The Hornero Restaurant

It's been a long day. A long day of studying with some lounging around in between. So it's only natural to crave a fantastic dinner to top it all off. My friend's birthday dinner is rolling around at a perfect time! Italian food is on the agenda for tonight, and who am I to say no to Italian?? I've been all over Toronto, searching for that perfect Italian joint that will give me everything I want. The food, the friendliness, the ambience. Hoping I haven't set my standards too high, I venture off into the light rain/snow (or however you want to define Toronto's indecisive weather), to see what The Hornero Restaurant is all about.

We turn left onto Maitland and immediately the "Hornero" illuminating lights make themselves known down the street. We enter the restaurant and are immediately overwhelmed with how quiet it is. Even with a small whisper and a subtle look, the whole restaurant is our audience. Trying our best to overcome this, we sit down at the longest table in the vicinity. We spend a good three minutes catching up with friends before the waiter decides to make an appearance. He hurriedly scampers around the table, making sure the newcomers know what their options are for food. As quick as he's there, he's gone in a flash, only to return 30 seconds later with a pitcher of water. I'm astounded by the pace this guy is moving at. Is he running the whole restaurant? My suspicions are more and more confirmed as the evening progresses, but more on that later.

When I go out to an Italian restaurant, I like to enjoy a nice glass of red wine (preferably chianti) with my meal. It's tradition. So I'm mildly surprised when there's no wine list in sight. I ask the waiter for one, and staying true to his character, he dashes off to another table, returning to place the list in my hands. For anyone who isn't looking to splurge on an entire bottle, you're not going to have much luck here. If you're going for a glass, be prepared to narrow your choices down to a simple "Red wine" or "White wine". I'm going with the red. It's a Merlot so not too bad, but I am a Chianti person through and through when it comes to Italian, so this is kind of a buzzkill. I try to get the waiter's attention amongst the hustle and bustle of his attention span. He puts up his pointer finger to let me know I'll be waiting longer than I thought. We look through the menu so we can catch him at the next opportune moment. Now I'm no expert in Argentinian food, but I think there's some sneaky false advertising going on here. The website advertises this place as the "best Argentinian and Italian restaurant in the downtown core" (a little arrogant no??). But this place is screaming Italian to me. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when the waiter returns to our table. He takes our meal orders, and I manage to slip my drink order in there too. 

The bread and the caesar salad arrive first. I'm not feeling any authenticity here whatsoever. The bread is presented in a generic bread basket, with little packets of butter placed in between each slice. I can get this pretty much at any chain restaurant, so why would I want this in what's supposed to be "the best Italian restaurant". Place some oil and vinegar out there, then maybe we can talk. The caesar salad isn't much better. I feel like I'm eating dressing with a side of lettuce instead of the other way around. The croutons are abundant, perhaps to make up for the lack of quality that is the salad. At this point, I'm not setting my sights so high for the pizza.

But the pizza does arrive, and it's certainly an improvement. Although nothing of Café Diplomatico or Grazie quality, (BEST Italian food in Toronto by FAR!), it's putting in a good effort to look appealing. I take a bite and it's what I expected, not the greatest, but definitely satisfactory for this evening. My friend orders a Coke to go along with her pizza, which never ends up seeing the light of day. 

Once everyone has finished up their meals, the waiter is immediately on our case as to how we'll be paying. We ask for separate bills. Wrong answer. He goes off on a rant as to how he's extremely busy (which I believe translates into "I'm running the restaurant!"), so we quickly calm him down by saying we'll pay by his rules. So one by one we form an orderly queue, stretching across half the restaurant (and if we weren't drawing attention to ourselves before, we certainly are now). I tell him what I had, and he immediately brings up the fact that I split my caesar salad with my friend. I say that I'll pay for it now, it's not a big deal since she's my roommate, I'll get her share of the money later. He nods quickly and yet again tells me how much easier it'll be for him if I pay for it all now, (I think he's trying to reassure himself more than anyone else at this point). 

I pay my bill, and go to the washroom, located deep down in the basement. It's your typical restaurant washroom, nothing much to report on there. We all make our way outside and walk up Yonge Street to our next destination. I'm hoping that The Hornero Restaurant is just a small bump in what otherwise is shaping up to be a promising Friday night.

Let's SCALE it:

Group of Friends: 2 - Mostly couples or friends, intending to start their weekend off with an intimate dinner. We had some eyes on us, being the biggest group in the place, and the restaurant-goer will be very conscious not to reveal anything too personal as the quiet bodes well for nosy neighbours.

Fanciness: 6/10 - Smart casual.

Ambience: 4.5/10 - Very generic restaurant feel.

Location: 9/10 - They're located in a frequented area on Yonge, just below Wellesley. 

Food/Drink Selection: 8.5/10 - They have a pretty good selection as to what you would expect from an Italian restaurant.

Food/Drink Quality: 6/10 - The pizza was pretty good, but the appetizers were a whole different story. They definitely need to re-evaluate their wine options.

Leftovers Quality: 7.5/10 - The food holds up the next day, but the pizza was very very salty!

Service: 5.5/10 - Our waiter didn't come around too often, and when he did he was in quite a tizzy.

Price: 8.5/10 - Good value for what you get.

First Impressions: 6/10 - Even though it was generic, I was certainly feeling the low-key, intimate vibe.

Last Impressions: 4.5/10 - After sitting through a meal with the loudest table in the room, it's only natural to feel self-conscious.

Population: Older crowd, think 40s-60s.

Summary: The Hornero Restaurant is a BLIP on my radar!

528 Yonge Street


Toronto, ON M4Y 1X9


(416) 324-8884


www.hornero.ca