One of the hottest restaurants in the “Six” is a new east end pasta/pizza establishment in Corktown called https://www.gusto501.com/ and I’ve been keeping my eye on it trying to find the right time to go. We’ve tried to go to the mother ship - Gusto 101 which is downtown in the entertainment district, but it has never worked out because when we’ve tried to get in it’s been too busy with a very long wait.

I still want to get there though.

When I recently read about the new location and looked at the reviews, I knew that it was a place I wanted to try. And its in the east end of Toronto which I am certainly more familiar with. It only opened recently so you have to pick you best times to go. I was out with Ms. Sarah for an late afternoon Doctor’s appointment and we finished earlier than expected and since the evening was still young we decided to take a chance. I dropped her off at the front door and I set out to look for parking. I went around the block a few times and eventually found a spot and as I was walking in the door she called me to tell me we had some seats.

Below is from their website with some information about who they are.

Gusto (pronounced Goo-sto) means tasty in Italian. Located in Toronto’s Corktown neighbourhood, Gusto 501 brings together the innovation of sister restaurant Gusto 101 and the soulful hospitality of Janet Zuccarini’s first restaurant, Trattoria Nervosa. Since opening our doors in 2020, Gusto 501 has been serving fresh takes on Italian fare in Toronto’s east end. Designed by award-winning architecture firm PARTISANS, Gusto 501’s space is punctuated by glowing terracotta walls and an oversized “garage door” façade that opens up to reveal a multi-level dining theatre. Every level of Gusto 501 unfolds into a unique experience. Enjoy soulful Italian cooking in our Trattoria - fresh pasta and pizzas cooked to order in a wood-fired oven. In the evening make your way up to Attico - our nod to the Italian spuntini bar - for elevated cocktails and sharing plates. Whatever you're craving, there's always a seat at the table for you - our famiglia.

The restaurant is 5 levels with the first floor designed for pizza/pasta, the 2nd floor is the same but smaller with a long counter over looking the main floor. The 3rd floor is divided by the middle stair case and has two different smaller places on each side of the staircase. The 5th floor is the outside deck/patio and I’m sure it will be the place to be seen when the weather warms up.

Although it was still very early we were sent upstairs to sit at long counter overlooking the main floor. 

We did not have to wait too long for service and after a quick perusal of the menu we were ready to order. The wine choices are interesting but the process was unusual (at least for me) because they sell the wine by the ounce. So, if you want 3 ounces it was $3 x 3 ounces. If you wanted 5 ounces - you can do the math.

I ordered the Colli Euganei Rosso Veneto which I was told was a merlot/cabernet blend. Sarah ordered the “home made” bread as a starter, a Shirley Temple and for her main course the Mezzi Rigatoni (boar ragu, formaggio di fossa while I went with something very unusual for me - the pizza. I decided to try the the Amatriciana (guanciale, pecorino pomodoro and black pepper.

The pizza is baked in a wood-fire oven so it came out very quickly (almost a bit too quick) as we had not finished eating the bread yet. Ms. Sarah said “the pasta was fantastic” and so we’ll take her word for it. I didn’t take a picture of it but it sure looked good.

She insisted I have a bite, so yes, it was pretty good. The pizza was excellent with a “hot” spice aftertaste. I give it 5/5 on the Doug pizza meter. :)

It wasn’t cheap as the bill with tax/tip was over $110 so don’t expect a low priced experience BUT having said that the food was very good and I’m sure we would come back. Great atmosphere and I highly recommend it.