IL FORNELLO on King - Toronto

Upon entering the restaurant, warning signs were evident. The restaurant was mostly empty, yet there was a line at the door. There was only one staff member working at the time, who appeared friendly but was clearly overwhelmed. Another staff member joined, but the stressful atmosphere persisted. To top it off, if you order a vegan lasagne, be prepared to receive a meat lasagne instead. I would recommend avoiding this place at all costs.

Do not go here! We arrived at 3:30pm on a Sunday and the restaurant was empty, but there were not enough staff to seat customers. The server was trying her best, but the rushed atmosphere was not pleasant. We were given cold bread to start. We asked for the vegan menu and ordered the vegan lasagna and pasta norma. When we inquired about adding vegan pepperoni to the pasta, we were discouraged as it would require coordination between two kitchens. When our food arrived, I was served a meat lasagna with cheese, despite ordering vegan. The waitress insisted she had ordered vegan, but we left without eating.

Wow! A huge vegan menu! Super impressive! We had the pesto pizza with vegan cheddar. It was pretty good, but not exceptional. I think the pasta dishes would be great though!

The lasagna was incredibly delicious, with tofu ricotta, kale, and homemade cashew almond mozzarella. Make sure to ask for vegan parmesan after your dish arrives! The vegan pepperoni pizza was fantastic, made with homemade seitan pepperoni, and the eggplant tomato pasta was very good. The hazelnut ice cream affogato was amazingly creamy and tasty - I would go back every day for it. I haven't tried their breakfast menu yet, but it looks promising with vegan eggs Benedict available.

I love this place. I lived in Saudi Arabia growing up and the beef shawarma is exactly how I remember it from my childhood. It’s been a while since I’ve been as I live out of the country but try to go back every time I’m in Toronto.