Avanti Trattoria

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#3 of 369 Restaurants in OshawaItalian, Pizza, $$ - $$$

What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Avanti Trattoria

Review

At a glance

Closed now

See all hours

Website

+1 905-404-8040Improve this listing

About

Features

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Full Bar

Highchairs Available

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Takeout

Wheelchair Accessible

Location

17 King St E, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 1A8 Canada

Downtown Oshawa

Parking Available

Is this restaurant good for lunch?

Yes

Unsure

Save this restaurant

Hours

Suggest an edit

Closed now

• Opens at 11:30 AM

Sunday

4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Monday

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Tuesday

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Wednesday

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Thursday

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Friday

11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Saturday

4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Contribute

Write a review

Upload a photo

Ask a question

4.1

460 reviews

Excellent

197

Good

174

Average

Poor

Terrible

travelling1935

Ottawa174 contributions

Superior Italian food

Aug 2023 • business

The chicken with Marsala is a particular favourite for me, but I've never had a disappointing meal at this lively King Street trattoria. It's a friendly, informal place with a homey atmosphere, but the kitchen is serious about the food it serves up. The menu is extensive and imaginative, the wines by the glass fairly priced and the servers — although often rushed — efficient and attentive. It's clear that Avanti gets a lot of regulars who are greeted like old friends, but it's also clear that strangers are warmly welcomed as well. Outstanding

Written October 18, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sheila270

Toronto3873 contributions

Noisy and busy on a Saturday

May 2023 • couples

This restaurant opens at 4:00pm for dinner. We arrived at 4:30 and it was already packed and very noisy. Some of the tables are close together. We got buns with our meal and they were nice and warm. I ordered the SPAGHETTINI FRUTTA DI MARE and it came with, shrimps, mussels and calamari, Another person ordered the lasagna, and someone else ordered the grilled AAA New York Steak, and another person ordered a fettuccine dish. Food was good. No complaints. We ordered the carrot cake to go and the piece was quite large with lots of walnuts and frosting. Service was rushed due to the place being busy. I don’t know if they take reservations.

Written May 27, 2023

Storm bare

Oshawa9 contributions

Italy All The Way

Aug 2021 • none

when you walk into the front entrance there is a warm feeling that wraps around you as you peruse the surroundings the wood fueled oven to the right just grabs you and lures you in the doors. Thw staff are very accommidating to seat you and make you comfortable . Now the have a bruchetta appitizer to die for , like l said you are no longer in Oshawa, this is pure Italy. we had the steamed clams with wine sauce which was incredibly good, along with bread for the sauce. we weren't really adventurous on the particular day so my son had Spaghetti & meatballs as did l. No complaints as l live south of this fantastic eatery and the w`alk home was quite rejuvenaring to wear off some of the bulk from eating such a wonderful dinner. Now l bet your thinking this place must cost a small fortune to eat there, sorry to disappoint you all, it is quite the opposite. we rounded everything out with drinks to around the $75.00 dollar mark with tip. Now |Eastside Mario's id double that price for what we had so don't let the chain eatery's fool you follow your nose and you will find the perfect eatery at La Trattoria, on the corner of King St. an Celina St in Downtown Oshawa.

Written October 1, 2021

Susan M

1 contribution

Big disappointment

Aug 2024 • family

Went because they served veal Marsala and the menu appealed to others. All 5 of us disappointed. Pasta portion size small. No depth of flavour or seasoning in any dishes. The Marsala was virtually nonexistent in the sauce. Waitress was good. Service from kitchen a bit slow. They upcharged $5.25 for pasta with rose sauce instead of marinara.

Written August 26, 2024

Jules O

Oshawa8 contributions

Beware of Cost of Kids Meals!

May 2023 • none

We went here to celebrate our mom's birthday. Our party included 6 adults and 4 children. We had asked if there was a kid's menu and were told no, but they can make smaller portions for children. We asked if the pricing would be the same or less and were advised that it would be less than the normal menu prices as the meals would be half the size. Our server Dean, was not friendly at all. Almost annoyed that he was working. What caused us to score this place low was between the service and the kids meals. We ordered 2 kids pasta (one with white sauce and chicken and one with red sauce and chicken). I was astonished to see on the bill that for the kids meals we were charged $6.95 for the pasta, $5.25 for white sauce & $7.95 for chicken. The second one we were charged $6.95 for pasta & $7.95 for chicken. Prior to tax one KIDS meal cost $20.15 and the second was $14.90. That is INSANE! We specifically asked if the kids meals were cheaper because if they were going to cost the same as a regular meal we would have gotten a regular meal! I was so not impressed how they ripped us off for the cost of kids meals. Avanti's you should actually be ashamed of yourself. Charging us basically the same price as a regular item off the menu and we got half of the portion. We will definitely not be going back there for any family function because between the poor service and the absurd amount of money charged for a kids meal there are much better establishments in the Durham Region to support.

Written May 26, 2023

Rockiroads

Oshawa1302 contributions

Again before a concert meal, just Okay

Dec 2022 • none

Being the better place downtown to go to before a concert, I felt forced to go here for parking and a show without moving the vehicle. We have done this a few times. My wife is into Italian food, I am only if it is amazing!! Again I thought it was just OK. Nothing jumped out at me. I can barely remember what I ate which tells you something. Maybe some new items need to be added to the menu? You will need reservations as it is busy and almost the only place to go to before a show. Location location! Parking was easy to get. Others I know really like it. I hope something new will be downtown next time I go for a show.

Written March 14, 2023

Stephanie R

Trenton8 contributions

Casual date night

Mar 2024 • couples

Jasmine took great care of us and served the most delicious food. Bruschetta was PERFECT, the penne con Pollo (I think), so flavorful and the tirimisu... don't bother ever going anywhere else. Money well spent!

Written March 26, 2024

danno6317

Ontario111 contributions

Great Place for Food / Close To Regent Theatre

Mar 2024 • couples

Great dinner meal here Friday March 2nd. Bad weather day & so thankful we managed to even get here to eat before the show at theatre across the street. Shout out to waitress (so sorry I've lost your name but you told us originally from Guelph) you were awesome looking after us Guelphites. Both ordered pasta & was perfectly cooked and pretty hefty portions. Salad was big enough for us to share as an appetizer. Expresso / tiramisu / limoncello excellent ending to our visit. Very busy place even for a bad weather event type of night. Staff excellent , attentive & friendly. Very happy we stopped here will be back again on next visit to Oshawa.

Written March 25, 2024

lesley g

Perth650 contributions

Just Okay!

May 2022 • none

Very good service. Waitresses were attentive and friendly but it was a bit rushed. There were 6 of us in our party and we were in and out in just under and hour and a half. I ordered a glass of merlot and was advised that they had none and the waitress told me that their house wine was similar to a merlot. It was not. In fact, it was not very good wine at all. I then ordered the escargot which was quite tasty with mushrooms but I prefer butter and garlic escargot. Then I ordered the frutti de mare and there was plenty of it but not a lot of flavor. Mussels had not been cleaned properly and the shrimp and clams were overcooked. I felt like the dish had been prepared in advance and then warmed up. The big plus was the tiramisu dessert. It was to die for. I believe it was the best I had ever tasted.

Written May 9, 2022

Angela R

Oshawa30 contributions

OVER PRICED UNDER SIZED!

Nov 2021 • none

I'm Italian of heritage. Go to Fazio's for Italian foods. Better yet, save yourself a ton of money and go visit the Italian bakery on Bloor Street East just past the No Frills plaza. It tastes Italian IF you're really craving for it at GREAT PRICES. Go visit Sinatra's instead for a real pleasure.

Written November 18, 2021

Shayda47

Oshawa84 contributions

I Expected More...

Jan 2020 • none

I've been dying to try this restaurant since moving to Oshawa 3.5 years ago. I recently started working in the area, after years of doing the downtown Toronto commute. Something about this restaurant gave me the Toronto vibe every time I walked by. Perhaps it is the location where it sits downtown and the aesthetics of the outside of the building. It just really intrigued me everyday. I attended here on a Saturday night with some friends. The restaurant was steady, but not overly busy. The wait to our table wasn't too long and the host was pleasant enough. I think the only feedback I would provide is that I think based on the perception that I had of the restaurant which is based on absolutely nothing but judging by the contemporary exterior, the dress code and customer service skills of the staff don't really align. I think many owners in emerging cities need to review the changing demographics of the city. To keep up, you have to provide some of the big city feeling or the the changing population will find elsewhere to go. With Toronto pushing so many new people to Oshawa, I would think that you would want to maintain the existing businesses by being the restaurant that you have to try when in Oshawa. You don't want to depend on what used to work (which is old town Oshawa), but you should be thinking how can I keep up with the change that is happening around me. I think this restaurant has great potential, but they need some minor changes and I could see this being an Oshawa "Gusto 101" competitor. As mentioned earlier, the restaurant looks nice and modern from the outside but once you enter the premises, you are reminded that you are in Oshawa. It was a little disappointing as I think that with a slight shift in ambiance it could go a long way and probably bring in younger clientele. Additionally, I think the staff should be wearing all black with absolutely no leggings or long sweaters. Everything should be crisp and contemporary as the outside. Staff should also be given optimal customer service training which is a small thing that can go a long way. I perceived that my dinner was going to be an experience and service was included in that thought. Unfortunately, they missed the mark. It wasn't bad service, but again just not what I expected from this restaurant. The food was decent. I had the bruchetta to start. It was good, delivered in a timely manner and it had olives!! That was a great touch. For my main, I had the Mediterranean Pasta with a side of the spinach and goat cheese salad. Again, the pasta was great. The salad was ok, but presentation was lacking. Overall, it was an ok night. There a few things that need to be fine-tuned for a higher rating but it is an average option for foodies.

Written February 2, 2020

Ian H

15 contributions

Great evening out

Oct 2020 • couples

It's been quite a while since I've been to this restaurant but since we were in the area I decided with my wife to have dinner there. The staff member at the front door made sure we were aware of all their Covid-19 protocol regulations. i.e. when to use your mask where to exit, where the washrooms are located etc. From the moment we were sat down our service was better than expected. Our waitress was extremely efficient and very friendly. The food was fabulous and our bill was less than expected. Everything in the restaurant was spotless including the washrooms. We definitely don't go out as often for dinner's out because of Covid-19, but we have to realize we have to visit these places in order for them to survive.

Written October 30, 2020

Sangiovese

Toronto16 contributions

Authentic Trattoria. Amazing

Jan 2020 • business

Authentic Trattoria. Amazing Pizza. Avocado salad is a great meal for lunch. Shareable. Excellent wine selection. Pasta dishes are customizable which makes all the difference. Consistently great food.

Written February 16, 2020

RICHARD C

Oshawa12 contributions

Very good food

Jun 2024 • friends

Went with friends prior to theatre. Food was excellent. Four people, we had Veal parm, 2differrent pasta and lasagna. All were very good! The restaurant was very busy and very noisy, but worth it for the food. Not a place for casual conversation. Will definitely return.

Written June 20, 2024

LPLB

Toronto12 contributions

Amazing food and service

Dec 2024 • family

Everything at Avanti is amazing! Great food, excellent service. Perfect for families, date night or hanging out with friends. It a must eat here restaurant!!! Something for everyone! WE have eaten here often and will continue to visit in the future.

Written January 25, 2025