The Judge

“My wife and I chose this restaurant on a whim as it was recently opened, and had advertised homemade pasta (it was a night for good pasta). Although The Judge has a cozy interior and we were walk-ins, they were able to accommodate us. The service was great. The food was FANTABULOUS. And the story of how the name of the restaurant came to be… ask your server. But by golly. We had the sourdough/pork butter to start, followed by slightly spicy (not too bad) gnocci—best I have ever tasted, and my dish: the spaghetti carbonara. Whoa boy. BEST EVER sauce, with crispy to-perfection pieces of bacon, and the pasta itself was done also to perfection. The sizing portion (combined with the sourdough) was perfect. I highly recommend getting the sourdough, and saving a few pieces to sop up the carbonara sauce. If I had less manners I would have picked up the bowl and licked it clean, the sauce was so good. Instead I scraped as much as could on my fork. Highly recommend. Go support your local Collingwood family-run restaurants (just make reservations first).”

“We celebrated my birthday there in January, and were treated exceptionally by Jen from the moment we walked in. The food was perfect portion sizes, tasted just like Italy, my 6 year old son loved it so much he had a second portion! Thank you Chef Jonathan Gushue for the delicious dinner.”

“It’s truly special to have this caliber of chef, cooking here in Collingwood. Well executed pasta bar, the carbonara and bread served with pork butter instantly brought me back to Italy and dining in Florence. I only took pictures of our desserts, don’t even debate it. Just get dessert this time. You’ll be happy you did. We’ll be back, not soon enough.”

“The Judge is an absolute gem. An intimate, candle-lit, handcrafted pasta bar with a crushable wine list and crave-worthy appetizers—perfect for lingering date nights. We tried the rigatoni carbonara, the rigatoni sausage ragù, and the brandade smoked fish dip with crisps, and every bite was outstanding—you could truly taste each ingredient. Classic flavours, beautifully executed dishes, and an atmosphere that invites you to stay awhile. We’ll definitely be back.”

“We came to this restaurant in Collingwood with high expectation as it is a sister restaurant of the Gate. It was a mostly disappointing experience except the server was lovely. First thing is the sitting was super intimate. I could hear the whole conversation next to us not by choice. The food was not particular special. The appetizer was okay but I have had much better bread elsewhere. We came for the pasta. My kids both ordered the cabonara. It was way saltier than it needed and the after taste with the sauce was not pleasant. My son couldn't finish it and he is someone who loves carbs. I had the gnocchi with sausage ragu which was also too salty to my taste. For the desserts, we had strawberry sorbet, chocolate cake and caramel pudding. I almost laughed when the server brought out the pudding. The serveware is the pyrex mini bowl that I used for sauces at home. And I have to add that the silverware were from IKEA and you could tell. We agreed that the chocolate cake was the best thing of the night. The conclusion is that we won't be coming back. It costs about $60-70 per head which I think you can get much better value and experience elsewhere.”