Pasta Privato
11 Church Street
Toronto
ON
CA
M5E 1B5
Chef Michael Angeloni is a familiar name in Toronto's dining scene, having led the charge at some of the city's best restaurants. While he's best known for Italian cooking, his career has stretched far beyond agnolotti and red sauce.
With credits from influential chefs on his resume — including Grant van Gameren at the acclaimed Black Hoof, David Lee at former fine-dining favourite Splendido, and Dario Tomaselli of Oro — the Polish-Italian chef has been exposed to a wide range of techniques and culinary philosophies that continue to shape his approach in the kitchen.
Today, the journey comes together in a pasta speakeasy hidden behind a red curtain inside Bar Notte in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood. Inside the 30-seat dining room, painted in calming shades of blue, framed photos line the walls — family cookbooks, personal keepsakes, and if you look closely, a portrait of the chef sketched by his wife years ago, which Angeloni laughs, "isn't the most flattering."
Handmade pasta anchors the menu, with lesser-known noodle shapes like spizzulus represented. It's supported by dishes featuring ingredients like pumpkin dashi and Hokkaido scallops, reflecting Toronto’s multicultural influences and Angeloni's own path through the city's kitchens. Guests can order à la carte or opt for the Un Omaggio tasting menu.
The eight-course menu unfolds as a personal narrative, blending Italian traditions through the lens of his Polish-Italian upbringing and years spent cooking in Toronto's top kitchens. It opens with a bright egg yolk buerre blanc pasta, coloured like sunshine and sprinkled with chives and caviar.
One of the more unexpected dishes is the Beef Heart, skewered and plated with heirloom beets in a style reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock canvas. The dish is a nod to Angeloni’s time at Grand Electric, where working alongside a Peruvian chef sparked an interest in cooking with organ meats.
In true Italian fashion, one dessert isn’t enough. The sequence begins with a refreshing passion fruit, meringue and white chocolate sorbetto, followed by a final fragrant course that announces itself before it even reaches the table. An espresso crémeux, topped with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, arrives alongside an eyedropper of olive oil for guests to finish the dish themselves.
A thoughtfully curated wine list rounds out the experience, with rare bottles that encourage guests to settle in for the evening. Unlike some of the city’s more formal tasting menus, Pasta Privato offers a cozy setting that invites conversation, good food and a sense of exclusivity that is hard to come by in the city.
Pasta Privato is open Wednesday – Saturday, 5:30–9 p.m.; bookings open 21 days in advance.
