Popular Italian restaurant has three-course meal for just $25 near Mississauga and Brampton

For those who love authentic Italian food, Bellona Kitchen isn’t just delicious, it’s affordable – and it’s just a short drive away from Mississauga and Brampton.

Bellona Kitchen is one of Toronto’s most popular hidden gems for Italian cuisine in a warm, inviting space. This family-run restaurant was founded by executive chef and owner John Fusco and his wife Aggie, wanting to recreate the experience of eating a home cooked meal at his Nonna’s home in the small town of Bellona, Italy.

“As a child, I always associated my Nonna’s cooking with love and family. Food was the way that she expressed love to the world,” said Chef Fusco.

Enjoy an authentic Italian three-course dining experience with their new $25 Bellona Cantina menu.

A cantina is the downstairs kitchen and the “heart” of a traditional Italian home. Similarly, the Bellona Cantina is a new concept offered in the lower level of Bellona Kitchen, where Chef Fusco invites guests to a $25 three-course experience including an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.

“The cantina is the heart of the Italian home, a place where good food is enjoyed, memories are made, and years’ worth of homemade tomato sauce, home dried herbs, and hand pressed wine are stored,” said Olivia Fusco, marketing manager at Bellona Kitchen.

The affordable three-course menu is attributed to the fact that everything is made in-house and from scratch, from the pasta to the sauces.

On the current cantina menu, start the meal off with your choice of a savoury hummus pomodoro, bruschetta, roasted butternut squash soup, or a variety of sliders.

Options for the main course include delicious fresh pasta dishes like La Sagreta Ravioli, Creamy Pistachio Ravioli, and Cremini Mushroom Rigatoni – or try one of their handcrafted pizzas like the Crumble Sausage and Cremini Mushroom or the spicy Pizza Arrabbiata made with crushed red peppers and homemade hot chilli oil.

There’s also the hearty Bellona Calzone stuffed with veggie meatballs, spiced tofu, cremini mushrooms, roasted red peppers, garlic and mozzarella cheese.

Then end things on a sweet note with a decadent slice of tiramisu topped with coconut whipped cream, or a plate of apple fritters: battered honey crisp apples tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with vanilla ice cream.

The cantina menu changes seasonally with new dishes introduced every so often, keeping the menu fresh and exciting even for regular customers. Guests are encouraged to check back often and see what’s new.

A traditional cantina experience  

It’s not just the food that has made Bellona Kitchen so successful. The restaurant offers an authentic and intimate Italian experience that really feels like you’re walking into Nonna’s house, a place where you’re amongst family and the mouthwatering smell of tomatoes and garlic is always in the air.

Nowhere is that truer than in the downstairs cantina, replicating the feel of a traditional Italian cantina where wines are displayed, jarred sauces and herbs are stored, and guests are entertained.

“Somehow the coldest room in the house always seemed the warmest,” said Olivia Fusco.

While Chef Fusco and his team of cooks work back of the house preparing delicious food, his wife Aggie is the mixologist at the bar, serving up some of the best cocktails and drinks around.

Vegetarian restaurant with an Italian influence

While vegetarian restaurants are fairly common, Italian vegetarian restaurants are a rare gem, making Bellona Kitchen a fantastic addition to both the vegetarian and Italian food scenes.

Their unique menus are designed with healthier ingredients in mind while still being delicious enough to satisfy vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Many of the dishes can also be customized to be vegan or suit other dietary needs – just ask your server.

The menu, inspired by the plant-based lifestyle that Chef Fusco and Aggie adopted years ago, features classic Italian dishes made vegetarian. They’re passionate about preserving the original taste; according to Fusco, it can sometimes take two to three months to translate a meat-based dish into a vegetarian one in a way that gets the taste just right.

“As a vegan, my wife and I were always challenged with finding a great meal when we went out to dine,” said Chef Fusco. “We wanted a place that was affordable, where you could taste the authenticity in the food and ambiance – just like Nonna’s house.”

Exclusive offers and chef tasting events 

Guests can enjoy even more at Bellona Kitchen by joining the restaurant’s exclusive loyalty club. Members can make use of a rewards system that lets you save money on your meal, as well as access to the exclusive tasting menu and highly popular chef tasting events showcasing the best tastes and flavours the restaurant has to offer.

Since opening in January, Bellona Kitchen already amassed hundreds of glowing reviews online. It’s a hit among the local community and even has regular customers make the drive out from all over Ontario just to enjoy another meal at the restaurant.

“In 35 years of being in this business, I have never seen so many five-star reviews, and never thought I’d ever get this type of response,” said Chef Fusco.

To see the full menu or to book a table, visit Bellona Kitchen’s website.

The Bellona Cantina can also be booked for private parties and events, seating up to 22 guests in an intimate setting. Additionally, the restaurant offers catering and is ready to bring their popular dishes to any event, whether it’s a quaint dinner party or a large celebration.

Keep up with all the latest news and updates at the restaurant by following Bellona Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram.