Overall, reviews of Rita describe a warm, inviting Italian spot with a focus on house-made dishes and fresh ingredients, where pizzas, pastas, and imaginative twists are repeatedly praised for flavor and quality. The atmosphere is repeatedly called cozy and charming, with a lively, family-run vibe that many enjoy, though the space can get noisy when busy. Service is often described as friendly, attentive, and capable, with several outstanding mentions of helpful staff, while a minority of reviews note moments of rushed pacing, pushiness, or inconsistent attentiveness. While value is generally seen as fair and meals frequently described as generous and satisfying, some readers point to occasional pricing surprises or a less satisfying takeout pizza. In short, Rita is often recommended for a delightful dining experience with strong dishes and a welcoming vibe, with a few caveats about noise, service rhythm, and occasional menu hiccups.
I'd been wanting to try this place for a while, & I wasn't disappointed. The menu looks amazing & it's hard to choose. We shared the tuna tartare to start, super fresh & delicious. For mains, we had the Verdun Hot Honey pizza, which was generous & tasty, & the gnocchi in a squash mornay sauce. The sauce was incredible, especially with the stracciatella & pistachios on top. A really rich, well-balanced dish.
The downside: the gnocchi themselves were heavy & doughy, not light at all. More like dense balls of pasta, which was disappointing.
& the cocktails… we had the raspberry passion one, & honestly, it barely tasted like it had alcohol in it…maybe a drop. Pretty underwhelming for the price.
Would I go back? Yes, because the food overall was excellent.
There's something really homey & quirky all at the same time about this place. I really enjoyed my experience. The food is fresh & delicious. I really enjoyed the raviololotto it was amazing I definitely recommend. I also love thst the menu is constantly evolving & that there are always new choices to choose from. I will definitely be back.
Apr 7, 2025
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Rita pizza not at all tasty take out. Base burnt & inedible near outside in many places & dough quite dry. Olives very strong & salty, whole olives dropped on not pieces. Tomato'sauce' like squirting fresh tomatoes with little flavour onto the base. Minimal cheese.
No option to add anything!! Not worth $18 for 12 inch. Dine in much better according to friends.
This restaurant was introduced by my Italian friend. The tastes is local. It's fresh pasta. The restaurant was pretty packed, but fortunately we were able to get a reservation one hour after we came. (Came about 8, got a table about 9:30). (Ps. They don't have tiramisu.)
Rita in Verdun has been one of our go-to spots for the last 5 years, & it's been amazing every single time. It's hard to find a place that not only meets but constantly goes beyond your expectations, & Rita nails it. The staff, many of whom have been there for years, really care about giving you the best experience possible. You can feel their passion, & it makes the whole vibe super warm & welcoming. The kitchen team, led by one of the most down-to-earth & talented chefs in Montreal, deserves a huge shoutout. Every dish-from their fresh salads to their delicious pastas & pizzas-shows just how much skill & love goes into the food. The energy in the restaurant is contagious! you can see how much the chefs, servers, & bartenders enjoy what they do, & it totally rubs off on you as soon as you walk in. The cozy, charming dining room just adds to the overall experience, making it 1 of my top 3 Italian places in Montreal, which says a lot considering how many there are. Whether you're dropping in for a casual dinner or something special, Ritaa always delivers. Big thanks to the whole team for making every visit so great-keep it up!
I have been to this restaurant a few times, it's always full even in the week days, highly recommend make a reservation before you go. The menu is small, mostly are pizza & pasta,like other italian resturants. The sauce of pasta was simple & fresh, very tasty; The crust of pizza was so thin that it's a bit super burnt. I would like to recommend their starter - Gâteau Savoureux, it's well mixed with charcuterie, cheddar & salad, perfect egg on the top of dish, brought all flavors in the mouth, amazing! About the services, depends on which waiter/waitress. Although some are in rush, they always clean the table between starter & main course, & change the cutlery
My husband & I have been trying different pizza parlors wherever we go. This is one of our hometown restaurants. We made a reservation, & I recommend one, especially on a Saturday night. The restaurant was full, inside & out. They have 2 settings, & they close at 10 pm. We shared a cesar salad to start with a beer each. They don't have a huge selection, but it was ok. We then had a pizza each. I had the Pepino, which was tomatoes, pepperoni, homemade peperoncini & smoked mozzarella. The pepperoni were small circles & perfectly browned. The sauce was simple & fresh. The cheese was ever so slightly smoked, so it did not overpower the meat. My husband had the Calabrese with was Calabrian pepper cream, smoked Caciocavalo cheese, rapini & homemade sausage. I really enjoyed mine & he enjoyed his. Each was 10/12 inches. Most people can finish one because the crust was so thin, so it's not bready. The service was amazing. All staff that served us were perfectly bilingual, which was really nice. They removed the soiled cutlery & washed the table between the salad & the pizza. Bravo, guys! It was a bit expensive for what we had. Tax & tip was over $100.
Jul 20, 2024
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We came here to celebrate a special occasion. Highly recommend booking as can get quite busy even for a weekday evening. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a friendly face & our waitress Clara attended to us as soon as we sat down. We couldn't decide on the wine & she kindly offered us a taster. For food, we decided to have the fresh Buffarella & Red Beets as starter alongside with bread, followed by the Raviolotto for main. The quantity is decent so this was sufficient for us. The Buffarella was very fresh, sweet & delicate, highly recommended. Red beets on the other hand, in comparison, was a little more ordinary. The Raviolotto was very well made, pasta tasted fresh & the filling, sauce & mushrooms on the side accompanied this dish extremely well. Would definitely recommend this! A word of warning, it is on the slightly heavy side. Lastly to finish, we ordered the Olive Oil Cake. This was extremely tasty, moist & its texture perfectly dense yet light! Really enjoyed this as a dessert & a healthy choice to finish! Clara was extremely attentive & made the evening even better. We had an amazing experience here & would no doubt be visiting again in the near future. Thank you for the amazing service & making us feel very welcomed!
Rita is DELICIOUS! My mouth is salivating just thinking about the food. We had Nonna Lia's cake, the cavatelli with fresh buffarella, & the Verdun hot honey pizza (highly recommend trying the spicy oil on top!) What I really loved too, were the portions. Everything was so fresh, & not too overwhelming. It was just the right amount of food for us. Overall great atmosphere, mouth-watering Italian food, charming back story, & superbe service. I would 100% come back!
Rita is by far my favorite restaurant. Why? Where do I even begin. The staff provides you with top notch service, they genuinely care & want you to have the best experience. The wine selection is amazing, I've discovered several private import wines that were outstanding. & last but not least, the food is phenomenal. You can tell that they use fresh & high quality ingredients, & the dishes are so creative but very classic at the same time.
