Giulietta

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Vision Realized on College Street

In 2017, Chef Rob Rossi made a deliberate choice: he closed Bestellen, his five-year-old critically acclaimed restaurant, to pursue something closer to his heart. The result was Giulietta, which opened in spring 2018 at 972 College Street and almost immediately made its mark — ranked number five on En Route Magazine's Canada's Best New Restaurants list just months after opening. That early recognition has only deepened over time, with Gambero Rosso now counting Giulietta among its acknowledged addresses.

The Chef Behind the Table

Rossi's path to Giulietta ran through Canoe, the Mercatto group, and a runner-up finish on the first season of Top Chef Canada. But the instinct driving him is simpler than any résumé entry: "I used to cook with my mum all the time. It's one of those jobs that doesn't feel like a job. It's just part of my life." That ease shows in the room. Giulietta is his first project with partner David Minicucci, and the detail Rossi fought hardest for was the chef's bar — seating right in the heart of the kitchen action. "Part of cooking is entertaining," he says, and the bar makes that philosophy literal.

What's on the Table

The menu reads as confident, ingredient-led Italian cooking without any pretense of reinvention. Spuntini range from Carciofi alla Giudia — crispy fried artichokes with tomato aioli and lemon — to Carne Crudo with black truffles, egg yolk, and piadina croccante. Pasta is a serious business here: Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe follows the Roman tradition faithfully, while Traianoli con Funghi fills handmade pasta with chestnut and porcini, finished in sage brown butter. The wood-fired pizza section holds its own, from the classic La Regina '1889' with San Marzano tomatoes and bufala mozzarella to La Giulietta itself — Sicilian Bronte pistachio, lardo di Modena, and smoked scamorza.

For larger appetites, a whole grilled European sea bream (Orata alla Griglia) and a bone-on Haldimand County striploin Bistecca alla Fiorentina anchor the secondi. The bar program is equally considered, with a rotating roster of Negroni variations, a deep aperitivo list, and one of Toronto's more serious grappa and amaro selections.

The Atmosphere

Giulietta is sleek without being cold, and the chef's bar ensures there is always a sense of occasion, whether you are watching the kitchen at close range or settled into the dining room. It is Italian cooking rooted in genuine affection — for the food, for the guest, and for the act of gathering around a table.