Porchetta & Co.

Porchetta & Co.
825 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario

647-352-6611

In her opinion:
After a fabulous day in Toronto. We wanted something good but not to heavy for dinner. So since the decision about where to go was up to me...I decided that it would be Porchetta & Co. I have heard amazing things about their pork sandwiches so I had to see what all the fuss was about.

This petite gem in Portugal Village is really small. I would say there is seating for maybe 6 in total. But the food quality is huge.

We decided to order one of their Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy which was a special of the day and a Porchetta Sandwich.  

The Po'Boy consisted of a deep fried soft shell crab with spicy mayo, coleslaw and prosciutto "bacon" bits. This was absolutely delicious. Excellent flavour. The bread was soft, the crab crunchy and flavourful, the coleslaw cooling and the prosciutto bacon bits added the right amount of saltiness.  Well balanced and well made.

The Porchetta Sandwich was delectable. The pork was beautifully seasoned. The crackling added a delicious crunch.  The mustard we picked was the perfect accompaniment.  The bread (fresh sourdough from Caldense Bakery across the street) was perfection. Overall, one of the best pork sandwiches I have ever eaten. It was so good we got a second one to split for the road.  

The only disappointment with Porchetta & Co. is that it's an hour away from home. It is so good.  We will definitely return to Porchetta & Co. in the near future!

In his opinion:

This "pork" piece of heaven restaurant on College's Portugal Village is a treasure waiting to be found, savoured and experienced. Apart from what one might think or have heard about Porchetta & Co., the sheer constant volume of clients and the endless line-ups tell the real story about this place.  We pulled up to it and the line-up was smaller than usual, allowing us to actually grab some "premium" seating inside. This was a good start.

As we browsed the "menu" we witnessed the staff being very engaging, making everyone's very short stay pleasant and catering to all their needs quickly and efficiently. The menu is as limited as it can be. You have the Porchetta sandwich, or the Porchetta plate or you can have it by the 1/2 pound or pound. We opted for the Porchetta sandwich and bypassed the immense topping list so we could get a very accurate taste of the Porchetta seasoning and its mix of soft and crackling textures. 

It surely lived up to its expectations. The sourdough bread was fresh and the pork was delicious, with just enough spice to give it the right amount of flavour. Part of the attraction of the sandwich is the texture of the pork, tender and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. This works very well together in my opinion.

We also had the special of the day, the soft shell crab Po' Boy sandwich. This sandwich is decadent and deserves a place on the main menu, even though it is a deviation from the "pork" concept of this place. The battered, crunchy crab pieces work so well with the spicy mayo, coleslaw and bacon bits. Although I enjoyed the Porchetta sandwich quite a bit, (enough to order another while eating), the Po' Boy was even more memorable.

There is the option of having Porchetta on top of this superb crab sandwich, it's called "the gang bang" (ouch)... and I'm thinking that I'll be taking that option next time I go there. I mean soft crab and Porchetta on top? Forgetaboutit...

The Good: Pork...good pork...well seasoned and crispy pork, very hard to beat.
The Bad: Short menu and extremely limited seating.
The Verdict: A must try and try often. They take their pork seriously and it shows. Could have either one of those sandwiches on a daily basis and not get sick of it.

I give it 3 olives out of 5 as rating.