Amano Trattoria

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Room That Makes You Want to Linger

At 9 Church Street in Toronto, Amano Trattoria — operating as Notte Ristorante — is the kind of Italian trattoria that earns its Gambero Rosso 2 Forks recognition not through ceremony but through consistency. Dark, warm, and loud enough to feel alive, the room was designed for long evenings: candlelit tables, a welcoming bar, and an atmosphere that quietly resists any reason to leave early.

The Kitchen Behind It

Chef Michael Angeloni, owner and operator, brings over a decade of Toronto hospitality to the project — including stints at The Berczy Tavern and Lucie Restaurant. His philosophy is direct: fresh pasta, good ingredients, wine priced fairly, and no pretense. "We don't take ourselves too seriously," he says. "That's the whole point."

The kitchen follows through. Pasta is made in-house every day, from handmade Agnolotti Primavera filled with spring pea and mascarpone to bronze-die Rigatoni alla Bolognese built on AAA brisket and prosciutto di Parma. Roman-style pizza goes through a 72-hour process — five types of flour, 80% hydration, twice-baked — arriving at the table with an airy crumb and a genuinely crisp base. Out front, the salumi bar is composed and considered: Finocchiona with Nonna's pickled tomato, 36-month Parmigiano with aged balsamic and pear, whipped 'nduja with stracciatella on toast.

For secondi, the 12oz bone-in Veal Parmigiana — panko-crusted, finished with 40-clove tomato sauce and spicy 'nduja — is a statement. After 9pm, a 28oz Bistecca Fiorentina emerges from the kitchen, Tuscan-spiced with rosemary and salsa verde, and priced to reward those who stay.

Aperitivo to Amaro

The evening is structured around time as much as food. Aperitivo runs from 4pm, with spritzes — Aperol, Hugo, Cynar — and a cocktail list priced to encourage a second round. The Italian wine program spans the peninsula: a Cannonau di Sardegna from Argiolas, a Chianti Colli Senesi from Panizzi, a Moscato Giallo from the Dolomites. Markups are kept deliberately fair. Magnums are available for the table. A deep amaro selection closes the night.

Sunday brings a separate ritual: slow-braised meats, tagliatelle with sugo, and the signature 40-clove tomato gravy, served family-style for two. It's the kind of weekly anchor that builds regulars — which, by Angeloni's own account, is exactly the point.