Trattoria Gusto

Great service, ambiance, location, amazing freshness of ingredients and presentation BUT BUT BUT food (except salads) kind of bland. We had muscles… Shockingly boring compared to the look (perfectly cooked and presented too). Olive plate and dips… Kalamata olives perfect, green olives big and soft. yuck, dips horrible, not Mediterranean at all (I know because I am). Brussel Sprouts appetizer, again looks great, taste not matching the feel of the place. Disappointing. Caesar and Beet salads. great. So outside the taste, it’s a 9 of 10 (and should be for the price) but the food… 6.5−7 out of 10.

On the way to Montréal, QC, we decided to make a pit stop in Port Hope, ON, for a quick bite to eat since it was already past noon. We drove by Trattoria Gusto, and the old architecture of this particular Italian restaurant stood out among other eateries.
All of the patio seats were occupied for lunch, so we sat inside. The lunch menu selection was fairly minimal but it did offer the usual fare of Italian pasta.
I wanted something filling so I ordered the penne rosé ($ 16.00). It is a dish of penne pasta with tomato sauce and mussels. Although the pasta was a simple dish; it was wonderfully made. They did not skimp on the mussels and it was fresh. I asked for some cheese and was given a full bowl of non-​grated Parmesan cheese, which surprisingly blended very well with the pasta.
We were happy with our service at Trattoria Gusto. The restaurant provided a warm environment and our waitress was friendly. She offered suggestions on dishes at the beginning, and was quick to refill our empty glasses of water. Overall, the pasta portions are large and the prices for each dish are pretty moderate so you will not be breaking your wallet.
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This is a perfect place to share a great meal. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and the food will not leave you disappointed. I love that there is always something new to try and look forward to our next visit.

Nice restaurant ambience wise; all dishes expertly prepared. My date and I had the tuna app and the antipasto board for starters; the perch and wild boar as mains. Everything was delicious. My date suggested the perch was overcooked but didn’t agree. Note: found the small antipasto board to be more then sufficient. We will return next time we have a hankering to get out of TO for the evening. Price wise very reasonable, e.g., perch was $ 21, boar was $ 29. I gave 5 stars because it is so close to being perfect.

Gusto is probably my favourite restaurant in Port Hope. It’s a charming venue that could be «dressed up or down» depending on the occasion – it’s great for a more formal celebration or a casual snack and glass of wine – I love to bring my family here.
I’ve tried a few selections from the menu, but I most enjoy their steak tartare with a side of roasted cauliflower and bean purée – delightfully different and very delicious.
The patio, beside the «Ganny» river is quite lovely.

We had a really great outdoor summer brunch here on Saturday. Our server was exceptionally friendly, attentive, and helpful. We enjoyed a nice relaxing cocktail and good, fresh coffee, and then devoured what were some classic but perfectly made brunch dishes: eggs Benedict different ways and a sausage hash with eggs. All 3 of us were really pleased with everything. We sat outside and were able to enjoy a beautiful sunny day next to the river: very refreshing and relaxing. Will definitely recommend and hope to go back!

Not too bad, aesthetically pleasing environment. Typical gastro pub. Friendly staff. Food was burnt, even when staff noticed nothing was done about it.

My fiancée and I stopped here on the way home from the airport and we’re very impressed with the creative menu and attentive service. We recommend the beet salad and fried Brussel sprouts to start. Fresh fish of the day was pickerel cooked to perfection. Risotto was also very flavourful.

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My family went here for dinner. We all had salads — beat and goats cheese — was good. My husband had chicken — good, my kids and I had pasta — also very good. Service was excellent. However, very expensive for what you get.

I have eaten here four times in the past 6 months and have enjoyed each experience. My only complaint was a recent visit. It was Monday early evening and I and three other people intended on hitting the patio for their Happy Hour and dinner. The Happy hour was one of the reason we choose this particular place on this Monday. I checked online to see if they still had it and they did. It was also advertised in their restrooms. However when we ordered happy hour drinks, we were told it didn’t exist. In fact our server thought we were kidding when we asked about it. In the end, when we got our bill the prices had been adjusted to Happy Hour. However, we would likely have had another round had we know earlier. The manger never came by our table to explain or apologize.
Another bummer was we were never told about the specials– assumed they wasn’t any until we heard another server talk about them.
Still– I will go back, the food is yummy and the patio is lovely.

WOW, holy hidden gem… i was in town for work and wanted to grab something to eat and came across this little spot. i’m sure for locals it’s well known for it’s great food… but seriously this place is beatiful, situated right on the river… beautifully restored stone building, great food… truly great food.
i would definately stop and have lunch or dinner while traveling down the 401.
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I took my mom here for Mother’s Day brunch.
First off, Port Hope is such a lovely little town with charming ambiance. There were people fly fishing in the river next to the restaurant. Tall boots and all! So, If you’re looking for a day outside the city, I recommend Port Hope.
For brunch had the crab arancini (rice balls) followed by linguini carbonara. The linguini came with a fried egg on top, not already mixed in, a very nice brunch touch. To drink I had their garlic pickle caesar. It was a below average caesar, and it was just garnished with a small dill pickle. I still loved it.
My mom had the eggs benedict with the potatoes and ratatouille. There really wasn’t much ratatat happening, mostly just some fried veggies mixed in with the potatoes. The hollandaise sauce was really nice with a strong citrus tang and was plentiful. I like my eggs soaked, and that’s how they do her here.
As it was Mother’s Day it was quite busy, and the staff handled it really well.
NB: Normally, they do not serve brunch.
PS: My mom reminded me to Unilocal it, which was pretty bad ass.