Osteria Giulia

★★★★☆ I dined at Osteria Giulia today and overall had a nice meal, though I personally did not find it worthy of its Michelin star status. The Focaccia Di Recco was enjoyable, but difficult to justify at the price point as it felt quite similar to a thin flatbread with cheese. The Asparagi was phenomenal and easily the highlight of the meal. The Lorighittas Al Mare was very flavourful, with perfectly al dente pasta, though the seafood quality felt average and somewhat underwhelming. The Millefoglie Alla Fragola was a lovely way to finish, especially with the addition of passion fruit seeds. Unfortunately, service timing became an issue due to an unexpected incident during our mains when the ceiling cracked and water began pouring onto guests and the floor near the larger tables. I completely understand this was outside of the restaurant’s control, and our server remained professional and kind throughout. However, we then spent roughly forty minutes watching the situation unfold while waiting for desserts, and our cappuccino was forgotten entirely. This pushed us just beyond the two hour seating limit, despite ordering promptly. What left a poor impression was that after I specifically asked for the bill quickly to be considerate and free the table, a gentleman in a suit came over immediately after payment and asked us to leave. Given the delays were not caused by us, that felt unnecessary, especially as the restaurant was aware of my accessibility limitations and I was visibly wearing a cast on my hand. A bit more grace in that moment would have been appreciated. Another note is that the dining room is extremely loud due to the low ceilings, and sitting near the kitchen makes conversation even more difficult. Also, the $3 per person surcharge for tap water felt unnecessary, especially since I was only offered still or sparkling water. Overall, a good meal with some standout dishes, but not quite the level I expected, especially given all the hype and the difficulty of securing a reservation even with Visa Dining Access.

Truly phenomenal. Expectations were obviously high going in, but they exceeded them in every way. Every dish was spectacular -- clever and creative, yet also comforting and well-balanced. We had the anchovy toasts, yellowtail crudo, pasta ragu, red snapper, and raspberry yogurt. Our faves were the yellowtail and yogurt, but I'm confident anything on the menu would be delicious!

I took my sister here for her birthday and we had such a fantastic time. I remember coming here before they had received their Michelin star and remember being blown away already by the service and just unique flavours that each dish offered. I was glad that when I came here more recently, I experienced something similar. The vibe of the place is just super classy and elevated. We ordered their famous focaccia and fig salad as well as 2 pasta dishes (scrigno roccante and lorighitta al mare). To this day, my sister and I constantly talk about the food we ate there, especially the focaccia! We ended the night with the millefoglie al cocco and they put a little birthday candle to make it that much more special for my sister. Osteria Giulia has to be one of my favourite classy restaurants here in Toronto.