Owner of popular restaurant north of Toronto 'surprised' by visit from Ryan Reynolds

An image of Ryan Reynolds visiting Il Postino on Feb. 1, with owners Naz and Joe. (Courtesy of Naz Sala)

The owner of a popular Italian restaurant north of Toronto said she was “super excited and surprised” when Canadian superstar Ryan Reynolds dropped in for a meal this week.

On Wednesday, Reynolds popped by for some lunch at Il Postino in Unionville, Ont., a beloved restaurant for Italian eats in the area.

When Il Postino’s co-owner, Naz Sala, saw Reynolds walking through the door of her restaurant, she says she was “super excited” and “shocked.”

“I mean, who wouldn’t be seeing Ryan Reynolds walk through their door,” Sala told CTV News Toronto on Friday.

Sala says the Vancouver-born actor came in with a group of people and split a variety of dishes among the table. Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, was not in attendance, she said, though she wishes.

On what he was like in-person, Sala says he was nice to all of the staff and “Honestly, he’s just very humble and down-to-earth.”

Local travel agency, Destination Markham, reshared the photograph from his visit to Il Postino, saying they “see him” in the city.

Markham’s mayor Frank Scarpitti also chimed in on the surprise sighting.

“When you’re in the neighbourhood [well] of course you make time to drop in to one of our best restaurants, Il Postino!” the tweet reads.

It seems like Reynolds was making the rounds for surprise visits across the Greater Toronto Area on Wednesday, as he was also spotted at a Seneca College campus that same day.

The “Deadpool” star dropped by a journalism class unannounced, startling students in the midst of a school project.

Reading off a teleprompter in front of the classroom’s green screen, Reynolds stood beside one of the students and narrated a broadcast regarding “Dr. Phil” McGraw’s recent decision to end his daytime show.