Since opening last summer, Spaghetti Western has quietly built a loyal following in the Upper Beaches. Located on Kingston Road, the shop is run by Dimitri and Laura Petropoulos alongside their longtime friend Costa Patiniotis.
Although the restaurant isn’t new, it has been attracting a fresh wave of attention online in recent weeks. Much of the buzz centres on its chicken Caesar panuozzo, an oversized sandwich served on pizza dough that has helped introduce a new crowd to the neighbourhood spot.
For more than a decade, Dimitri and Costa have been making fresh pasta for restaurants across Toronto. Now they’re doing it for themselves, serving handmade pasta, sandwiches and Italian classics from their Kingston Road shop.
The concept is straightforward: fresh pasta, your choice of sauce and a meal made to order. What began as a mostly takeout operation has evolved into a busy neighbourhood restaurant, with additional seating added in response to demand. The room is often filled with families, regulars and locals grabbing dinner after work.
Regulars offer one consistent piece of advice: expect large portions. The menu centres on made-to-order pasta and hefty panuozzos — sandwiches served on fresh pizza dough and filled with meats sliced to order.
Other menu highlights include a Saturday-only meatball sandwich, a prosciutto cotto sandwich topped with truffle ricotta and artichokes, and the Wednesday-only Vodka Chicken Parm. The latter layers crispy chicken, fior di latte and roasted peppers on fresh bread, with a side of vodka sauce for dipping.
The pasta menu sticks to familiar Italian comfort food, with dishes such as truffle cream gnocchi, rigatoni bolognese and cacio e pepe. Regulars also gravitate toward the pappardelle with vodka sauce, one of the restaurant’s most frequently ordered plates.
Open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Spaghetti Western continues to draw a steady stream of customers looking for generous portions, handmade pasta and Italian comfort food in the East End.