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A sexy new Italian steakhouse is bringing massive cuts of meat and tableside martini service to St. Lawrence

Sammarco is the new bisteccheria from the team behind Giulietta and Osteria Giulia

By Jessica Huras| Photography by Nicole and Bagol

| June 25, 2025

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A 32-ounce ribeye is finished simply with sea salt and olive oil, and served with a side of salmoriglio—a zesty Sicilian sauce of oregano, garlic, lemon, chili and olive oil—along with Maldon salt

Name: Sammarco Contact: 4 Front St. E., sammarco.ca, @sammarcosteak
Neighbourhood: St. Lawrence
Owners: Rob Rossi and David Minicucci Chef: Rob Rossi Accessibility: Not fully accessible

Sammarco is the long-envisioned third act from Rob Rossi and David Minicucci, completing the arc that began with Giulietta and Osteria Giulia. “It’s the final piece of the trilogy for David and I,” says Rossi. “We started off with Giulietta, which is central Italian—more convivial, with lots of pizza and pasta. Then came Osteria Giulia, which is seafood-focused. And we always wanted to have what we thought would be our crown jewel, which is Sammarco.”

Bisteccheria Sammarco's corporate chef Shuning Tang, Rob Rossi and chef de cuisine Steve Allery — Corporate chef Shuning Tang, Rob Rossi and chef de cuisine Steve Allery

Bisteccheria Sammarco, housed in a sleek Old Town space, reimagines the classic steakhouse through an Italian lens. “It’s a unique concept because there aren’t really any Italian steakhouses around,” Rossi says. “It gave us the chance to define it in our own way.”

That meant channelling the grandeur and ritual of an American steakhouse while staying true to Italian sensibilities, especially when it comes to sourcing. The restaurant’s dry-aged beef program features only Ontario-raised meat, all from Cumbrae’s. “The mindset of Italian cooking is to use what’s around you,” says Rossi. “You’re not going to find a chef in Italy importing ingredients from 3,000 kilometres away.”

Chefs make pasta in a restaurant kitchen

The Food

Instead of an encyclopedic steak selection, Sammarco keeps things simple with just four cuts. All the beef is aged in-house for a minimum of 60 days, trimmed on-site and cooked in an upright broiler. Steaks are seasoned with house-made samoya, a herbed salt that reflects the restaurant’s roots. “It follows the Italian tradition of grilling seasoned meat, but it also doesn’t impart any radical flavours,” says Rossi. “It adds grassy, herbal notes.”

A chef holding tongs grills a steak over an open flame in the kitchen of a restaurant

Chefs put the finishing touches on dishes in a restaurant kitchen

But the biggest surprise isn’t the beef—it’s what’s happening elsewhere on the menu. “The meat is the easy part,” says Rossi. “The rest of the menu is where we really get an opportunity to shine.” The seafood, vegetables and regional plates are just as compelling as the steaks. “It’s always flavour first, so the food is more modern than traditional Italian fare,” says Rossi. “It’s not always about being staunch Italian—it’s more of an ethos.”

The bread and salad courses at Bisteccheria Sammarco — Sammarco’s bread course is a trio of rosemary focaccia, buttery milk buns and toasted grano arso crostini served with grass-fed butter and sea salt ($12). For the Insalata Contadina, snappy gem and Bibb lettuces come dressed in a herb-packed green goddess–style dressing with aged parmigiano-reggiano. It rests on a base of buttermilk streaked with lemon-thyme oil ($18)

Beef tenderloin tartare and Atlantic blue fin tuna carpaccio — Up top, we have finely diced beef tenderloin seasoned with garlic, sea salt, black pepper and colatura di alici (anchovy essence), finished with a little dome of burrata from Puglia ($40). Below, Atlantic bluefin tuna, sliced wafer-thin, sits on a bed of foie gras mousse along with chives, blood orange, sea salt and lemon for balance and zing ($45)

Crudités with bagna cauda and a spread of raw seafood — On the left is the Cazzimperio Romano, which pairs crisp spring crudités with a creamy bagna càuda lightened with crème fraîche and bay leaf oil ($30). It’s joined by a raw bar spread that trades the usual tiered tower for twin silver platters piled with lobster, oysters, razor clams, shrimp, scallops and tender slices of cured salmon. The seafood selection rotates based on what’s freshest ($32 and up)

A plate of Fettuccine alla Scrofa Cento Uova — There’s just one pasta on the menu, and it’s a show-stopper: Fettuccine alla Scrofa Cento Uova. The golden strands, made with 100 egg yolks per batch, are cloaked in an ultra-luxurious sauce of St. Brigid’s butter and 24-month-aged parmigiano-reggiano. $78

A closeup of Fettuccine alla Scrofa Cento Uova — And here’s a closeup, just because

The eight-ounce tenderloin, seared and cooked to a perfect medium-rare, arrives bathed in a rich pepe verde sauce made with veal jus, red wine, brandy, mustard, shallots, green peppercorns and a swirl of reduced cream and sherry vinegar. $110

Baked Alaska — A playful take on baked Alaska, the Bomba Glacée combines vanilla gelato with strawberry-rhubarb conserva, dehydrated strawberries and almond cookies for a subtle crunch. It’s finished with a dramatic cap of torched meringue. $24

The Crema di Cocco layers coconut cream with toasted coconut and makrut lime on a nutty almond and coconut base. It’s finished with a dollop of whipped cream, a touch of lime curd and shards of coconut tuile. A scattering of lime zest and toasted almonds adds texture and lift. $24

The Drinks

At Sammarco, the bar program is designed to complement, not compete. “We’re a restaurant first,” says bar manager Sam Couchman. “It’s food first, wine second, and the bar program fills out the rest.”

That doesn’t mean it’s an afterthought. The cocktails lean in to timeless simplicity. “Every drink should feel like it could have been ordered 80 years ago,” Couchman says. To that end, guests can expect classic profiles, clean presentations and absolutely no fluff. Cutting-edge bar techniques underpin the old-school philosophy: the team makes most ingredients from scratch, including their own vermouth, aperitivo and gentian liqueur.

The wine list is just as carefully considered, built around standout Italian and Canadians labels along with picks from the US and the rest of Europe.

A server pours a martini tableside at Bisteccheria Sammarco in Toronto — A homage to the famed tableside pours at Dukes and the Connaught in London, cart service is available for several cocktails

The Carlevale Martini blends Jindea Single Estate Gin, Champagne vermouth, Meyer lemon and a Castelvetrano olive for a bright, citrus-laced finish. $50 — The Carlevale Martini blends Jindea Single Estate gin, champagne, vermouth, Meyer lemon and a Castelvetrano olive for a bright, citrus-laced finish. $50

The Mezzo Mezzo is a clarified take on a New York sour made with Michter’s rye, Grappa di Barolo, spiced orange and whey, then finished with a float of Medici Lambrusco. The result is smooth and layered, with a touch of effervescence. $40

The Alpinista is made with Sipsmith gin, house-made basil liqueur, mint cordial, lime and egg whites — The Alpinista puts a herbaceous spin on a gin sour with Sipsmith gin, house-made basil liqueur, mint cordial, lime and egg white. The result is a refreshing, citrusy sip with a silky finish. $22

The Space

Curated by Toronto’s II by IV Design, the room references its Italian heritage while embracing contemporary luxury. Guests enter through a glowing amber glass portal into the bar, where polished brass accents and hand-poured terrazzo flooring set a moody, cinematic tone. The palette of deep wood, oxblood leather and gleaming metal feels as much Milan fashion house as modern ristorante. Many of the restaurant’s core elements—woodwork, stone, glass and metal—were hand-crafted by Canadian artisans, echoing Italy’s legacy of master craftsmanship with a local perspective.

The artwork lining the walls is said to be one of the largest collections ever installed in a Canadian restaurant. Each piece in the diverse mix of illustrations and paintings by local artists was hand-selected by the design agency’s founding partners.

The dining room and bar at Bisteccheria Sammarco

Looking from the dining room to the bar at Sammarco, an Italian steakhouse in Toronto

A closeup of the bar, set for service, at Bisteccheria Sammarco

The dining room at Sammarco, an Italian steakhouse in Toronto's St. Lawrence neighbourhood

Curved banquette seating in the dining room of Sammarco, an Italian steakhouse

Oxblood-red leather banquette seating in the dining room of Bisteccheria Sammarco — The oxblood leather seating was inspired by vintage Italian car interiors

Semi-private dining pods curve beneath a ceiling dome, offering both privacy and a sense of spectacle at the centre of the room

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Jessica Huras

Jessica Huras is a freelance writer and editor with over a decade of experience creating food, travel and lifestyle content. She’s a content editor for the LCBO’s Food & Drink magazine, and her work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Chatelaine, Toronto Life and Elle Canada, among other publications.

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