Founded in 1960 by brothers Peppino and Federico Corneli, the restaurant continues to uphold the same authentic recipes passed down through generations. A true family business, it is now proudly run by the new generation — Nicola, Pina, and Alex Corneli, together with Chef Joe Nicodemo. Our homemade pasta, hand-crafted by Nonna Donna, remains the heart and soul of our cuisine. And of course, our pizza baked in an oven imported from Italy delivers that traditional taste we’re famous for.
Visit us at our two locations: Little Italy – Montreal Vimont – Laval
Groups are welcome and reservations are strongly recommended.
The lounge is equipped with big screens for sports events. Our specialized wine list and wide selection of beers and cocktails is the height of the Italian zest for life!
Ristorante Pizzeria Corneli offers a lively, welcoming Italian dining atmosphere where wood fired pizzas and generous pastas showcase fresh ingredients and comforting flavors. The menu emphasizes authentic Italian fare with large portions and good value, and many dishes are described as flavorful and well balanced, from seafood pasta to lasagna and pizza specialties. Service is repeatedly noted for being friendly, attentive, and professional, able to handle big groups with ease while keeping a warm, personal touch. The ambiance, including a pleasant terrace, is a frequent highlight and contributes to a vibrant yet family friendly vibe. Gluten free options and a strong wine list add to the overall appeal, with many guests appreciating the bustling energy without sacrificing quality. Some reviews mention the space can be noisy or crowded and a few dishes could use a touch more seasoning, but the overall experience is consistently praised and many guests say they would return.
ubered a scallopini boscaiola & Ferrero chocolate cake. The scallopini's sauce was truly awesome (cream, shallot, white wine a classic). The meat was excellent; it had a bit of texture but gave way easily. The cholate Ferrero cake was a fresh moist chocolate cake thoroughly enjoyable, but I did not find the Ferrero taste that I was expecting; it was very subtle. Nevertheless, an excellent chocolate cake.
Incroyable restaurant avec une vraie ambiance d'Italie ! La nourriture est EXCELLENTE & les serveurs sont gentils & rapides. Honnêtement, je n'ai que de belles choses à dire, & pourtant je suis quelqu'un de très critique.
J'ai vraiment hâte d'y retourner, surtout que ce n'est pas si cher que ça pour la qualité & la quantité. Les portions sont très généreuses. J'ai pris la salade César en entrée, mais c'était littéralement une portion de repas principal ! Ensuite, j'ai pris la lasagne.
La sauce de la lasagne… wow ! Crémeuse, légèrement sucrée, fondante en bouche… & très cheesy. Vraiment délicieux !
Mar 15, 2026
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Serveur attentionné & efficace. Ne commandez pas les pâtes crevettes pétoncles & champignons (spécialité de la maison). Bien que la sauce était très bonne, il n'y avait que 2 malheureuses crevettes, 5petits pétoncles & 2 champignons en tranches. Pour 32$!
We really enjoyed the quality of the food but the balance was a bit off. We ordered the polenta & the salmon linguine. Both dishes had too little of the secondary ingredients. The polenta could have had more mushrooms & a lot more spinach & sauce, the linguine could have used more of everything except noodles. That's not to say the portion sizes were too small, but rather that there was too much of the'carb' ingredient relative to the other ingredients.
The ambiance of the place was pretty good, more modern chic than resolutely Italian in style.
The service was also very good handling such a large group.
My wife & I have traveled to Montreal for our first trip to the city & it has been amazing. The food & drink has been on par with our trips through Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, France) & Corneli has been at the apex of the trip so far.
We were walking through Mount Royal & decided to catch a quick Uber to Jean Telon Market. Getting peckish, we decided to take a random walk through Little Italy & stumbled upon the restaurant for lunch.
We were immediately seated, drinks served quickly & asked for orders (the accommodation for English was quite welcome). We started with the Bruschetta & loved the fresh tomato, delicious olive oil, & sweet balsamic.
My wife ordered the Penne alla Romanoff (pictured) & I had the recommended Lasagna (pictured).
My exact words to my wife'I think this might be the best lasagne I've had.... In my life'. I should be careful as she makes a phenomenal bechamel with her lasagna :)
Her Penne was al dente, the sauce was buttery & not overpowering, & paired quite well with the parmasean.
Our drinks of a Spritz, Martini, & Manhatten were satisfying & done expertly. Much better than the price would suggest :)
Shout out to our server Andrew who was very attentive, easily provided recommendations, & looked after us with care.
If you get a chance, please check out Corneli, you won't be disappointed.
I visited Restaurant Corneli for my birthday & overall had a good experience, though I left feeling a bit disappointed. The food itself was excellent. The lasagna was rich & flavorful, the gnocchi had a great texture with a fresh tomato sauce, & the pizza was perfectly cheesy with a crispy crust. Everything tasted really authentic & made with care.
The restaurant has a warm, classic Italian atmosphere, & the service was friendly & attentive throughout the meal. However, as someone who works in the service industry, I was a little surprised that nothing was mentioned or done for my birthday - no small dessert, acknowledgment, or gesture. It's something I always make sure to include for guests at my own job, as it adds that personal touch & makes their special day memorable.
Still, Restaurant Corneli delivers great food & a cozy dining experience. It's just missing that extra bit of hospitality that would've made it perfect.
The Best Italian Restaurant I have ever been to in Montreal. Each dish takes you another level of nirvana. For 4 people we ordered Polenta Funghi spinachi,Pizza toute garni,Piccata il lemon 🍋 a glass of wine,gavi granee, vitally alla bosacaiola,calamari & coffee di jionnais.
Excellent. I gave 4 stars for one main reason:
Every dish ordered is very salty.
I wonder if one could request to hold the salt or do not add salt if already in the sauce.
We would like to go back another day only if we can request to HOLD THE SALT PLEASE 🙂
WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!
Our server Elizabeth aims to please . She's very pleasant ,smiles alot,& we are a table of 12.
Thank you Elizabeth 😊
Sep 7, 2025
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I recently visited Corneli with my girlfriend. I ordered the Vitello alla Parmigiana with vegetables & potatoes, while she chose the Linguini alle Vongole.
Unfortunately, my veal dish was a big disappointment. The potatoes were floury & unpleasant to eat, the carrots were fine, but the green vegetables tasted frozen, something I notice right away & personally don't enjoy. The tomato sauce was good, but the veal itself was overwhelmed by the flour coating, making it hard to really taste the meat.
My girlfriend's linguini dish was better overall. However, the clams were not cleaned properly, so there was sand in them, which is a big drawback for a seafood dish.
On the positive side, before our meals arrived, we were served complimentary Italian bread (similar to focaccia) with spices & pepper. It wasn't too strong & was very enjoyable. Honestly, it ended up being better than my main dish. We received only one slice because I took the picture late, but normally they serve four or five slices, which is a nice touch.
Each dish was $32, & with tax & tip, the total came to around $80-$90 for two. Given the quality, I find it quite expensive.
Main takeaway: Corneli seems like a better choice if you stick to pasta, which they do well (though my girlfriend's dish could have been improved by properly cleaning the clams). I would definitely avoid the vegetable-&-potato option & go for the homemade pasta instead. Overall, I'd call it a so-so restaurant: not terrible, but not one I'd rush back to for veal.
I took the meatball sauce pizza & wasn't a fan, but my girlfriend took a sweet honey pizza & it tasted incredible. Good place for good pizza with kind people.
Had calamari & it came with some great dipping sauces. The pizza was a bit soft underneath & flecks of basil cheapened it. There was bushes of basil right next to the pizza oven so not sure why my margarita came with one leaf. The service was great though, Alex was fantastic.
Been here 20+ times over the years. This time ordered Scalopine with pasta & wanted Rose Sauce. Came with Tomatoe sauce & had no time to even say a word as waiter was gone within seconds. Flagged him down...took plate, utensils & returned within 30 seconds with a mound of rose sauce on top of the pasta only to find out that they just dumped Rose sauce over the tomatoe sauce. Flagged waiter again, Took plate & then returned with a bowl of spaghetti Rose sauce within 30 seconds again. No utensils, rushed & terrible service. Times have changed there.. Just a rush experience with a NO CARE ATTITUDE FROM STAFF. Has become a chain like atmosphere.. with workers who have no passion or commitment to good service or food.
Jun 3, 2025
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Resto fantastique! Belle ambiance, bon service & nourriture délicieuse, bien balancée, sans prétention & italienne traditionnelle!
Les entrées - calmars frits, salade César, crab cakes & bufala étaient tous délicieux & copieux!
Les repas - la pizza, les pâtes: cavateli de ricotta faits main étaient comme des nuages dans leur sauce pesto, les linguini avec crevettes & pétoncles supper & les pennine puttanesca bien équilibrées.
Le dessert, Tiramisu & cannollo, bien goûteux & pas trop sucrés!!!!
Le meilleur plat de pâtes que j'ai mangé de ma vie! Les crevettes étaient juteuses à souhait, & la sauce pesto était une explosion de saveurs. Les pétoncles, parfaitement cuits, ajoutaient une touche exceptionnelle au plat!!
Service was amazing. The calamari are tops, loved the white sauce, not so much their red sauce but my 8 yrs old ate some. I had the veal parm , did not like the taste or texture. Had the burrata & the cavatelli burruta, both very tasty & fresh. Great appearance & plating . Would go back.
Sep 9, 2024
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Lors de notre visite dans la Petite Italie, nous avons eu le plaisir de déjeuner dans ce bar-restaurant. La cuisine y est authentique & réconfortante, évoquant des saveurs familières. Nous avons dégusté des arancini, une escalope de veau accompagnée de pâtes à la sauce tomate, ainsi qu'un délicieux daïquiri. Les portions sont généreuses, & chaque plat était savoureux. Nous recommandons vivement cet établissement & avons hâte de revenir pour goûter leur pizza.
We ate here 3 times while staying in Little Italy. They do not have a gluten-free menu but offer gluten-free pizza crust & gluten-free pasta. I found that if you let the wait staff know that you're Celiac/gluten-free they will let you know what is safe. My husband & I shared the antipasto plate once & it didn't contain even a trace of gluten. The next time we shared a Ceasar salad & we had them remove the croutons & bring them separately for my husband. The gluten-free pizza & pasta were really tasty. Again, just ask about pizza fixings & pasta sauces. &...there's a reason why we ate here 3 times. It was safe & most importantly delicious!!!
Seriously overpriced food not fresh service so slow & waiters don't know there tables 3 times they were going with the food to the wrong table the tortellini rosa sauce tasted like butter one bite & o was going to throw up, the lasagna tasted like cardboard, the burrata cheese with tomatoes for entre seriously tasted so bad, never going there anymore. I decided to try that restaurant du the number of good review i dont know if people really serious with there good review or they we're paid to give it a good review.
My husband & I tried for the first time Cornelli's for our wedding anniversary. Our entrees were a green salad with house dressing (simple & reminiscent of my Italian grandmother's dressing) & arancini which were fried perfectly & moist inside. Our main courses consisted of 2 house specialties, the seafood linguini & the cavatelli pesto mushroom. The shrimp were slightly overcooked on the linguini & the delicious scallop was done properly. The cavatelli pasta was fantastic! The only complaint really for both dishes is TOO MUCH SAUCE! Dessert was good. Service fantastic! I very much liked the atmosphere as it was somewhat "retro" LOL
Overall we always have a great experience! The food is fresh & very authentic, the service is excellent & there is alot to choose from on the menu. So far the cavatellis with the tomatoe basil sauce are my favorite 😍
