Eataly Sherway Gardens packs an immeasurable amount of passion, skill, and top-level Italian food into its new, 25,000-square foot locale in Etobicoke.

Opened to line-ups snaking through the mall, the store brings Eataly's ethos of "eat, shop, and learn" to a wider audience. 

It's a place that makes Italian food accessible, whether you want to eat on-site, squirrel chef-quality prepared food home, or delve deep into intriguing ingredients and recreate Italian classics in your own kitchen.

"There's a reason why we've opened a second location in Toronto," says Nico Dagnino, Managing Director, North Region and eCommerce at Eataly North America.

"We found, based on the questions that the public asked at our other store, people are very educated about food here, and really appreciate good food. There was an underserved market in this area."

Smaller than its Bloor-Street sibling, the Italian marketplace still manages to leave customers' mouths agape.

From the plethora of local and imported products to the army of artisans dutifully carrying about their business for all to see — be it hand-pulling mozzarella, stretching pizza dough, or rolling out delicate ribbons of yolk-tinged semolina pasta — it's hard to know where to focus your gaze.

Entering from the parking lot, customers are met with fresh produce, a tower of Eataly's new private-label panettone selection, and an abundance of stocked shelves vying for attention.

"You have an entire retail experience here," affirms Dino Borri, Global VP of Eataly, driving home the point that, with four food counters, a bustling market, a Vino-To-Go shop, and two restaurants, Eataly Sherway isn't a place you can, or should, hurry through.

The store is positively packed with high-quality local items and those previously unavailable on this side of the Atlantic.

Parcels of artisanal pasta, boxes of biscuits and chocolates, peak season jarred tomatoes, and dozens of types of olive oil (including some from rare Italian cultivars), fill innumerable shelves.

Situated in the centre of the store, across from La Panetteria & Pizza alla Pala counter, the mozzarella lab is apt to cause traffic jams, thanks to the mesmerizing way the team transforms local curd into plump orbs of creamy mozzarella and burrata.

"It's not just fresh," gushes Borri. "It's super-fresh! It's made all day, right in front of you."

Join the line of people waiting for a slice of hand-stretched, Roman-style pizza alla pala, and sample each cheese atop crisp, chewy dough, that's recently emerged from a 580°F electric oven.

Crowned with burrata (a cheese that conceals a heart of molten stracciatella inside a fresh mozzarella shell), a slice of Pomodoro e Burrata pizza ($16.90) is a small indulgence worth every crumb.

Though the team has over 100 recipes under its belt, with only eight available daily, you'll need to visit regularly to sample them all.

Italy's breathtaking array of formaggi and salumi translates to a deli counter populated with singular items to add to your cart.

Sample Bra Tenero cheese from northern Italy, or its aged alter-ego, Stravecchio. Discover the nuances that separate prosciutto di Parma from the San Daniele variety. In essence, travel around Italy's varied regions through some of its most revered, as well as lesser-known, flavours.

An idea imported from other Eataly locations, Il Pastaio invites diners to linger over fresh, seasonal pastas at a slick marble counter.

A spot that will also host classes for customers wanting to learn the intricacies of making agnolotto, casarecce, and more, the counter offers an unobstructed view of pasta pros doing what they do best.

Agnolotti Del Plin ($29) — fat pillows, traditionally pinched to prevent any filling from spilling out — are a plush, meaty dish from Piedmont with a veal sugo that's as deep and rich as a full-bodied Italian accent.

Tossed with basil pesto, Trenette ($26) brings the coastal feel of a Ligurian afternoon to south Etobicoke.

Coated with sausage ragu then topped with Pecorino Romano, hand-cranked Malloreddus ($27) is exemplary slow food. Made with saffron, the Sardinian pasta is savoury, faintly floral and permeated with the type of flavours only generations of tradition can impart.

By entering from the mall, customers can target Eataly Sherway's main restaurant — La Pizza & La Pasta — or Il Gelato Artigianale, La Pasticceria and Il Gran Caffè, where Illy coffee is moulded into espressos, cold brews, cappuccinos and other caffeine-loaded sips.

Despite its name, the main restaurant — a sprawling locale that accommodates approximately 230 people, with more space opening up on a patio next summer — La Pizza & La Pasta's menu has a little something for everyone.

"Here you can find the full Eataly experience. Not just one thing or another," explains Borri. "Compared to the other location, where we have different restaurants, here we decided to bring them all together."

Antipasti and insalate pair perfectly with a seat at the central bar. A cheery Aperol Spritz ($16) or chilled glass of verdicchio ($21) needs little more than a plate of Calamari Fritti con Zucchini ($21) or board of Prosciutto di Parma ($19) to feel complete.

Cooked in a wood-burning, Rossopomodoro oven, pizzas here are shining examples of the Neapolitan style — thin, blistered, supple and easily inhaled in one sitting.

Taste your way through the Icons of Eataly section of the menu for the team's signature dishes, like Margherita “A Ruota Di Carro” ($22). Named for the wheel of a cart, this pizza is thinner and larger than others, owing to the fact that it was originally created to feed as many mouths as possible.

Made from dry Gragnano pasta, known for its texture and the way it captures sauce, Spaghetti al Pomodoro ($18) flaunts the team's ability to whip a handful of simple ingredients into the ultimate temptation.

In the right hands, a box of pasta, a jar of Cosi Com’è tomatoes and a short cooking time translate to a soothingly simple, deeply gratifying bowl. Without tradition, expertise and respect for ingredients, the recipe just wouldn't work.

Also on offer, Branzino Alla Ligure ($49), Pollo alla Milanese ($33) and Bistecca Di Ribeye ($79) assure that heartier appetites find something to satisfy.

Though dolci, gelato and coffee are all available in the restaurant, there's something to be said about feasting with your eyes at Eataly's dedicated counters.

Gaze at a rainbow of sorbetto and gelati, then a bakery display graced with a fetching array of one-bite pasticcini and creamy, fruity, chocolatey desserts, in mini, personal, and sharing sizes.

Available in a cup, a large to-go size, and as a plated dessert at La Pizza & La Pasta, the Tiramisù di Eataly is the dessert that will best transport you to Italy with every bite.

Made with mascarpone cream, espresso-soaked ladyfingers, and cocoa powder, it would get the nonna seal of approval, if such a thing existed.

A place where passion for tradition and quality combine with a desire to share Italy's rich culinary history, Eataly overflows — with dishes, ingredients, and unique experiences.

Sample each one, at Eataly Sherway Gardens, at 25 The West Mall, Etobicoke.