Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant

What is Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant? Occupying the corner of Queen Street East and Leslie Street under an iconic giant papier-mâché schnoz, Gio Rana’s Really Really Nice Restaurant—known across Toronto simply as “The Nose”—has anchored Leslieville’s red-sauce scene since 1989. Set inside a cavernous former bank, the dining room pairs tongue-in-cheek kitsch and quirky local art with dim candlelight, packed communal energy, and a lively sidewalk patio in the summer. Run by founder Gio Rana and his daughter Margio, the room feels less like a polished trattoria and more like an animated Italian basement supper where nobody takes themselves too seriously.

Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant Menu & What to Order The chalkboard and paper menus lean into generous, unpretentious Italian comfort cooking, anchored by antipasti like the baseball-sized pork meatball in rich tomato sugo and crispy fritto misto with caper lemon aioli. The undeniable star of the menu is the house-made butternut squash stuffed crespelle, folded thin and bathed in a decadent sage butter sauce. The rigatoni with fennel sausage bolognese and the pillowy potato gnocchi with roasted plum tomatoes are equally reliable crowd-pleasers, easily paired with carafes of rustic house red or an Aperol Spritz.

Know Before You Go Reservations are done old-school over the phone by calling the restaurant directly, so lock in your table days ahead if you are aiming for prime dinner hours on Friday or Saturday. Walk-ins are welcomed, but showing up right around the 5:30 p.m. opening gives you the best odds before the dining room packs out. The easiest way to get here is via the 501 Queen streetcar to Leslie Street, as street parking along Queen East fills up quickly.