Taste of Little Italy is one of Toronto’s most anticipated annual food festivals, but if you went expecting actual Italian food on the roster, you may have found yourself senza fortuna.
Largely settled by droves of Italian newcomers in the early and mid-twentieth century, Little Italy has been a hub for Toronto’s culinary and cultural scene — as well as the city’s Italian community — for the better part of a century.
Once almost exclusively populated with Italian bakeries, restaurants, and businesses, the neighbourhood’s star has only continued to rise in recent decades as its business landscape, just like the city at large, grew increasingly diversified.
Nowadays, a stroll along the stretch of College Street between Bathurst and Ossington will reveal nearly every type of cuisine under the sun, from Asian fusion brunch to Indian fine dining, so, it may not come as a surprise that Taste of Little Italy, the neighbourhood’s annual weekend-long street festival, which took place from June 13 to 15, reflected a similar diversity.
For some people, though, it most certainly did come as a surprise.
@theharrisoncrookss Anyways I had a cannoli and it was 🔥 #toronto #tasteofitaly #littleitaly #streetfest #torontofestival ♬ original sound – vibey playslist
Immediately following the festival, social media was alight with visitors to the festival wondering where, exactly, all the Italian food actually was.
@lifewith_kaiya Why did taste of little italy have no italian food #tasteoflittleitaly #tasteoflittleitalytoronto #streetfestival #torontofood ♬ mario sound – mandycap
One video created by a user who goes by the username @lifewith_kaiya shows the Toronto resident searching for “any resemblance of a taste of Italy,” at the festival, only to be met with Japanese, Mexican, and a culturally ambiguous “meat on a stick,” but little to no actual Italian food.
“I mean I’m pretty sure the whole point [of the festival] is to experience the culture food and diversity of the neighbourhood like Do West Fest,” one commenter points out.
“Perhaps I just expected more Italian food in Little Italy,” the video’s creator responds.
Despite the general consensus that the most Italian thing about Taste of Little Italy this year was the neighbourhood’s name and the nonnos watching the hubbub from their stoops, there were actually some Italian eats to be found at the event — if you knew where to look.
@palmapasta Check out the highlights from the pasta eating contest at the Taste of Little Italy Festival! Thank you to the participants and everyone who came to watch, you made this event unforgettable!💚🤍❤️🇮🇹🍝 #palmapasta #tasteoflittleitaly #torontofestival #torontofoodie #mississaugafood #mississaugafoodie #italianfood #pastaeatingcontest ♬ suono originale – DJ Storm 🎧 GP Ubiunnu! 👱
Perhaps the most dazzling — if not mildly nauseating — instance of Italian food appreciation at the event could be found at Palma Pasta’s annual pasta-eating contest on Sunday, June 15, where a dozen brave souls took centre stage, shovelling spoonfuls of penne into their mouths to be the first to finish an enormous tupperware of the stuff.
If you subscribe to more mindful modes of consumption, the local pasta company also had a booth where you could get your own smaller bowl.
Other local Italian vendors like Fat Lulu’s Pasta, Vivoli, Cafe Diplomatico, Danny’s Pizza Tavern, Taverniti and Riviera Bakery were among those at the festival representing the cuisine that the neighbourhood is known for.
Still, restaurants and businesses offering Japanese, Indian, Korean, South American, and Mexican cuisines showed up in equal — if not greater — numbers, leading some people to question whether the festival’s Italian branding accurately represents the festival anymore, even though it doesn’t specifically purport to be an Italian-exclusive festival.
“Nothing to do with Italians. What a shame,” one person comments on Taste of Little Italy’s Instagram page.
“Very disappointed there was nothing about Italy at this festival,” another comment on a different post reads.
Toronto will have to wait until next summer for Taste of Little Italy to come around again, so it’ll be months before we know whether the festival takes the criticism to heart or leans into the shifting current on the Toronto food scene that sees neighbourhoods increasingly culturally varied.
I, for one, have no qualms about grabbing some shawarma to go with my spaghetti.
Still hungry? Discover Dished Toronto on TikTok