Introduction
For Torontonians, Café Diplomatico is known as the place to gather during soccer/football events of any kind (especially if you’re Italian). Situated in Little Italy, it can be a great place to grab a good old Italian meal even if there is no soccer.
Having heard and seen it for many years of living in Toronto, I decided it should be next on my list of eateries. After a couple of business meetings downtown, I decided to pop in on my way home. I visited once for breakfast and once for lunch.
Cafe Diplomatico
Opened back in 1968, the Café is located at the corner of College Street and Clinton Street. You can get there by College streetcar, by rideshare and if you love walking – do it. There are a lot of great things to see along the way.
College is quite a wide street through this area. You might want to pair a visit to Kensington Market or potentially a visit to High Park. The College streetcar westbound ends its route in High Park.
Is Cafe Diplomatico Easy to Find
Yes, as I have stated it is in the heart of Toronto’s Little Italy district that runs along College Street. It runs from Bathurst to Dufferin Streets with a bit of overflow.
If you are a visitor, the college streetcar is the best way to get there. Streetcars run every five to fifteen minutes depending on the time of day. They are also relatively easy to access with low step access and an access ramp if needed. Caution will need to be had as College is a busy street and not all stops have their own right of way. So vehicles, while required to stop when a streetcar stops, may not.
What is the Atmosphere at the Cafe Diplomatico?
Overall, I feel the atmosphere is bright and comfortable. I feel I could go for a coffee in the morning or a beer on the patio in the afternoon. It feels like home.
It is not pretentious. There are plenty of televisions if you are going to watch a game. They have been known to outfit their patio an extra large screen during football tournaments.
My only caution is that if mobility is an issue: the washrooms are downstairs. (This is a common complaint of mine with many Toronto locations).
What Kind of Food to Expect at Cafe Diplomatico?
Well, I think that I have given that away! Their lunch and dinner menus are Italian-centric. Pastas and pizzas to burgers and fries.
So, if you have a picky eater, you will find something.
While I haven’t yet tried any, their desserts look pretty tempting. In my last visit, I was seated quite close to the dessert display. If I hadn’t filled up on pasta, I wanted one of their butter tarts.
The Food at Cafe Diplomatico
As stated, I have visited twice. Once I had breakfast and the second time I had a late lunch.
The Breakfast at Cafe Diplomatico
So I was famished by the time that I arrived at around 11:00 am. I had just finished blood tests which meant that I hadn’t eaten since 7:00pm the night before.
I ordered an eggs benedict with some extra pea meal bacon. The eggs benny came with potato tots and some fruit.
Overall not a bad meal. I was disappointed with the poach eggs. The whole point is to get that runny yoke to be able to sop it up with the potatoes. While one egg was fine – maybe slightly overdone – the second was non-existent. Not sure where it disappeared to but it was not there.
The coffee was perfect. The orange juice was bottled.
My Lunch
After several business meetings, I hopped onto the streetcar to arrive around 1:30ish. It seems their lunch rush was waning at this time. I had my choice of patio or inside. I chose inside as it was still a little chilly.
My order was their cheese tortellini soup, their pasta al forno and a cafe latte.
So the soup had some very good flavours to it. It was the right temperature to consume meaning I didn’t have to let it cool down. My only two comments may be that the pasta on the tortellini was slightly undercooked, and the broth was tilted slightly to the salty side for my personal taste. But I would still recommend it.
The pasta al forno was very good. The portion was filling. It was cheesy (which I love). The sauce was a wonderful rosy tomato sauce. The sauce had the right amount of flavour for a lunchtime meal.
All in all, I was satisfied with my selections. Other friends who have eaten there also recommend their personal pizzas which looked great. ( I was snooping at what folks around me were ordering).
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Service at Cafe Diplomatico
Finally and most importantly, the service was excellent. I never felt ignored. The staff answered any and all questions that I had.
They were friendly and competent.
Now, I say that it was not busy when I visited so they were not under any pressure to pump out meals and customers so to speak.
Conclusion
If you like everyday, unpretentious food that is both delicious and filling, I recommend you put Café Diplomatico on your itinerary.
The patio in the summer is great for people-watching and knocking back your favourite beverage.
With the European Cup happening this summer, you may want to visit BUT I would check with the restaurant first. If Italy is playing, I can guarantee it will be packed. On the other hand, it is fun to watch the activities from outside.
My overall rating: B+ to A-.
Please note: The opinions expressed in this document should never be construed as advice. The thoughts are based on my experiences after 40-plus years of business and vacation travel. My likes and dislikes may vary drastically from yours. Do your research and find products and experiences that align with your likes and dislikes. Most of all have happy travels and see you out there on the road!
Al of Al Murray Travel & Photography: From the time in my youth, when I would lay on our garage roof watching planes traverse the skies above me, I knew I wanted to see the world.
My passion grew after spending a semester of my university days in Barcelona. I spent more time on trains and buses than I did in class.
After earning my BA from Carleton University, life got in the way. But I did find time to graduate again from George Brown in Fitness and Lifestyle Management and then work my way through most of a degree in Sports Administration. However, I needed to find work and pay for all this education!
It wasn’t until my “middle age” did I started exploring the world again. First, transversing the US and Canada to take part in tennis tournaments. Then later to complete my spectator “grand slam” of tennis.
I accomplished this while earning my certificate in photography from Toronto Metropolitan University. I am now combining the two passions and now sharing with you my many lessons learned.