About Us
John's Italian Caffe, a restaurant specialized in traditional Italian food that has captivated its clientele by its rich and colourful dishes, warm atmosphere and excellent service.
Located at 27 Baldwin Street, in the heart of Toronto. Baldwin street was a predominantly Jewish street early in the twenty century. The house that hosts the restaurant is almost 105 years old and still retains vestiges of some Jewish tradition from previous owners, such as the Ten Commandment carved on the door frame. John's Italian Caffe was founded in 1981 by John Lostracco. The restaurant was the only in the area along with Yung Sing Bakery, a Chinese bakery which still exists across the street from the café and a cheese store that lasted 90 years. After the cheese store closed John's Italian Caffe expanded and took over their space.
John was inspired by the Italian cafes of New York for the design of the restaurant and used their characteristic green colour to evoke the specialty of the restaurant: the pesto sauce. John's Italian Caffe was the first place in Toronto where dishes were served with this sauce. The recipe for the sauce was inherited by John from his mother, which based the formula in the old Genoese tradition of serving the raw sauce over the hot pasta. The pesto sauce is not only served in pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and bruchettas, it could also be purchased at the restaurant in jars for those who want to bring it home.
Given to the success of the restaurant, John opened a smaller place in Little Italy where it serves only pizzas, salads and sandwiches. The pizza is the most popular dish in the menu among the customers. The place prides itself on being totally different than any other pizza place in the market. Their very thin dough used for its pizza, which is made from corn flour and olive oil, makes the texture and flavour of the pizza absolutely different.
The current restaurant owner is Julian Henao. His love for food led him to take a culinary program at college. After several years of working in John’s Italian Caffe and climbing the ladder from dishwasher to manager, Julian finally proposed John to buy the restaurant in 2003. Being by John's side helped him learn the culinary secrets that made John's Italian Caffe a unique restaurant. Little by little Julian has been adding his personal touch to the menu, but always keeping the soul of the traditional Italian meal. The simple and homemade dishes in the menu are customers' favourites.
The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. in winter) and provides catering service.
John's Italian Caffe, a restaurant specialized in traditional Italian food that has captivated its clientele by its rich and colourful dishes, warm atmosphere and excellent service.
Located at 27 Baldwin Street, in the heart of Toronto. Baldwin street was a predominantly Jewish street early in the twenty century. The house that hosts the restaurant is almost 105 years old and still retains vestiges of some Jewish tradition from previous owners, such as the Ten Commandment carved on the door frame. John's Italian Caffe was founded in 1981 by John Lostracco. The restaurant was the only in the area along with Yung Sing Bakery, a Chinese bakery which still exists across the street from the café and a cheese store that lasted 90 years. After the cheese store closed John's Italian Caffe expanded and took over their space.
John was inspired by the Italian cafes of New York for the design of the restaurant and used their characteristic green colour to evoke the specialty of the restaurant: the pesto sauce. John's Italian Caffe was the first place in Toronto where dishes were served with this sauce. The recipe for the sauce was inherited by John from his mother, which based the formula in the old Genoese tradition of serving the raw sauce over the hot pasta. The pesto sauce is not only served in pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and bruchettas, it could also be purchased at the restaurant in jars for those who want to bring it home.
Given to the success of the restaurant, John opened a smaller place in Little Italy where it serves only pizzas, salads and sandwiches. The pizza is the most popular dish in the menu among the customers. The place prides itself on being totally different than any other pizza place in the market. Their very thin dough used for its pizza, which is made from corn flour and olive oil, makes the texture and flavour of the pizza absolutely different.
The current restaurant owner is Julian Henao. His love for food led him to take a culinary program at college. After several years of working in John’s Italian Caffe and climbing the ladder from dishwasher to manager, Julian finally proposed John to buy the restaurant in 2003. Being by John's side helped him learn the culinary secrets that made John's Italian Caffe a unique restaurant. Little by little Julian has been adding his personal touch to the menu, but always keeping the soul of the traditional Italian meal. The simple and homemade dishes in the menu are customers' favourites.
The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. in winter) and provides catering service.
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