Bocca On Baldwin

After a late night at the AGO, a bunch if us decided to go somewhere to grab a bite to eat. As we wandered down Baldwin St we saw this place and decided to try it (mainly b/​c it looked lime it could squeeze our group in).
I will first off say that the service we had was great! From putting tables together to accommodate our group to being friendly and smiling throughout the night, I can’t complain about the service. So why only 2 Stars?
Well the food was allllllll-​right. Probably ate it b/​c I was more hungry than anything else. I ordered the smoked duck fettuccine. The smoked duck actually was the best part — first off there were pretty decent amount of duck in here which had a nice smoked/​salty taste. It’s the pasta that was a let down. I think it needed another minute or so in boiling water b/​c it was too al dente for me. The nice cream sauce started to ‘harden’ as I was eating my meal instead of being rich and creamy it just kinda globbed into the pasta. Essentially I just picked out the duck and ate that. The portion is a bit small for the price (perfect for me but I think most people would find it slightly smaller sized than other places)
On Baldwin St I expect you to bring your game! There are much better Italian places in the city.

Came here with a few friends the other night and found both the service and the food to be terrible. We waited for half an hour before a waiter came to greet us. The staff seemed uninterested and at times even bothered by us. Half of the drinks listed on the menu were unavailable due to them being out of ingredients and liquors… As for the food it was bland and over priced for what it is. I will never come back here and I would suggest you don’t waste your time.

When you first get to the restaurant there is a sign outside that lets you know that you can seat yourself.
It took about 5 – 10 minutes before our waiter came with some waters and menus, which was OK as I wasn’t in any big rush.
We ordered the soup of the day which was kale and sausage. It was surprisingly good but very spicy, although it took quite some time for it to arrive. Luckily there was some bread to enjoy in the meantime, and we got some extra before our meals came out.
The mains we go were both pasta and relatively good portion sizes but once again it took long before our food came.
We didnt get dessert or any drinks afterwards and were able to get the bill quickly. They did take our credit card to the back which was a bit weird but no problem.
All in all decent experience, good food and kind service. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you are in a rush though as it xoes take a while.

If you want to be judged and humiliated in front of the entire restaurant this is the place for you! I came here with my girlfriend for a drink — I live in the area and we thought we might as well give it a try. It was my first time out with her since I had given birth four months prior. With my fiancé at work I had to bring my baby with me which was not a problem as she was almost ready for a good nap. I breastfed her for a few minutes and then put her down in her stroller where she slept until we got home. With emergency bottle on hand I looked over the martini list. Our drinks were brought out and we sat, talked and relaxed. We ate and then ordered another drink — yes that was a second drink. It wasn’t until I was a few sips into my second drink that our waiter came out. He interrupted our conversation and took the drink from my hand. He said that there is a law against breastfeeding mothers drinking and he stands behind that law. He went on to say that all of the kitchen staff has been talking about me and thinks that I am absolutely terrible for putting my child’s wellbeing at risk. He said he would bring us the bill. I was stunned — where is there a law against a breastfeeding mother, who planned her afternoon accordingly to have a couple of drinks while her baby sleeps? There is no such law. I was stunned and embarrassed — after I paid (yes I was still charged for my drinks) I left and will never be returning.

I had the sweet potato gnocchi and it was abysmal. It was basically gnocchi In a rich thick gravy-​like sauce with many mushrooms and some bits of what seemed like microwaved chicken pieces. The first time I got my entrée there was a prominent eye lash sitting on a gnocchi. I sent it back and just got the same dish again but after seeing a hint of how unsanitary it must be in the back, I lost my appetite. The furniture was cheap plastic that I could just put on my backyard. The patio was decent was Baldwin is a quaint street. Server was out of it and didn’t care about what was going on with the entrees. Overall I wouldn’t come back to this place.

My family (5 ppl) picked this place randomly right after my convocation. Food was okay. We ordered a vegetarian pizza and it tasted weird lol… pasta was okay… salmon and chicken breast was good. The price after tips was around $ 96 but then I found out that they charged me $ 106!!! I don’t know why but I didn’t have a chance to go back and ask them lol…
I would never ever come back to this place again.

I have eaten at Bocca a lot. I usually go for lunch. In the summer they have a nice outside area to have lunch. Food is consistent and good value for the money. Try the pizza, it’s big enough for two with a salad. They are a little short staffed at lunch so don’t be in a rush. By the time you finish your first glass of wine your meal will arrive. I’m a fan of slow dining!

It was a Sunday and we were on our way to John’s on Baldwin. It wasn’t open so we came upon Bocca. The décor was nice and clean. Waiter was very nice and helpful. One had the pizza, one had the bacon soup and bacon sandwich and someone else had the breakfast with salad/​potatoes/​omelette/​fruit. We all loved the food! The waiter told us on Sunday’s they are busy at 11am and 2pm. Would definitely come back here! Great place to have a coffee and watch the street go by…

Walked down Baldwin unsure of what to eat. Saw the special menu for the meaty pizza and was sold in the street. Atmosphere is friendly and waiter was a pleasure to work with. Ordered the bruschetta and pizza and both arrived quickly and tasted great. Could tell both were made fresh. Would come back.

Came here with a large group and we did the fixed price menu. First of all, I don’t understand why they won’t allow steak in the fixed price menu, it’s only about $ 2 more to order separately.
My table of three all ordered seafood risotto. WOW it was bad. Not only was the seafood over cooked, they were small in portion too. The risotto was so dry, we asked for more drinks. Overall, the food was under seasoned as well.
We thought we’d give it a second chance by ordering two Americanos. They were completely diluted and quite tasteless.

I liked this place. It gets a little loud during lunch hour, but this is the only negative point that I can make. Overall, food was delicious, the interior is vintage, simple, wood and cozy. I had gnocchi and enjoyed every bite!

I’ve been walking by this place for years and I finally ate here yesterday afternoon with about 20 co-​workers for a holiday lunch. Overall, it was a nice little place — it’s actually much bigger than I thought it was from the outside. With the exception of our large group, it seems like it would be a nice, quiet place to eat.
The variety of menu options was great. Something for everyone :) Lots of different options and the staff is also very accommodating to any dietary restrictions. I ordered the Sweet Potato Gnocchi (see pic) which normally has meat, however they were more than happy to make me the gnocchi without the meat and in a vegetarian cream sauce. Great tasting food with just right portion sizes. The dishes were priced decently for a nice lunch and the wait staff was very attentive.
Reason for 3 stars only:
1) it took over an hour to get the food. Yes, I am aware we were a large group, but an hour even for a large group seems excessive.
2) one of my co-​workers found a long hair in his food. He picked it out and didn’t say much about it because he was too hungry from waiting an hour for the food (boys are gross like that sometimes)!

Great service and good vibe. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. Unfortunately the Carbonara I ordered as my main was not on par with the service and was very oily.

Enjoyable but not amazing.
Sat on the patio on a Sunday evening with my friend. Wasn’t blown away by the cheap plastic patio furniture we sat on.
Bread to start with balsamic, olive oil, butter.
Great martinis!
We ordered a Spinach salad, which would have been tastey had it not been luke warm and lacking dressing.
The entrée, again we split, was a sweet potato gnocchi! Very delicious. Smokey chicken, tender mushrooms, in a great cream sauce.
A solid 3.

Very tasty food and friendly service. We sat out on their fantastic patio and I enjoyed a penne arrabiata, which is my go-​to. It was just a bit spicy, the sauce was delicious and the pasta was cooked just right.
A really great spot to spend a warm evening.

I went to Bocca one night and it was great! I love this place. Such a nice, quiet place to sit down and have a glass of vino, some great conversation, and some great food.
I was here with my godmother to do some much-​needed catching up and this was the perfect place. We started out with the grilled black tiger shrimp. For my main, I had the chicken and sun dried tomato ravioli and my godmother had the osso bucco. No room for dessert– the portions were huge and quite satisfying.
Here are my thoughts:
Grilled black tiger shrimp– so good! The shrimps were fairly large, which was great. Some places claim to have «tiger shrimps» and they seem to fall short, but Bocca definitely delivered on this claim.
Chicken and sun dried tomato ravioli– the rose sauce on this was amazing. Perfect consistency. Just the right amount of cheese. Tasted great with some chili flakes sprinkled on top, but I do like a good amount of heat on my food.
Osso bucco– I’m a chicken-​person, so when I tried the veal, I was expecting not to like it, but it was amazing! It was so tender and the white wine and tomato sauce was really good. The mushroom risotto was also a nice touch. I do like my dishes al dente, which the risotto was. Perfect!
Wine: our waitress did a great job pairing a white with our meal. I can’t recall what it was, but I know that it do go well with the food.
Bocca is in Baldwin Village. Great neighbour and great atmosphere. If you want something quiet, romantic, and nice, definitely hit this place up!

I had the Salmon Fettuccine special and it was delicious. It was a good price ($ 15), but the service was not good. The waitress would just pass by our table and she didn’t check back after we got our food to make sure everything was okay. I had to literally wave my arms so I could get her attention to bring me the check. The food also took 40 minutes to get to our table.
But thank God the food was good.

This place literally made me say «Meh. I’ve experienced better» one time, so it’s probably the most exact 2 star review I’ve ever written. I’ve also been here at least 5 times, it was a fave for U of T special lunches by faculty and staff. Never my choice, but never a terrible experience. It’s just so «Meh.»
It’s an Italian Restaurant, but it’s more like Italian-​fusion. IE: Chicken Caesar salad sandwich lunch specials, etc. Their pastas are OK, but a bit bland. Their brunch was good, but again not great.
Great bar stock and there are TV’s over the bar in the front part of the restaurant if you want to zone out for a moment.
In my opinion, if you’re in Baldwin Village this just isn’t the spot to go to. Want Italian? Hit John’s across the street. Feeling fancy? Try Bodega or La Gaffe.
PROPS FOR: They do have a beautiful outdoor wrap-​around patio, half covered half open air. Great for people watching.

A few of my co-​workers like this place (for some odd reason) so I’ve been dragged here a few times. They have a $ 5 martini special on Wednesday and Friday nights which is the only reason I agree to come here. A decent selection of yummy (and STRONG) martini’s including lychee, candied apple, raspberry, cosmo and my personal fave, the «boccalicious». The food is a little pricey so I’ve only gotten a pasta dish once while being here. It was «meh».
The main reasons this place gets two stars is that waitresses border on just flat-​out rude, and for some reason they don’t accept President’s Choice debit or credit cards. Wtf? That’s a first. I always forget this weird fact and have to borrow money from someone or get gouged at their ATM with ridiculous fees.
Also, we were here on a Saturday night once and last call was @ 11:00pm. Whack!

Cozy Italian place with a fantastic patio. Food-​wise, I would say John’s Italian Caffe across the street has a slight edge, but if it’s a gorgeous day, soaking in the sun and people-​watching at Bocca can’t be beat.
I came here for a Canada Day lunch. Service was prompt. Our server brought out the bread immediately. They use butter that comes in those little plastic packages, which is sort of disappointing. I had the portobello sandwich with a side garden salad ($ 13). The sundried tomato and pesto focaccia that the sandwich came on was really soft and delicious! One DC had the salmon club which comes with avocado and wasabi lime mango mayo, which I didn’t try but it sure sounded good! The other DC had the seafood linguini that came with really big tiger shrimp. We were all too full for dessert.
Nice casual spot, although for me, it’s definitely the patio that I would come back for.