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| - Unbeknownst to me, this sweet little neighborhood ristorante was featured on Restaurant Makeover. I thought the place looked a little classier than I remembered it the last time I walked by!
Roma is pretty much the only affordable Italian place that I can think of short of heading southeast to Little Italy or northwest to Corso Italia. I think Bloorcourt is so weirdly positioned between the two that no one else wanted to try. I'm glad they did.
Part of its charm is also a flaw - it is a small, family-run restaurant. So the food is handmade and thoughtfully prepared and the service is excellent, but you also have to be a little more patient when you eat there (or order delivery). Because the staff is small, deliveries are a little longer than say, Pizza Pizza. But it's totally worth it. On the sad side, there have been times with friends when we wanted Roma but were just too hungry to wait and decided to go with something quicker, leaving Roma for another day.
Another unique feature of Roma is that it has what I am pretty certain is the only patio seating from Shaw Street all the way to Dufferin (actually, maybe even Lansdowne or beyond...). As such, you can sit back with drinks and some delicious eats and enjoy a nice sunset on their west-facing patio. It's pretty brilliant place to be on a summer's day.
If you order delivery, you can't go wrong with any of their gourmet pies - or even just plain cheese - their pizza is really good. Another great pick is their panzerotti, which, while not the absolute best in the city, is still pretty damn tasty. Dining in, I would suggest any of their dinner salads (chicken, salmon, etc) which are truly enormous, or their classic dishes like the veal sandwich or the carbonara pasta. Just be sure to order an appetizer right when you sit down, or bring a snack! It's worth the wait, I promise.
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