With ELLE Gourmet’s Italy & The Med Food and Wine event just around the corner, we’re celebrating some of the best places to experience Mediterranean cooking in Toronto.
We asked the team at Halo & Co., the hospitality PR agency with its finger on the pulse of the city’s dining scene, to share their favourite spots. From neighbourhood pasta bars and Greek tavernas to Spanish tapas and Dalmatian seafood, these are the restaurants they love—and the dishes that keep them coming back.
Mamakas Taverna | Greek
A foodie favourite on Toronto’s Ossington strip, Mamakas Taverna brings the spirit of a Greek family gathering to the table. The best way to experience it? Bring a group, order more than you think you need and share everything so you can taste as much as possible. Start with the house-made pita and a selection of dips before moving on to meze, grilled seafood and other Greek classics. It’s the kind of meal that deserves a long evening and a second bottle of wine.
Wynona | Italian, Mediterranean-Inspired
At this Leslieville favourite, handmade pasta meets seasonal cooking with a Mediterranean sensibility. Chef Jeff Bovis brings an inventive but approachable touch to the menu, where fresh ingredients and unexpected combinations make choosing just one dish difficult. Our suggestion? Leave the decisions to the kitchen with the five-course, family-style Trust Us tasting menu. With cooking this good, we’re happy to hand over control.
Annabelle Pasta Bar | Italian
Every neighbourhood deserves an Annabelle Pasta Bar, and Davenport Village got lucky. This is house-made pasta done right, with a rotating lineup of fresh pastas and daily specials that keep regulars coming back to see what’s new. It’s the kind of neighbourhood joint where you walk in hungry and leave already planning your next visit, because you just couldn’t fit it all in.
Joso’s | Croatian, Dalmatian Coast
Few Toronto restaurants have the history, personality or devoted following of Joso’s. This Yorkville institution has been transporting diners to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast for decades, serving exceptional seafood in one of the city’s most distinctive dining rooms. The Spaghettini Alla Leonardo, with octopus, shrimp, garlic and capers, is easily one of our top ten dishes in Toronto. And then there’s the atmosphere: walls covered in artwork, decades of stories and a celebrity connection that includes Drake, who famously featured the restaurant on the cover of Take Care. Come for the seafood, stay for a little Toronto history.
Contrada | Italian
Contrada’s handmade pastas, fresh seafood, seasonal plates and can’t-miss wine list feel Italian at heart and Toronto in spirit. The space, menu and atmosphere are a love letter to Little Italy, and it has completely stolen our hearts. The intimate dining room is equally suited to a romantic evening or dinner with friends, and the restaurant’s prix fixe offering gives diners another reason to visit.
Giulietta | Italian
There are plenty of reasons to visit Giulietta, the Dundas West restaurant celebrated for its refined approach to Italian cooking. But for us, one dish stands above the rest: the carbonara. Perfectly al dente pasta, a glossy sauce of egg and cheese, and crisp guanciale come together in a version that reminds you just how extraordinary a few simple ingredients can be. It’s the dish we think about long after dinner is over.
Agora Greek Market | Greek
Directly across from Trinity Bellwoods Park, Agora Greek Market makes it easy to bring a little Greek cooking into your day. This casual Queen West spot from the Mamakas team specializes in house-made pita, dips, fresh salads, souvla and other Aegean-inspired favourites, perfect for a picnic or dinner at home. Our must-order is the chicken souvla pita, filled with grilled chicken, tzatziki, vegetables and fries. Proof that a great meal doesn’t always require a reservation.
Arti Ristorante | Italian
Arti Ristorante knows exactly how to make Italian food feel both nostalgic and a little unexpected. Handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas and reimagined classics make it the kind of menu we want to order our way right through, preferably with a cocktail or bottle of wine on the table. Our personal must-order is the Mezzi Rigatoni, which earns Nonna’s stamp of approval every time.
Bar Isabel | Spanish, Catalan
For a night out with friends, Bar Isabel is hard to beat. Inspired by the cooking of Spain’s Catalonia region, this College Street favourite specializes in tapas and sharing plates that encourage a little culinary exploration. Our advice is to put yourself in the hands of the knowledgeable staff and let them guide the ordering. From Spanish conservas and jamón to beautifully prepared seafood, it’s a meal best enjoyed one plate at a time, with plenty of conversation and another round of drinks.
Liliana | Italian
One bite of the ricotta cappelletti and we understand why Liliana is one of the city’s most difficult reservations to get right now. The menu is Italian at heart, with a twist that keeps things interesting without losing its soul. Chef Marvin Palomo named the restaurant after an early mentor, who taught him that true hospitality goes far beyond the kitchen, and that care and compassion are what make a meal unforgettable. Needless to say, he nailed it.
