The only thing this place is missing is a giant neon sign above the front door that says TOURISTS EAT HERE and a big flashing arrow.
Very kitschy, faux-nostalgic Victorian interior with the ambience of a Chucky Cheese. This place is deceptively large on the inside and there were several large tour groups eating there at the same time, meaning 5 dozen junior high school students and their chaperones graced us with their oh-so-witty banter all through lunch, and none of them had any concept of an "inside voice."
The menu is fully unimpressive. As you might expect, it's all pasta. I ordered the Spaghetti with Brown Butter and some kind of dry cheese. I got totally dry, mushy pasta under a mountain of approximately 2 cups of what appeared to be Kraft Grated Cheeze Dust . Eating it made me feel like I had to sneeze.
My husband had the chicken parmesan and deemed it passable, but nothing earth-shattering.
While the food is definitely blah, the service was fast and super-duper friendly. And this was the only place in Toronto where I could find real unsweetened iced tea instead of the tooth-achingly sweet mix stuff.
This is not a spot for calm, relaxing lunch or high-end Italian fare. I don't really know why you'd go here. It was across the street from our hotel, and I was really, really hungry but there are many far superior places in the neighborhood. Walk a block or two farther and take your pick, but don't waste your time or money here.