Taste traditional Italian dishes at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto’s TOCA Restaurant. In collaboration with Oliver Glowig, one of Rome’s most celebrated chefs, this restaurant — whose very name pays homage to its hometown of Toronto, Canada — blends Italian staples with local touches.
TOCA brings classic Italian cuisine to the heart of downtown Toronto, at the intersection of the financial, entertainment and waterfront districts. Using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, the kitchen turns out made-from-scratch pastas (like ziti with wild boar Genovese and crispy onions), fresh seafood (the branzino) and tried-and-true desserts (tiramisu and tartufo), complemented by aged selections from the impressive glass-walled cheese cave. In addition to serving meals, TOCA also keeps a calendar of wine dinners, cooking classes, tastings, workshops and other culinary events so you can get more helpings of its delicious offerings.
- Half-moon booths, abstract light fixtures and sporadic chalkboard walls surround the restaurant’s main event: the cheese cave. Situated in the middle of the dining room, the cheese cave is surrounded by glass walls and holds myriad gourmet cheeses from all over the world.
- Perhaps the most endearing quality of TOCA, though, is the hand-painted charger plates. Designed by the hotel’s resident artist, Jacqueline Poirier, each plate is one-of-a-kind and adds to the already quirky character of the restaurant.
- Because of its convenient location, the Four-Star restaurant serves as the perfect dinner spot before enjoying the city’s nightlife or walking to the theater district to experience Toronto’s thriving cultural scene.
- TOCA offers handcrafted Italian cuisine complemented by seasonal flavors and locally-sourced produce.
- The scene at TOCA is young and hip meets elegant and sophisticated. The same can be said for The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, the hotel in which the Four-Star restaurant sits, and the relaxed atmosphere of both will put you at ease while still delivering a fine dining experience.
- Poirier’s unique, hand-painted charger plates found on each table vary from bold-colored produce to Toronto’s iconic street signs to abstract forests, and even include silhouetted portraits of The Beatles.
- In keeping with its relaxed atmosphere, TOCA does not have a formal dress code in place. The attire of the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star restaurant’s patrons varies from very casual to more formal, such as a shirt and tie or a nice dress.
- TOCA serves a weekend brunch buffet — complete with a seafood bar and an all-inclusive mimosa bar — Saturdays and Sundays.
- Be sure to try some selections in the signature cheese cave. Avonlea cheddar from Prince Edward Island and Mimolette from France are just a couple of the varieties you’ll be hard-pressed to pass up.
- The Toronto restaurant is a hot spot for people of all ages looking to enjoy a great meal, including a range of satisfying antipasti (like a charcuterie board with local meats) and housemade pastas (like fusilli with lobster, rapini, chili and garlic).
- If you happen to be dining at TOCA on a Friday night, opt for the chef’s tasting menu. This four-course experience features a variety of fresh pastas like the ravioli caprese (pasta pockets stuffed with caciotta cheese).
- The menu at TOCA includes a meat course with options like venison, dry-aged ribeye, red snapper and seabass.
- For a classic end to your meal at the Italian restaurant, order the tartufo (hazelnut ice cream and cocoa sponge enrobed in chocolate) or the tiramisu.
- Fruit-laden sweets include L’Arancia (mandarin sorbet, orange, blood orange, orange confit and orange jelly), as well as prosecco and apples (prosecco mousse, caramelized apples, vanilla gelato, tuile, caramel powder and winter spices).
- Go the savory route with wedges from the amazing cave. Choose among sheep, cow, goat and buffalo cheeses and get wine pairings.
- Drink your dessert from the list of amaros, ports and cocktails (like the espresso martini or Brandy Alexander, with Hennessy, crème de cacao and cream).
Breakfast
Brunch
Business casual
Dinner
Gluten-free options
Kid friendly
Lunch
Private dining
Valet parking
Vegetarian options
