If your dream is to fly to Italy and enjoy wine, cheese, and all things delicious but you live in too far Canada, then your dream came true with Eataly Toronto. The luxurious Italian food (and more) hall, located in Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood on Bay and Bloor, has opened its first Canadian location of its 35 other locations all around the world.
The Highly Anticipated Opening of Eataly in Toronto
A crowded line formed along Bloor Street in front of the Manulife Centre hours before opening in the cold rain. Earlier that day, Eataly CEOs Nicola Farinetti and Galen Weston Jr. attended the pasta-cutt-ribbon cutting ceremony before the public entered into 50 000 square foot Italian experience all about food.
The Three Floors of Eataly
It’s hard to know exactly where to start when you get there because of all the things you can do, eat, and drink. Each floor was a different experience filled with over 10 000 imported products to taste and buy.
Floor One: Gran Caffé Illy
The first stop for guests is the Gran Caffé Illy, which serves the popular Italian brand’s coffee, pastries, and paninis all day and then regional wine and beer in the evening.
Floor Two: Eat, Try, and Buy
The second floor holds most of the magic of Eataly.
Eat to your heart’s content anything you can imagine at the 4 full-service restaurants and 7 other grab and go eateries catered to every meal of the day. Relax and hang outwith your friends under the sun at La Piazza, modelled after a traditional Italian town square.
You can also wander around trying samples upon samples of prosciutto by itself or on a freshly made pizza, tiramisu made from a recipe of one of the chef’s nonna, 400 types of cheeses, extra-virgin olive oil tastings, and the hazelnut spread. And while you fill your mouth with every sample you pass, you can buy the same imported ingredients at the market.
You’ll never want to eat pizza from a chain restaurant again when you order a handmade pizza prepared in front of you. You can choose from all sorts of pizzas made with the freshest ingredients. Then head to the pasta station where 15 different types of pasta are made and pick from the ever-changing menu based on what the store has that day. And you can’t forget to stop at Il Gelato Artigianale and enjoy flavors that include fior di latte, tiramisu, affogato al caffe, and affogato al liquore. Then bring some home!
Floor Three: The Brewery
As a nod to Yorkville’s history of breweries, Eataly serves a selection of beer made on-site with exclusive flavors at the Birroteca.
Learn to Cook Like Italian Natives
As if Eataly doesn’t provide enough for its customers, it offers a hands-on cooking school that can be booked online and led by professionals who lead demonstrations and share the secrets to making an authentic tasting Italian dish.
But as you browse the store, you can just ask the professionals making the food for recipes and any questions you may have!
