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| - Yes, it's an unusual move to open a fast-casual Italian place in Chinatown, but that's what makes this such a genius move on the owner's part. I have lived in Chinatown for six years and I can't even tell you how sick I am of dumplings and MSG. There used to be a great Italian place, Strada 241, on Spadina but sadly they didn't make it - I hope these guys do. We have a small kid so are always on the lookout for fast, budget-friendly, family-friendly places opening up in the hood, and Levetto fits the bill to perfection. I took a risk and tried it on the way home from preschool today (normally we never try anything new then since that's prime temper tantrum time), and me and my kid both LOVED it. The pizza (we had the soppressata) was super tasty, and well priced at $7.50 for an individual size (that satisfied us both). They were happy to do half spicy and half mild. The pizza base is maybe thicker and breadier than some people are used to, what with the dominance of floppy, thin crust Neapolitan style pizza (as at Libretto and Via Mercanti) in Toronto, but it was delicious: soft and fluffy inside and crisp on the bottom. The sauce was simple, bright and tangy. I saw some huge, I mean HUGE bowls of pasta come out that looked and smelled incredible - next time I'm going to try the bucatini with guanciale (this is a dish I make at home a lot and consider one of my specialties so I'm keen to see how they do it). Staff seemed genuinely cheerful, not too overworked (there were 3 of them on which seemed just about right to cope with the walk ins and the many delivery pick ups coming in). One thing I loved was that they have followed the service model of other places, like A3 Napoli: someone greets and seats you as you come in, hands you a menu, then you go up to the bar to order. I LOVE THIS. No more endless waiting for an overworked server to notice you, seat you, bring you a menu, go away, ignore you, come back for your order, go away and ignore you again, bring you food, go away and ignore you until you need something, go away and ignore you until you need the bill, going away to get the bill... And then at the end of it you're expected to tip 20% for all that damn waiting and trying to catch their attention! I increasingly avoid eating in places with table service for this very reason. Here, I looked at the menu, walked three steps on my own two feet over to the counter, bought myself a drink, ordered, and had my food in 15 minutes. I felt no obligation to rush out (I probably would have even ordered a second wine if I hadn't been with my kid), enjoyed my meal in peace without a server hovering over/ignoring me, and got to leave as soon as I wanted. A million miles better than the usual experience. I really don't know why they don't do this everywhere. Thank you Levetto, you have a local family of converts!
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