Craving authentic Italian cuisine? Look no further than the hidden gem of Pickering Village in Ajax: Casa Verde. Taking over the business in 1991, head chef Roberto Scagliotti embraces the tastes and techniques of traditional Italian cuisine. “From our homemade pastas and sausages to lasagnas and sauces, everything is cooked in-house from fresh ingredients,” says Roberto. “Nothing is ever pre-cooked or frozen.”
Housed in a stone building built in the 1860s, Casa Verde's ambience is as authentic and inviting as its menu. “We’ve done our best to preserve the stone foundation, large windows, and even the floors, whenever possible,” explains Roberto. “It’s a very intimate and romantic restaurant.”
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I used to go there all the time until I moved to Toronto but am planning to go back soon as the food is excellent and the owner is wonderful. Wonderful customer service
I have to say I am truly amazed by some of the reviews seen here. The behaviour described by other reviewers seems so out of place compared to the staff and proprietors we met back in April of this year. My husband and I took a family member there who was visiting out of town. We had tried to visit to celebrate our first wedding anniversary there but the restaurant was closed on Easter Monday (oops, our mistake). Having spent our honeymoon in Rome we were excited to re-create the experience here at home. We were greeted very warmly and seated right away even though we didn't have a reservation. We found that making a reservation would be best for our next visit as this place gets packed very quickly. Our appetizers were lovely, the pasta was fantastic and the owner / mother-of-the-chef came by periodically to check on us. We will definitely be going back.
Beautiful homemade food. Real ingredients prepared well. I have never been disappointed at Casa V, I always leave full and satisfied. Great portions, good prices, cozy atmosphere and friendly staff. It's the perfect spot for an amazing meal.
I attended this restaurant in a large group and was blown away by the service! Our waiter was very educated on all the food being offered and was very friendly. It was clear that the food had time put into it and the quality was incredible. My entire table was raving over this food. My chicken dish was no average chicken, it was above and beyond my expectations! If you are looking for a beautiful dinner with generous portions, Casa Verde is the place for it!
They can take a reservation, but apparently they cannot keep one! I booked a reservation for my wife and another couple a few weeks ago because we always wanted to try this place. We got there and gave them our name, but they could not find our reservation. I told them when I made the reservation, but they could not find it. I don't think they believed us because we were questioned if we 'really' made a reservation! Wow. Not a good first impression. They said they were full and asked us to wait for a table to open up or asked if we wanted to come back in an hour or so! Huh? This place is not big and by us looking around, it looked like it would be a long wait, so we left, did not return...and you know what, we never will.
My wife and I were very excited about trying this restaurant as we heard that it was quite good. We started with the mussels that the waiter said was amazing. They were everything but amazing... They were so small and the liquid was nothing more than tasteless broth and a splash of wine. Then came the pasta. One would hope that an authentic Italian restaurant would make its own pasta... not this place....cheap store bought penne and spaghetti. Then we order the "so called" home made Creme Brulee. It took all of two seconds for my wife and I to notice that it was the same taste and containers from the ones we bought a month ago from Costco. The waiter even said that they by there containers from Costco.... Ya right!!! It was the same stuff The final shocker of the night came when we heard our waiter serving another table say to his patrons who ordered fruit that the strawberries in the fridge had mold on them and he did not feel comfortable serving them. I wonder why is there molded strawberries in the fridge and what else molded that made it way to my table? It would have been better for him to say that they had no strawberries. Also, did not make sense that the owner/ chef was walking around the dining room in his dirty apron and baggy pants serving patrons. Please show some class!!! Only good thing was the house wine... In summary... beware and keep out!!!
Good food but quite small portions!
A beautiful Saturday nite on the patio... but where is everyone? We made reservations, but no need, unlike about a year ago, when we were turned away. The patio is nice and shady.. and the drone of Hwy 2 fades quickly with good company. The low "Atmosphere" rating only reflects the lack of clients... or buzz... Food was fresh, prepared simply and served quickly. The flavour of all the dishes was fine, nothing really to write home about, but good overall. The mushrooms were quite tasty, but the crab pasta was kinda short on crab and the fish special was really not at all that special. At this time of year I expect at least a litle local seasonal goodness on menus in quality restaurants, but nada here. We enjoyed a nice wine and service was pleasant. The opportunity to be served by the chef was interesting.... We'll probably go back... as long as we're not the only ones!
We went with another couple on a Thursday night. The bread served was not warm and was brought to the table AFTER the bruschetta was already served. The bruschetta portions were pretty small. My carrot-apple soup was more like a thick puree and needed a bit more seasoning. Everyone enjoyed their main courses (my lobster was a bit overdone though), however we found that serving a main dish with ONE BABY potato was pretty stingy! For dessert, we ate a creme brulee, which was very good. I had the tiramisu, which I'm sorry to say was pretty bad. I eat a lot of Tiramisu, and the marscapone cheese is NOT supposed to be a liquid sugary topping to the lady fingers. It was goupy and had granules of sugar in it. I didn't find a strong espresso taste at all. I was really surprised, considering they make their own. There are better places to eat that don't cost this much. We didn't think it was worth the price (dinner for 4 came to $200.00 including tax and tip)
The food was excellent - this is one of the places you tend to miss because it is so small. It is a bit pricey, I don't mind if the food is really good. Service was OK, but somewhat uninspired, food quality made up for it. It did feel somewhat cramped.
We've been to Casa Verde numerous times over the past years. Have enjoyed it every time. Food is always delicious and setting is lovely. However, after dropping more than $300.00 last evening for a party of four people (two adults, two teens - special celebratory Christmas-time dinner with our children), we've decided to give it a break for a while for the following two reasons: 1. There is no friendly conversation whatsoever from servers. The busboy was the friendliest person, although I don't frankly think he would be "allowed" to be any friendlier than he was. It's obvious things are ruled by one particular waiter (short, dark hair, glasses) and ruled with an iron thumb. This man never acknowledges anyone with a friendly smile or a "thanks for coming this evening!". And we are tired of this. We know of many other places in the Ajax area who have people working there (as well as the owners, managers) who are actually pleased to have you dining at their restaurant (and they really show it!) . 2. Portions are getting noticeably smaller - it's nice not to have your plate overflowing with food, but last night was a little ridiculous.
the best restarnt ever!i wish i had time to come every day!!!the owners are like my own mom and dad,there so KIND!!!the food is truly from italy i just went their and the food is the SAME!!!OMG i love it there sooooooooo much !!!its worth all the money!!
A tiny, quaint Italian restaurant with foods typical of the owner's home region (Liguria) in Northern Italy (more influenced by Swiss/German cooking than the south). We are there every couple of weeks and enjoy the staff, atmosphere, and food immensely. The staff are a bit formal in their presentation, which is a pleasant contrast to the typical roadhouse theme of Ajax/Pickering. Prices are excellent for the quality of food you would normally have to head downtown for, but this is not a Steak & Sandwich stop so expect healthy but not gigantic portions. Owner is very committed to maintaining the quality and feel of the restaurant.
This use to be or favorite Restaurant in Durham. We would visit quite frequently and always had friendly courteous service by a waitress that I believe was the owner’s sister-in-law. Unfortunately the sister seems to have moved on and the owners Mother has taken her place. We find her rued, grumpy and very arrogant. It is unfortunate as it has turn s off this restaurant that has great food, but poor service. We have had this same experience 3 times in a row now and will not be in a rush to come back.
Great find, prices very good for the quality of food served. We enjoyed the small, quaint atmosphere.
The food was some of the best italian food I have ever had. The portions were large. It is a very small restaurant, but in my experience that is where you get the best meals and service. I think that the first review on this site is simply vendictive. This restaurant stands up to any I have been to. Good job. PS try the veal WOW
The food is amazing! Great portions and even better tasting! The serivce is amazing the staff and owner are extremely nice and accommodating! They took really GREAT care of us while we were there! We will definetly be back! For a great italian meal in a nice cozy restaurant, I recommend this one, 110%!
My husband and I love this restaurant! The food is excellent, and if you know anything about the price of fine dining in downtown TO, you'll know that the prices here are very reasonable. We really like the cozy atmosphere. We've never felt rushed, which is great because it gives us time to enjoy a most delicious dessert of zabaglione for two!
Exellent choices on menu. There is always something new on the specials. While the neighbouhood demands reasonable $'s the chef wont compromise quality. He simply pays attention to the size of the protion. The wine list is small but it is both tighly aligned with the standard menu and offers two grades of quality. It's a great place to dine.
We enjoyed our visit to this restaurant very much. We had heard so much about it from our son and his wife that we had to go there and see for ourselves. We were extremely pleased with the service. The food was excellent and we had a wonderful window table. It was a very fine dining experience.
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