Ciao Wine Bar and Restaurant in Yorkville – Toronto, ON: Ciao Wine Bar is an Italian eatery and wine bar situated across the Hazelton Hotel in the Yorkville District of Toronto. This sprawling 8,000 square feet restaurant has been created by the Liberty Entertainment Group. Traditional Italian cuisine is served here in a stylish yet warm atmosphere.

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Ciao Wine Bar is split into three levels and is capable of seating a whopping 250 diners at a time. While the upper level has a swanky décor, the lower level has a rustic cellar look with exposed brick walls, vaulted ceilings and wooden tables. Vintage viewing wine racks and an alabaster pizza bar add to the lower level’s charm. The mezzanine level is done up in stone and glass walls and rustic wood finishes.

We were at Ciao Wine Bar for lunch and the restaurant was fairly busy with a lunch crowd of business men and locals who seemed to be taking a break from shopping. We were seated at one of the booths and found it to be rather uncomfortable. A table would have been a better choice.

The menu offered a wide variety of options to choose from, including a nice selection of pizza and pastas. The wine menu was equally extensive with a number of European classics. Some of the popular items at this restaurant were Capellini with tomatoes, capers, anchovies and olives and the Caprese pizza with cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, arugula and grana padano.

After spending a good 10 minutes on the menu, we decided to partake of their lunch special (just $15.00) and ordered the Stracciatella, a Caesar salad and Fusilli pasta. I found the Stracciatella or egg drop and spinach soup to be pretty decent. However, it was a little bit salty for my taste. On the other hand, my partner’s Caesar salad had too much dressing. Unless you like a lot of dressing, be sure to get it just as a side.

Our main course, the Fusilli with chicken and mushrooms in a light cream sauce was spicy and tasted good. To be frank, none of the dishes had that “wow” factor. For dessert, we opted for a cheesecake along with some peppermint tea. The cheesecake tasted nice.

Service at Ciao Wine Bar was decent. Food was served in a timely fashion without a feeling of being rushed. Also, there was never a long interval between courses. Jonathan, our waiter was simply great!

Overall, the Ciao Wine Bar serves decent food at a reasonable price. You just can't go wrong with a $15.00 set menu consisting of an appetizer, main and a dessert. While this restaurant did not reach the level of Bombastic, I would definitely go back just for that set menu. You just cannot beat that price. Our rating for Ciao Wine Bar is Between Bombastic & Not.

What I liked: The reasonable prices and the service

What I didn’t like: The uncomfortable booth and the just about decent food

Rating: Between Bombastic & Not

Address and Telephone Number:
Ciao Wine Bar
133 Yorkville Ave
Toronto, ON M5R 1C4
Phone: (416) 925-2143

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