From The Fairmont Royal York Best Nearby Italian (Restaurants) (10 Overall Closest) Metro: Toronto, ON Vertical (Restaurants - Italian) 100 King St W, Toronto  ON  M5X 1E1 • 416-214-2252 Distance: ~299 m         Description: DOWNTOWN. The aptly named Vertical is situated on the mezzanine of the tallest building in Canada. The stylish decor extends to the patio, which is prime real estate during fine weather. It’s a popular destination for power lunches and business dinners, as well as after-work drinks. Chef Tawfik Shehata’s menu is Mediterranean – you’ll find influences of Italy, Spain and Greece, along with a few good old North American steaks accompanied by sides like gnocchi and roasted cauliflower. Fish is a strong suit, arriving at the table perfectly cooked and seasoned. Kit Kat Italian Bar and Grill (Restaurants - Italian) 297 King St W, Toronto  ON  M5V 1J5 • 416-977-4461 • 800-513-9633 Distance: ~0.710 km User Rating: 8.25 / 10         Description: DOWNTOWN. This neighborhood favorite serves up enormous portions of southern Italian dishes. In fact, the antipasto platter for two can be a feast in itself. Other delicious offerings include grilled steaks, pastas, roast chicken, and seafood. The eclectic decor, featuring cat memorabilia and old movie posters, is built around a massive tree. Post-theatre hours are very busy. Hot House Cafe (Restaurants - Italian) 35 Church Market Square, Toronto  ON  M5E 1T3 • 416-366-7800 Distance: ~0.730 km User Rating: 7.1 / 10         Description: DOWNTOWN. Hot House Cafe's Sunday brunch buffet from 9:30am -3pm includes traditional breakfast favorites, numerous pastas, beef and seafood specialties, a divine dessert table, plus an impressive salad bar. Accompanied by live jazz, it's a fun experience not to be missed. The rest of the week, the cafe satisfies hungry diners with hearty and innovative Italian pastas, gourmet pizzas, and an interesting range of International entrees such as an Asian chicken stir fry, Indian-style curried shrimp, and jambalaya. Plenty of creative vegetarian dishes, burgers, steaks, and a good selection of wine and cocktails, too.    La Fenice (Restaurants - Italian) 319 King St W, Toronto  ON  M5V 1J5 • 416-585-2377 Distance: ~0.766 km User Rating: 9.5 / 10         Description: DOWNTOWN. At La Fenice, award winning Italian cuisine is presented in a warm and inviting dining room, marked by terra cotta walls dotted with original artwork. Standards are consistently high from start to finish. Antipasti choices include a beef carpaccio and Mediterranean mussels. Second course pastas and risottos are all good, especially the risotto with assorted fresh mushrooms, and fettuccine with duck and portobellos. Elegant mains range from grilled Provimi liver with sage and pearl onions to Cornish hen with bay leaf and garlic. Delightful desserts are all made in-house – save room! Alice Fazooli's! Italian Grill (Restaurants - Italian) 294 Adelaide St W, Toronto  ON  M5V 1F6 • 416-979-1910 Distance: ~0.795 km User Rating: 9.8334 / 10         Description: DOWNTOWN. This boisterous restaurant is a favorite haunt of Blue Jays players and fans for its proximity to the Rogers Centre, its fun former-warehouse ambience, and its appealing assortment of Italian favorites and fresh seafood. Whet your appetite with grilled or fried calamari, tasty seafood dip with garlic crostini, or a light salad. Move on to eggplant ravioli or seafood fettuccine, and then to pan-seared monkfish, grilled tenderloin, or skewers of bacon-wrapped tiger shrimp. Biagio Ristorante (Restaurants - Italian) 155 King St E, Toronto  ON  M5C 1G9 • 416-366-4040 Distance: ~0.929 km         Description: DOWNTOWN. Situated in the beautiful and historic St. Lawrence Hall, Biagio is among Toronto's finer Italian restaurants. Along with a 1500-label wine list, the restaurant has a well-rounded dinner menu that includes a number of risottos and wonderful seafood. Calamari is tender and sweet, and the seafood soup (with mussels, shrimp, clams and scallops) is a shellfish lover's delight. Try taglioline with brandy-flamed lobster, spaghetti carbonara, pesto-crusted salmon, osso buco, honey roasted rack of lamb, or a NY strip loin with caper-lemon-herb sauce. An excellent prospect for a summer date – the fountain-enhanced patio is ever so romantic. Noce (Restaurants - Italian) 875 Queen St W, Toronto  ON  M6J 1G5 • 416-504-3463 Distance: ~2.400 km         Description: DOWNTOWN. A warm welcome, just-right service, and top-notch cooking are the hallmarks of this off-the-beaten-path restaurant. You’ll find amazing, tender house-made pastas with just the right amount of “bite,” and secondi like braised veal cheeks with polenta, roasted quail with sautéed shiitakes, and beef tenderloin with roasted chestnuts and red wine reduction. Of course you can’t have Italian food without vino, and Noce’s collection has garnered Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence; they also maintain an excellent selection of grappa. Messis (Restaurants - Italian) 97 Harbord St, Toronto  ON  M5S 1G4 • 416-920-2186 Distance: ~2.605 km User Rating: 10 / 10         Description: DOWNTOWN. A warm, friendly atmosphere and modest decor render Messis a comfortable restaurant. Influences range from Asian to American, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine, all carefully prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients. The delicious gourmet menu includes parmesan-crusted leg of lamb over polenta, along with inventive pastas and pizzas. Some of the city's most popular chefs began their careers at Messis. Patio dining when weather permits. Trattoria Giancarlo (Restaurants - Italian) 41 Clinton St, Toronto  ON  M6J 2N9 • 416-533-9619 Distance: ~2.802 km         Description: WEST TORONTO. A friendly, casual sort of place, Trattoria Giancarlo is a favored spot during the summer for its sidewalk tables, but it's popular year round no matter where you can snag a seat. Traditional Italian dishes are the specialty. A starter of wild mushrooms over polenta, sprinkled with parmesan, is the epitome of earthy goodness. Pastas and main courses are equally good, with standouts including shrimp with lemon and garlic and grappa-marinated lamb. A sure bet! Boba (Restaurants - Italian) 90 Avenue Rd, Toronto  ON  M52 2H2 • 416-961-2622 Distance: ~3.193 km         Description: MIDTOWN. Dining is an event at this elegant eatery, set in a Victorian house with a bright, bold color scheme. In the middle of the restaurant, an enormous fresh flower arrangement offers a lovely focal point. The menu promises a variety of innovative taste combinations, and specialties include lamb, beef, and duck. Make sure to leave room for the chocolate-pudding cake (a house specialty) or the lemon trio, which features lemon ice cream and a chocolate wedge with homemade wafers. Copyright ©2001 10Best Inc. All rights reserved.