Pizza Banfi - Toronto

Both couples tonight were thrilled with their selections. Nandi makes whole wheat as well as white pasta. Tonight's special was grouper which surprised me. It was out of this world ; baked with tomato sauce and mozzarella and grilled olives on top for a sharp bite .my husband said his lentil soup and spaghetti with meatballs were equally good but nothing could have been as delicious as my grouper.Our friends had Caesar salads , pasta and wonderfully aromatic eggplant parmigiana.Nandi is s cozy , warm neighbourly spot where the waiters treat you like they're glad you've visited and hope you'll come again. I know I will.

The food here is really bad. They need to revamp their menu and add some new and exciting dishes. What they do have is horribly cooked and extremely over priced.

The soup and the eggplant tagliatelle were both very good; the tartufo was standard issue. The wine is rather overpriced. Service is friendly and competent. If you want to eat between 6 and 8 you may have to wait for a table; Banfi does not take reservations. We got there just after six and got the last table for four. On the whole a very enjoyable experience. Recommended.

We were invited to join with family at this local neighborhood favourite hangout in the heart of the village in Forest Hill. It's small and they do not take reservations so you need to go early to secure a table. There is a small side counter to wait if early and we enjoyed a glass of Italian wine that was recommended by our server (Ross). He was very knowledgeable and once we were seated he helped us with our menu selections. Our table of 5 decided to order a number of shareable dishes and they were all delish. We enjoyed the beet salad, caprese salad and a sausage,garlic pizza to start. We then shared a couple of pasta dishes and split some mains which happened to be the special protein dish for the day, a new york steak. We ordered 2 of everything and it was just perfect for the 5 of us. My only criticism was that the new york steak cuts were not very thick ( about 1/2 inch) and I would have expected them to be a standard 1inch thickness as is a typical NY cut. All in all however it was a great night and we will return.

If you live in Forest Hill, Banfi is a great local restaurant for Italian food. There is usually a line at the door if you do not get there early. The pizzas are great and there is a lot of choice. There are a number of choices of pasta. Not a lot of meat and fish choices. You cannot get veal parm here. You do not get gourmet food at Banfi. No master chef is in the kitchen. But, if you would like to leave the car at home and have a glass or two of wine with Italian food, Banfi is s place to go for dinner. But, the tables are close together - so, this is not a place for a romantic dinner.