Terroni on Queen St.

There are three Terroni locations around Toronto (details at www.terroni.ca, I usually go to the one on 720 Queen St.west of Bathurst St. This place is always super packed at any hour of the day. We went on a Sunday at 5pm, and it was already 90% full with a bustling dinner crowd. The restaurant decor is very homey and small-town Italian joint like, and can feel a little crowded. If you are looking for a quiet, classy place for dinner then you might want to consider elsewhere. I usually go for the pizzas, which are hand-tossed thin crust and loaded with fresh toppings. I had the smoked salmon with white cream sauce and fresh tomatoes, capers pizza (think it was around $15 or $16.)

Most pizzas there range from $13 to $16. I've tried the pears and walnuts one before and loved it the unusual sweet and savory blend of different flavours and textures. But if you like the traditional flavours, they have the grilled veggies+goat cheese, italian sausage, etc. to choose from as well. The homemade pastas are freshly made daily and are absolutely delicious. The simple spaghetti with tomato sauce ($13) didn't need anything else to make it a memorable dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, looking at this picture makes me want run back and order another plate. The veal one ($15ish) was a little bit on the salty side, and I personally liked the texture of the spaghetti better, but still the sauce was very savory and worth the try.

Summary: Good food, bustling ambiance, good service considering how busy the place was, price is slightly higher than some other restaurants but the taste is also a notch above.