DaNico

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Historic Setting in the Heart of Little Italy

DaNico occupies a landmark bank building at 440 College Street, in Toronto's Palmerston-Little Italy neighbourhood. The space was conceived as a collaboration between hospitality entrepreneur Nick Di Donato of Liberty Entertainment Group and Executive Chef and partner Daniele Corona — a pairing whose complementary strengths are reflected in the restaurant's very name. Bespoke design and unparalleled hospitality set the tone from the moment guests arrive.

The Chef Behind the Kitchen

Chef Daniele Corona grew up in Naples, where a family deeply passionate about food sparked a vocation that would take him through some of Italy's most decorated kitchens. After training at the I.P.S.E.O.A. Duca Di Buonvicino Culinary Institute, he worked at Milan's Trussardi alla Scala (one Michelin star) and Rome's Oliver Glowig (two Michelin stars), before joining the team at Don Alfonso 1890 on the Amalfi Coast.

In 2018 he moved to Canada to lead Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto, which earned its first Michelin Star in 2022 under his direction. He brought that same drive to DaNico in 2023, and in 2024 the restaurant received its own first Michelin Star — making Corona the first and only Italian chef in Canada to earn a Michelin star at two different restaurants.

Modern Italian Cuisine with Global Precision

The kitchen's philosophy is rooted in contemporary Italian culinary traditions, with subtle Asian influences and techniques woven through the menu, always anchored by the finest local and sustainable Canadian ingredients. The result is Italian cuisine that feels both deeply familiar and genuinely surprising.

The Signature Tasting Menu moves through a sequence of precisely composed courses: cured and torched saba mackerel with zucchine alla scapece and smoked buffalo milk foam; veal Provimi with Ontario fingerling saffron foam, wild ramp pesto and sturgeon caviar; roasted ravioli filled with smoked B.C. King salmon brandade, Château de Bourgogne sauce and Japanese ikura; Chilean sea bass steamed and deglazed with miso, finished with Oscetra sturgeon caviar and white vermouth sauce; and Wagyu tenderloin marinated twelve hours, charcoal grilled with shishito pepper, baby bok choy and fresh wasabi. The meal closes with Terra — a Burgundy truffle mousse with spiced pecan praline, chocolate crumble and maple whiskey snow.

The à la carte menu adds dishes such as Fettuce from a Tuscan pastificio infused with marinara broth and finished with Japanese chutoro tuna tartare, and a Carnaroli risotto with braised Ontario lamb shoulder and Piemontese bagnetto verde.

The Wine List

The sommelier-led wine pairing programme — recognised with Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence in 2024 — offers both a Classic and a Premium tier, ranging from Franciacorta and Sicilian Etna Rosso to Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux and Tokaji Aszú. Gambero Rosso has awarded DaNico its top 3 Forks distinction for 2025, further affirming the restaurant's standing among the best Italian tables outside Italy.