Pizza Rustica

Very very mediocre for downtown from the food to service, although the takeout/​delivery counter looked busy.
Pizza seemed to be prepped in advance and not heated up thoroughly, the aioli sauce for dipping calamari was straight up Helmans mayo, Nutella pizza is a great idea but it was so dry and impossible to cut or chew.
Maybe we just got in on an off night who knows…
I had to wave frantically to get server’s attention– had to ask for water, cutlery. Through the main course no one came up to ask how is everything or to take away/​ask for refill on an empty wine glass. Though no one likes hovering waiters, but this is the opposite extreme. It took forever to pay as well.
The ventilation is very poor, once I left I realized i stank of combination of garlic, Nutella and tomatoes from head to toe … My clothes are in the wash as we speak!
I would maybe recommend to try this place for take out, but for a more pleasant dine in experience and quality pizza, take your business one block north to King street — Il Fornello or Cibo for example.

This place was absolutely fantastic! My mother and I went there for a girls night out, and everything from the service to the food was amazing! We were served so well, and felt so welcomed by the staff. They have a must-​try, delicious appetizer– grilled vegetable and goat cheese. It is a baked phyllo pastry filled with goat cheese topped grilled zucchini, eggplant & sweet pepper! We shared 2 scrumptious pizzas. We ended the meal with a NUTELLA PIZZA! Such an amazing night, we would most definitely go again!

They have a pretty extensive vegan menu for a pizza restaurant, so this needs to be noted for vegan Unilocalers in the future when they search it in the search bar—
VEGAN VEGAN VEGAN VEGAN VEGAN
I think I would’ve had a better experience but this time I really felt as if I was the server at this restaurant. We had a weird interaction dynamic because she was pretty cold to me and I felt like I needed to compensate for it by being super polite and nice… I came in and had to hunt down the waitress and seat myself. I tried to order stuff but had to search for her again. I finished eating and was ready to pay my bill but had to stand up and look for her again. The Elusive Server™ was nowhere to be found when I was done paying and it was weird operating the instructions on the credit card reader that should’ve been done by her because she disappeared halfway through the process. It should be noted that there were only two other tables in the entire restaurant so she wasn’t busy or anything?
Pizza was good though :)~

Really great thin and crispy crust pizza! Very extensive menu. Excellent service. Dropped by for lunch with work friends. We tried the pizza with roasted veggies, warm portobello mushroom salad and fragola salad with strawberries, pecans and goat cheese. Will definitely be back!

I recently went here for a work outing with about 10 people. I never really reach to go to pizza places or Italian restraints as I don’t eat cheese (crazy right) but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a vegan/​veggie part of their menu!
Funny enough I didn’t end up getting one of the Daiya cheese pizzas but instead I got a spicy penne pasta, which sadly wasn’t spicy at all and I think they forgot some ingredients that were listed. It was still pretty okay though, sometimes you just need that kick of spice, am I right?
Also I don’t want this to be a negative nancy post but everytime we would order a cocktail the waitress asked us how to make it and didn’t seem to sure about any of the questions we asked. She could have been new though and we have all been there! But then again it was an Italian restaurant and I asked her for Campari and she had no idea what I was asking for. (in the end I got it though yay)
Over all I was expecting a bit more for the price point but it was still a great night out. I think the Nutella Pizza solved all problems in the end.

I’m glad we went to redeem my voucher. Though it should have been at Stori Speritivo restaurant where the voucher should be. Food tastes good, staffs are nice! Price with the voucher is great!!!

I move away for two years and everything falls apart. I’ve lived in the building for 10 years and Rustica under its previous management was great. I just got back and it’s a disaster. Poor service (urg…filthy bathrooms)…and the menu is uninspired. So disappointed and sad that the previous managers are no longer there.

Worst run restaurant I’ve ever been to. This place is a joke. I really don’t know what to say except please do yourself a favour and don’t go there. It will be out of business in no time.

First, fruit fly on my date’s wine and we were indoors. Not even sure if they replaced it. Not worth the groupon.
Second, appetizers took over 15 minutes. That is not up to my standards or anyone else’s.
Third, management and servers made me feel so uncomfortable. Management accused me of using the wrong groupon despite the fact that I paid for it and my name isn’t Lindsay. Waitress barged in on me while I was in the rest room. I’m guessing she had her sexuality confused. She was also laughing with the other staff members. They even teased my date and told her to lock the door.
Lastly, wine was way too strong and dessert was not editable. She only took two sips of the wine which she’s normally a huge fan of wine and immediately complained. Dessert tasted like cardboard and they didn’t have her favourite dessert on the menu.
Overall they deserve a negative 5 stars.

The restaurant was half empty. We were seated fairly soon which seemed like a default good start. But our server was no where to be found. From the time we closed our menus (the universal sign for «I’m ready to order»), to the time a server came to take our order was 20 minutes. Not kidding. Another server had to notice and tell our server to take our order. When she came around, she was taking away our menus while she said, «what would you like?». I had to pry the menu out of her hands to open it up and point to the one I wanted. So did my dining partner. It was awkward. She was guessing what we wanted as she took the menus away. She didn’t even patiently tell us about their specials of the day. I don’t think she even cared.
When our water glasses arrived, one of them was still dirty with some pizza sauce on the lip/​sip area of the glass. We sent it back. When our food arrived, we didn’t have cutlery so we waited another 5 minutes for that, while our food got cold. The food itself was okay. Nothing to complain about.
We waited another 20 minutes to get our bill, and finally when I had my card out to pay, our server was no where to be found to take my money. I could have gotten up and walked out without paying and no one would have noticed, but I would never do that. Finally I walked over to the take out counter to pay. It was the least pleasant experience I’ve ever had.

I went to have dinner with a friend tonight.
The décor is somewhat average with TV screens showing sports everywhere, even on the patio. The tables are a bit cramped together, expect to hear your table neighbors well.
They do have a good selection in the menu with a lot of Gluten free options. The prices are fair.
To start, I had the Italian Wedding soup (⁴⁄₅). Nice big bowl of pastina pasta, beef and dill .I then had the Rustic BBQ chicken salad (⁴⁄₅). Good portion, tasty with the peppers, coriander and tortilla bites.
My friend opted for a Pear & Gorgonzola salad topped with a chicken breast. (²⁄₅). He really like his salad at first, but the more he dig, the more black lettuce leaves he found. Weren’t really impressed. The waitress was nice enough to give a discount on the salad.
Speaking of waitress, ours was very friendly and sweet, but the service was really slow. I think they were low staff and it took forever to place our order and get served. The place was not full either.
There’s a lot of good options around this area, I hope they will try to improve consistency in food and service.

Pizza Rustica… Your food is pretty good, your service really annoyed me the last time we got takeout.
Around dinner time my husband dropped me off to pick up our order, and when I approached the counter to pick it up, I was passed around by servers like a hot potato. I was confused as to why I wasn’t getting my food, as I could see it from where I was standing. One individual told me sorry, only the person who took my order over the phone could ring me in… Ok. She came over about 5 minutes later.
When she passed me the debit machine to pay, she said «I have to add 3 percent.» Confused and a little bit put on the spot, I said «why?» And she explained hat she needed to add that, or else she would have to pay that to Pizza Rustica from her own pocket. Still a bit stunned and confused, I let her go ahead and do that.
I don’t usually tip on takeout, and was left feeling annoyed, especially after having waited so long to pick up my order as people dodged serving me, and my husband had to keep circling the block waiting for me.
I remembered afterwards that some restaurants do this– take a percentage on every order, whether the server gets a tip or not.
I’m annoyed, because clearly this encourages the servers to avoid those waiting for takeout, so as to not have to pay the house out of their own pocket… Additionally, annoyed that the server so casually tried to add the tip… You took a job here, and take out orders are part of the job. It’s unfortunate, but the customer shouldn’t have to pay because of crappy management policies! All in all, I have no real desire to return, since there are so many other choices downtown Toronto. Don’t offer takeout if you’re not willing to facilitate it!

Peter St location.
I’ve eaten here a few times but last night the service was terrible. I found a groupon for 3 course meal for two for $ 49 so I thought this would be good for Mother’s Day dinner.
Perhaps groupon users are 2^nd class citizens but since they are a method to advertise for business owners you would think you would be treated well.
We had reservations, sat down and ordered drinks and appetizers and our main course. The groupon said it covered appetizers up to $ 15. I ordered the brucshetta which is $ 8 with the goat cheese (extra $ 3) which in my books is understanding is under $ 15 but they made me pay the $ 3 extra
We got our appetizers and a family sat down beside us. They got their drinks, meals, bill, paid and left. We didn’t get our main course until 15 minutes after they left.
We finished our food (which was good), and waited another 15 mins before our waitress came back and we requested the dessert menu. It took another 25 minutes before she came back (I actually had to ask another waitress to order our dessert) there were only 4 tables filled at this time so it was not busy.
Even though repeatedly we asked for drink refills, we got one refill after 4 times asking. Of course by the time our dessert arrived we had empty glasses and I refills again.
I’ve recommended this restaurant in the past but I won’t do that anymore and I’m not sure if I will ever return. If the groupon was to attract patrons, this experience did the total opposite.

Been there a couple of times and on both occasions the experience was less than ideal. Pizza they serve is supposed to be premium but Ive had way better at places like dominos and pizza pizza :/
It always smells like burnt bread inside and outside the store whenever I pass by, they should seriously consider installing some proper ventilation to address this issue. Also on both occasions I visited place was entirely dead. Décor is mediocre.
From what i remember the place wasnt the cleanest. On our second visit we were sat next to the main windows and upon immediate arrival we noticed a big dead fly on the one of the windows metal panels. None of the staff seemed to care enough though as that thing remained there for the remainder of our visit.
Havent visited in two summers now and wont be going back again.

Canned mushrooms. There is no excuse for using canned mushrooms on a simple pepperoni/​mushroom/​green pepper pizza. If you’ve run out of fresh mushrooms, take it off the menu until you get more. Green peppers and pepperoni were also half-​cooked.
My dinner partners enjoyed their pizzas, however, and I’ve had OK (but just OK) meals here previously. It’s very close to the Rogers Centre, which may explain much about the lack of attention to detail. They should take at least half of the crazy topping combinations off the menu and re-​focus on doing the basic ones properly.

Went here for lunch last weekend with some friends, let’s just say both the service and food could have been a lot better.
To begin with, we didn’t even get menus until we requested them …
After that, the owner went on to bash Wahlburgers across the street complaining that they take away all of his business and that their food is crap, etc. Well sorry to break it to you buddy, but instead of blaming other restaurants on your lack of customers, maybe you should look around and see what you can improve upon!
Here are my suggestions:
–Provide free bread to each table, it’s a small gesture that goes a long way, and is the norm in Italian restaurants
–Don’t bash other restaurants in front of customers, it’s extremely unprofessional!
–Focus on more quality dishes and a less extensive menu, the menu was huge and I was not impressed with how much I paid for such a small serving of cannelloni
–Customers should be acknowledged right away, there’s no reason it should’ve taken so long for us to even see the menu
Hopefully you see this and take it to heart. I had previously heard great things about this restaurant!

This has to do with their take out/​delivery service. If i could give zero starts I would. The worst food and service I ever experienced. I ordered a Margerita Pizza, ceasar salad. The delivery guy showed up (an hour after I ordered with restaurant across the street and empty. I could see from my hotel room,)
The pizza was burnt, cold and tasteless. The salad came with no silverware and the delivery guy forgot the iced tea.
When I called to speak to the manager, I was actually given the cook. I was told there was no manager.
This place is a joke. Avoid at all costs.

Peter Street location.
Saturday night, before Second City.
Ladies restroom out of order, men’s faltered at least once, waited close to 50 minutes after ordering to be served, take out and delivery (?) customers clearly received preference, at least two vegan dishes used «meat» which they were out of, bill took about 10 to 15 minutes to be produced, forgot to check for gratitude drink discount, Natalie the server was kind, sympathetic, hustling and likely over worked, less than a half dozen tables were occupied (maybe less than half full)
One dish had reportedly had the saghetti under finished, another had them over done. The funghi balsamico was a too heavy with balsamic, but had well done tiger shrimp
Won’t be returning anytime soon. They clearly do not desire or require my business.

Great location especially for anyone going to CN Tower or ball game. Extensive menu but perhaps too much. Perhaps it would be easier/​better to have a ‘build-​your-​own’ option.
Staff was not attentive — perhaps since the owner was fighting with his staff in front of customers — and failed to even to fill up water glasses. Final straw was when I asked for a $ 100 to be broken for the bill and waitress intentionally only gave me $ 10s. Based on the service we got there was no way she was getting a 25% tip so she ended up with the loose change in my pocket

Good wine
Meh… On the pizza. But I’m a Brooklyn snob.
Service was so so. Only went as a last resort because there wasn’t much else around the Renaissance hotel late at night.