A popular Italian restaurant is expanding with an 8,000-square-foot outpost
Oretta’s new Front Street location will be its biggest yet
Toronto’s dining scene is getting yet another dose of la dolce vita. Oretta, the popular Italian restaurant with King West and midtown locations, is expanding downtown with its largest space yet.
Set to open in early October inside Cadillac Fairview’s landmark office tower at 160 Front Street, the new outpost will span over 8,000 square feet, with 330 seats spread across multiple levels. Also: 25-foot vaulted ceilings, a curving central bar, a retractable indoor-outdoor patio with CN Tower views and—for big game nights—a hidden projector screen that drops from the ceiling.
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A central presentation kitchen anchors the main floor, and tableside service is baked into the concept. “Tableside theatrics are really important to us,” says Salvatore Mele of Oretta Hospitality. That includes new dishes like paccheri alla vittorio, made with top-tier Mancini pasta and a creamy sauce of four tomato varieties, tossed tableside in a copper pan and finished with fresh Genovese basil. “It’s the best tomato sauce you’ll ever try,” says Gabriele Di Marco, executive chef at Oretta.
The rest of the menu will blend Oretta’s staples with new dishes designed to suit both power lunches and pre-game crowds. There’s a lineup of Argentine beef cuts and lamb racks alongside Oretta’s signature spaghettone cacio e pepe, handmade pasta tossed in a hollowed-out pecorino wheel. Diners can expect more tableside theatrics too, including fresh-piped cannoli.
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“Tableside service is fun for diners, but it also gives us a chance to share the story behind the food,” says Di Marco. “They can learn where it comes from and how we made it.”
The all-day concept will also include a weekday café serving bomboloni, focaccia sandwiches and pastries. “It’s casual, but it’s fine casual,” says Mele. “You can have a nice dinner and really dine, or you can just have an easy pizza.”
Italian-leaning cocktails will include a slushy riff on a sgroppino made with lemon sorbet, vodka and prosecco that’s equal parts aperitivo and dessert.
The downtown expansion keeps everything that works about Oretta while making room for a little more spectacle. “Our goal is to make memories with the food,” says Di Marco.
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.
