Osteria Giulia

“Excellent experience, lives up very well to its Michelin star. I dined here solo on a visit to the city. The staff were exemplary in their attentiveness, and very friendly and cordial—being a solo diner and seated at the bar, I had several good conversations with two of the serving staff in between plates. Food and drink were excellent: extremely flavourful, a variety of flavours and textures in every bite, perfectly seasoned. And while fine dining prioritises experience in many cases, at Osteria Giulia, the portions are big enough not to leave you peckish later in the evening: I walked out stuffed! I started with a Fiumicino cocktail. Fruity, a little sweet, with the rum nicely forward. The focaccia di Recco is a house speciality, and as a bread has history going back to the 12th century, proudly described in their menu. Beautifully seasoned with sea salt. Comes cut as four pieces that seem great to share; a little large but manageable as a solo diner. My main course was the risotto al Granchio, with carote as a contorno (side). Cooked well al dente, a great crab flavour throughout, garnished with juicy crab, edible flowers and sous-vide scorzonero roots. The garnishes complemented the dish beautifully and gave variety to every bite. The carote (roasted heirloom carrots, ricotta, almonds) were well presented and enjoyable, without stealing thunder from the main dish. Like the focaccia, I could see this split between two people: I had a lot of carrots all to myself! For dessert, tiramisù alla Giulia. I was enthusiastically recommended this dessert (though even without, I am always inclined to try a restaurant's interpretation of tiramisù!). An excellent take on the classic dessert, with several layers of different preparations of mascarpone, and garnishes of dark chocolate squares. Great balance of light and rich. Finally, I had a Messicano cocktail whose basil, lime and cucumber flavours were refreshing and a good contrast to dessert. All in all, well worth a visit!”

“Truly phenomenal. Expectations were obviously high going in, but they exceeded them in every way. Every dish was spectacular -- clever and creative, yet also comforting and well-balanced. We had the anchovy toasts, yellowtail crudo, pasta ragu, red snapper, and raspberry yogurt. Our faves were the yellowtail and yogurt, but I'm confident anything on the menu would be delicious!”

“I took my sister here for her birthday and we had such a fantastic time. I remember coming here before they had received their Michelin star and remember being blown away already by the service and just unique flavours that each dish offered. I was glad that when I came here more recently, I experienced something similar. The vibe of the place is just super classy and elevated. We ordered their famous focaccia and fig salad as well as 2 pasta dishes (scrigno roccante and lorighitta al mare). To this day, my sister and I constantly talk about the food we ate there, especially the focaccia! We ended the night with the millefoglie al cocco and they put a little birthday candle to make it that much more special for my sister. Osteria Giulia has to be one of my favourite classy restaurants here in Toronto.”

“We went to Giulia for the first time last night, and overall had a great experience. The interior design and atmosphere were beautiful and made for a really nice evening. We started with the veal carpaccio. It was good, though I’ve had better carpaccios before. It definitely wasn’t bad, just not the standout dish for me. For our mains, we ordered the lamb pasta and the lamb rack with broccoli. The lamb pasta was really delicious, although it leaned a little on the salty side. The lamb rack was a bit underwhelming considering the price, but it wasn’t bad. The broccoli, on the other hand, was absolutely incredible and ended up being one of our favorite parts of the meal. Dessert was phenomenal—so refreshing and incredibly tasty. The cocktails were also outstanding. They were well-balanced, generous with the alcohol, and honestly some of the best drinks we’ve had in a while. The service was excellent. Our server, an Asian woman whose name I unfortunately can’t remember, was wonderful. She was attentive, gave great recommendations, and made sure we were well taken care of throughout the evening. Overall, it’s definitely on the expensive side, but we enjoyed the experience and would come back to try some of the other dishes.”

“★★★★☆ I dined at Osteria Giulia today and overall had a nice meal, though I personally did not find it worthy of its Michelin star status. The Focaccia Di Recco was enjoyable, but difficult to justify at the price point as it felt quite similar to a thin flatbread with cheese. The Asparagi was phenomenal and easily the highlight of the meal. The Lorighittas Al Mare was very flavourful, with perfectly al dente pasta, though the seafood quality felt average and somewhat underwhelming. The Millefoglie Alla Fragola was a lovely way to finish, especially with the addition of passion fruit seeds. Unfortunately, service timing became an issue due to an unexpected incident during our mains when the ceiling cracked and water began pouring onto guests and the floor near the larger tables. I completely understand this was outside of the restaurant’s control, and our server remained professional and kind throughout. However, we then spent roughly forty minutes watching the situation unfold while waiting for desserts, and our cappuccino was forgotten entirely. This pushed us just beyond the two hour seating limit, despite ordering promptly. What left a poor impression was that after I specifically asked for the bill quickly to be considerate and free the table, a gentleman in a suit came over immediately after payment and asked us to leave. Given the delays were not caused by us, that felt unnecessary, especially as the restaurant was aware of my accessibility limitations and I was visibly wearing a cast on my hand. A bit more grace in that moment would have been appreciated. Another note is that the dining room is extremely loud due to the low ceilings, and sitting near the kitchen makes conversation even more difficult. Also, the $3 per person surcharge for tap water felt unnecessary, especially since I was only offered still or sparkling water. Overall, a good meal with some standout dishes, but not quite the level I expected, especially given all the hype and the difficulty of securing a reservation even with Visa Dining Access.”