Top 5 Italian Restaurants in Mississauga

Published February 5, 2015 at 7:04 pm

One of the most popular cuisines for almost any occasion is Italian and Mississauga has some good restaurants to choose from.

The restaurants on this list may not be the biggest places (actually, some are tiny) but that what makes them so unique is they put a little more pride into making your gnocchi, risotto and pasta dishes.

Here are the top 5 Italian restaurants in Mississauga:

5 – Goodfellas (Streetsville and City Centre)

Once you walk in, you can tell this place did not spare a dime. It looks like you are walking into a rustic Italian home to have some authentic Italian grub. Goodfellas In Streetsville is Mississauga’s very first restaurant offering authentic Neapolitan wood oven pizza. The menu offers authentic Romano pizza and homemade plates of pasta which are all freshly made in-house. The menu includes appetizers, salads, fish and meat entrees and desserts. The mozzarealla di bufala and parmigiano-reggiano cheeses are some of the ingredients they use that are directly imported from Italy. Goodfellas boasts an extensive Italian wine selection which was specifically chosen to pair beautifully with the dishes on the menu. The Streestville location has a small patio that overlooks Streetsville Square, so if you are lucky enough you can catch a free show from your seat.

Diavolo Pizza

4 – Papa Giuseppe’s (Port Credit)

You can’t really miss this quaint little restaurant that’s located in the heart of Port Credit. If you are one of the lucky people who actually get a seat, you are in for a treat. This place has a rustic Italian-inspired dining room and is a great spot to enjoy your pizza, which is cooked in a stone oven. Papa Giuseppe’s also serves house-made gnocchi and I can never say no to that. They also serve a selection of antipasti, including insalata caprese, and a wide selection of pastas including Nona’s Pasta Campania or carbonara (marche). If you are lucky enough, try to get a seat directly in front of the kitchen so you can eat and watch the chef and cooking staff do their thing. In the summer months, they have a really nice patio they open up at the back of the restaurant. If you are on a date and you get into this place you look like a Don Juan!

Gnocchi

3 – Casalinga Ristorante (Clarkson)

Located in the southwest corner of Mississauga on Royal Windsor and Southdown (yes that is still Mississauga) in a plaza is one of the best kept Italian restaurants in the city called Casalinga. This place can’t be any bigger than 40 seats and get packed pretty fast, especially on weekends. They offer house-made gnocchi (small dumplings made from potato, semolina or flour that are usually served with sauce) and house-made gnocchi is usually hard to find, especially in Mississauga. That right there it said a lot about the restaurant. The gnocchi was absolutely delicious and melted in our mouths. You won’t be hungry after eating something this generously portioned. They also have thin crust pizza cooked in a stone oven. If they keep serving this hearty Italian food, they will be here for generations to come.

Risotto al Pescatore

2) Capra’s Kitchen (Clarkson)

When Capra’s Kitchen opened its doors in Mississauga, the food scene changed. It feels like only yesterday that celebrity chef Chef Massimo Capra and his signature ‘stache and big personality came to our city. In 2017, Chef Massimo opened Capra’s Kitchen in his hometown of Mississauga in the former Villa La Bella space along Lakeshore Rd. in the Clarkson neighbourhood. Over the past few years, it’s become a fan favourite. Chef Massimo is an accomplished celebrity chef, TV personality, author and Saugaboy who has an extensive resume. His career began when he first started toiling in kitchens in Italy. He made his way to Toronto in the early 80s and worked in a few notable fine dining establishments in the city. His brand new restaurant offers lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and his menu is full of delicious, classic Italian fare that’s sure to leave every diner satisfied.

1 – Michael’s Back Door (Clarkson)

Before we start talking about the food and the restaurant, we’ve got to say that we love the name and where Michael’s is located. The setup is so unlike anything else in Mississauga, as it is located at the back of a building in Clarkson off Lakeshore Road and is almost a secret because it’s completely hidden from public view. As you park in the back alley, you will find a glass solarium protruding from the back. It’s almost like you are walking into a secret location. We tried the risotto pescatore which had risotto with shrimp, scallops, fresh tomatoes and white wine (as seen below) and it was some of the best risotto we’ve had. The shrimp were huge, the seafood was plentiful and the rice was perfectly cooked. The server was very pleasant and knowledgeable and gave recommendations, as any good server should. This isn’t a big place, so make reservations — especially on Friday and Saturday nights. This would be a perfect place for a date and they even have a piano room that can accommodate 40 people, which is great for a corporate dinner. They recently introduced a wine room for up to 16, which is great for family parties when you just don’t want to cook at home. Michael’s is expanding so much that it might have a front door one day. Also, Michael’s Back Door has been around since 1981, so you know they’re doing something right.

Risotto Pescatore

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