The story
TOCA Restaurant in Toronto is an Italian restaurant at 181 Wellington Street West, inside The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto. Forbes Travel Guide awarded it Four-Star status for 2026, and it also holds one Gambero Rosso fork for 2025.
Alessandro Panattoni has been appointed chef de cuisine, after working in upscale restaurants in Italy, Japan and Canada. The kitchen describes its cooking as refined Italian cuisine built on handmade pasta, seafood and premium meats. Ingredients are seasonal and sourced with care.
A writer for Hotelier who dined at TOCA started with the burrata, then ate a 32-ounce dry-aged bistecca alla fiorentina. The ravioli, filled with caciotta cheese and marjoram and served with tomato sauce, is meant to be shared. The menu also lists spaghetti alla chitarra with slow-simmered wagyu bolognese, and weekend brunch runs as a buffet of seasonal dishes and chef-led selections.
The dining room sits on the upper mezzanine of the hotel, with half-moon booths and abstract light fixtures. The cheese cave stands in the middle of the room behind glass walls and holds cheeses from around the world. Each charger plate is hand-painted by the hotel's resident artist, Jacqueline Poirier, so no two match. Forbes describes the mood as young and hip meeting elegant and sophisticated.
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Half-moon booths, abstract light fixtures and sporadic chalkboard walls surround the restaurant’s main event: the cheese cave. Situated in the middle of the dining room, the cheese cave is surrounded by glass walls and holds myriad gourmet cheeses from all over the world.Perhaps the most endearing quality of TOCA, though, is the hand-painted charger plates. Designed by the hotel’s resident artist, Jacqueline Poirier, each plate is one-of-a-kind and adds to the already quirky character of the restaurant.Because of its convenient location, the Four-Star restaurant serves as the perfect dinner spot before enjoying the city’s nightlife or walking to the theater district to experience Toronto’s thriving cultural scene.TOCA offers handcrafted Italian cuisine complemented by seasonal flavors and locally-sourced produce.The scene at TOCA is young and hip meets elegant and sophisticated. The same can be said for The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, the hotel in which the Four-Star restaurant sits, and the relaxed atmosphere of both will put you at ease while still delivering a fine dining experience.
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