Sambuca Grill

We went to Valens for Winterlicious. Although we made our reservations a month in advance they made us wait at the door (where it was absolutely freezing) for quite sometime till they figured out the seating arrangement. Once seated, we couldn’t even take our coats off. Felt like we were seated in a refrigerator, the heating was on low. I looked around the restaurant and everyone was bundled up and shivering. Finally someone complained I think, so they turned the heat up.
For starters we ordered mussels and carpaccio. Mussels were good, but the bread they gave us to soak up the broth was stale and cold. The carpaccio was a little chewy, very average. For the main course we wanted to order the lamb shank but they only had one left. So I ordered the veal, my cousins ordered the steak, seafood fettuccini and one lamb shank. Thank the lord for that because the lamb shank turned out to be the worst of the lot. It had a strong smell and wasn’t close to melting off the bones. My veal was ok but the mashed potatoes were heavy and clumped up like glue.
Turned off by the main course, we were quite skeptical about the dessert. However that turned out to be the best part of the meal. We ordered the crème brûlée and the banana cake. The crème brûlée was delicious and the portion was large (not in the usual sized ramekin). The banana cake was moist and flavourful. I could actually taste the real banana pieces.
Overall I’d say if the dessert wasn’t good I think I’d give this place a rating of 1 star. But the dessert made an impact on me so based on that I’m giving it a two.

The place was really cool. Ordered polenta fries, magic mushroom and a sambuca pizza. The mushroom was good. Both the pizza and fries were okay (wasnt very impressed). Three stars is for the ambience and service.

I’ve been a regular enough patron at Sambuca for a number of years. It’s been a great place to have a good meal. Sadly, things have changed. My last visit I ordered a pizza from the daily special and asked for no onions. I was assured it wouldn’t be a problem. After a considerable wait I was served a pizza with onions on it. I told the waiter and he carried it off to the kitchen. To my dismay, he returned immediately and placed it on the table in front of me. I was told the chef said there were no onions. However, after he must have removed some, there were others still clearly visible. I was floored by the way I was treated. Had to order something else. No serious apology… It will be the last time I visited the place.

The food tasted amazing! Food is reasonably priced and fresh. Good service. Fairly large portion. Will definitely come back again!
It would be better if the restaurant can balance out the brightness in all areas of the room. Our table was put in the corner where it was really dark and one of my family members had to turn on the flashlight from the phone to read the menu.

3.5
I’ve had lunch at Sambuca Grill a few times and dinner once. The food is reasonably priced, fresh and made to order. I have ordered the prawn salad and their steak. The salad had a lovely lemon vinaigrette with three prawns. I have ordered their steak and I prefer my steak without sauce drizzled on top of it but I think they provide a gravy which I felt took away from the flavor of the meat. Being dairy intolerant, there were not many options. Something to keep in mind for others out there with the same food insensitivity. The service is wonderful and attentive. The restaurant is fairly small and can get filled quickly, I would recommend reservations.

Came here without much expectation because we were just in the area and there were less people in this patio versus their neighbour. There was a $ 25 prix fixed menu that looked pretty enticing but knowing that I was getting gelato down the street steered me away. I ordered the fungi risotto, and man was it delicious. It was hot and so fresh when being served. With a little bit of fresh pepper and I truly felt this was authentic. While the patio was nice and enjoyable, when paying inside it seemed dark and slightly too warm inside. But I’m not too sure if that changes come the cooler months when the doors are closed. I would definitely come back if I’m in the area !

Amazing food! Loved it!
Went with co-​workers from work and everyone enjoyed their dish. The steak entrée was delicious and very reasonably priced.
We will be coming back for sure…

Great meal! Everything fresh and to custom requests even the 3 course $ 25.00 offer. Courteous, helpful and fun staff! Great experience

Dinner on a Wednesday.
Would I return? Probably not.
We came here after standing next to Valens because we both have been and wanted to try something new. As luck would have it, there was a office party here for secret santa and I think that distracted us a bit from the meal itself (but it was awesome to see).
The décor is okay, dimly lit restaurants always confuse me because don’t you want your patrons to be able to see their food and each other? The place is not very large, probably fits roughly 50 people by my guess. Service was good, greeted, drink orders, asked about our food, etc.
We came for the $ 25 fixed price menu which is listed on their website, we order the mussels, t-​bone steak, jambalaya, tiramisu and cream brulee. The mussels were nice, had a nice broth to it. The steak was over done, but even if it wasn’t, I’m not sure I would have liked it any better. The jambalaya is not what I expected since I was thinking it would be closer to a paella but it was just jambalaya contents on a bed of white rice. Cream brulee was fine, tiramisu I thought was really good though.
All in all, an okay experience but I don’t think I’d come back any time soon.

I love everything about this place, that I also love to go there by myself to enjoy a great meal. Their prices are great, and if you’re a salad fan, they have salmon salad & tiger shrimp salad for only 12 – 13 $, while its a big portion!
I went there for the first time and had the pesto with lemon cream sauce, and wow, the salmon was grilled to perfection, and the plating was pretty as well. I’ll always come back, service is amazing, food is great, the sitting is cozy… and I found out the owner is the chef who cooks in the back, which explains the care that is put in each dish.

i LOVE this place. Been here a bunch of time but every single time i eat the same thing. Peperonata panini (grilled eggplant, zucchini, roasted onion, red peppers, asiago cheese and pesto mayo). It comes with a side of their mista salad which has a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The dressing is SO good, it has a slight sweetness to it and its thicker than just regular balsamic. The bread is good, the grilled veggies are great, the whole dish is just fantastic :)
This time I decided to try something different and I got the Tre colore pasta (fusilli tossed with grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, and asparagus in a basil pesto cream sauce). This was really good! It could’ve used a bit more of the veggies, but the sauce was great, and the portion size was also perfect. I need to start trying more things on their menu.

Absolutely love this spot. The atmosphere is cozy and the food is always fantastic. They even make some of their pasta dishes gluten free which is a plus. They have a fixed price menu year round that is a great value. Great place for date night!

Best surprise in a long time!
While walking down Baldwin Street (in itself a hidden gem and amazing downtown surprise) I came across this cute little Italian restaurant. I was tempted to try it already, and then discovered the three-​course for $ 15 lunch menu! Sold!
I was a bit skeptical about how good my meal would be, as so many places offering these type of deals cheap out on the quality of the final product. However, I needn’t have worried. The tuna bruschetta was an interesting twist on the average bruschetta appetiser, and was pretty tasty — perfectly seasoned tuna served on white Italian bread topped with tomatoes. Unfortunately it wasn’t perfect — the bread was a bit soggy, not the freshest. Then again, we did visit on a holiday. No fresh deliveries that morning, perhaps? The vegetarian risotto I had for mains was packed full of flavour, with the peppers and mushrooms cooked to perfection. The risotto was a nice consistency, not gloopy and stodgy, but not overly watery either. As with all risotto dishes, it was totally filling and left me feeling that I had definitely got my money’s worth.
The caramelised topping of the crème brulee dessert seemed slightly burned, but other than that, the final course was sufficiently tasty and a perfect way to round off our unexpected lunch on Baldwin.
The service was fantastic. Our server was genuine, friendly, speedy and made us feel very welcome even though her shift was soon to finish.
I’d definitely return here. I don’t know anywhere else in Toronto where you could get such a cheap three-​course lunch with the quality of food, nice ambience and excellent service on offer here.

Hidden gem in the middle of downtown!
Amazing food for very decent prices!
We got the mussels, lamb, and salmon salad. Super fresh and amazing flavor. Amazing staff as well!

Food was weak and overpriced. The risotto was like soup and the sangria was made with canned fruit.

I had the Tetrazzini.
The patio is lovely, the service is friendly, and the food is quite good.
The tetrazzini featured fresh ingredients and a sauce that appeared to be real cream, the portion was large as well and I thought I might not finish but the dish’s deliciousness prevailed.

Since having a few decent/​nothing special experiences at Sambuca, when we were stuck on a place for our work holiday lunch, I suggested it. With their giant Italian inspired menu, I figured there would be something for everyone.
I had spoken to them on the phone a few times prior to our reservation, to make changes and additions to the group. When they called an hour before our reservation to confirm, I was quite impressed — considering of all the changes, it was great to receive the call to make sure everything was set up.
HOWEVER — when the 9 of us arrived an hour later, there was no table. The server let us know that previous groups had not moved as quickly, and even though there was another large group’s empty table (they were late), she wouldn’t seat us.
Quite annoyed, she asked us to wait for 10 minutes until the table became free. We waited (luckily our boss hadn’t arrived yet), but the table was still not ready. She suggested we sit at Valens, which is owned by the same person — we agreed, and when she brought us over there, there were still no seats! She suggested seating us at two tables for four at the opposite end of the restaurant — obviously having forgotten we were 9, and not 8.
I was really disappointed by this experience — especially considering the many phone calls and the large sign on the restaurant saying «book your holiday party here».
We ended up at another restaurant — and I will not be back to Sambuca!

Pretty average spot.
Italian food priced reasonably but won’t really ‘wow’ you. I had a sausage pizza for 11 $ which was a good size and cooked somewhere in between thin crust and doughy. They’ve got some lunch specials and salads that looked alright, although the salmon filet looked to be a frozen cut.
Service was adequate.
Is Baldwin street actually good?

Another Baldwin staple which I always tend to not venture in to because the menu never stood out to me and they tend not to do great (or any) lunch specials which is the main meal I frequent here on Baldwin Village.
The restaurant is sadly mostly empty most times I walk past it (but it’s survived for a while now) and their patio is nothing to write home about except for the fact it’s a good people watching spot like any patio on Baldwin is. Much like «Valens» next to it, Sambuca has a large menu main but concentrates on the Italian side of things and in my experience, large menus tend not to bring out the best in the food. I was right on my assumption with my sweet potato purée appetizer being tasty but nothing special. My «Atlantico» pasta entrée was delicious, but the portion was too large (maybe not as a stand alone meal) and they could have done with just a little less sauce. But the salmon was cooked generally well.
Service was quick and it should have been as we were the only patrons for most of our meal and our server was friendly, no complaints there.
A very mediocre restaurant when you consider it’s food, but not a bad experience and prices are while it’s not cheap it’s in a reasonable range. If you want a relatively quick meal get your Italian fix here, but if you’re willing to put up with the slow pace of John’s Italian Café give it a shot, it’s got more of an atmosphere usually.

I guess I’ve been going to a lot more restaurants nowadays and I am expecting more and more as time passes by. However, Sambuca is still one of the top cheap eats that I like to go to on a nice sunny day after work on the patio.
My friends and I went on Friday evening to have dinner there. I made reservations for 5 people — and the funny thing was that there wasn’t *that* many people there to begin with. I ordered myself the special (linguini); and my friends ordered the Sambuca pizza, a salad, a panini, and the piccante. Calamari to share.
The calamari was okay — better than most places that I’ve been to. I was quite impressed by my linguine — can’t complain about it. Large scallops, and great salmon. No one really had anything to complain about other than my friend who got he piccante — and said it wasnt’ spicy enough.
It was definitely a good eat and quite filling. Can’t complain too much.