Novocento Caffe

Novecento Caffe
1228 St. Clair Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario

416-654-9900

Photo courtesy of Novecento Website.

In her opinion:
I knew that I wanted to eat dessert in this little cafe in the Corso Italia area of Toronto when we drove by it on way to find a place for lunch. Their patio is just incredibly pretty. It definitely has curb appeal.

We asked to sit outside and a waitress came to take our order right away. After an amazing meal at Rio 40 (read blog here), just up the street, we were kind of full so we decided to share a dessert and have coffee. We ordered a strawberry gelato for our little man and a wild berry tart for us.  Of course the gelato was not on par with the processed ice cream that he is use to...so mom and dad ended up having it. The gelato was excellent. It was fresh tasting and delicious.  

The wild berry tart was light and airy. It was sweet and tart tasting all in one. The perfect dessert after a perfect meal. 
This is a great place to hang out and people watch and enjoy a little bit of Italy!

*****

Wild berry Tart

Strawberry Gelato

*****

In his opinion:
On St. Clair Avenue, just down the street form Rio 40, there is a little Italian cafe/snack bar with a nice size patio, perfect for an after meal drop-by or even a mid afternoon snack.

This is a cool spot for some dessert, ice cream or a nice espresso. Don't get me wrong...It still is a see and be seen in the patio type of place, that is frequented by the cool gang and the ones that think they are cool. I thought I saw what looked like  some Italian organized crime "look a likes", branding some shady business in the back of the patio, but hey....it is located in Corso Italia after all!

It is not because I have one of these everywhere I go, but rather I just wanted fit in, so I ordered an Espresso dopio from the waitress. It had a bit of punch, perfectly made with just the right amount of roast. I have a hard time finding a good espresso, even in T.O. but I must admit, this one hit the spot. 

I shared a slice of  the wild berry tart and the strawberry gelato. The gelato...mama mia...was to die for, something that I would have all the time if I was the ice cream/gelato type, which I'm not. However, I can always be persuaded to give it the old college try once in a while.

The wild berry tart was also delicious, flaky, soft bottom and what seemed to be every berry I have ever seen sprinkled on top. Fresh, tasty and light enough not to mess with my just finished lunch.

Whether inside or on the patio, hungry or just for a drink or coffee,  go give Novocento (nine hundred) a try. It's worth it. Grazie mile!