Locale

The restaurant is beautiful. However, I thought the food was average. I found myself comparing the pizza and pasta to Marcellos, which I think is so much better and less expensive then Locale. I probably won’t be back.

So this was our first time at Locale and I will say it was good … But not great. It was a birthday dinner and we didn’t go to our usual celebration spot and had pretty high expectations. I don’t like having a TV in every corner of the dining room but the entrainment made up for it. Portions were not generous (food and drink… no way was that a proper martini) and given our bill was north of 4 they still charged me 2.00 to split our pasta course. That was disappointing. Our server was top shelf. So long story short back to my first comment. Good but it takes a bit more in my book to be great!

Delicious food, warm ambiance and excellent service! We will definitely return. We ordered grilled calamari, polenta fries, lasagna and PLT pizza. All were delicious but PLT pizza was the real winner. It’s not something we would typically order but it was a unique and delightful surprise for our taste buds. Our nice waitress informed us that there’s live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays… and oh wait…½ priced bottles of wine on Wednesday! Need I say more? :)

The décor, the music, the ambiance and most importantly the food are as close to perfect as I could hope for. Italian/​Mediterranean cuisine, good selection of beverages and our server was one of the most attentive and genuine guys I’ve ever met. We were greeted with some bread made in house that was divine. We started with the Adriatic platter appetizer. It consisted of various fish and veggies from around Adriatic Sea. My wife ordered the short ribs and I had the Grigliate which consisted of select cuts of meat done to perfection. Nothing fell short of my expectations.
I had heard a lot about this place and it delivered. It was very busy so we did have a lengthy wait between meals but our waiter was so attentive he constantly checked in on us. Since we had no schedule to fill so we just spent our time with drinks and talk. Something parents never get to do at home.
If you’re in the 30 – 50 range and want downtown style dining experience uptown then this is the place to go.

came here a couple of months ago for date night as it was awesome, we sat upstairs, our waiter provided very good service (cant remember dudes name). Wish we sat outside, next time… it looked nice and romantic, you know the stuff that gets you points! Food was super, went across street to Hunt Pub for drinks after. Good times

Came here for a late dinner and was surprised to find it so busy! This is definitely a hidden gem of King City.
Our dinner was exceptional. We ordered:
— Fried calamari and shrimp. This was lightly battered and perfectly seasoned with deep fried herbs.
— Lasagna. The sauce it was served in was delicious complimented the dish well.
— Funghi pizza. The crust was so thin, light and fluffy!
— Honey budino. Smooth and creamy — it was the perfect end to our meal.
Our server was very friendly, attentive and patient. He went into great depth explaining parts of the menu we weren’t sure about.
Loved this place! Will definitely come back.

Mmmm, it’s just too good.
I had such a nice evening catching up with some girlfriends over a beer and good eats. I ordered the PLT (with all the rave reviews of it, how could I not?!) and man oh man, let me tell you… it was out of this world. The dough is crispy and and everything else just sits nicely on top. The figs, cheese, prosciutto, tomatoes, arugula, balsamic glaze… I just want more now. It was a generous serving and a tasty one at that.
My girlfriends enjoyed a GF pasta and they both mucked and loved it. I can’t remember which one though. I also had a bite of the flourless chocolate cake which was decadent.
I’ve left Locale wanting more. I’ll be back!

I had never heard of this place before, but it was suggested by a friend. We went for an early dinner. I was pleasantly surprised as soon as I arrived. We sat on the patio which was very cute — tables, couches and string lights. What more could you ask for?!
The menu was very appealing! Off the summer menu, I had the gluten-​free fettuccine with chicken, feta and black olives. It was delicious! The service as excellent — to the point of offering bug spray to restaurant guests once the sun started to go down.
By the time we left, the place was packed with people — inside and out. I would definitely return here.
Only complaints: pasta portions were a little small for someone with a big appetite (not a problem for me though!)

I’ve been going to locate for the past year. Go there to eat at least every 2 weeks. Only thing about locale is that you never know what to choose to eat because it’s all good. My favourite was the black cod a while back but it was a special of the day. It all good and the beer selection is good and getting better.

Outstanding! Great service, great food and kid friendly. Get the arancini to start and you can’t go wrong with any of the pasta dishes. We’ve been looking for a good local place we can count on for years… and we’ve finally found it. As good as any Italian you’ll find in Toronto and the old house setting is beautiful.

On nice sunny Sunday eve we decided to seat in the patio.
Truly enjoyed the service and relaxing atmosphere.
Funghi Pizza, arancini and Belgium ale on tap are truly 5 starts. The cheese cake with Gelato I will not recommend, there are better places to have it. Will definitely to come back for more Pizza:)

What a hidden gem in King City! The exterior is covered with Christmas lights which makes it very festive. The restaurant itself is quite busy so I recommend making a reservation ahead of time.
We were here for dinner and decided to share a bottle of red between the three of us. Price was pretty reasonable, for reds, bottles start at around $ 30. We ordered a calamari salad (~$ 16) which was delicious and a PLT pizza to share. The pizza is a must try. Great presentation and the pizza itself was topped up like a salad!
Would highly recommend anyone looking for a Christmas dinner place and one that is not going to cost you an arm and leg while still having great food!

Very popular restaurant. Came here to catch up with some old friends, ordered the calamari salad and the P.L.T. pizza, and shared a bottle of Seven Peaks cabernet sauvignon.
The arugula essentially melted in my mouth and went very well with the calamari, which was cooked nicely such that it was just right – not too tough. The PLT, on the other hand, not so much. I would have much preferred the pizza to have been warm/​hot, as it was served relatively cold. Despite having many toppings on a flat crust, this aspect caused me to reduce my ratings. Service was decent, waiter frequently visited our table to check up on us/​refill what was needed. We needed to be ushered out by 8:30PM because of a subsequent reservation. The bill turned up to be just over $ 90 including tax and tips. Not too bad for a fancy night out, but don’t expect to be stuffed.
Overall, I give this experience 3 stars, as I was a bit disappointed by the pizza, but everything else was perfectly in place.

Great first experience. Will definitely be going back soon. If you’re looking for some great food and service — give it a try. Shared grilled calamari = decent. Enjoyed a grilled pork chop on a bed of sweet potato purée, brussel sprouts, and a drunken apple. Wife enjoyed the short ribs. And the delicious sour-​cherry pie with a nice espresso perfectly capped the night. Only ask, would have liked the pie slightly warmed.

I love this place! Best restaurant I’ve been to in the area by far, reminds me of Northern Cali. Pizza was perfect, risotto balls always delicious. One of my favorite dishes was the butternut squash agnolotti. The flavor combo of sweet and savory was so good, and the pasta cooked to perfection. The servers know their stuff and are so friendly! My only wish is that they would open for lunch on the weekends.

Locale Restaurant a diamond in the rough that most people drive by. Situated across from Hogan’s Restaurant on Keele and Kingside Road. You know the saying «when in Rome do as the Romans do». Sad to say I didn’t and had a grilled chicken sandwich was good but not as good as some of the other Italian items I saw been served next to me. I was looking for lasagna but that is only part if their dinner menu.
Cute patio and very nice indoor dining décor. Staff were very pleasant. Small Parking lot in the back of the restaurant, otherwise you have to take your chance on the road. Close to 400 Hwy. I’ll go back.

Was at Locale tonight for dinner. As usual, everything was great… except the host. Not a smile to be found on this one. Not sure why it was such a big deal for her to find us a spot on the half empty patio. I did mention our interest in the patio when booking our reservation.
Food was great.
Server was great.
Host was subpar (seems to be a trend here) …as they have yet to seat us where we request.

The options in the area are obviously not plentiful yet I’d put Locale up against any of downtown TOs Italian fare.

I first reviewed this place when it just did take-​out, and I’ve since been a couple of times and I’ve got to say …
I’M IN LOVE
King City is my home town. This historic building was a book store when I was a little girl, then it was a coffee shop that my best friend and I went to when we were in highschool, and now it’s a casual/​cool/​elegant DELICIOUS Italian restaurant where I can stuff my face and grab a drink.
The food is spot on in terms of flavour and preparation. Aranchini (rice balls) change weekly but are always tasty. Pizza is authentic Italian thin crust and the pasta and salads are unique and delicious.
I love their dessert Menu, they are getting their pies from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky downtown this summer. Americano is one of the best I’ve had at a restaurant.
Make the trek up to good old King City and enjoy Locale!

I decided to take the advice from someone much wiser than I, and visited this newer business for lunch. A surprising taste of southern Italy in the tiny village of King City, Locale is located near the intersection of King Road and Keele almost directly across the street from the well known Hogans Inn.
Driving past it for the past 3 months almost daily, no new business has been on my radar for as long as Locale, who made the transition from take-​out to a sit down dining space in December 2012. The menu which apparently changes with the seasons is primarily Italian/​Italian fusion. However, after viewing the menu I would say it is more specifically a Southern Italian (Calabrese and Sicilian) influenced menu with items such as Arancini, and Smelts.
A contemporary looking spot with exposed wire lighting above and rustic looking wide hardwood floors below. Locale offers a splash of sophisticated casual fine dining in an unexpected and unassuming converted historical home. In layman’s terms, this place is swanky. DATE SPOT ALERT!!! Impressive and surprising! Boys you’d be remiss to not add this to your list of places to take your lady.
After taking the tour of this unique space we took our seats and immediately began to drool over the delicious menu options. My DC and I looked at the pizza’s that were pouring out of the kitchen and while they looked delicious (on my to do list for a future visit) we decided on a different course.
To begin we decided to share two appetizers; Fried calamari with smelts and Aragosta arancini (lobster arancini with Brie). The Calamari was passable and not much different from the norm, however the smelts were incredibly well done and the traditional strong fishy taste of the smelts was well managed and tasted amazing. The arancini was amazing! With the mix of lobster risotto and Brie in the middle it was a welcome difference from the norm — highly recommend this as a shareable appy.
Then came what I will call, the money maker, our main course. My DC and I both perused the menu and somehow both independently landed decided to have the Lasagna alla bolognese (with bechiamella). The portions that came to our table were massive. Wide, plate filling portions layered expertly with meat sauce, pasta, bechimella sauce cooked to perfection without the lasagna crust on top (which is caused by over cooking the top layer — I hate that. This was … wait for it…
The BEST Lasagna I have ever had at a restaurant.
The moment the first bite hit my lips I was sold. It brought me back to my childhood and the excitement I would feel when I found out we were having lasagna for dinner. Have you ever salivated from a meal while you were eating it? Because that was a first for me and had I not been in a public place I would have made a mess of myself by discarding my utensils and going whole hog on this face first.
Service was wonderful and our server made excellent recommendations and was a pure joy to chat with over lunch. Thank you!
Things to look forward to: Opening up a cocktail lounge on the second floor of the house, presently under renovation. After speaking to one of the servers they let me know that they plan on offering a mix of more fruity «ladies night» cocktails and traditional classics (Sidecars, Old Fashioneds, etc). I cannot wait to make this my alcoholic home away from home office — hopefully they have free WiFi.
Eatcrest Out!