Had such a beautiful dining experience at Don Alfonso 1890 while celebrating my friend birthday. From the moment we arrived, the ambiance was elegant and intimate, with stunning views from the 38th floor overlooking Lake Ontario, making the evening feel extra special.
We enjoyed the three-course à la carte menu, and every dish was beautifully presented and full of flavor. The truffle bites were the perfect start, followed by fresh handmade tagliolini that was rich and flavorful. For mains, we had the Beef Wellington, lamb, and cod - each one cooked to perfection with incredible attention to detail. Every plate was thoughtfully crafted, and you could truly taste the quality and care in each bite.
What made the night even more memorable was the exceptional service. After each course, the staff took the time to explain every dish, which made the experience feel even more elevated and personal. They were attentive throughout the evening, clearing the table seamlessly and always making sure we had everything we needed. The level of professionalism and hospitality was outstanding.
To make the celebration even sweeter, we were surprised with a complimentary dessert cart for the birthday, which was such a thoughtful touch - and absolutely delicious. It really added to an already amazing evening.
From the food to the service to the atmosphere, everything was impeccable. Don Alfonso 1890 truly delivers a Michelin-star dining experience and is the perfect place for celebrating special occasions. Definitely a night to remember, and I would happily return, which was such a thoughtful touch - and absolutely delicious. It really added to an already amazing evening.
We have been going to Don Alfonso from the early days on Queen St. pre Covid and seeing its evolution to it’s current location on top of the Weston Harbour Castle is deserving. The views of the city are fantastic, romantic and well worth the price of the menu.
Overall our experience at Don Alfonso was excellent, it had a wide variety to choose from on the menu and food was prepared well, presented nicely and flavourful. Service was patient, kind, helpful and on point with a multitude of servers.
Although being a 1 star Michelin restaurant, and rated the #1 or 2 (I’ve read both online) best Italian restaurant in the world outside of Italy (of course), the environment is both relaxed and unpretentious.
The à la cart meat based menu can be quite heavy if you order all meat, try picking meat/fish alternatives to each other in the appetizer and mains as recommended by our server.
I did however have a couple issues with the overall experience that I hope the restaurant would take into consideration, and those would be the washrooms condition and the individual looking after the washroom.
I found the cleanliness of the washroom sub standard. I blame individuals whom use the washroom more, but the establishment should be monitoring. The individual looking after the washroom should be washing their hands after handling anything in the bathroom (including dirty used towels as I witnessed, and then rushing out the door).
Hence the 3 stars for atmosphere, I felt the above items need addressing.
Overall would definitely revisit.
Don Alfonso 1890 is a high-end Michelin-star restaurant, and overall the experience was pretty good. The space is beautiful, with a nice view over the city and lake, and the service felt very professional.
Most of the tasting menu was enjoyable. The dishes are refined, plated nicely, and the pacing of the meal is relaxed, so you can actually sit back and enjoy each course. Some of the seafood and pasta dishes stood out the most for me—they were light, balanced, and well executed.
That being said, one dish really didn’t work for me at all: the veal. It was way too meaty in both smell and taste, and honestly I didn’t enjoy it. It felt heavy and a bit overwhelming compared to the rest of the menu. What made it even more confusing was the pairing—ketchup with veal. For a high-end restaurant like this, that kind of pairing felt really strange and out of place. It didn’t match the level of refinement I expected.
Aside from that, everything else was good. The desserts were nice, the service was excellent, and the overall atmosphere made it feel like a special night out.
We had a truly unforgettable experience here. We made the reservation to celebrate a birthday and noted that we hoped for a lake view when booking—thankfully, the request was granted and the view was absolutely beautiful. The service was warm and attentive throughout the evening. The staff always approached the table at just the right moments, making sure everything was perfect without ever feeling intrusive or overly frequent.
Our dining experience started wonderfully with the bread service, which already left a great impression—there was a nice variety and everything tasted excellent. Each dish we ordered had a very thoughtful combination of flavors and textures, with great balance and depth. To top it all off, the restaurant surprised us with a lovely little birthday treat at the end, which made the evening even more special. It was a memorable celebration, and we would definitely love to come back.
We chose Don Alfonso 1890 to celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday and were really looking forward to a special evening. Unfortunately, we left feeling disappointed.
The restaurant is beautiful and the food was good, but considering the extremely high prices and the amount of money we spent, we expected a more thoughtful and memorable experience. We mentioned that we were celebrating a 40th birthday, yet there was no small gesture, dessert, or acknowledgment from the restaurant.
For a place of this level and reputation, we expected more attention to detail and hospitality, especially for such a special occasion. Sadly, the experience did not match the expectations.
