Domani Restaurant & Wine Bar

This restaurant was boasting about their ‘renovations’. The only renovations I noticed was a fresh coat of paint on the outside wall of the restaurant. The inside was still beige and outdated. I would have disregarded this if the food had been good. I’ve had better frozen pizza then Domani’s. And the pasta? I had to send it back. Their penne a la vodka was a cream sauce, the oil had separated from the sauce and was floating on the top. And then there were huge chunks of raw fat throughout the dish. It was inedible and one of the worst meals I’ve had at a restaurant in a very long time. There was a group of 7 of us, and everyone was disappointed in the meal. Needless to say, none of us will ever go back.

Headed to this restaurant the day before Valentines and caught the Winterlicious price fixe menu. I ordered the romaine hearts salad, the angel hair pasta and the chocolate brownie for dessert. We also ordered a pitcher of wine to share.
Firstly the décor was very intimate with one candle on the table and warmly painted walls.
Secondly the food was just okay, nothing I couldn’t have made at home. The salad was awfully plain, two slices of old cheese, lettuce and a touch of balsamic. The pasta was delicious and had just the right amount of oil/​sauce/​seasonings/​garlic flavours. The dessert had mint in it which wasn’t stated on the menu or even described by the server. The server didn’t bring the bottle of wine to the table to let us see it/​taste it & decide. (like most upper scale restaurants do, they didn’t.) The server just brought over a pitcher and poured our glasses and walked away.
Thirdly the server we had was some female (seemingly teenager –even though I know she must have had to be at least 18) judging by her «I don’t give a f&%$» attitude. She was really rude when I asked if there were nuts in the dessert. her tone was plain bitchy.
Fourth, they were out of the vanilla cheesecake which both my date AND I wanted to have.
I would not recommend this to someone nor would/​will I go back again.

The service is always great. They have good specials, and the food quality is amazing for their prices. I have been to many more pricey restaurants whose food is merely satisfying. The risotto is perfect every time I’ve tried it, and their spicy penne pasta with the olives is wonderful! Plus I love all the art they have in their space. It’s all-​around a great dining experience.

Domani’s has been serving serviceable neighborhood Italian since way before Roncesvalles became a restaurant hotspot. I feel like I’ve been getting the exact same bean purée with bread and oval-​shaped smoke chicken slices in my pasta for years.
That would be fine if the rest of the world hadn’t been changing, but Domani doesn’t seem to realize that they are way overdue for stepping up their game. Kudos to them for surviving the streetcar track renovation that killed several of their brethren on the street, but the Roncy that has risen from the ashes has interesting, creative, trendy foodspots (literally) just doors away. Domani’s apparent indifference to this was never more clear than during my recent visit to support their Summerlicious effort. The reward for my support of an old friend was the same old same old served at a snail’s pace, as if somehow it takes longer to generate the mixed greens that you know every single table in the restaurant is having. Summerlicious is a great opportunity to showcase what makes you worth the ride on the streetcar and on that night, Domani was blowing it. It was fine. Not great. Not bad. Not worth the ride on the streetcar.
The major complaint about Domani used to be the dour demeanor of their servers, rather noticeable on a street full of boisterous restaurateurs who knew you from shooting the breeze together as you shopped for vegetables and super kolbasa. Our server was friendly and female (finally, someone breaks the gender barrier) but seemed pretty jittery compared to her more sober and better organized colleagues,
Domani seems to be positioning itself as a place for people who don’t like change. I guess that’s okay, but I’d hate to think they survived the assault of the last few years only to wither away because they have failed to evolve.

I’ve been to this restaurant a number of times over the last several years. I find it consistent and comfortable. Décor is warm wood tones and good chairs. A fabric bench table at the back has accommodated my growing family of brother and sister in law, very young niece and nephew, mom and her husband so definitely family friendly. The art work (I hope) is a display for various artists — the installation right now is very strange — mixed media pictures of Bob Marley? Quite the juxtaposition to this traditional place but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they offer the walls to local artists and you may see something new next time you go.
There’s an old world charm about the place — Italian (–looking at least) waiters dressed in black and formal white napkins — traditional bread with olive oil and balsamic served before the meal… and a menu of mostly pastas and pizzas. A quiet place good for a first date — you won’t break the bank but it’s nice enough to impress the ladies ;-)
The food is good. Not amazing, not the hand-​made comfort food of some of the city’s new Italian restos but as I say, consistently good. My last visit I had the caesar salad which is quite lovely with hearts of romaine, a good quality parmesan and their twist of sundried tomatoes which I normally don’t like but somehow don’t object to in this salad. Despite my earlier sentence about it not being hand-​made, my main was: Hand-​Made Butternut Squash Agnolotti served with Toasted Hazelnuts, Sage & Butter. It was simple but delicious — perhaps the best I’ve had here. Decent sized portion at a decent price.
i can’t comment on the pizzas as I haven’t had them but they look pretty good passing our table. There was a mushroom one I debated before going with the pasta — happy with my choice!
It had few options for the vegetarian — that one pasta I think, maybe a gnocchi and a couple of pizzas — I guess that’s considered options at most places, I just always hope for a bit more.
Wine selection is in my opinion small and a bit weak but I managed to drink a Ripasso I didn’t mind. Only a half litre though and I’m known to follow up another glass when the wine is fine :-)
I’ll be back probably because my brother likes it there but with the buffet of restaurants Toronto has to offer — and Roncesvalles area itself, it won’t top my favourites list.

Incredible food, wonderful atmosphere, fair pricing. Worth the trip from wherever you are!

I spent my entire week in Toranto trying out everything they had on their menu… & its all amazing, from the wine to the pizza, appetizers, entrees & the specials!
I live in California & you can’t find food like this in the U.S., believe me I HAVE TRIED!

Stayed in Toronto for a few days for our honeymoon and of course had to eat our way around town. We stayed in Roncesvalle, a Polish neighborhood with a cute strip of shops and restaurants, and only one Subway (and a McDonald’s ALL they way at the end of the street by the lake). Even if you’re not seeking out your next food stop it’s a great neighborhood and an enjoyable evening stroll.
We hit Domani after a few places had closed and a couple of others were a little too ‘spensive for our flavor that evening — seriously, no glass pours under 12 bucks just don’t sit right with me unless I’ve got some serious cash burning a hole in my pocket. The place was almost full, and our server seemed a bit overwhelmed and a tad on the spacey side, but he was certainly nice enough. We tried to order the featured swordfish, but they ran out as the server was at our table (which always kills me and is not an uncommon experience unfortunately — bad food karma?). Instead we tried a escargot pizza which was not bad but not awesome, and some gnocchi that was very good but was questionable as to whether or not it was prepackaged. The food took a while to come out, I think we hit the place at just the wrong time, and the server and kitchen were both probably a bit in the weeds.
The wines were reasonably priced — and the list was not very large but seemed well put together — restaurants in Toronto really seem to focus on Canadian wines which is nice, but I’m not a huge fan. I’d say 3.5 stars, perhaps we should all rate something 3.5 stars on a designated day to raise awareness for the desire for a half star rating?