic food!

I love the seafood linguine. I prefer the on one their menu over the special version since their special costs $ 10 more for a couple pieces of lobster and I like a tomato sauce more than a rosé. I was not a huge fan of their spaghetti bolognese. Most of my co-​workers liked their pizza.

Food delicious — service slow.
We met friends here for lunch & ordered from the lunch menu which included an appetizer and main course along with tea or coffee.
We arrived at noon on a Friday and were the first ones at the restaurant. We sat by the open window which was lovely on a sunny day. The restaurant was about 70% full by 1 P.M.
Everyone enjoyed their food. I ordered the Nicola Special Pasta. The chicken was very tender. The bruschetta was good, traditional. My husband had the talapia which was also good. My friend enjoyed her lasagna which was drenched in extra sauce.
I split a tiramisu for dessert. It was light and moist; one of the best I’ve had.
The washrooms were clean but located downstairs for those who have mobility issues.
We were very pleased with the food. There was only one server so service was slow. Lunch took us about 2 hours. The server was very accommodating and came outside to take our picture in front.

So I loved this place. I have had several dishes, and have never been let down with the quality of food, or amazing service.
I ALWAY start with the fried calamari… BEST IN THE CITY.
I usually get the veal Parmigiano or greek pizza or Gnocchi. actually my favorite is the spinach Gnocchi. Be sure to save bread to soppe up all the sauce!
The Tiramisu is the best I have ever had, it is made in house by a Nonna!
I have ordered the Lasagna for parties, or for dinner for my family. Great prices and again made by a Nonna!!!
I am sure you will love this place as much as I do, and if you dont well you didi try the calamari!!!

I and a couple friends came here attempting to eat dinner. When we got there we waited at the front entrance waiting to be seated (there were at least 5 empty tables at the time). After 10 minutes, a waitress acknowledged us and said that we would have to wait 5 minutes or so. It was like being in that Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine are in the Chinese restaurant and are told to wait «5 – 10 minutes».
Another 15 minutes passes, and the wait staff pretend not to see us waving to them. Meanwhile, there is a large party behind us forming, and still no reaction from the wait staff. Frustrated, we went off to another restaurant down the street, which ended up being much friendlier.
So not necessary, especially for a restaurant that received only a conditional pass from the municipal government for cleanliness! Eesh! Unfortunately, no review of the food, but I do not think I will be returning.

A great neighbourhood restaurant — fantastic food, great service and just an overall lovely experience each and every time.
The pasta (and I’ve tried almost all of them) is some of the best in the city… and the great thing is if you don’t like the main sauce of the dish — they’ll change it for you to one of the others available on the menu (i.e. dying for some linguini but prefer a rose sauce to an alfredo — then go for it!) The pizzas are tasty too… but I admit I’ve only had them once or twice in the many times I’ve been there.
The waiters are always attentive and there isn’t huge staff turnover so often you get to know the people there — again, the perfect neighbourhood restaurant.
It can get quite busy for dinner during the nicer weather and on weekends throughout the year… but the wait never seems to be very long. Highly recommended!