Joia Ristorante in Aurora

Didnt have halal options, did not offer guidance with menu

I have loved their food for a while but service is gone down hill. I tried to call and make a reservation today. The man was extremely rood and when I asked for one of there more privet tables he said I can make a reservation but you sit where I put you . They fill up half the restaurant and don t even open the other side so everyone is packed in together. I am so disappointed.

The food is pretty good and the workers where extremely nice and attractive especially Jamie and Veig

Always great food and service. They truly pay attention to the details.

great food great staff except for Jamie Day. he ate half my food and said he was testing it since he works there

The Best Italian restaurant in Aurora!! :)

Stopped in to grab a quick bite. Simple Pepperoni Pizza. It was FANTASTIC! You get the salty from the pepperoni, amazing tomato sauce and fresh, thin dough.

Parking: Small plaza, sometimes tight, usually a spot. Wheelchair accessibility: Main level. No steps. Unsure re washrooms. Food : 4/5 |

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian is very good, load with eggplants .? Food

Best, Italian food in Aurora and Newmarket. Service is always excellent. Kai is incredible.

Fantastic food and staff. Highly recommend

The calamari was terrible. Inedible. The gnocchi was not homemade as described. Would probably not order again which is a disappointment because we are new to the area and was hoping to find a good place to get Italian food.

Went with family last weekend, waited over 20 minutes until we got served Pizza came burnt .. we told management what happened and they basically laughed in our faces.. terrible customer service, chefs don t know how to make a pizza without it burnt, no hospitality in this place.. go spend you re money elsewhere and be treated with respect Zero stars for this

Service was great! Veal Parmesan was small and not overly flavourful. My mothers Veal Marsala looked and tasted amazing! My brothers pizza was very good. I was very disappointed that an Italian restaurant did not offer bread and garden salad as part of their entree meals!

We have loved Joia for a very long time but the last year or so without the owners there it was not up to the standards that we were used to. Now thankfully one of the owners, a fabulous hef is back in the house and the food is back to great. We are happy to become regulars again. A couple of more visits and I feel they will get a revised 5 star review.

Food wasnt hot, service was terrible.

Decent Italian cuisine restaurant. It was a bit expensive.

Very poor service. The male server was just going through the motions. Didnt care about our service at all. Perhaps because we were four grown women, maybe thought we wouldnt tip well. We go out weekly for dinner Newmarket/Aurora area and tip 20%. Unfortunately for him though, he only got 15% because he just didnt care about serving us.

Food was ok but service was definitely not. Our entire meal, I didnt see a single member of the staff smile. Everyone just looked miserable. Additionally we constantly found ourselves waiting a long time for everything. It wasnt because it was busy or they were understaffed. Our waiter was just standing at the bar talking with other staff a lot of the time. The entire table made it all the way through our main courses without a check-in. I had to finally flag someone so that we could get water for our table as everyones drinks were long empty. We frequent the location in Newmarket and its always great, but this visit to Aurora was very underwhelming.

One of my fav places for all of the above

Bad service

Food was fine. The house white wine was not up to my standards. We had one issue with restaurant. The bench seat in corner near kitchen entrance had a funny smell. We figured it out during meal. So we did not move to another table. We also did not tell staff as we did not want to receive a discount on complaint. Hope they resolve this issue

Worst experience at a restaurant! We had a Friday night reservation with friends. Server took our wine order brought the bottles to our table, opened and didn t come back once to pour. Ordered apps and mains, our apps took an hour and after 2 hours our mains weren t even being prepared. We asked for a kids menu or plain pasta for our 12 month old (we d been waiting for over an hour) and we re told they don t accommodate kids. DO NOT BRING YOUR CHILD OR THEY WONT BE SERVED. I ve never experienced such poor service.. they should of at least let us leave for free, but made us pay for our drinks.

Food is always outstanding

Food was very good. Service was quick & friendly. Prices were extremely reasonable. This was my first visit and I will definitely be going again.

Grilled Calamari was just ok. Bruschetta was different but really good (pizza style). Lamb shank was delicious. What made the night amazing was our server Kye (spelling?). He was very attentive and personable. Made great suggestions with wines and food options and its like he read our minds. Will be back.

Nice place. Good friends. My pizza wasnt cooked long enough. Soggy crust. I shouldve sent it back.

Dont understand the bad reviews. This place is amazing. Excellent food, service and atmosphere. Loved it!

Have been a few times and have ordered takeout. Pros: wine list, atmosphere, service cons: food is sometimes a miss, pizzas are inconsistent at best, and the prices are but steep considering what you get. But overall not bad. Its OK 3.5/4

This is my favorite restaurant. Worth every penny.

Been going to this restaurant for years, it was my wife and I favorite place. Now to be fair we havent been in two years. Once we arrived we were greeted by no one for about 3 min which is ok. We were brought to our table only the host or whoever they were never said anything to us other than heres your table. Our waiter was terrible never asked how any of the food was never asked if we wanted another drink or wine with dinner ,all he really did was take our order with absolute no enthusiasm made us feel welcomed. The food was not the same it was all cooked properly but had absolutely no flavor at all. On our way out not one person said thank you or have a good night. Now a place I really loved I will never go back Im really disappointed with our whole experience.

Kudos to the chef food was amazing. Waitress was very attentive. Very helpful Wheelchair accessibility: Husband had a walker and they placed us in open accessible area Food : 5/5 |

Pizza is delicious

We really enjoyed this restaurant. The food was great.

Very delicious food! The restaurant is very fancy and have a great atmosphèr. Exept for service, we doesnt feel very welcome (but we arrived at 7.30 and they wanted to close everything at 10, so they make us feel like we was boring them) Food

Its a great place, food was good. Great selection. Waitress was abrupt. She made it very clear she was busy and if we werent 1000 % ready she walked away....made our party seem a bit of a burden.

Food is always good at Joia, as well as the service!

So this is my mother in laws favorite place to go out to eat. She is the most hard to please and she is Italian and this place more than satisfies her. Our family has had many of the pasta dishes my favorite being the seafood linguine. My one son has had the lamb and the steak and it was tender cooked just right. My other son has had their pizzas and also thoroughly enjoyed them.

Linguine Shrimp Aglio e Olio and Veal Parm were both bland, like they ran out of salt. The calamari tasted like it came frozen from Costco.

The food was delightful.i had fresh pickerel..the best I ever had

Terrible simply terrible. If I could give them zero I would Last Saturday we went for my birthday with my family for dinner I order the fish that offer on the special menu. It was Terrible greasy no test and under cook when I brought it to the waitress attention, she offer to take it back and cook it some more but I was disgusted with the raw fish we pay for it $37 and left now I know why the keg it so busy you never get disappointed with the food and their service .

Amazing food. Love this place. But we always get the same grumpy server so we haven t been going back recently.

Honestly one of the best restaurants in Toronto. Superb service and even better food. I am not much of a wine drinker but I am told the wine list is outstanding. They always have special menus so there is always something new.

I was included with a party of four. All of our meals were very bland. Pasta was undercooked and my brother-in-law got very sick an hour after eating his meal (Sausage Penne Arrabbiata). I called the restaurant to let them know and their attitude regarding my complaint was as bland as the meals we ordered. Unfortunate.

We went to Joia Ristorante for dinner recently. The service was great! but the food was disappointing. I am not sure what happened but it used to be good here. I think they could do much better.

I dont normally go out for Italian food because I like to try different foods I cant make at home. But Joia is one of a few I always enjoy. Always consistent and authentic.

Below expectations. Have had better Italian at other restaurants. Bruschetta had little taste with sliced tomatoes on under cooked pizza dough with little dressing. Other dishes were similarly disappointing. Service was lackluster. Not a repeat.

If I could give them a zero I most definitely would The rushed service is disgusting. The pizza was so undercooked, and when you tell the waiter that, they get mad at the customer - like its our fault we want to eat cooked food!? The kids pasta with plain sauce was literally as bad as coming out of a can... no salt on the under cooked pasta, and no salt on the sauce. My meal was the penne chardonnay, more like penne with pasta water and milk. There was no flavor of wine, just tasted like milky pasta with 5 leaves of spinach. What a waste of $100!! Complete waste of money. Unfortunately we didnt read the reviews, neither do the owners it seems like becuase this place is due for a changeover or owner acknowledgement that there is a serious problem.

Great penne pasta plus great pizza. Most enjoyable.

The pizza is either undercooked or overcooked and burnt, toppings sparse and uneven and often forgotten. The people who work there are incredibly dismissive and seemingly glum and moody. It was once a very humble and elegant restaurant with graciousness. Now theres not much going on, like the waiters and chef cant wait to leave their shift. Bummer.

The place looks great, but the food is average quality and the service is really poor , the server was only trying to clean the table and be done ASP ! This is not a place to sit and chat and eat , they expect you to eat quickly and leave . Food

Great

Evening started off well. Arrived for our work Christmas Party. Seated quickly. Server came around to ask our drink fast and that s where things went south. Almost 40 mins later before anyone came back to our table. Food arrived and was nothing special. Infact. Very disappointing. Bland. No flavour. Service was nonexistant and not well priced. The creme brûlée was TINY, cold inside and priced at $10. Not worth it. Wouldn t recommend this place.

Lovely place, but the waiter wasn t very happy about having to serve a large group of us (14). Not very many vegan options, and the pasta dish that they did veganize was extremely oily. It wasn t bad, but wasn t really that flavourful either. Pricey too, given all of the above.

Great food!

Honestly an incredible dining experience. We were able to get a table last minute and I am so glad we decided to come here. The staff were welcoming and friendly, the service was quick and Lucian the server wowed us with his character, demeanour and expertise. Will be asking if he s in next time we go. Went for the full dining experience from wine to apps to dessert and cappuccinos and everything was phenomenal! Nice environment to be in as well. Would give more than 5 stars if I could! Will definitely be coming back and recommending this place to others.

Absolutely phenomenal service, attended dinner at Aurora Joia location and was pleasantly greeted by our server Lucien. The experience from start to finish was impeccable, full of laughs, and seamless service. Will be planning to head back as soon as possible, thank you so much to our wonderful server for enhancing this experience !

Great good, service couldve been better

Service was good... price really not corresponding to the quality of food...

For years, when we lived in Richmond Hill, our go-to restaurant was Joia in Aurora. The food was consistently great, and the service was great as well. Last night, we went with another couple, and were very disappointed. It started off with no bread basket, and went downhill from there. I don t think the chef used salt on anything, and the main course was not up to previous standards. We couldn t believe the restaurant had gone downhill so badly, over the past few years! We won t be back!!

Always great food and service, great to be recognized by staff when you come, like home.

We ordered two dishes of pasta, Penne with vegetables and the other one Cecerecci from the menus. But both our dishes were exactly the same and the only difference was. Basil leaf on my wife s dish! We like the place, hope the chef goes by Menue!

The decor and atmosphere were really nice. I had the Caesar salad and the salmon special. I thought both were only okay. My wife had the pizza funghi which was pretty good. I would recommend the pizzas.

Great food and service

Great dinner here last night, service was top notch and the meal was absolutely amazing! Will definitely be going back!!!

Fantastic place friendly staff and the food is amazing

Shocked. Worked there 15 years earlier and it was fine dining and quite nice inside. Went today and nearly everything except pizza was cooked poorly. A backyard BBQ would have been better quality. Paper towels empty in washrooms, it was only around 1pm.. no bread for the tables, no bread at all in the entire Italian restaurant. The place once full of life and music inside seems completely dead and nobody cares anymore. $49 steak meal asked to cook medium rare and it was blue. Its not rocket science, medium rare 6-7 minutes on the grill. One star chef on the meat. Marco and Eugene are not running this place well and it is not worth a fraction of the bill. I wouldnt return, no offense.

The food quality is one of the best. We ordered lamb chops and chicken and both were great! They should work on customer service and the way garçons interact with their customers. The gentleman who served us was nice but need to be more professional when offering something.

I can t understand some of those positive reviews. Been there twice, any dish they make is WAY too salty to the point I was not able to finish my dish. Previously ordered penne with chicken and now tagliatelle with mushrooms and both dishes had tons of salt. Not yummy at all :( Also no bread and olive oil for welcome, and disco 80 music for all dinner. Do they know anything at all about Italian traditions and cuisine? I dont think so.

This was one of the best meals at a restaurant that I have ever had. Every item served to us was perfect. Have never had that happen. The taste and presentation was outstanding.

Food is good but my pasta container to go came 1/4 full. Tiny portion size for the price. Kind of ridiculous for how much this costs! Definitely not good enough to order again for this quantity.

Great service and wood oven za. We have been to both locations and have to say this location (Aurora) is definitely better for service. During crazy covid we have supported local and experienced dining in and take out where service and pizza is amazing!

Absolutely delicious! Wood burning oven pizza, brown butter grilled calamari, and oven roast chicken are just some of the delicacies you ll enjoy at Joia. Michelin star service and in house made bomba are praise worthy.

Used to love this place some ago. Went there with husband s family to celebrate a birthday just before the Covid lockdowns. The olive oil or tomato sauce used in all of our dishes must have been rancid or something; we re not overly picky people, but NONE of the food was edible. Their wine list is great, and the ambiance is good as well. Too bad about the food part. We haven t been back (for obvious reasons), and I hope for their sake not many people had the same experience there. I know when I used to go there years ago, their food was fantastic.

We came here as their Newmarket location was busy. Came on a Thursday night and it took way too long to get seated (no acknowledgement from staff either). Food was pretty average and server didnt say much and never checked up on us. Overall, if I could give it 0 stars I would.

Pasta dish was average,

Food is amazing. However, you can get great food almost anywhere. The thing that separates Joia and keeps us coming back is the amazing service. Our server was friendly, professional, funny, accomodating, and just all around great. We will be back.

Pretty decent Italian restaurant. Great chili oil. Recommended.

Went here for a birthday reservation for my hubby, but I think staff forgot. The waitress/waiter duo we got was kind of awkward, whilst the waiter was very professional, the waitress seemed more busy with other tables than ours. Food was decent, but not the greatest. Wouldn t go again.

Terrible greeting, rude service, found a plastic glove in our food and they didn t show enough concern about it. There was no flavour in our food and we were just so disappointed because last year, I wouldn t have given a review like this. I had a good experience during my last visit. Super embarrassed because I brought my friends there vouching that it was a good place to go . Unbelievable

Very poor experience. Service took over an hour to take our tables order. Veal was dry and under seasoned. Seafood linguine was fishy, unpleasant and to be avoided.

Food was spectacular, the server however was rather rude and off-putting. We will be for another try.

Waited 2 hours for food, still did not come. We had to leave because the food was not even getting prepared when we asked for an update. Waiter didnt even tell us what to expect. Food 1 star cause we didnt even get to eat any of the mains. We did get to try an appetizer, which was good.

Sat for 2 hours, never ended up getting our food. Had to leave and just pay for our drinks.

Have been here several times, amazing food and good service.

Calamari fritti were great, Joia bruschetta was disappointing. Had the panko breaded trout which was really good.

Great pasta however please bring that homemade chocolate lava cake and gelato it is really to die for.

Fantastic local restaurants. Great pizza. My favorite is the calamari

The food was awesome 10 out of 10.

We ordered in for our pandemic Valentine s Day dinner and weren t sure how the food would travel - but it was well packaged and delicious. Our kids even gave the lobster pasta a 10/10.

Love the pastas here, the sauce is amazing. I can highly recommend the seafood linguine.

Even in lockdown mode, Joia was able to offer a complete menu with the same quality as before. The service staff was prompt and friendly as before, and the evening was awesome.

Great food and service. Amazing wines too

Excellent food and superb friendly service

Ordered veal chop with pomodoro spaghetti-chop was thick and tasted good, nothing special about the pasta/sauce (feedback from husband whose an italian). The 3 star is really because of the risotto special, it was under cooked, some of the shrimp were not crunchy like it should be given the size, and flavor was inly okay. Was looking forward to it but disappointed considering the price we paid, could ve had better.

Ordered the Penne con Pollo and the Penne a la Vodka. Excellent food as always! Very enjoyable!

The food is always very delicious and the servers are very knowledgeable. Great wine list too

The food presentation and taste is wonderful. They had gluten free pasta, it was delicious.

What a treat to go out again, sit in a restaurant and have great service and delicious fresh food. Start to finish

I went to dinner Aug 18/21 with my family for my sons bday. Joia was kind enough to take us in late to their closing time. We all really enjoyed our food and the service was outstanding. We will definitely go back!

Great food, nice people. Amazing.

Delicious food, with generous portions! Friendly and consultative service by Gus, who made amazing recommendations!

Good food and good service.

Excellent service

My group of 6 and I were very disappointed in the quality of the food ordered in from this location. Given that Joia was highly recommended by many in the area, we were quite disheartened by our dishes, especially given the price; we ordered penne a la vodkas, linguine shrimp aglio e olio, spaghetti bolognese, and risotto of the days. It was not to the standard we had hoped for: oversalted, non-flavourful, or just not very good. I am hoping that this was a one time issue rushed preparation situation, and may consider giving this location another try; Ive heard the newmarket location was much better.

Nice restaurant atmosphere. Food was ok, but its a great place for gatherings. I would go back for the appetizers.

This was my first time at this restaurant and it will definitely be my last visit First of all there was no hostess to greet us and seat us at our assigned table. We waited for at least 10mins before anyone seated us and our table was not set. Our waiter was not very patient and we could not understand what he was saying. The food was not up to par. The mushroom soup tasted like consume and we had to ask for a spoon in order to eat our meal. The caprese salad was not complete I had to ask for balsamic glaze to put on the salad. The pizza was horrible it was lacking in flavor and it was so thin it was like paper and all the toppings absorbed into the paper like crust. The pasta sauce came from a 99cent jar no flavor at all. For a wine bar they should have the proper glasses for wine and cocktails which they clearly do no have. This restaurant has potential but they need to find the right cook and train their employees in table set ups and customer service.

We have been getting takeout during covid and they never disappoint and we have been going there for over 15 years and can t wait to eat in soon. We have had family gatherings there in the past and they always took great care of us all. Great food and great people hands down !!

Service was very poor and our server became irrationally angry & argumentative when we asked her why bread & olive oil was not being served at an Italian restaurant, her excuse covid & sharing food but I guess facilitating a jam packed restaurant was no issue here . We ordered and shared a pizza which was disappointing with sparse and uneven ingredients. I tried the homemade ravioli and noted the tomato sauce to be way too salty and low in overall taste and presentation. At the end of our stay (I guess their closing time), all servers (3 in total) were standing in front of the pizza oven, staring at all the customers who were finishing their deserts & drinks on a night out on Saturday. This made us very uncomfortable and the behaviour was very unprofessional. A refresher on proper customer service etiquette is my recommendation. Very disappointed. **** added this review to Newmarket location in error. We attended Aurora location***

Fantastic food,wine and service

Always great food and service! Both the Aurora location and Newmarket are fantastic!

This place used to be our go to restaurant as it was cozy, conveniently close by and used to have great food Regretfully our last experience was horrible. Last Friday we booked a table of 5 for 8:30 pm via phone and showed up op time, however we were told that the reservation has not gone through!!! Anyways, we were asked to wait at the bar until they can seat us. After 20 minutes of waiting, I found a waitress and complained that we are still waiting. At that moment, the owner of the restaurant (middle age gentleman with grey hair and glasses with no apron) showed up and asked me to take it easy! as its been only 20 minutes!!! (not sure who tells a customer to take it easy) Finally we sat down at our table after 25 min of waiting. Besides the fact that many of the appetizers were sold out (which is understandable), pretty much all the food we ordered were poor in quality. A very bland ravioli, a stinky sausage pizza (as if the meat had gone bad) and a chewy veal. Overall, I strongly discourage whoever wants to try this place Clearly there management is tired of the business and is not interested in keeping the clientele. Shame...

We love Joia and have frequented this restaurant for over twenty years. Always great service, food and ambiance

We came here as other restaurants were fully booked. Thursday 13th February. We enjoyed our dinner very much, the vibe and atmosphere were good. Very chill and just the kind of vibe we were looking for...All the staffs were friendly and helpful. We have their specials linguine with veal and fettucine with sausage. Both was rly rly good. We sar by the booth near the bar, our waiter was super awesome. We definitely will come back!

The service was great and the food delicious!

Food and service is always amazing!

A classic spot in Aurora. Always a good choice for Italian-based meals. Consistent good service.

Good atmosphere the cook & chef Chris is excellent .He has time to speak with customer and set his menu .to bring them back .

We had a great server!

Since Joia is one of my favourite restaurants in Aurora, we decided to go there for our first restaurant meal out since mid-March. Although they do not have a dedicated full-time patio, they have managed to create space outside the restaurant for dining. As usual, the food and service were outstanding. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are offering their full menu as well as specials, so there was lots of choice. I also felt that the proper protocols were being followed in order to keep their clients as well as their staff safe. So, as we start to go out again, I would encourage you to support our local restaurants by dining in or taking out. We are glad we did!

Great pizza!

Very happy with service. Food was great

Great food great price!!

The staff were wonderful and the food was delicious

My gf and I had a horrible experience at the Newmarket location and were ignored so I reached out to the Aurora location & they insulted me and spoke down to me. This is an absolutely uncalled for attitude. At no time did they apologize or ask how to address my concerns...they were simply arrogant and stated I am harrassing! How convenient of them. They dont know the first thing about Customer service or how to address issues. They lost me and my friends, co-workers and associates as customers! I AM DISGUSTED IN THEIR TREATMENT.

Always a great experience. The staff and management are just as amazing as the food. Great wine selection. Great take out menu! Missing the in dining so much ! Thank you Joia- keep up the amazing and delicious menu.

Pasta was out of this world! Definitely get penne and loved the customer service. Recommended!

My family and I enjoyed our dinner here and the service was nice however I feel that a quality check would have been appreciated.

Family style restaurant. The ambiance is cosy and welcoming. Very professional service. Our waiter was friendly happy to advice when we wanted little changes in the pizza s ingredients. Knowledgeable about wine. The food was delicious.

Great place for authentic Italian including pizza! Upscale atmosphere and very respectful and courteous staff.

Great food, the pizza was amazing!

great food. nice restaurant. best wine selection

Id go back

Nice place. Pizza has good crust, BUT almost NO TOPPINGS. For a newer place service is very average.

I honestly think that this place is over priced, and I found the service has declined over the years.

Great Italian resturant with up to date menu items and skilled staff. Up beat vibe while still feeling classy inside. Food is delicious and the pizza made in a wood fired oven. Prices are also reasonable and location right off of Yonge street. Highly recommend if you haven t been.

Excellent food! Precise service. All of the dishes arrived steaming hot.

Amazing pasta and pizza AND chocolate cake!

Amazing food and amazing service ! Everything tasted fantastic and they were able to alter some of the food to accommodate my vegan diet.

Great food, though our waiter clearly had better things to do. He was inattentive and brisk. Fortunately, two other waitresses filled in for him and were really wonderful, bringing bread and lighting the candle on the table the other dimwit forgot/didnt care to light. The half-litre of Malbec I ordered tasted like it had been opened for a few days (or more). Otherwise, as mentioned, food was delicious, overall average service. Likely wont be going back.

Very nice evening

Worth to try.

Wonderful Dinner!

10/10

Food was fantastic. Unfortunately, service is not close to what it should be. We had to ask for the wine list. Had to ask for everything. The lack of service just ruins the experience. The place just feels under staffed.

Delicious and great service.

Service was terrible, poor knowledge of the menu from wait staff.

Loved the food, great service and lovely ambiance. An authentic Italian Ristorante you will love.

Authentic food....

Great restaurant with good service

Overall the food was delicious, authentic, and cozy environment. However, me and my 7 girlfriends felt intimidated by the old waiter tha was serving us last night. We felt like we were being discriminated just because we are a group of Asia. Yesterday was a snowy Sunday night and the restaurant wasnt busy, and yet our server always look and starred at us without any smile and rush us through out the entire meal. The other younger waiter and waitresss seems perfectly friendly, we just felt totally upset about our overall experiences last night, and we couldnt find the store manager to express our stress during dinner before we left.

Staff was nice, food was well presented but only one option for vegans.

Amazing food, service and atmosphere!!! The owner is a gem!