Ennio's Pasta House - Kitchener

The most delicious Italian cuisine and best carbonara I have ever had! I used to eat at the Ennio's Waterloo location frequently when I was a university student at the Waterloo location, but this was my first time at the Kitchener location, and it was very nostalgic. When I was first introduced to the spaghetti carbonara, I have never had a carbonara in my life and it was the most delicious dish I have ever tasted that when I visited Italy and ordered spaghetti carbonara everywhere I went, I was very disappointed because I thought this dish at Ennio's was the standard. It is very rich and creamy, with a generous amount of bacon and mushrooms. The server added extra parm cheese and cracked peppers (I didn't tell him to stop for a very long time). We also got the veal, which was good, but the marinara spaghetti was mediocre. We also always get the calamari rustica, which is the best fried calamari I have ever tasted. It has a lightly breaded coat with a sweet and spicy sauce that is to die for. The portions are very generous, and although I tried to stuff myself and eat it all, I had 25% of my pasta left over and no room for dessert. I usually always get the tiramisu, which I was glad they still serve but unfortunately did not have any room in my stomach at all that day. The dishes at this Kitchener location are very consistent with what I remember from my visits to the Waterloo location and am very impressed with the portions. The prices have definitely gone up since my last visit years ago, but I still think it's reasonably priced in our current economy and worth every penny! I prefer the ambiance at the Waterloo location because it feels like a family owned pasta house, whereas, the Kitchener location feels more like a chain restaurant. The service was much slower (waited 10 minutes for menus and over 20 minutes for our appetizer and over 30 minutes for our main dishes on a not so busy Friday night at 9pm). However, the quality of the food and service are comparable between the two locations (food tastes similar and friendly staff). The parking at the Kitchener location is also easier than the Waterloo location since it is located in a large plaza. I would definitely go back to this location since this is closer to the 401 highway and more convenient for travellers driving through the city but if I had more time, I would go back to my nostalgic Waterloo location!

A good Italian pasta house, reasonably priced, decent portions. The meatballs were delicious, the pasta was great. The bread that came out before the entrees were lacklustre and the aperol sprits was a very short pour with the wrong combination of ingredients, but still yummy. The service was great. They were playing the best of Rod Stewart which wasn't really giving the Italian pasta house vibe I was looking for, but overall we will be going again.

I went for lunch and was impressed with the pasta dishes. The carbonara was cooked perfectly and not overdone, resulting in a nice creamy texture. The shrimp were sizable and cooked properly. The lasagna was delicious with a generous portion size - I had to take half of it home. I definitely plan on returning. The prices for pasta dishes were generally between $16 and $30.

Seriously, one of the best meals I've had in a while, and we eat out often. Delicious meals and a great intimate atmosphere. Good for families or date nights. A rare find! We were pleasantly surprised that the food wasn't too salty or overpowering. Remember to ask for oil and vinegar for dipping your bread! My carbonara was sooooo yummy! But, Hubby would order his Rustica dish again as he liked it more than my carbonara. Not photographed are the Ceasar and house salads which was a great starter! YUM!!

The pizza crust did not taste homemade and was very blonde. The cheesecake tasted like the refrigerator.