Trattoria Leonardo

Ended up here today for dinner although it wasn’t planned. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect but was really impressed. I am normally not a huge fan of going out to Italian restaurants as I don’t feel most are very authentic and I could probably make a lot of the food at home. This restaurant deserves its good reviews as the food is authentic and the staff are lovely. I also loved the quaintness of the interior. The dinner crowd was also quite surprising given the location and a Tuesday evening. My rigatoni with sausage and chicken was seasoned very well and the bruschetta and bread was nice as well. Wish I had room for dessert and espresso as it would have been the perfect finish to s great dinner.

Excellent! Very tasteful! Full of flavour! Good price for what you get! Free bruschetta and butter and bread!

Delicious little find. Food was fantastic! Atmosphere was relaxed and casual. Fresh Bruschetta to start followed by beautiful green salad, delicious pasta entrée, and yummy spumoni dessert. Wonderful serve from Sam!

The food was extremely good the décor needs updating but would love to eat there again has a touch of romance to it too I would recommend to Chianti very tasty … it will not break your budget

This is an old school Italian restaurant that looks like it’s straight out of the 80s. The service and food are very good. The menu has traditional Italian fare such as pastas and everything is prepared well. They are generous with their portions and the servers are very polite and efficient. They give some extras on the house which is really nice and appreciated.

Fast friendly and delicious. The décor is from the 1970’s but food was on point and delicious. Chianti by the glass was great. Highly recommended.

I’ve written a previous review where I gave this place 5 stars. I don’t know, it’s just not measuring up anymore. This place used to be a failsafe Etobicoke Italian restaurant, complete with formally dressed old waiters. The menu is huge, but needs an update as well as the décor. The couple of times I’ve eaten here in the past year, it’s not what it used to be. I would love to see this place be as great as it used to be, and have a bit of a facelift!

This restaurant is endearingly old-​school: worn-​out, red velvet carpet with chairs from the 1950s and kind Italian waiters.
There are two sections to this restaurant and we were seated in the smaller, cozier area.
The menu is varied-​Italian fare and warning, the main portions are quite substantial. This isn’t refined Italian, but rather, almost «American-​like» with food buried under oodles of melted cheese. But, there is nothing wrong with that!
I was very happy they had Antinori here and quickly ordered a bottle for the table. I had the Veal which was cooked in a mushroom sauce which was great. My future father-​in-​law ordered some noodle dish that looked more like Shanghai Noodles and vegetables than Italian… he mentioned it wasn’t the best. In other words, stick with the traditional pastas.
Service was excellent and our wine glasses were never empty.

A sure thing — ‘Leonardo’s’, as my family fondly calls it, is faithfully old school Canadian-​Italian. From the carpeted floors and white tablecloths to the seasoned gentlemen waiters in black and white.
You know there’s a good reason the majority of customers are older and well-​known by staff. They’ve been coming back again and again for years. Well count me in cuz I’m hooked.
There are so many great menu choices you’ll have to bring a gang and pass the plate every few minutes.
The Lasagna is an absolute favourite for my whole family;
The veal is delicious whichever way you order it;
Eggplant parm… is more like a veggie ‘steak’ on your plate;
Meatballs are awesome…
Calabrese salad the way Nona used to make it (only they use halepenio);
…and than you for the always complimentery fresh bruschetta.
My ultimate favourite italian food is not actually on the menu (linguine a la vodka)…but that’s not a problem! They are more than happy to accommodate me… it actually says so on their menu.
I highly recommend this gem.

We were visiting Toronto for a long weekend and staying by the airport to save money. While driving back to the hotel on a Saturday night, we decided to take the long way back along Dundas Street.
We passed the Trattoria Leonardo. The lot was packed, and we felt like Italian. We pulled in and whipped out my smartphone to read the reviews for the place. Mostly mixed, but we gave it a try based upon the full lot.
First impression by the nose was this was going to be good. It was busy, and we were seated right away. Place was dim but not dim enough to see the filthy carpeting. Luckily we didn’t eat on the floor. The place was in need of refurbishment if it is going to be open for the long term.
Service was very good. Menu was large in selection, and they were open to variances for dietary needs. My aunt and nephew shared a Caesar Salad which they were kind enough to split for them in the kitchen. I had my own. Anchovies were not offered. It was good, but not outstanding. Reasonable for the size at $ 5.95. A plate with 6 complimentary pieces of Bruschetta were delivered for 3 people. The Bruschetta needed salt.
I ordered garlic bread to have with the salads ($ 3.95) as we were not offered a bread basket with dinner. Four thin slices of a toasted baguette covered with a thick paste of overpowering garlic purée. Don’t do it.
Our entrees were Fettucine Alfredo @14.95. Chicken Alpina (Chicken with a mushroom cream grappa sauce) @17.95, and Chicken Parmagiana @15.95. The Chicken choices were offered with Pasta or Vegetables. I inquired about the rack of Lamb which was actually a half rack (3 ribs) for $ 23.95 but passed for the chicken.
All three entrees were underseasoned, but the pastas were cooked perfect al dente.
To summarize – tired looking place, very good service, reasonable prices, and if you’re willing to add salt, pepper, and/​or cheese to your food, then this place will do.

This is one of the best small Italian food places in Toronto. Nice and quite inside, perfect for a date night. Also a great place to get to if you live in Etobicoke.
Everything I’ve ever ordered there is amazing. From apps, to pastas, and entres. Really inexpensive and amazing quality. Personal favorite is the vitello a la portafoglio.
Only complaint is front parking is limited but there is additional parking around back.

First time there and the first impression was wow, this place reminds me of grandma’s house. The pasta dish was all pasta, not enough chicken or asperagus in it and the bruschetta tasted a little bit funny, like it had been stored in a closet or a dawer or something, it had a funky taste to it. The service was fine.

Extremely mediocre fare, quiet restaurant, nice dining room (albeit dated), free bruchetta & bread, food came quickly, but service was «interesting».
A veg/​trout and pasta/​char dish were mixed up so here is what the waiter did. he said «no problem», then proceeded to take the trout from one plate and switch it with the pasta dish right in front of us! Didn’t he care that the trout already had a bite taken out of it and he was putting it on someone else’s plate to eat? weird.
As for the food, it was really standard. Pasta dishes were kind of bland and overcooked, gnocchi was nice, veal dishes were okay but nothing was enough to write home about.
All in all, I would say that it was a good place to stop off at in the rain.

I live right next door to the place so I had to see what everyone was raving about.
I won’t lie: can you find much better in Etobicoke? Yes. Absolutely.
The décor is very dated and the fake flowers are dusty and appear dirty. But for the most part, the place is fairly clean with plenty of seating in the two dining rooms.
Food-​wise, I’ve had a few different pasta dishes and I question whether or not their Alfredo sauce is made from scratch. Tasted very much processed and therefore, I would not recommend it. I did however thoroughly enjoy the Bolognese sauce & angel hair pasta.
I continue to get each time the Antipasto plate… Thoroughly delicious! Each time, it is slightly different. The Mussels are excellent and great value for your money. The homemade Tiramisu is huge and a must have, even shared.
This is a neighbourhood restaurant that has been a staple for many. The old charm service makes it irresistible. I simply tell others: keep your expectations to a min-​med level and you will not be disappointed.

One of the only times I’ve been led astray by Unilocal.
This restaurant is quite poor. Maybe not the WORST food ever, but probably should cost about ½ of what it does.
Ceasar salad entire contents: slimy dressing, a single croûton, iceberg lettuce ($ 5.75). Two bites and it was enough already.
I asked if there a bowl of olives I could order for the table and the waiter suggested I order a Caprese salad (?) which had olives. So I did that. ($ 5.50)
The Caprese salad was: a sliced tomato, sliced jalapeño peppers, some onions, and oil. No olives. I asked the waiter for some and he came out and poured them on to my plate from a bowl.
He offered pepper, which I obliged. After about 2 twists of that pepper mill I said «Ok, that’s good» and he did it another 6 times. …Interesting.
I ordered spaghetti and meatballs for dinner (how mange cake, I know). There were two medium sized meat balls on either side of the plate, slightly over cooked spaghetti noodles, and one of the blander tomato sauces I’ve had in memory.
I asked for pepper and again, he put on about 4−5x the amount I asked for. Had to ask him three times to stop putting pepper on it. Very strange.
The mains were in the range of $ 11 or so to about $ 18 and a half litre of not-​great red is $ 19. Very overpriced wine. Very underwhelming food.

Mama Mia! What a great find! My hubby has been coming here sine he was a kid and I had heard stories about this place. so when he finally brought me here on our most recent trip to TO, I was excited.
Cute little mom n pop shop in etobicoke, not at all very assuming. Warm service and attentive waiters. We started with the Caesar salad and escargot which were both mind blowing! Very affordable too with the escargot at only 7 $! I had the penne a la Dr. Shivago (a la vodka) which was so good, creamy and just had the right amount of smoke from the salmon. My husbands veal with Gorgonzola was absolutely to die for. I made sure to sop the rest of the sauce with some bread. Portions are generous and again prices are extremely reasonable. Between the quality of food, service, and affordability, this place gets a strong 5 star from me!

Thank you fellow Unilocalers for the find. Have drove past this place a million times.
My wife made reservations for my birthday as I love Italian food. This place did not disappoint. The service was fantastic. They brought a plate of complimentary bruschetta. I had the Caesar salad which I enjoyed. For the main course I had the Veal Parmesan with spaghetti and meat sauce. I really enjoyed my meal and it was a healthy serving. The rest of the family enjoyed their meal as well. They do not have a children’s menu but told us to pick an item and they would child size it and reduce the cost.
The place is dated but very clean. My only complaint is that their is very minimal parking.
I would definitely recommend!

This is truly a hidden gem, another amazing Italian restaurant find for me! Score!
I found this place just like most places from the 2012 Entertainment book, otherwise I would never know what I was missing, delicious Italian food!
We called beforehand to see if there was room for 3 of us after having a crazy night and attempting round 3 for finding a place to have dinner and for the win was Trattoria Leonardo!
We were seated immediately and asked if we were the ones who phoned ahead, and to our surprise we were brought out bruschetta on the house!
We all ordered the veal parmigiana, one with veggies and two with linguine in Alfredo sauce. Everything was EXCELLENT! The veal was like candy and usually I am the last to finish my meal but tonight was a different story. It was so delicious. The veal has lots of cheese and sauce. The linguine was just as good, done just right with excellent sauce!
This is a true authentic Italian restaurant
— A Hidden Gem
— A Must Try
— Excellent Service
— Amazing Food
— Prices are Reasonable
— Worth the Trip
I highly recommend you come here, I promise it is worth the trip!
You can thank me later (:

THANK YOU UnilocalERS FOR BRINGING ME HERE!
Called to make a reservation for my 21^st birthday dinner with the family, and I was greeted with «Thrah-​thorrreeyah Leonarrrdho,» aka the name of the place in a beautifully authentic Italian accent. I had called to ask about the menu options, but really, I was sold right from that point.
From beginning to end, our dining experience was characterized by that 100% authentic Italian hospitality feel. Service was genuine, warm, friendly, and most importantly, not too overbearing! I don’t think I appreciated the art of waiting (waitering?) until I came to this place — they knew exactly when to check in, and when to leave us to enjoy ourselves. The food was hearty and creamy, in exactly the right way. Proportions were VERY generous, so although we were too full for dessert, we got to enjoy our dishes again the next day. The chardonnay got me to my happy place.
It’s a truly authentic and inviting restaurant.

Probably one of Etobicokes best kept secrets! Been a fan of their old world classic service and outstanding entrees at a price that absolutely cannot be beat. Go there once. You’ll be returning for life! Just ask anyone whose been !
Dinner for 2, Appetizers, and a nice bottle of wine under a 100 with tip. WHAT !