Tosca Cafe

I’ve only been here for brunch. In fact, I had my graduation brunch here. Thats how much I love this place. It’s buffet style and there’s something for everyone. Plus they have unlimited brunch cocktails. =)

The food is not bad depending on what you order. I ordered a delicious chicken dish from the specials menu and returned to order the item again but unfortunately it wasn’t available. What I ended up with wasn’t as good. My friend ordered lasagna and it was a bit too sweet.

Brunch on the weekends here are truly amazing. I’ve been here twice, and both times I had a great time. Unlimited 2 hours of food and Mimosa & Bellini. The brunch is $ 31.95 per person. (But don’t fill up on drinks, it’s cheap champagne, & it gives you an headache) There’s so many different assortment of food, there’s breakfast foods to choose from. The French toast is delicious. The penne a la vodka is my favorite item here.
This place is perfect for the whole family, brunch with the girls, or a date with the old ball in chain. Also the cleanliness here was top notch. The staff kept the restaurant clean the whole time.

What would’ve been a memorable evening out with my daughter, turned unforgettable… because we honestly will not forget how tasteless dinner was. I went past all the mediocre reviews and set off to Tosca… regardless.
For an early evening dinner, lighting at Tosca was extremely dark which, didn’t add any elegance whatsoever and made reading the menu, burdensome. We went ahead with a ‘Roasted Sampler’ of Eggplant, Portobellos, Shrimp in a light tomato sauce and melted cheese. My cocktail, I must say, could’ve been a complete powerhouse but, lacked more of its main citrus ingredient.
Interior appearance at Tosca, is somewhat the same as I left it almost 10 years ago, except, it has a Sushi station (that I don’t recall seeing then). Our server was pleasant throughout our dining experience. My Fusilli Al Alvina with shrimp, sun dried, tomatoes and asparagus (which I’m slowly adding to my dining repertoire) and slices of garlic, was nicely done but wasn’t over the top. According to Mr. Man, his Chicken Parm had a Chef Boyardee tomato sauce and tasted refrigerated and my daughter’s Grilled Pork Chops, were rock hard. Though our dishes are nothing to continue babbling about, at this point, I felt, Tosca had a chance to redeem themselves big time, from my family’s dreadful entrees with a slamming dessert. Best part of the dessert? Had to be the gooey, chocolatey sauce around the cake. Cake on the other hand? Had a revolting refrigerated taste and a stiff consistency. In addition, my daughter said that the vanilla ice cream was freezer burned with chunks of ice pellets– disgusting!
I grieve when neighborhood staples overtime, swap management, chefs and food preparations to create cheap short cuts. But I, too, have the same belief and side with my fellow Unilocaler, Pat F., and say that back in the day, Tosca was tight. It was the place to be seen and food was worth every dollar and worth traveling to. But the fact that these basic Italian dishes lacked robustness and execution, I’m out.

FOOD POISONING. I think that says it all. And I’m not the only reviewer on here to complain about it. BOTH me and my boyfriend got it so it assured us of what the cause was. He ordered the chicken parm with a salad while I ordered the baked ziti. I don’t eat animals so we shared the baked ziti-​and both ended up extremely sick within hours of eating it. I had to go to the Emergency Room on a damn holiday weekend. My experiences here before have only ever been for drinking at happy hour which were always a fine time but I will not be coming back here to spend any more money on this establishment. They overprice everything anyway.

Awesome Sunday brunch, lots to choose from. Food quality is excellent, staff is attentive. Can’t wait to return, best french toast I’ve ever had!

I placed an order for delivery. Took two hours to be delivered. Arrived with hot
Beverages, wrong items, no utensils or condiments. Very disappointed with the taste and service.

This place cost me two days of work as a result of food poisoning. The food was not even that great. I went because it was close to home and I haven’t been there in about ten years. NEVER AGAIN. Don’t go unless you want to spend the next 12 hours throwing up.

Had a really nice brunch with fiancéé, today. Made reservations for 2, as soon as we got there we were seated. I was hoping for a bar buffet, hehe got my wish. They have a wide variety of food to choose from… dessert, coffee, juice, mimosas and other light drinks are included in our $ 31.95 per person brunch buffet.
I love to eat, so being the eater that I am, I got a bit of everything, desserts and 2 coffees hehe, I loved it, because the food was great and the service was really nice and friendly.
They kept the drinks coming and coming, omg! Fiancéé had like 10 mimosas. I was more into my food and desserts/​coffee, had 1 mimosa only.
Is a bit far going from Astoria NY, but we are definately going back.
Will put some of the pics of food and desserts and coffee, wait til you see how cute looking their coffee is/​and most of all so good I had to ask for a second one :)

**DINNER REVIEW**
Came here on a Friday night with no reservation. Got seated immediately.
Tosca seemingly has an identity crisis. An Italian restaurant with a sushi bar? Old world bistro style setting in the main dining area, with top 50 hits blaring from the neighboring modern lounge area? Color me confused, but it turned out to be a mashup that worked! The scene was casual, but lively, great for any occasion. Despite the music, conversation was easy.
THE FOOD:
Portions are family style so I found the price points reasonable.
— TABLE BREAD WITH DIPPING OIL (complimentary): table bread is of the devil and this magical temptation was no exception. It’s amazing so pace yourself.
— STUFFED MUSHROOMS ($ 8.95): loved it, veg friendly.
— BAKED ZITI ($ 14.95): holy massive portion! At least 2 – 4 people can share this dish. Loved it, great sauce, not too cheesy, perfectly cooked pasta.
— SAUTEED SPINACH ($ 5.95): Incredible, garlicky — just the way I like it.
— POLLO CACCIATORE ($ 16.95): the carnivore’s first time trying this dish and he approved! He found the baked potato lackluster, but it is after all, a baked potato!
— DESSERT: We were slightly disappointed with the chocolate soufflé and tiramisu as it was a bit dry.
Service: on point. Our waiter was very attentive. Food came out quickly.
Parking: street, somewhat difficult.

This is my go to spit in the BX with wifey. Great for date night, brunch with friends and family. They are reasonably priced, have great food and atmosphere. If you your in the area you should definitely give it a try.

I like Tosca. I really can’t say of a time I’ve had a bad experience. Ive gone for brunch, dinner and lunch. Every time the food has been very good. They do not offer a happy hour food menu (maybe something they might want to look into) when you are at the bar you may not want to have a big pasta dish. Maybe just a bar bites menu.
Food is good, be prepare for big portions. Brunch buffet offers many options.

Perhaps I went on a bad night but for one, our waiter appeared drunk, spilled wine on the table, and never came back.
No one was assigned to us afterward until a couple of requests later and after waiting more than an hour for service and the food (2 people party) we left.
I hear the brunch is good but had the worst service that night. So bad ill make sure others know of it to avoid it.

This is one of my go-​to places. The menu is so diverse, it suits any pallet. The sangria is the best, hands down!
The service is great; prompt, knowledgable, friendly, helpful staff.
Recommendations: the crab cakes are Delish, the apple pie and ice cream desert and just about anything chocolate is great. I love their skirt steak salad, tuna steak salad and their appetizer pizza. Also, you can’t go wrong with any of the pasta options.
Atmosphere: great for a casual or formal meal with a date, friend or even the parents. It’s really great for any occasion.

No no and triple no!
Unless you’re here for drinks and the great service (yes i mean that, the service is quite great actually)
I would avoid eating here. It just doesn’t taste authentic. Penne ala vodka is probably a signature Italian dish anywhere, and if that cant even be done right then maybe a change in the menu entirely should be in the works.
Needless to say, i would give 3 stars because the waitresses are very good, attending to all the needs a table asks for and the great drinks, most notably the mojitos. Thats it. Had the sushi as well and even that didn’t sit right.

First time at Toscas, for the Sunday brunch. $ 30 per person which includes a buffet and unlimited drinks (which I think is a good deal)
Pros– good food, great mimosas, our waiter Augustine was very attentive, and a magician even came to our table and did a couple of cool tricks.
Cons– it was pretty loud, and no music (or there may have been music but I couldn’t hear it because it was so noisy)
I will definitely come back again for the mimosas.
xo

I’ve always heard mixed things about Tosca. With all the Italian restaurants that line East Tremont Ave it was never really a place that stood out to me. However, some friends and I decided to do brunch, and seeing that we had never been here we decided to try it.
Tosca is actually more than what I thought it was. In addition to a restaurant/​bar, it’s also a lounge, sushi bar, and catering hall. Looking at it from the outside it’s quite large, and inside the restaurant is pretty spacious. There are lots of windows that give it an open-​ish feel with the overall theme and décor being almost tropical with palm trees, dark wood tones, and wicker-​esque chairs.
Brunch is $ 29.95 a person, and with that you get an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet and unlimited mimosas, belinis, and champagne. Their brunch is popular so I suggest you make a reservation. The dining room can get loud, but it’s expected.
The selection at the buffet was pretty good — typical breakfast offerings like eggs, bacon, etc. plus Italian selections like penne vodka, and chicken francese. There’s also a carving station, omelette station, and a dessert bar.
Service was pretty good, they never forgot us and always made sure to refresh our mimosas and belinis. The food was good as well, and overall they put out a good offering. My Unilocal friends have stated their regular dinner service leaves something to be desired, but I would come back for brunch.

I have been going to Tosca for a number of years and somehow I never got around to a review.
First of all this is the cleanest restaurant in The Bronx. They are always cleaning something.
Everything on the menu is great, especially the ultra thin crispy coal fired oven pizza. Fantastic. The service is great and since the food is truly prepared to order, it can take extra time to come out of the kitchen. It’s well worth the wait. All the pastas and fresh salads are very tasty and are substantial. They have a full bar and several dining rooms, including s rooftop catering hall next door.

I have had this review drafted for a very long time and it seems other Unilocalers have caught up and finally agree with my sentiments… So here it goes.
I have a love/​hate relationship with this place. I’ve been going here since they took a corner bakery many, many years ago and turned it into its first installment as a quaint wine bar lounge. This place was the first of its kind in Throggs Neck. With its cozy, velveteen, 19^th century type mis-​matched sofas and Queen Anne-​type chairs, with walls in warm colored hues of red and contrasting brown wood. Picture sipping on a perfectly poured bulbous glass of red or white wine priced reasonably at less than $ 6/​glass, while alternative jazz/​house type music is playing in the background, all this enveloping you in a laid back loungey atmosphere… reminisce, reminisce!
The overall environment included the best waitstaff, bartenders and manager around. You felt the warmth and the willingness of the staff to succeed in this bar/​lounge. This once quaint, warm and welcoming place was the shiznitz! We couldn’t wait to get off of work from Manhattan to come to our neighborhood wine lounge.
Now Tosca ‘Café’, has done exactly what they set out to do by succeeding on a very large scale and have since turned into this mega restaurant/​caterer/​rooftop joint that takes up almost half of an entire block. They no longer boast that cute laid back lounge with a staff of inviting personalities or a place with a warm welcoming atmosphere. Maybe I’m just stuck in the past and miss what it once used to be… yes, that could definitely be it. What I see now of Tosca is just a revolving door, people mover, with folks coming from all over the Tri-​State area, if not farther, with a philosophy of, we can use our name to make more money and no longer have to provide quality goods or service… how unfortunate.
I will give them this. At one point during their many faces of growth, the best thing they offered and was the first that I know of to be offered in Throggs Neck was their AYCE brunch buffet with AYCD, and this is where the one and a half stars are warranted. The locals, especially my crew, would support the business almost every fortnight, we couldn’t get enough of their full array of all the savory and sweet good eats you can ever imagine in a buffet, which was just way too many items to mention. Their cost per person started out years ago at $ 17.95 with unlimited mimosas with no table time limit and gradually moved up in price to $ 29.95 with a two hour max time limit. I can understand inflation and supply and demand, but is it worth it? Meh! Not anymore in my opinion. I’ve noticed the buffet choices aren’t as vast as they used to be and the level of friendly staff/​service has changed.
On top of things, I guess I’m still sore that they’ve grown into a spot that when I walk by, especially during the warmer days, all I see are herds of people waiting outside loitering in my neighborhood waiting to get into this spot and I just walk by because I no longer even care that the restaurant exists.
As for their Italian food, it is now subpar. It compares to nothing to the care given to the food they served back in the day. For instance, their once warm foccacia bread served with a fresh rosemary, chopped garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes infused dipping oil, no longer has that unique flavor that I would end up asking for extra so I can take home and use as a marinade. Nope, now they skimp on the ingredients and it’s basically just olive oil and garlic. So now I just resort to making my own when needed.
As mentioned prior, the once friendly waitstaff is no longer. Being that it’s a neighborhood joint I used to know a few of the young ladies that lived in our ‘hood and ended up working at Tosca. After doing their time working at Tosca and then quitting, the sentiments were all the same…‘used to be great to work for but no longer.’ Plus half star Tosca for employing our neighborhood young adults and getting their feet wet by providing them with their first job.
I’ll now leave this establishment to the new jacks taking up all of our parking spots or double parking waiting for the valet thinking the current Tosca is the shiznitz. And I will continue to walk by and just shake my head knowing that these people have no idea what that’ve missed in the old Tosca. And if it wasn’t for Tosca our neighborhood wouldn’t be overrun by oh so many new restaurants… a blessing and a curse.
So, gone are the days of the little brick oven bakery turned NYC style wine bar lounge named Tosca. But I guess that’s unfortunately all a part of change and growth in this once quiet, but still pretty little ‘hood called Throggs Neck.

Tosca offers a Weekend Champagne Buffet Brunch from 11:30am to 3:30pm. Brunch is $ 29.95 per person & children under 12 pay $ 12.95. Brunch includes unlimited Champagne, Mimosa, Belini, Bloody Mary, Soda, & Juice.
The buffet offers a plethora of food. There’s fresh grilled vegetables, fresh fruits, salads, imported cured meats, seafood, fresh & aged cheeses. Also there’s Shrimp cocktail, clams on the half shell, eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, french toast with strawberries, bacon, omelette station-​made to order, mussels, & clams marinara.
Then there’s the Norwegian salmon, steak, potatoes, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, eggplant rollatini, the Chef’s selection of pasta, chicken breast, & veal. You can also find fresh baked muffins, desserts, coffee, tea, espresso, & cappuccino.
With such an extensive menu you’d think this review would reflect 5 stars. Unfortunately that’s not the case. The food was good, brunch for $ 29.95 is a steal, but the service lacked majorly. Upon entering Tosca I had to speak instead of the manager greeting me. He barely made eye contact only to tell us to follow a hostess to be seated in a cramped corner.
The waitress came over to take our drink order so we went to prepare our plates. Once we returned I noticed a leather jacket on the back of my seat. I mentioned it to Kayla our waitress who was just as confused as we were. A hostess came over to explain what took place. We were asked if we could be moved & seated in another area of the restaurant.
Here’s the problem with what she suggested I wasn’t moving because we were seated prior to the couple that came after us & I’m not carrying my plate across the restaurant to be seated elsewhere. The hostess was gracious enough to understand my plight however I found it to be unprofessional that there’s no seating system. On top of that the manager should’ve handled his own dirty work followed by an apology. Neither came.
Kayla & the hostess were the only gems in Tosca. Customer service skills are lacking through & through. Be careful who you order your Belini from. Some taste more like Champagne.