Even as autumn rounds the corner, Toronto restaurants continue to take advantage of the pleasant weather to offer their guests outdoor dining options. For Toronto’s Eataly outpost, there’s not one, but two, patios flanking both Bloor and Bay Streets that’s only steps away from the store’s entrance.
Il Patio di Eataly by Aperol takes diners to an Italian orange grove, shaded by wide patio umbrellas and lined with well-spaced tables. The entire weather-dependant experience is mindful of the times with safety measures fully in place including masked servers who are assigned to tables to limit contact, wrapped utensils, hand sanitizing stations and encouragement of cashless payment.
Choose from the Bloor Street or Bay Street facing patios.
Enjoy a splash of the handcrafted cocktail menu’s line-up of Italian spritzes with a slice of traditional Torino-style pizza al padellino (pan pizza) all’aperto (outdoors). Pair craft beers from Eataly’s in-house Birroteca with summer-inspired aperitivo bites like spiedini (skewers) to share-friendly fritto misto di mare (lightly fried Gulf shrimp, calamari, market fish and vegetables).
Choose from a selection of spiedini including Rhode Island calamari that’s been simply slicked with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and chili flakes or chicken thighs using meats raised at Stewart Martin Farms that’s been glazed with spicy limoncello and finished with mint.
Besides cocktails, there are evening specials including an expanded list of unique or limited-run Indie Alehouse beers on Bottle Shop Tuesdays, a cocktail pop-up series on Wednesdays that sees top Toronto bartenders serving their signature cocktail, and an hourly Aperol Spritz demo on Thursday that highlights the traditional Italian Aperitivo. Then there’s Weekends at the Coast, where a special menu add-on inspired by Italy’s coastal region is available every weekend.
Refreshing tipples to enjoy on the patio (from left to right): 1) Aperol Spritz: Aperol, Prosecco, soda and orange slice; 2) Wednesday’s Mixologist Special: Costa Verde with kiwi and spice; 3) Bionda (Birroteca’s brewed in-house Italian pilsner); 4) Indimenticabile: Sipsmith gin, green chartreuse, St Germain, lime, Thai chili and honey ; 5)Doppiozero Spritz (no alcohol) – Festivo Portofino, Italian bitters, lemon and soda
Alfresco dining doesn’t get any better than a glass of regional wines with refreshing options include insalate (salad) made with fresh, seasonal ingredients including a Caprese that uses local Ontario heirloom tomatoes, homemade mozzarella, basil and finished with extra virgin olive oil.
Classic Torino-style Pizza al Padellino might include the Mozzarella e Prosciutto that tops housemade mozzarella, mutti tomato, basil with 14-month aged Ferrarini Prosciutto di Parma or the seasonal and glorious Zucchine which features local Ontario zucchini, smoked mozzarella, hand pulled stracciatella with fillets of Agostino Recca anchovy.
The Pansotti con Rucola e Limone features made in-house lemon and arugula ravioli, Quality cheese ricotta, basil pesto, Parmigiano Reggiano® DOP and pine nuts.
Eataly’s Linguine alla Pescatora uses Afeltra linguine and tops it with Salt Spring Island mussels, market fish, gulf shrimp, Rhode Island calamari that’s cooked with Così Com’è Datterino cherry tomatoes, white wine and chili flakes.
Any number of the small or share plates would make for great grazing, but for more substantial numbers there’s the excellent pizza al padellino that’s baked in small, round pans and are a sort of deep-dish type pie that has a thick, focaccia-like crust or pastas. The latter might feature top-quality dried pasta (i.e. Afeltra bucatini) or Eataly’s fresh, made in-house numbers including the squid ink pasta that’s served with Nova Scotia lobster, Così Com’è cherry tomatoes and capers or spinach tagliatelle tossed with red wine braised pork and beef ragu.
Reservations are recommended, however walk-ins are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor St W.
