Gusto 101

I went to Gusto 101 for brunch on Sunday, and then went back for dinner the next day. I had the grilled octopus both times, and I would come again just for that dish. It’s fresh, good quality, and prepared to perfection. The kale salad was decent but not sure why a lot of the reviewers were raving about it. The brussel sprouts were a-​ok. The avocado toast for brunch was nice.
I like the ambience of the place. If you eat seafood, don’t miss out out on the grilled octopus, I’d say it’s the best option on their menu.

This place has it all; great food, great atmosphere and staff. The aged steak was on point. The attention to detail was amazing. Very comfortable atmosphere.

The atmosphere was very nice and warm. Lots of wood and metal– a warehousey feel, but with some warmth to it. They have an open kitchen and seating is kind of tight. We sat at the bar. Our server was a female, forgot her name. It was a bit slow but she was friendly and nice and seemed fairly knowledgable
We ordered the Branzino ($ 28.50) and Mafalde ai funghi pasta ($ 17.50) for our entrees and the cavolo Nero salad ($ 13.99) to start. The also have complimentary bread to start.
Everything we had was tasty. Each dish had its own distinct flavor. The branzino was grilled and the different sweet and savory flavors came together very well. The pasta was pretty heavy and filling. They don’t skimp on the truffle/​mushrooms which is great! Kale salad was nice and light with a lemon vinaigrette. I really liked that the citrus wasn’t too strong or tart.
For dessert, we shared the panini al gelato. This was really yummy– the olive oil drizzled with a bit of sea salt gave this sweet treat a savory twist. I was full after dinner, but we still gobbled this all up.
Great food and the kitchen seemed to run very smoothly. They have a good little system in place and all of the chefs seemed to be having a good time. Great to see.

Ended up there on a double date last night. Didn’t have a reservation but was able to get a table after about 15
minutes as we were sipping our wine by the oz near the bar. Ended up sitting upstairs which was just as beautiful as their main level. It was quite busy, the table that we were situated was at a high traffic lane way near the back beside the bar and I guess kitchen. So we had people constantly bumping into us as they passed. We ended up eventually moving, however it seemed like a big ask.
Kale salad was ok, similar to what I had before there but nothing to note or highlight. My friend and I ordered the burger. However, we both ended up sending it back, as my first bite was like taking a mouthful of salt. As someone who normally loves salty and savoury, even I deemed the burger as drowning in salt. I ended up ordering a pizza instead, which was mediocre at best and we decided to continue the night somewhere else for dessert
The vibe and atmosphere here is always amazing and really can’t be replicated elsewhere.

Good, but not amazing. We arrived on a Saturday night. We were told it would be about 30 minutes wait but were surprised when they texted us about 10 minutes later that our table was ready.
The atmosphere is nice, but quite loud (to be expected but it depends if that bothers you or not). There is very little room between tables, but this didn’t bother me too much. Our food was ready quite quickly and I could hear the lead chef giving time limits on how fast every meal should be ready. I had the funghi pasta, which was delicious. Also who can say no to 1 dollar per ounce house wine.
Overall, I enjoyed the food and atmosphere but the service lacked a bit. I’d try new places before I came back again.

This was my 2^nd time here and the place didnt disappoint. I ordered the kale salad with chicken ($ 22) and as per other Unilocalers, fully enjoyed the healthy goodness. Good portions and the atmosphere was lively.
Sister got the pizza on the brunch menu (item I had my first time there). Pizza was great, thin crusted and food portion for one person
Only fallback is that the place was a bit tight, had to maneuver my way around the table booth. not my ideal situation

Came here based on the high rated reviews and I was not disappointed at all in service, food and ambience…
In the beginning, we asked for a bigger table but due to the party size, they refused to budge with that even though we mentioned we will order alot of food which was our intention since we were both very hungry…
So we ended up getting a small table with not alot of space to place our items and we could have barely ordered an entrée each as I would have guessed that it wouldn’t fit 2 dishes. so they asked if we would sit in the tall tables… we were ok with that thinking we’d get the full tall tables to ourselves but that was not the case…
We ordered the grilled octopus, pasta, pizza, paté and another item… I forgott the name…
The food was very delicious and we were being checked upon in a reasonable time frame… the ambience is more loud… not a fine dining place obviously. but you will not be disappointed in the foood and service which is more than 66% according to my personal standards…2/3 important items hit!!!
It is slightly on the pricey side but I will come back!

So I finally get to try that experience of eating in the dark that I hear all about. It’s suppose to enhance the flavour experience. Wait, this isn’t that place?! Then why in the world were the lights almost nonexistent?
Staff: I was with a large party of 11 and it was very difficult getting a reservation on a Sunday 4 weeks in advance. They said they were booked full for Christmas. After giving it one more shot a week before we got a reservation. When we got there I was surprised that the place wasn’t full. There were two floors so space was definitely not an issue. Maybe they had cancellations? The waiter during our dinner was nice and took our orders in a timely manner. We didn’t see much of him the rest of the night but we also didn’t need anything else. They have a Nonna Menu for large parties but they were very accommodating and let us order a la carte so I appreciated that.
Ambience: It was very dimly lit. Many of us needed to pull out our phones for light while reading the menu. The seating and décor were nice. Remind me of industrial hard lofts I like.
Food: I had fries to start and it came with this aioli that I was not a fan of. I thought maybe it was just me so I asked my friends what they thought and the concensus was not good. It reminded me of wasabi and celery root but someone else said it tasted like olives. The fries were nice and soft. For my main I had the Polpette Pizza which was essentially a meatball pizza. The meatballs were good, but they were slightly dry which I’ve come to expect when I see meatballs on pizza. I liked the crust and it had a perfect thin layer of sauce so it wasn’t too overwhelming.
I think I would’ve given it a slightly lower score but they were willing to let us order a la carte plus we had to change out number of guests a couple of times too and they were very helpful with that. They need to turn up the lights a little!

Great ambiance and cheap wine ($ 1 per ounce)… what more could you ask for?
I came here on a date last year and loved the ambiance. It was cozy but not too intimate and still felt like you were at a restaurant. I got the mushroom pasta with truffle oil and it was just truffly enough to taste but not truffly enough to linger in my breath :)
I’d definitely come back for girls night out or just to eat at a nice restaurant.

I’ve been to Gusto 101 for brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks and patio chilling. It’s great for all occasions and definitely one of my top preferences on this King St W/​Portland corner (the other one being WVRST).
Things to like:
— nice, professional and attentive service with good knowledge of the menu
— a variety of spaces including an enclosed (but very bright) upstairs patio, street level patio, bar space and and multi-​level tables next to an open kitchen
— the wood interior
— $ 1 per ounce wine and the overall wine selection
— kale salad
— mushroom truffle fettuccine
— the truffle aioli they have for their fries (I like truffles, okay?!)
— occasional spotting of high profile Torontonians and Suits actors
— a nice vibe whether full or empty, downstairs is especially cozy
Note: it can be pretty busy on weekends and evenings (particularly in warmer weather) with a line situation going on. The downstairs party near the kitchen can be kind of loud and claustrophobic when it’s busy because the tables are pretty close together. Upstairs is much more spacious.

Alright, so Gusto 101 didn’t blow my socks off, but was not horrible.
We strolled into Gusto 101 after walking the streets on our empty stomachs. As soon as we saw Gusto, I jumped on the opportunity after hearing several good reviews from friends. It was also REALLY cold outside, so we were looking for some good comfort food. We came without reservations and luckily we got a table in the upstairs seating area. This was probably my only negative review on our experience. The table we were seated at ended up being situated on top of a uneven floor tile/​wood, so that every time a server or fellow restaurantee walked by, it would make our table/​seats move. To say the least, we got used to it but were still annoyed.
On to the food. My husband ordered a classic pizza with all the right fixings, and I the salmon. Both were well prepared, brought to our table by our helpful server. One thing I’d have to admit was it was a little pricey, but it comes with the territory I presume. To finish we got the trio of desserts, which again we were not blown away but still gobbled up.
So for an Italian restaurant, its what I expected and I would return again if asked.

Rebuilt from an old industrial auto garage, Gusto is not your typical eatery. They have been around the vibrant king west block for a few years now and still continues to be the one of the most coveted Italian restaurants in Toronto serving up bold Italian flavours and the most lively restaurant scene.
The one key thing about this place is how it could be difficult to get seating but the food is so worth it! They are primarily a walk in restaurant but they do take reservations for lunch at 12−1pm and dinner at 6pm so get on those reservations! If not a typical wait would be around 40+mins.
They have two seating areas, in the downstairs main dinning area and on the rooftop patio. The rooftop patio is the more casual and bright with the main floor more cozy and intimate where you can see the open kitchen. Both are always buzzing with people and when it’s busy (always) you will likely have to lean in to hear the person across from you.
Now on to the food!
— Mafalde ai Funghi: everyone raves about this mushroom pasta and the rave is REAL. That sauce is so flavourful and rich with mushroom essence because of the truffle oil and all soaked in the mafalde pasta that is cooked perfectly al dente. We ordered seconds of this.
— Cavolo Nero aka Kale salad: it’s usually hard for salads to steal the show but this one here really did. The kale is so fresh and bonus that it is organic. Sizeable portion and definitely recommend.
— Assorted cured meats: nice selection of cured meats with delicious pickles, mustard and crostini on the side. I like how the meats are a tad more mild tasting and less salty.
— Pizzas: all their pizzas are thin-​crust wood oven pizza and there are quite a few options to choose from. My favourite is prosciutto and argula — can’t go wrong with this combo.
— Vino!: Although they have an extensive wine list, I think their own house-​brewed wine (red and white) is really good and only $ 1 per ounce! Very easy to overindulge :)
Food comes at a good pace and service is great. I came one time with my girlfriends and had an endless amount of food binging and drinking and desserts for hours and the final bill was surprisingly much less than expected. My current fav Italian spot!

Nov 21, 2015
First off, this is an updated review from the previous one that I posted 2 weeks ago (you can read below).
After my first review, I was contacted by the restaurant. I was surprised but happy to see that they cared enough to contact me privately and asked to discuss my experience and how to they can make it better. She took a bad customer experience and helped change it to a positive one. In our correspondence, she was very attentive to my concerns and my questions.
I decided to go back two weeks later and my experience was completely different. It was fun, friendly and a very tasty experience. I brought my friend (who had a bday coming up) and when we got there, we sat at table that was comfortable and scenic. Our waiter Lucas was attentive and friendly. He came back to our table multiple times to make sure the food was good and our water was filled.
We ordered apps, a pizza and a pasta dish (wow) and desserts. Though the food hasn’t changed, it was the customer service that brought it all home. Lucas, many thanks for turning my experience around. Because of the care from management, I had a very lovely time at Gusto. Thx ;)
4 stars!
***
Previously…
Nov 7, 2015
Never again.
This was my 3^rd time back and i only went back because I was «invited» back for a «Dinner for two on us». Little did I know it wasn’t completely free and I had to deal with stinky attitude from my waitress, Rachel, all night. The second I handed her my «dinner for two on us paper» (that was generously offered to me) I was treated horribly –the times she came back to our table (2 – 3 times max). The one time she did come back to our table was to tell us «all food is free… But you have to pay for tax & tip». Let’s see… how much does $ 0 food cost on tax and tip? $ 0. If you’re gonna invite someone back to give your restaurant another chance, make sure you actually treat them well. I’m also in customer service and I know that making your client happy (whether you fix the problem or not) stems from ones attitude.
This was our «fun» chance to try out their «fancy plates» and boy do I regret it. My friend ordered the 10oz steak. Meh! Unseasoned. I was fortunate that my Sea bass was crispy on the top and moist. But the portion was very little and too much seasoned lettuce.
I had come (first time) many years prior to this experience for a bachelorette party and I thought they had the best kale salad in the world that night (March 2013). When I went back this weekend, it was definitely not the same. It was very hard and too chewy. Also we were treated well — maybe that’s due to the size and the money we spent there.
The worse part of our dinner was where we sat. We sat upstairs, and along the aisle. One of the floorpiece tiles was loose and anytime a person would walk by very quickly past us, it would lift and our table would move. The place got wayyyy too packed so we didn’t bother (also since my waitress and others would ignore us). But by the end of the night, i was so pissed I just wanted to get out of there.
I’ve eaten at a lot of different places and I’ve got to say this has got to be the WORST SERVICE EVER at a downtown restaurant in Toronto. The only person who was decent was when we got to speak to the manager Ronny.
Even if you receive a free meal here, you should still be treated as a guest because you are. But I received more attitude here than I do with high school children (in private school). She did not want to serve us and she made that clear. She even fought me on the «you will have to pay for the taxes and tip».
Tell me, if you’ve read this far, would you have given them a tip?
I will never come back here again until the wait staff improve their customer skills quality. Don’t ever treat a paying OR non-​paying customer the way I was treated because I will spread this to all my friends and family.
I thank Kathleen for inviting me back because my last meal was not very tasty, but my «invited» return pass was 1 million times worst.

popped in on a Friday night and luckily it wasn’t busy so we got seated right away.
I personally loved the ambiance upstairs better than the main floor.
I loved the glass roof, I think it would be amazing in the summer for an afternoon brunch. the décor was great too.
the staff were friendly and our server Nicole was just amazing. She made the recommendations for all our food and we were not upset with single dish.
We started with the grilled octopus — a first for us both, the texture threw me off but the taste was good!
Main we had the mushroom pasta — the serving looked small, but it was rich and filling.
we finished off with a serving of the tiramisu — it was okay, I expected more lady fingers in it.
it seems as though the octopus and the mushroom pasta are favourites here! I’ll have to try something else on my return.

Do you want to feel like a number or like a person?
I felted like the staff in Gusto is felling too comfortable with their status, reputation, and amount of people visiting them, that they could be loosen up in excellence, service, and food tastiness.
The installations are great: two levels of an eclectic decoration that could easily be found in a Brooklyn trendy spot: two floors of open spaces in where you can appreciate who is where, doing what, but not hearing a thing of the things the important person in front of you is saying… Although, the ceiling made of windows must be astonishingly memorable on a full moon night if you go there for a private party or a rainy day.
For moments I felted like pecked at the food would be more appropriated that using the cutlery. The clucks, laughs, screams, claps, the 2^nd handed information from the tables beside, being able to hear the breath of the people beside, conjugated with the feeling of my vocal cords being stressing too hard, gave me the trip of being part of a hen house.
We arrived there around 6 pm on a Thursday, the first floor was packed, but the Hostess told us we could fit on the 2^nd floor. At the 2^nd floor they asked us for reservation, they checked us out, and after asking to another person if they were busy, they gave us a mini table in the wooden bench with the Goodyear sign on the top (by the way, by the time we left, they didn’t fill all the tables, so I guess they just wanted us to feel lucky enough to get a sit in there…)
When the first guy sat us he saw that when I posed my hand on the table it started moving like crazy, so he gently recommended us not to touch the table (even when he served us water he kind of had the same problem)… I let that go cuz I hopped someone was going to be smart/​gentle/​considerate enough to put something under the unbalanced table and fix something that could drop things from their guests: NO, they didn’t. After we ordered the amazing ½ litter of «Pecorino, Villa Angela, Velenosi, ’12 Marche», a new waiter noticed the problem on our table and said he would fix it immediately… but again they did NoThInG. The wine was excellent tho, I recommend it 100% because it was like if an Alvarinho and a Vinho Verde would’ve had a great kid.
The waitress was a sparkling character with nice energy, big shinny eyes decorated with long eyelashes, and a want to be efficient/​trendy/​modern iPad in hand. She asked us if we wanted bread, which she dropped by after in a paper bag like a messenger pigeon would do.
I wasn’t impress by their food menu either. I think they spent more time or resources wine wise.
As an appetizer we ordered the Grilled Octopus. It was escorted by lots of spots of pastes: like kalamata olives, pesto/​chimichurri, grilled/​smoked red peppers, and lime, on top of some mashed boiled potatoes, with some arugula leafs as well. The tentacles were al dente; the grilled flavor was wonderful when accompanied by a sip of the wine and a bite of the bread passed by all the sauces.
Due to some reviews I read that made me push my husby to go here, I almost asked for the so praised mushroom fettuccine, but after lots of mental disagreements I opted to make my own opinion of any other item, so I ordered the Salmon alla Griglia. When asked which term would I like it to be, I said a medium rare please… However, ohhhh no more please, when I cut it I realized it was almost well done… Arggg… I don’t send back food, but still… If they have iPads how could they have mistaken a term? My husband in font was making signs trying to know the reason why I was making not satisfied faces, so when I kind of signal back to explain why, he was a sweet heart (like sometimes guys are just to avoid trouble) and suggested me to interchange plates.
I ate the 3^rd last tiny piece of what they said was a lamb rack specially cooked for Thursdays, but nah, not enough marination, pieces, or tenderness for me to recommend it. Even my husband who told me not to complain about my over cooked fish recognized that the taste of my dish was better than his. He adored the quinoa side. He wasn’t even upset when I told the waitress (who finally came to see how everything was) that my fish was way over cooked. She asked to see it, and after recognizing they messed it up, she offered us deserts on the house.
After the general bitter taste, we didn’t feel like been there anymore trying to enjoy some free sugar, so we refused the apologetic deserts, and at the moment of paying… Wow, they didn’t charge for the Salmon: good touch, but not enough for me to go back, or for tell something good about the treatment.

A começar pela comida, a variedade não é tanta, mas tudo que experimentei estava extremamente gostoso, muito bem preparado e somente com produtos de qualidade.
A variedade de bebidas, principalmente vinhos, é realmente enorme. Mas confesso que não sou a pessoa certa para falar disso, não entendo nada.
O atendimento deixou a desejar, os garçons são um pouco impacientes e demoram a vir atender na mesa.
O ambiente é bom, clima gostoso, bonita a decoração e o lugar, mas não muito confortável pois é um pouco apertado demais, as mesas são muito perto.
Vale a pena a experiência, recomendo, a comida é ótima!

Finally tried this place tonight after wanting to for a while!
It looked super busy when we got there so I thought there would for sure be a wait but they offered 2 tables– one inside with a view of the chef and one outside at a table that surrounds the sky light. We decided to stick to outside to avoid the heat from the ovens! It was a pretty cool setup it was this glass table that multiple people sat at. My boyfriend and I sat at a corner as we saw most people were doing, it was cute and intimate and we could face each other and there was more room than we needed on the table.
We ordered octopus and kale salad to start on top of our drinks, he got some Italian beer and I got a cesar which I asked for to be not too spicy and of course it was but hey I guess I’ll have to start getting used to that mistake lol. I didn’t touch the octopus but supposedly it was good! and the kale salad was great, simple but a good portion size and more than enough to share.
For our mains he got pizza with meatballs on it and I got this chicken that came with greens and those weird onion things that look like circle potatoes. Both very good although I kind of wish I went with my gut and ordered the mushroom pasta because it looked unreal! But I decided to take the healthier route: P
Overall a really good experience, super cool environment and good vibe! I will definitely be back, I’ll come back after I’ve had a really healthy week so I feel less guilty when I order that mushroom pasta! mmmm mmmmm

I’ve only been to Gusto for brunch, and I love this place. The food is nice, and the ambiance is fantastic.
First of all, I must say that the space is very attractive. It has feel of a converted garage. It’s open and airy, with a big open kitchen. It has lots of nice rustic accents.
The place is quite big, and so you can always get a spot even for a weekend brunch. This is a breath of fresh air in a city like Toronto, where it seems that standing in line for a brunch is the norm. If you’re like me, then standing in line for a brunch is not your favorite way to start the weekend. In fact, being vertical is my least favorite position on a weekend morning, especially after a night of drinking. At Gusto they always seat you down promptly and get your order going right away.
The food is pretty good. The kale salad is Cavolo Nero (kale salad) is a must. I never knew kale could taste so good. They have the standard brunch fare, like frittata and omelette. But they also have a large selection of tasty pizza and pasta.
While here, you should stroll around the restaurant and check out the nice rooftop patio, the private dining room downstairs which looks like a cellar, and the washroom with co-​ed sinks! Watch people do a double take, as they think they entered the wrong washroom.

My boyfriend and I received a recommendation by our concierge at the Thompson to try Gusto 101. It was only a short walk away and there was immediate seating.
We had the pleasure of sitting out on the patio to enjoy the fresh air on a late summer evening.
It took about fifteen minutes before we saw a waiter but we were both hungry so we ordered right away.
They offer both their house white and red at a dollar an ounce. This is a must! Both options were delicious and the price was great!
We skipped appetizers knowing the pasta would be incredibly filling. But seeing the ceasar salads going out, we were sad to have not ordered one to share. They looked incredible!
I ordered the Mafalde ai Funghi which is a rich pasta in a creamy mushroom sauce. The portion was huge and while my tongue wanted to continue eating, my tummy only let me finish about half of it.
My boyfriend ordered the lasagna and it was so full of flavour! Again, a giant portion which he managed to gobble right up.
Apart from the long wait to order and long wait to pay for our bill, the service was friendly. The noise level was a little higher than we prefer but it might have just been because of a noisier than normal table seated right next to us.
Our meal only ended up costing about $ 60 and worth every penny!
If we are ever out this way again, I would definitely return and try more items on the menu!
–Ashley Marie

Came here after reading all the rave reviews about this place. My friends got there around 6:00pm and got a table right away. I arrived around 7:15pm and there was a line all the way out to the sidewalk.
The place itself is very loud and we were right next to the open concept kitchen, so we were very hot. I was having dinner with people I haven’t seen years, so it was hard to catch up with them over all the loud chatter going on.
Onto the food. I ordered their half chicken with sautéed greens. It was good, but not $ 22 good. The sautéed greens were really good with the perfect amount of garlic and seasoning. The cipolline onions were a little sour for my liking. The chicken was also served with a bit of chili that tasted like sweet potato purée and a red wine demi. I was only half done my chicken by the time I ran out of sauce. The portions were small and I left feeling hungry.
Drinks are on the pricier side, but they do offer their house wine at $ 1 per ounce, which is a neat feature. Order as much or as little as you like.

I still think about the meal I had at Gusto 101 at times! We sat at the patio on the top floor. The servers were so nice and attentive. I enjoyed my experience here a lot!
POLiPO: The grilled octopus was great. I just wish there was more of it. The sauce on the board was delicious as well.
MAFALDE AI FUNGI: OMG. The mushroom pasta is to DIE FOR. The truffle cream sauce was so good. I wanted to lick the plate clean. It was just a great dish, everything worked together and the pasta was good as well.
I had a great experience here and I wished that I known about this place sooner! I recommend this place to all of my friends!