Osteria Dei Ganzi

I’ve been here a handful of times. and have had good experiences every time.
My favourites are the asparagus pizza, the caprese salad, the home-​made ravioli, rice balls and the DELICIOUS sangria.
I’ve had both good and bad experiences there with service, especially at the bar.
I hope they get better ventilation inside or some additional air conditioners b/​c it gets really hot in there.
The patio is huge, and great for people watching in the summer. The inside of the mansion is beautiful and is decorated really nice. I would love to see what they have upstairs — though I don’t think it’s open to the public.
I’m so glad that this place opened instead of that bee hive restaurant or whatever it was that was always empty. It’s great that Osteria has brought life back into this beautiful historical building.
They do paint nite here sometimes which is always fun too!

I came here for the first time last night with my friend for Winterlicious. It was also my first winterlicious! I picked Osteria Dei Ganzi because I’m a big fan of Italian food and the menu seemed accommodating to my pickiness: P
I ordered:
Appetizer: cream of mushroom soup
Main: Fettuccine alftredo with tiger shrimp
Dessert: Tiramisu
The mushroom soup was delicious! It wasn’t overly hot but I almost prefer that because when I’m hungry I hate waiting for food to cool down. It had big pieces of mushroom in it which I really enjoyed.
The pasta was also amazing. I’m not a big pasta person but the sauce wasn’t too creamy which I was happy about and they gave a generous amount of shrimp. I felt great after eating, a little sleepy but not overly full which I was worried about with a 3 course meal.
Then came the tiramisu. I haven’t tried tiramisu too many times but I found theirs very good and a great way to end a great meal.
Our waiter was very friendly and spaced out each course perfectly. My friend and I were chatting and catching up for a while after the meal and he knew exactly when to come in with the bill.
Overall it was a nice experience. The restaurant itself was beautiful. It is located inside an 120 year old mansion and our table was in the perfect spot inside this little alcove off to the side. It was quite romantic. When I make a reservation I expect the table to be in a good spot, and this definitely exceeded my expectation.
WARNING: street signs outside the place aren’t marked very well and my friend got a parking ticket.

Went for New Years (2014) the grand opening. Super friendly staff, even better food, wonderful atmosphere and great drink selection. A very unique and authentic Toronto experience.

I went here last night for my birthday dinner with 15 friends. All separate bills, all separate menus– most restaurants do not do well with this kind of challenge. Osteria Dei Ganzi, however, delivered quite nicely.
Had reservations for 8:45
Was offered to meet my party in the bar area until everyone arrived
Everyone came and was seated by 9:15
Waiters were attentive, accommodating of my food intolerances, and very likeable. All of our service was impeccable and friendly.
We mainly ate off the Winterlicious menu, and everyone seemed to really enjoy their meal. I heard no complaints
I downed almost a whole bottle of wine, which maybe added to how nice I thought everything was haha
The environment is chic and casual but still dressy and fun
The service gets top top marks
Everything went off well organized, timely, and with no issues in bills or anything
Will definitely go back. Thanks for a great 21^st birthday.

I really enjoy this restaurant. The food is imaginative and delicious while the décor leaves the impression you’re visiting a posh, bohemian restaurant of another time.
I’m always surprised that it isn’t that busy but the prices aren’t exactly cheap either. The service can be spotty and slow but it’s a great atmosphere for conversation so I don’t mind so much.

Great place for group holiday get together, the server was very friendly and knowledgeable and recommended us to split the dishes instead of ordering separate plates. I was particularly impressed with the calamari as it was very juicy and is not like chewing gum so you are not spending the next 5 minutes just chewing on that one piece of calamari (I’m sure we have all been there at one point).
We had ordered a bottle of Cab Sauv, but he also recommended us to try the Enzo Vincenzo Valpolocella Ripasso and gave us a small sample to try. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be ordering next time.
Prices for each dish was around $ 12-​$ 20 and bottles of red start from $ 35 which I thought was pretty reasonable for a holiday dinner. The restaurant also has unique décor and exterior which is definitely a nice extra touch.

The ambiance was delightful, and the food was authentic, just the way Mario and Luigi’s Nonna would have made it.
We ordered the fried olives (expected something different but were pleasantly surprised), prosciutto fried fior Di latte (nice and light), arancini, fettucine and piccante pizza.
Nice twist on drinks. Surprised to see some famous New Orleans drinks on the menu as well, made by in house mixologist K-​Fed.
Service was a little slow– but the food and atmosphere were nice!

I have been to Osteria a few times, but surprisingly never for a full dinner, only passed hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
The first time was for the soft opening, and I had a great time. The second was for a party for the National Post. Last night, it was for a Unilocal event.
My favourite items I have tasted are the deep fried olives (OMG), mini pizzas, and rice balls (arancini). The drinks are well made and they have pretty much anything your heart could desire.
The mansion itself is absolutely gorgeous, you really should come and check it out. I have it on good authority that it may even be haunted… BOO!
I am looking forward to finally coming for a sit down dinner in the near future and shall update my review then. But until then, «YAY! I’m a fan»!

What a fun event!!!
Friendly bar staff, bottomless tequila and vodka cocktails and delicious risotto Parmesan cheese balls delish!
The 18tj century converted home has an exquisite view from the floor to ceiling windows in the bar. Heritage wood floors and mouldings create the old Toronto charm indicative of this neighbourhood. The Keg Mansion sits nestled across the street.
Thank you so much for inviting us to such a fun event!

I was going to give this place 3-​stars for the food but I added another star just for the service. We went as a very large group for a surprise birthday dinner party for a friend, and our waiter was extremely accommodating and all around, just a great guy. He was attentive to the fact that a surprise birthday includes the surprise part so he made sure he closed the doors that led to our dining area so our friend was genuinely surprised when he came in! Also he was sure to consistently come around to ask if we wanted to order any drinks, get refills, etc. and had a positive, upbeat attitude the whole time.
As for the location: easy to find, right across Keg Mansion on Jarvis and situated in a very old building dating back to the mid 1800s. Apparently most of the ceiling work in this building is original so make sure you have a look if you’re dining in one of the rooms. The washrooms are downstairs and a bit cramped, but will do in a pinch if you realy need to go. The décor is very 1920s-​1940s feel, which fits with this building. The atmosphere was quite lively and loud in the main dining areas, so it would be a great place to have dinner with friends but not for quiet, intimate dates.
Now for the food:
They give you baskets of bread to start with balsamic vinegar/​olive oil bottles so you can dip the bread in whatever you wish.
Appetizer: Melanzane Alla Parmigiana — delicious friend eggplant with fresh tomato sauce, basil and buffalo mozzarella. And by delicious, I mean absolutely a must-​try if you come to this place.
Main: I ordered the Penne All’ Arrabiata which is penne with tomato, extra virgin olive oil and fresh chili peppers. The way they made this sauce was really good… definitely the most unique and yummy penne I have eaten. The chilli peppers added a nice ‘kick’ to the taste while not making the dish unbearably spicy. My bf, who does not usually eat spicy food, really liked this dish as well. I will be ordering another dish to try next time, just so I can try more variety on their menu.
The bf ordered Porchetta pizza, so it was topped with braised pork, fior di latte, roasted peppers, onions and tomato sauce. He’s a big pizza fan and really liked this pizza.
The portions were good, so by the time we finished eating, we were too stuffed to order dessert since our friend’s birthday cake was being served. One thing they do charge if you are thinking of having a birthday event here is the cake cutting fee, which for our large group of approximately 20 people, meant $ 50 fee. Our waiter already notified about this when we reserved the table, so it was not a shock.
The waiter gave us a combined bill initiallly but made sure to come back and split the bill for us after we told him some of the guests wanted to pay using card while others had cash. Very courteous and friendly throughout the entire evening.
Overall, I do recommend a visit here if you are into Italian food. They have something for everyone on the menu.

So interesting spot and great food.
The thing that strikes you right off is the amazing building.
It’s a heritage site — was owned by Gooderham and built around 1868. Much of the inside has been kept intact (floors, woodwork, ceilings), but they have done a great job reno’ing it to add the modern touch.
3 of us came here and had dinner.
Can highly recommend the:
— Caesar salad
— Spaghetti Polpette
— Linguine Stromboli
— the cannoli’s
Food was fresh and hot — they use local sourced goods too!
Generous offerings — some things shareable — like the salad before the meal.
Wonderful flavors — the meatballs were perfect!
We also had some drinks at the bar and they had some very interesting offerings including the usual.
Great choices on the wine list (Italian of course). Recommend the Chianti Fiore.
Staff were great — friendly and knowledgeable. Prices were very reasonable.
One small down-​side — very small bathrooms — only 2 stalls in the ladies. But that was manageable.
Check it out — you won’t be disappointed!

I’m honestly shocked at how divided people are about Ganzi. I wonder if it was a case of them getting a slow start when they initially opened two years ago? A couple of really busy nights in a hot summer that through them off? If so, go back Torontonians! You won’t be disappointed!
I’ve had some of the most beautiful pizza here and their osso bucco is fall-​off-​the-​bone, juicy goodness. They also do these donut-​like dessert things that I had at a Unilocal event, and I’ve got to say: those things are legit. Probably not good for the hips, but people went nuts for them. Beyond their eats, their liquid treats are hot hot hot, too.
It’s true, I have worked with them a few times so I’m a little bit biased, but they are that clutch restaurant that will do last minute catering when you need help, and not only will they show up, but their chef will serenade you with Italian arias when they do. I’ve worked with them on multiple occasions, and dined here independently one other time, and I can say without any doubt: I heart this five star business.
The chef and management do pop ups on the regular, and are just always up to try something new and show off their goods. Today they housed an In N Out Burger pop up for TIFF. Let’s get real, that’s the coolest thing that happened in Toronto today, and though I didn’t line up for an animal style cheeseburger, I have a great appreciation for all that these guys do.

YUM again!!! Been a few times and never had a bad experience. Recently went there for my birthday. Surprise from a friend of mine since he knew how much I LOVE OSSO BUCCO there. They went out of their way to get Osso Bucco for me even though it wasn’t on the menu anymore as they change the menu every few months to showcase their food. Let me just say, service was excellent as always. Water always topped up, wine glass always filled as well. Plates removed, new napkins, new cutlery with each course. Just phenomenal service!!! Food, equals perfection.
We had appetizers, first course, second course and dessert. All exceptional!!! I highly recommend the Melanzane Alla Parmigiana as an appetizer. The Penne All’ Arrabiata was perfect. Lots of sauce and we asked for hot sauce as well to add more spice and even the home made hot sauce was divine. I don’t eat bread!!! BUT THAT DAY, I had bread to dip into the yummy sauce and hot sauce. Then the Osso Bucco came… WOW!!! Sliding off the bone. Bone Marrow YUM. Grilled veggies — Fresh and delicious!
Dessert — OFF THE CHARTS!!! I want to add a pic but have no idea how to lol TRUST ME when I say, the cheesecake melts in your mouth!!! MELTS!
Been there with friends and with a date and both work. Its a perfect place for everyone.

I went to Osteria Dei Ganzi for the first time yesterday evening for dinner. I was attending the birthday of my sister in law.
I had read reviews prior but I try to not let too much of what I read influence me considering I was going to this place anyway and experiences are different for each person so I was going to go in with an open mind and give this place the benefit of the doubt because lots of what is written on Unilocal I know that some criticisms can be constructive and things can change with enough feedback.
This place is basically an old house and a very impressive property that also has outdoor seating which nobody was using (I couldn’t figure out why) with some nice furniture. It was a cool but humid evening.
The place is nicely decorated with large canvas type hanging of Sophia Loren and other things that look Italian. Directly above my head was a chandelier that gave the room a very sophisticated feel.
Anyway the first thing I noticed walking into the dining area was that the air was stagnant, stifling and very uncomfortable. The inside reminded me of being a kid in our old house with no AC. Apparently they have AC but it doesn’t help as I was looking up at the ceilings, walls etc and I couldn’t find a vent to save my life. The structure is old, I get it but it honestly felt as if there was no air circulation at all. NONE.
My brother in law had asked if they could do something with the AC and our server said they would turn it up. Whether they actually did or not I can honestly say it made no difference whatsoever. So here we are about 16 people or so baking in this room watching every body else bake as well. I couldn’t believe something as simple as the comfort of the room would get to me so much. It goes to show how much I take it for granted that where I go that the AC or heating is appropriate for the guests and that it be comfortable to to enjoy yourself indoors.
I as well as others at my table had to at times literally get up from the table and go outside just to get fresh air and catch a bit of a breeze. I found this dining area to be the absolute worst climate controlled (none) areas I’ve ever been in. It was the most uncomfortable dining area I’ve ever been in, period.
DINING AREA COMFORT = F– please contact an HVAC consultant as this is serious
The menus were already all on the table so I had a chance to look it over for quite a while before we were asked if we wanted drinks. Mind you we arrived and seated our selves at 6:30pm. We didn’t order drinks till maybe closer to 7pm when the guest of honor arrived who I sat directly across from so I know we didn’t order drinks until well after they arrived.
The birthday girl after ordering the drinks ordered 3 planks of the Misto appetizers for all the guests. While this order was placed, the rest of us didn’t really get a chance to place an order for apps and the rest of the party wasn’t there but about half of us were already. Almost everybody arrived closer to around 7:15pm. I don’t think it would have really mattered what time everybody came because our server didn’t really stay on top of our table. Any apps ordered were all brought out at the same time as the mains except the Misto planks.
It was evident that staff for this establishment is short… I was never asked if I wanted another drink nor was anybody else asked that I know of. Food was brought out and the waitress asked once if everything was ok. That was perhaps the last we saw of her until it was time to collect plates and ask about coffee etc
Let’s just say we arrived at 6:30pm and didn’t leave until 9:30pm in this furnace of a room. Because we are a group, an AUTOMATIC 18% gratuity was added to our bills. In this particular case I felt robbed. It made me feel like we didn’t warrant attention because the tip was going to be added anyway.
SERVICE = D (slow, unfriendly, unaccommodating) our server did not look happy to serve
I had ordered their version of steak tartar as my app that arrived with my pizza (main). Nothing says bad timing like your app coming at the same time as your main. We had the Misto planks which were the best part of the food that night probably because most of it is already prepared (meats, cheeses, etc). The steak tartar was sort of bland. The crostini that came on the side… some were soggy and not crunchy! I had ordered the quattro formaggi pizza. The crust was not good as I found it hard and dry. I guess I am spoiled and used to wood stove cooked crust that is chewy. The tiramisu they brought out while I didn’t partake, I was told by my wife that it was not made with mascarpone. I know my Italian food, my wife is Italian.
FOOD QUALITY = F+ (plus is for the cheese and meat they didn’t make.
This is without a doubt the worst experience I’ve had dining out ever. The quality of the environment, service and food to me were all failures. Receiving the bill felt like an insult with 18% on top of it.

I came here for ‘licious dinner last Friday and was less than impressed with the food and the service. To me, it was pretty clear that Osteria is a new restaurant and they are still trying to get their footing as there were many lags during the meal and the servers were mixed up with which table ordered what.
Both my friend and I got the scallops to start which were soggy. The sauce was good though, very buttery. I think the server gave us someone else’s order as it came out really quickly and then shortly after we finished it the same server came to give us another serving of them!
I got the steak medium rare — it was more medium as it was very thin (you get what you pay for, right). The veggies it came with were good though… you can tell they were a bit caramelized. My friend got the penne. Her penne was nothing special and the pasta was underdone and a bit hard to chew. I really could have made better penne at home.
Lastly, our dessert took over half an hour to get to us. We had to ask after we noticed it was nearly 20 mins and the sun had already set — it got pretty cold. We did get an apology from the server but no realty explanation as to why it was late besides «I put it in the system but it somehow got missed».
Overall, I probably wouldn’t come back here as there are better restaurants in the area, although admittedly, the pizza did look very good (I was peeking at other tables lol). The patio was a little awkward as it was on an obvious slant so I was sitting lower than my friend and there was lots of movement of different tables around me to accommodate changing party sizes.

I have gone to this place 3 times. So it’s not without real effort and money.
To me, the best part of this place and it seems I’m not. alone here is the bar. I have to admit the bar itself would get 5 stars. They do know their stuff.
This review is for the food.
This time round I had spaghetti with meatballs. Immediately upon that first bite it tasted familiar — chef boyardee spaghetti and meatballs in a can. Upscale with shavings of gran Padano.
Customer service was spot on. They were patient with our table. That I truly thank them for.

Went here for group brunch after a baptism. My eggs Benedict was very good, and the fresh strawberry donuts were phenomenal. If I was rating this restaurant on those dishes alone, I would give this restaurant a four out of five, maybe even a five. However, there were WAY to few workers for the number of guests. Food took over 90 minutes to arrive, and came at wildly different times. I finished my meal and started writing this Unilocal review, before the person sitting across from me even got her dish. My wife’s bacon and fried eggs were overlooked. Butter at table was frozen.
Back to the good… the décor was stunning; the restaurant is in a beautiful historic building with grande wood mouldings. The white marble tables are well matched.
I feel this restaurant has untapped potential, and I will make a point to come back in a year’s time.

First off, I have to say this is just a review for the bar… I have not had dinner here yet. i got a tip from another bartender in the city who was doing great stuff that this was a solid location for good drinks.
First off, Osteria Dei Ganzi is in a beautiful old mansion with a great AMBIANCE. The bar décor is really well done with large Edison bulbs in globe fixtures, although the TV’s definitely detract from the space. Dear bar-owners…unless you’re a sports bar, please do not put in a TV.
The COCKTAILS though were the star. The Portuguese bartender João both knows his libations and has a passion. I ordered an off-​menu classic cocktail, a Vieux Carre, with no need for explanation. In fact when chatting he could give a detailed justification for choosing one vermouth over another… this is lightyears beyond your typical Toronto bar.
João was also quite creative and could be trusted to mix you a surprise drink. A chamomile-​scented scented Sazerac caught me off-​guard as a beguiling drink that I would have predicted would be awful. Another beautiful drink had banana-​infused Jameson as a base with some smoky Laphroiag to cut the sweetness.
OVERALL, we enjoyed the cocktails very much. We didn’t try the food… perhaps some of the one-​star reviews scared me. We had kind of an awkward view back onto the kitchen from our seat, which without going into detail hasn’t motivated me to try the food either. The bar, though, is absolutely on top of their game with excellent cocktails from a serious mixologist.

I had the opportunity to visit Ganzi Osteria this summer for an event. As many have pointed out, the home/​restaurant is gorgeous. I had the opportunity to sample an array of dishes, but I was not a big fan of the donut, but only because I do not like marmalade. In fact, almost everyone at the event loved the donuts so don’t take my word for it. Besides the donuts, I can’t think of a dish I did not enjoy.
In the middle of the event I did something to my camera and could not figure out how to fix it. A staff member noticed my distress and she and several others came over to help me. Not only was the staff professional, but they went out of their way to make my night a great one. Now that I know about this restaurant, I will certainly be returning.
Yes, I have noticed that many reviewers have had some issues with this restaurant. This restaurant is pretty new and it is my feeling that they are working hard on smoothing out the kinks. That said, I can see why many diners would be apprehensive about dining here. If you are not sure about ordering a whole meal here, then at least check-​out their bar. It’s pretty awesome!
**This review is about the food I had during the event I attended. I cannot speak for their day-​to-​day dishes. I do hope that the food we had at the event (quality of ingredients, taste and look) is what they are serving on a daily basis.

Nope. This place was not very good.
It’s a really cool space, inside an old house, they’ve got a nice outdoor bar and cute outdoor seating, plus it’s really good for seating a group inside a huge «dining room» area.
The food was just not that great. I got a salad, and it really really sucked. How does one screw up a salad? I have no idea, but it was terrible. Also, I had a bite of my friends dishes (can’t remember what they are) and they were all crappy too. I wished this place was better.