Avanti Trattoria

I’ve been to Avanti a half dozen times or so and always walk out after the meal with a sense of disappointment. The atmosphere is good, the service is good, but the flavours are just plain and disappointing.
We went back again tonight for dinner as we were craving Italian food, but honestly I don’t think I can go back again. The dishes look great, but they don’t have a lot of flavour.

Benissimo!
My mom loves this restaurant so my brother and I decided to take her for dinner. It is a quaint restaurant on king street with a spacious dining area, homey décor, and an excellent bar. They also have the option to sit outside on the patio. The staff is very friendly and attentive, with prompt bread and water refills.
They have a wide selection of Italian cuisine with your pizza and pasta staples. For this trip, my mom got the daily special, my brother got a pasta, and myself the meat lover pizza (I forgot all the names because they were in Italian!).
Both pastas were very well done; the cream based sauce on the daily special was rich in flavour and coated the pasta, chicken, and vegetables without being too repetitive. The other pasta was oil based and although lacking in punch, delivered in the nuance of the flavour. Although I was expecting a pizza more akin to those in Italy, the pizza was well cooked and the meats tasted better than those found at your standard pizza joint.
I haven’t had good Italian cuisine other than this and Corrado’s in the Durham region, so give it a shot!

My favourite dish is the spaghettini carbonara, and the bruschetta. Good food, good services, some servers are more personable than others.
One time I wasn’t impressed though, they close at 10 and kicked us out an hour early. We were done eating and paid and we’re just chatting we were the only ones there. I just was slightly offended they they asked us to leave cause they were «closing» but they don’t close officially until 10, so it was kind of rude.
I’d go back though.

A pleasant surprise in Oshawa. Ate here with three others and we all enjoyed our dinner. I had veal with nicely cooked veggies (not mushy) and mashed potatoes. It was delicious. Friendly staff.

A good place to eat, prices are responsible. My wife’s pasta was very good, the kids and me had pizza. Pizza a good, but not great, as it was a little bland. Just dash of seasoning would have made a difference!

After eating here I was really satisfied. You can really taste the freshness. They make everything from scratch every day and it shows.

Staff was friendly and food was good. Mashed potatoes could have been better but the veal parmigiana was quite well done.
Parents have been quite a few times and always enjoyed it as well.

I’ve been wanting to try Avanti for quite a while now. Finally had a chance to check it out. The restaurant itself is very nice. Has a somewhat small and cramped outdoor patio, but at least they have a patio. Was not impressed with the service. The waitress was obviously not happy to be there and it showed.
But let’s get to the food. Overall the food was pretty good. They start you out with really great fresh crusty bread, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. We ordered a pizza and meatball sandwich. If you like the thin crust wood oven style pizza then you’ll enjoy this. The meatball sandwich was also good, served again on a large fresh crusty bun.
Overall I found the experience lacking in terms of the atmosphere. Again the food was pretty good, but not spectacular. Prices were reasonable as well. For me, there are much better places to go to for Italian food and pizza. But if you’re in downtown Oshawa it’s a good place to go if you’re in the mood for Italian.
(Note: I would have preferred to give a 3.5 star rating. The place is better than 3, not quite good enough for 4)

Pasta and Pizza are delicious and super traditional. Best coffee in town!

The great ambiance and super service were a real plus. However we go to restaurants for the food.
Here is where Avanti really excels.
Prices were very reasonable and this food was truly Italian comfort.

Don’t let the look of this place fool you, which is the only reason I’m docking one star. The food does not match the ambience, the food is some of the best American-​Italian I’ve ever had.
I started with garlic bread with cheese with olives, which was simple and delicious.
Main course was THE BEST Chicken Parm I’ve ever had, upgraded to pasta with meat sauce which was the right choice, the whole thing was amazing. Very generous portion for the price.
Dessert was Blood Orange Gelato, incredible.
Avanti is simple and fresh and generous with the cheese and butter so everything tastes great. Price is nice too.
It’s Oshawa though, so good luck parking…

I love this place if I want a casual yet cool place to have some authentic pizza. Amazing after dinner cappuccinos and the portions are large enough that you are sure to have a decent doggy bag to enjoy lunch the next day.
A great spot for a cozy date night!

I really liked this place. Italian food is my fave and I can be a bit of a harsh critic when it comes to my favourite food.
Two things I did not like:
–the atmosphere. There was no Italian music, and the décor was outdated. You are going for the food, but I like some Italian music with my Italian meal.
–The caprese salad was a fake. There were no fresh basil leaves, there was some other kind of lettuce, and the cheese were little balls. I like when I get big slices. For a good real Italian caprese salad (Like you would get in Rome… go to their sister restaurant with the same owners Prego’s.)
Other than that — service was great! Our server was very friendly and professional.
The food… omg…soooooo good. The pasta was delicious!
A great place to go in Oshawa for really good food and service!

It’s about time Oshawa had a great meeting place restaurant in the downtown. The Pizza is fantastic and the prices are fair. It’s a great place for lunch or right before a night out at the GM centre. Staff are friendly and service is generally very good

I would prefer 3.5 stars, but Unilocal likes round numbers.
My first experience here was very uneventful. So uneventful that I didn’t see the appeal or any reason to come back. However my girlfriend really liked it. I’ve been back four more times, and even brought my mother.
As I am writing this, at the sidebar of this page is Shari M.‘s entry, whose reviews are atop of my Unilocal list. She says the veal, pasta, cosmo, and bruschetta are all top notch, but to me this place’s draw about is their oven-​baked gourmet pizzas!
As a picky eater, my palette tends to go more towards the proteins than the Vitamin C. That’s just my fancy way of saying that I like meat and not so much the vegetables.
8-​P
So I order a meat-​topped pizza when I get dragged to Avanti’s, and I must say, I’m not really being dragged anymore. I actually crave it from time to time. Yes, men really can change their minds!
The atmosphere is visually pleasing, but I always make a point of the music selection in the background. Country music in an authentic Italian restaurant? On at least two occasions, yes.
It is likely I will come back to re-​review this restaurant in the future, so my 3-​star rating should have a north-​pointing arrow beside it.
The location is quite good being in the heart of downtown and only a block to the GM Centre.
Bön apetite!
(Oooops, that’s not Italian)
8-​)
Stephen Y.

There is no question that Avanti is one of the better restaurants that Oshawa has to offer, and is one of the few places that can bring you downtown in the evening.
We went here on a Tuesday evening, which of course was very quiet. Service was quick and attentive, if not particularly skilled.
I ordered a Florentine pizza, which had smoked salmon, capers and red onions. It was a little odd that the salmon was cooked, and there was a puddle of oil on the plate, but it really was a very good pizza. The crust was thin, crispy, tasty and freshly made, and there was just the right amount of toppings, which were nicely arranged.
My partner had the meat cannelloni, and unfortunately he was kind of disappointed. The meat was overcooked and mushy, with almost no seasoning, and the sauce was bland with an overpowering tomato taste.
Also, there is no way anyone can tell me they serve a 6 oz. pour of their wine. It was 4 oz., no doubt, although when I mentioned it to the server, she went to check with the bartender, who said they were 20 oz. glasses, so that’s why they looked so small. Uh huh.
You know, it sounds like I didn’t enjoy my dinner, but really I did. The prices were reasonable, it was a very comfortable location, and the pizza was great.
Do I hope they will try a little harder? Yes, and I plan to come back to see how they’re doing.

This place is amazing.
The presentation… beautiful
The veal… perfectly seasoned
The pasta… perfectly cooked
The cosmo… super yummy
The bruschetta… deadly good
Highly, highly, recommend
I had a lot of people who were Italian telling me that they, along with their families, ate here, so it had to be tried. I was with 4 other people and sampled their dishes too! There was a lot of ooohhhhssss and aaaahhhhhssss from our table!
The prices are very reasonable (4 drinks, 4 apps, 5 main dishes at $ 150)
Here is their website: