📍Tiny Market Co  – 938 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5R 3G4
🌍Country: Italy  
🔥Must-try dish: Wasabi and White Bean Fagotinin
🪑Seating: Indoor seating only.
👍The high: It’s affordable for a seven course dinner made with a variety of seasonal ingredients. 

👎The low: The only way to eat dinner here is to make a booking for a group of 12 or less people, where you get a seven course tasting menu. 

Tiny Market Co. lives up to its name, it began as a truly tiny shop selling simple pasta and sauces. Over time, it evolved into a go-to spot for quick Italian-style sandwiches. Then the vision expanded: to create a place built around the warmth of a shared, family-style meal. And fittingly, we experienced it the way it was intended, by dining there together, as a family.

After hours, the large butcher’s block at the center of the shop transforms into a communal dining table, hosting parties of up to 12 for a seven-course feast. Each menu is shaped by the season and inspired by the owners’ culinary travels, making it rare to experience the same dish twice. Spots fill up quickly, so booking weeks, sometimes months, in advance is essential.

It’s also a BYOB experience, inviting guests to pair their own wines or spirits with each course. We were especially lucky to have an in-family sommelier at the table, guiding our selections after owners Erich and Danielle shared the tales and motivation behind everything on the menu.

With each dish, their storytelling transported us to Tuscany, the inspiration for this meal. We began with the first course: sourdough focaccia and warm olives. The portions were generous, almost daunting at first, but quickly vanished as we tore into the bread and savored the briny heat of the olives. It was clear that we were in for something special. This was paired with a few bottles of bubbly, because if this wasn’t a celebration, then what is?

There’s always a salad course to reset the palate, and this one embraced the season perfectly. The Dandelion and Radicchio Salad brought together grilled oyster mushrooms, fennel, fresh oregano, and a creamy aioli that tied everything into one harmonious autumn dish. Even those who don’t typically love mushrooms had high praise for it. It was paired with a German Riesling, sweet, low in alcohol, and the ideal counterpoint to the salad’s earthy, savoury elements.

Now for the pasta courses. It’s no surprise that Tiny Market Co. would excel in their pasta making skills, that’s what we came for!

The first of four pasta courses was one of the most unique Italian-style dishes I’ve ever tried. The Wasabi and White Bean Fagottini blended Italian technique with Asian influence, led by wasabi and sesame oil. There were subtle hints of black truffle and tarragon, yet despite wasabi taking center stage, it never delivered that sharp nasal burn, just pure, layered flavour.

To add a touch of sweetness, tiny balsamic pearls, often called caviar, floated on top. Each bite of the long pasta tucked the ingredients in beautifully, balanced and full of character. To keep things light and crisp, we paired it with a buttery Chardonnay from Mission Hill in British Columbia.

A true crowd-pleaser was the Pici al Cinghiale, a seasonal Tuscan dish the couple discovered on their recent travels, where it’s all about the sauce rather than the noodle. This is wild boar season in Tuscany, so the meat is the highlight, appearing in dishes in all sorts of forms. Here, it was slow-cooked with apricot, herbs, and tomato, creating a rich, subtly sweet red sauce that clung to every strand of pici. 

The Chianti Classico was the obvious pairing, the most Italian wine for the most quintessentially Italian dish. And while we may all be outsiders, this one felt like tradition on a plate.

It’s not really over until the seafood hits the table, right? This fresh, zesty pasta acted as the refreshing pause we didn’t know we needed, lightening the mood between heavier courses with its “from the sea meets autumn” energy. Officially, it’s called Burnt End Paccheri, but let’s translate that: Nova Scotian snow crab, carefully de-shelled and folded into roasted squash, all crowned with a silky citrus béchamel.

Velvety, decadent, and unexpectedly one of the table’s top contenders. In a lineup full of showstoppers, this dish felt genuinely special, which is exactly why we paired it with a Pinot Noir from Bourgogne. Because honestly, we earned it.

The final pasta course was a showstopper: a double dose of tortellini aptly named Tortellini in Love, because, truly, it’s hard not to fall for it. Roasted pear, pecorino, hazelnut, and rosemary came together in perfect harmony, balancing sweet, savoury, and pure autumn warmth. We paired it with a Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, which amplified the dish.

By the time the seventh course arrived, we were all ready to roll home. Erich admits that tiramisu is the only dessert he makes, but he makes it exceptionally well. It was perfectly balanced, with just the right hint of coffee in every bite, paired with a limoncello variation imported all the way from Japan. The combination was both refreshing and satisfyingly sweet.

This is an incredible concept that brings people together, family or not. The whole point of a family-style meal is to enjoy the company around you, and that’s exactly what happened for us one Wednesday at Tiny Market. While the dishes are served on individual plates rather than shared platters, the combination of thoughtful presentation and lively conversation makes it feel like a true family affair.

Eat with you soon!