Café Diplomatico celebrating 50 years in Toronto with retro prices

Café Diplomatico, affectionately known by locals as The Dip, celebrates 50 years in business this year and the Little Italy stalwart is rolling back the prices on select menu items to celebrate.

The restaurant, first opened by Rocco Mastrangelo Sr. in 1968 along with his younger brother Paul, who, according to the origin story posted online, “had envisioned a classic Italian bar where Italian nationals could gather over coffee, biscotti and gelato.”

Now five decades later, the restaurant and legendary patio, have become a Toronto institution where the menu majors in Italian staples like pasta, pizza, and panini.

Cafe Diplomatico

For The Dip’s 50th, the restaurant has launched a special menu, available only on Thursdays featuring espresso at 1970s prices (just 30 cents), gelato for the same cost as in the ’80s (70 cents), cannoli priced like in the ’90s ($1.50), spaghetti pomodoro like they did in the ’00s ($6.50), and Margherita pizza for $10, just shy of the current price.

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