The Top Ranked Pizza In Toronto - #10-1

It's been a long, long journey. We've gone from the modest to the exceptional, the tasteless to the vivid, the bland descriptive to the excessively poetic. Here goes, my top ten ranked pizza in Toronto.


#10 - King Slice (Bloor) - A--
1598 Bloor Street West

 


I have some good friends in the Keele/High Park area and multiple visits I've planned an extra fifteen minutes just for King Slice. A few years ago I was taking BP (that's batting practice for you non-baseball folks) at MacGregor Park and afterwards I talked my buddies into King Slice instead of Domino's. Because that's what friends are for.

King is simple in how it provides basic elements to fantastic effect. If you call yourself 'King' Slice you better bring the size and they sure do. Way back I gave Scaddabush trouble for, among many other problems, offering a tiny sized pizza at a seriously inflated price. A slice from King is larger than that entire pizza from Scaddabush (and infinitely tastier, duh).

The pie itself features a herby sauce, heavy mozzarella presence shaking hands with said sauce while the dough foundation is nicely oily and crisp. That crust is a gem, like soft garlic bread (you're doing it wrong if you don't get the garlic oil), with just enough crunch on the outside to lock juicy garlicy heaven on the inside. 

Overall, it's a classically huge slice (or hugely classical?) done exceptionally. Their Arrabiata slice (pictured above) is a top Toronto slice offering.


#9 - Buca (King West) - A-
604 King Street West

 

This entire time I debated even trying Buca. Maybe because of the expense (the priciest pizza on this list and I ordered the cheap one) and an inaccessibility to the common pizza goer. So this is a hard one for me to review.

The first time I ever went to Buca was for a trial shift (another work story!) way back in 2013. I didn't get the job and I'm fairly glad about that. It was really far from my house and deep down I was done being a busboy in super busy, fancy restaurants anyway. Returning a month ago, for this article, was an odd experience: like having a dream about a place and then years later you're actually there, except the details are different. The lighting is darker, the entrance is somewhere else, yet there's enough familiar memory that you recall the moment you were there before. 

Anyhow, back to pizza and Buca definitely has that. Thing is, yeah it's really expensive. Also yeah, flavour-wise it's somewhat inaccessible. Even after this pizza madness I don't consider myself a "foodie" (maybe a "pizza-ee" or something). As such this menu is intimidating, the kind of place where if you took a first date you'd be Googling things when she's not looking just to seem like you know what you're talking about.

I kept things simple, going for the Salami Di Buca pizza with mushrooms, house sausage, smoked mozza and savoury. The taste is very intense despite that seeming simplicity, with the powerful oily mushrooms acting as a powerful double act with the strong smokiness of the cheese. The sausage is scattered about here and there but is delicious when it appears, adding an occasional juiciness as an additional layer. Robust tomato sauce is in play and they don't short you on it (they'd better not), and the crust is likewise thin and excellently seasoned. There's more of an exquisite quality to the taste than a delicious one, like a power dinner on the company card to impress a client.

It tastes really good, though it takes time to reveal itself as you go. I probably won't go back as it's a bit too rich for me (both price and flavour) thus this tricky review: it's fantastic but I didn't really like it as much as this ranking suggests. The high quality here cannot be denied, however. 


#8 - Blondie's Pizza - A-
1555 Dundas Street East

 

Blondie's, at least from the time of this photo, wins the award for best box. As a child of the 80s/early 90s I love the delightful kitsch and retroness on display here. 

A venture of the Food Dudes catering company (another place I worked at once for about five minutes), Blondie's is a sleek little east end pizza shack surrounded by... nothing. Just homes. Also it's a shack all right: there isn't space inside for even a counter. There are some picnic tables outside, however, and a giant park across the street making them a friendly weather destination perhaps. 

Whether the weather is friendly or not, what really matters is the pizza. Well between my chief pizza associate's choice and my own I have to admit, hers was the better pie. A creamy white pizza covered in mozzarella, ricotta and pecorino, accompanied by thin crispy salami and thinner caramelized onions, this was that right balance of intense cheesiness, salty meatiness and sweetness from the onions. Remember, onions and I are not friends but for these ones I negotiated a prosperous truce.

My pizza, meanwhile, was more traditional: tomato sauce with mini chorizo meatballs, dollops of juicy chili and smokey provolone. Not as interesting but damn tasty regardless, with the spice factor being very on point (yet with nice sweetness to make it more complete) and the meatballs being quite firm on the outside but juicy within. Combine that with a lightly buttered crust and I was pleased with my choice. I play softball at that nearby park and I suspect I'll be hitting Blondie's after those games more than once this upcoming summer.


#7 - Pizzeria Libretto (King) - A
545 King Street West

 

There is no pizza I've had in my life more than this one. Not Pizza Pizza, not Nova, not even 2-4-1 as a kid. It's this one.

I worked at the original Ossington location for about a year and a half, see. There we would get a daily communal staff meal, either before the shift in the morning or after we'd stopped taking new tables at nighttime. The majority of these staff meals would be some pizzas (the easiest and quickest thing for the kitchen to make us) and I was consistently the only one never disappointed when that happened. I'd even take leftovers home if they were interesting enough creations. 

It gets better. When I worked I'd usually be helping expedite the pass (the middle point where food comes from the kitchen to server, a liaison between FOH and BOH). I would slice the pies, add a certain oil or salt if required and then deliver it to the table. Well, kitchens make mistakes, especially under the pressure of a busy restaurant known for having lineups on Monday nights, so the occasional pizza would be lightly burnt, have a tiny hole or just be the wrong order. Many of my managers were insistent that I throw these out immediately, primarily because I think they didn't want the servers and other FOH staff chowing down in the back during the middle of a rush. Understandable, sure, but we weren't always chaotically busy every hour of every night. Yet they really pressed it upon me so I threw out a lot of them.... into my secret pizza box hidden behind some plates (heh heh heh). Some nights I'd have three or four stacked atop each other in that one box. Sneaky and greedy, I admit (though I'd try keeping a few around for fellow staff on days those managers weren't breathing down my neck). I've worked in a lot of restaurants now and I just hate throwing out mistake food. It's such a complete waste and at least taking it home, sharing it with friends or utilizing it as a midnight snack is indisputably better than that. People don't fully realize how much food restaurants waste until you work in one and it's a damn shame. 

Eventually I left Libretto and hadn't been back until this past November, when this project began. It's difficult to be objective about a place you know so well (and the menu was basically the same!) but this had been six years. A long enough time to allow tastes to change and other delicious meals to come and pass. The question of whether it was as good as I remembered dominated my thoughts as I at last returned. To so fully approach the question I went for one of my personal favs from my past: the Nduja pizza.

It has a lot of things you've probably noticed from this list that I like: soft spicy sausage, garlic, creamy cheese with a mozza/stracciatella combo. After all those years though... did it measure up? Well spoiler... they're this high on the list, the answer is obviously yes. It's thin, soft, the tastes melt together in your mouth on every bite; the tomato sauce has that sweet spot sweetness and the cheese squeaks with buttery texture. It's great. Still great.

As time has passed, Libretto has become more of an established standard than a "must go" destination. When I worked there it was just the one location (Danforth opened up a month before I left). There are four now, as well as occasional pop-ups in food halls/farmer's markets and alike. Their brand is such a presence that perhaps they aren't as exciting to try now as they were back in those earlier days. Thankfully, their product is still excellent and very deserving of all praise.

One last Libretto story for the road. Somebody once ordered their own mad creation with six(!) toppings and we had to make it. I respect the ambition but with a thin, wood fried crust that monstrosity was a veggie cheese soup, not anything resembling a pizza. Surprise, I don't think that person was pleased with the result. This ain't Pizzaville, this is the big leagues rook.


#6 - Pizzeria Oro Di Napoli - A    
2312 Lakeshore Boulevard West

 

I was so close to giving a tie for 6th here with Oro and Libretto. They're so similar in texture, taste, sauce and just overall consistency. Libretto is more available (if you're looking downtown) while Oro has that destination charm thanks to their solitary location in delightfully funky Mimico.   

I'm giving Oro the edge though. This pizza I had was just so incredibly vivid in flavour: Nduja sausage again but a more earthy spice than Libretto's greasy "pow"; roasted peppers to add some much needed sweetness and just a faint dash of grano padano for an edge of sharpness. Consider this: I made two Mimico trips and number two was just for Cellar Door. Oro is the fifth Mimico place to make the list, so yeah first trip... four different places, one day, lots of rain... Even a mad pizza man would be worn after eating three other pizzas in the same day. Oro blew that away just by being so impressively excellent. If only they were closer. Their flavours are explosive and worth an hour on the streetcar.


#5 - Pizzeria Via Mercanti (Kensington) - A
188 Augusta Avenue

 

Mercanti is the poofier cousin of the last two and thicker crust-wise, soft and oilier while really keeping things simpler, though loading the toppings on heavier. My pizza here was another sausage/rapini combo (juicy and bitter) with the rapini getting a nice drizzle of olive oil to soften and enhance that sharp taste. The sausage meanwhile was huge and crumbly, with the right mix of pepper and saltiness to cut through the more intense rapini, while the cheese was the foundation grounding it all together. A great example of simplicity aiming high: executing basic elements at a high, high level to be as enjoyable or more so than any wild combination of toppings.

Speaking of that, my chief associate's pizza (in the corner of the photo) is really what nudges Mercanti into the top 5. A basic Margherita with the cheese and sauce all melty and gooey together, but the crust stuffed with ricotta cheese and spicy soppressata. It's one of those things that sound amazing when you're really hungry but then you go to Pizza Hut or Little Caesar's because it's close to your house, ending in the inevitable self-loathing those pizzas consistently provide. 

Well here's how you do it right: high quality salami, a more interesting cheese than generic mozzarella and that pillowy crust solid enough to hold the party inside without oozing everywhere. Baby, does it work, like a mini calzone waiting for you at the end of each slice.


#4 - Pizza e Pazzi - A
1182 St. Clair Avenue West

 

Roughly translated as "pizza and the crazies", this name sure spoke to a particular writer who'd just spent four months trying seventy-five different pizzas. 

Heading to Pazzi was a tight affair: I had about an hour before work and west St. Clair ain't close. Fortunately the St. Clair streetcar was surprisingly kind to this traveler and I was capable of eating this pizza without rushing. Which was great because holy moly this was an insanely delicious pie. Their daily special and pricey (22 dollars) yet fairly simple: a duck pizza with some gorgonzolla atop a tomato sauce base and bufala mozzarella. God damn. The duck was salty and tender, not chewy or dry at any moment (even reheated), a perfect match for the sharp blue cheese melted into the mozzarella. The sauce was very light (a shy base not disrupting the strong other flavours) while the crust was just magically doughy and charred, a perfect firmness to hold the juicy duck and heavy gooey cheese all together. One of the tastiest, most interesting pizzas I've ever had. 

The tricky thing now is that, while I'll definitely return sometime that pizza likely won't be available. Will whatever else I get be as good? That is a tower of a task. Stay tuned for the updated pizza rankings in... 2022 maybe? Ha.


#3 - Maker Pizza (Cameron Street) - A
59 Cameron Street

 

Entering the realm of brilliant creativity again, Maker is a very popular downtown spot tucked away on a side street behind Queen and Spadina. Walking there is a curious time: pass the Cameron House (a great little live music spot), past some newish condos on your left and rundown townhouses on your right. The projects meet the condo developers: classic Toronto standoff.

The inside has a sleek, small cafeteria feel to it with smooth long tables and stools. A smell of dough and fried onions is heavy in the air. On first visit my chief associate and I went for similar styles: white pizzas where hers had pork shoulder sugo (fall apart in your mouth flavour) with a mix of mozzarella, mascarpone and grano padano cheese with basil and garlic to finish the deal. I went cheesy myself, going mozza, goat cheese, parmasean and honey while taking a big chance that their caramelized onions were soft and sweet instead of firm and chunky. I was not disappointed, as this sweet creamy pie was extremely satisfying.

To refresh my memory, I went to Maker recently with the intention of building my own pizza this time. I was between a double shift and spent much of that first half jotting down potential combinations. At last, arriving during my break, I went for a meatball pizza with ricotta cheese, drizzled garlic oil and their 'everything bagel' crust. Fresh out of the oven it came and yikes, it was such a gooey and oily ocean I wasn't sure I could even eat it. Not that it didn't look delicious, just that first few minutes I thought everything would slide off the dough if I picked up a slice. The meatballs were floating!

Once it cooled and the foundation settled, I went in. The wait was worth it: great cheese action with the mozzarella and ricotta running an effective buttery/creamy tag team, with the sauce in all the right places despite a lacking presence. Instead of garlic oil they put honey on by mistake, which gave the pie a runny, sticky texture, but the sweetness of the honey worked with the soft cheeses. Then the 'everything' crust: firm bagel bread but with plenty of give, with poppy seeds and garlic bits caked on adding great crunchiness to the whole deal. Their regular crust is indeed quite good, but the 'everything' crust just takes it another few levels. 

Another point: how deceptively filling these pizzas are! You could split a small with a friend and be full, seriously. Maker is comfortably one of the best and (with their topping options/additions) most creative pizza options in the city.


#2 - Pizzeria Defina (Roncesvalles) - A
321 Roncesvalles Avenue

 

Folks, this is the hardest call of the entire list. I debated it until... I started writing this sentence. Defina's pizza is such a worthy choice for number one. It's wood-fired so not exactly in unique company up here, but it combines all those best previous best aspects. It has Libretto's thinness, Mercanti's heavy load of toppings, Pazzi's decadent soft richness and Oro Di Napoli's collage of flavours. Sheer brilliance.

I've been there twice and ordered the same pizza both times. It's my favourite pizza combo though: wild boar sausage with thin sauteed oily mushrooms and generous chunks of roasted garlic confit cloves. This wild boar isn't overly salty, instead taking on a soft meatball-like texture dissolving in a burst of mouth flavour in your mouth. The garlic and mushrooms add some grounding earthiness to this and are each individually delicious: the mushrooms an occasional delightful sidekick to the sausage and the garlic... well it's roasted garlic done right so what else can be said? To be extra fair I tried my damn good friend's pizza (a vegetarian option with kale, mushrooms, lemon and truffle oil) and it was equally delicious: that same sensation of many tastes combining for a party in your mouth and everyone's invited. 

Everything here just has that ideal pizza texture: soft cheese and dough yet with enough char to provide that desired contrast, while the toppings are simply divine. It's number one in my heart, but number one is really...


#1 - Descendant Pizza - A+
1168 Queen Street East

 

Here it is, the #1 in the Toronto pizza game. An easy choice, lots of other food folks would probably put them at the top. I like Defina so damn much, but a recent visit and re-trying of Descendant sealed it. These two (and the whole top 7) are so close but this is the best.

What stands is their uniqueness. Descendant is probably the only place in Toronto that does a legit Detroit style pie (get lost Little Caesar's). It's a rectangular, pan cooked pizza that comes out with similar thickness to Chicago style deep dish, substituting copious amount of sauce with dough and cheese, then drizzling sauce (tomato or mostly otherwise) atop the cheese and toppings so it soaks in as it cooks. 

The result is sublime. Their truffle mushroom pizza is a rich, creamy, cheesey unspeakably rich delight with bits of salty bacon everywhere. Their Electric Avenue jerk chicken pizza brilliantly walks that line of spice (smokey powerful hot sauce on side) with sweetness (red peppers, pineapple and lime cream sauce) and tenderly grilled chicken. A chicken Hawaiian pizza that works. Every topping is on point to perfection.

"No Name" pizza is more traditional: tomato sauce (sweet and excellent) atop pepperoni, cheese (mozzarella plus creamy ricotta) to give a texture of soft and crispy every bite. The outer crust has a kind of fried cheese taste/crunch thing going on, just adding to the unique flavour and texture happening here. 

If you've never been... stop reading this article right now (it's almost over anyway!), gather up some friends and try Descendant immediately. It's truly a special gift to us Toronto pizza peoples.




I hope you enjoyed this in-depth(ish) look at the many pizza options in this big city of ours. Some folks suggest I do burgers or tacos next, all good ideas. Pizza is my big one though: I can comment on other food I like, but pizza is what I love. 

I'll do another thing though, with help from friends much better than I at these delicious meals. For now... next time you're hungry, wherever you are and unsure what to eat... let this list influence your decision. Pizza... it's really the best.

              

  

 

The Top Ranked Pizza In Toronto - #20-11

We've come very far and this final twenty, I assure you dear reader, is a parade of goodness. Debate the precise order if you must of course, here's how I see it:



#20 - Village Pizza (Dovercourt) - B+
759 Dovercourt Road

 

Normally if I pay five+ bucks for a slice, it better be either huge or thick. Village slices do neither and aren't particularly filling as such. More importantly though their pizza is interesting (and I didn't even try the spam one).

I went twice for two very different slices each time. First was a 1up mushroom attack: three types baked in with gorgonzola and mozzarella, super(Mario) soft and earthy, counteracted nicely with a smattering of crunchy garlic chips on top. Lots of richness and exceptionally light texture.

The second time I went a bit more traditional: electing upon the sausage slice with bocconcini, pickled hot peppers, lemony baby kale and a hint of brown butter. Texture-wise this was much different: where that mushroom pie had been smooth and oily, this sausage one was crispy with lots of dough bubbles. The crust especially was so crunchy I regretted saying "no" when asked if I wanted a drink. Beyond that though, every other element of this slice worked, with crumbly sausage not overcooked, little chili peppers providing a nip of heat rather than a punch, and a slight lemon hint helping offset the harsh bitterness of the kale (I always forget sometimes how I really don't like kale). 

Village's best weapon, however, is their house sauce. While there is a charge for other sauces (garlic dip, marinara etc), they have a squeeze bottle usually available of a fantastic bright red dip. Strong hints of chilis, garlic and a herb finish, this stuff is magic and really the strongest factor nudging them into the Top 20 here over a few other places equally deserving.


#19 - Big Trouble Pizza - B++
235-1 Spadina Avenue

 

I seriously can't believe I just now, sitting to write this review, realized how Big Trouble Pizza (being in Chinatown) is such an obvious reference to 'Big Trouble In Little China'. Well played, sirs.

Big Trouble wins a lot of points for creativity, and loses a couple likewise. Their 'King Funghi' slice was weird to me: super chewy sprout mushrooms, dollops of jam instead of tomato sauce, even more mushrooms and tiny bits of cheese? I felt like it was in my mouth for hours. 

However, the MF Prashroots slice: also mushrooms, but with truffle ricotta (whoa) and thin slices of prosciutto. Damn damn, a seriously wicked slice. Every bite was rich, salty, creamy, you just wanted to chew it slow and enjoy it, let it do its thing.

Since my two experiences were so drastically different, then came a third time! (I work very close to there on Fridays). Because of that difference, something classic and more neutral felt appropriate: their pepperoni slice. Sure enough, it's neutral and classic. Not gaining points or losing any because of it. The soppressata (thumbs up for that instead of pepperoni) is spicy but not aggressive, while the sauce and crust (thrust more into the spotlight here) show their stuff and are fairly standard, though the crust has a thin texture to it despite being visually thick.

After three(!) tries, I was compelled to go one final time before reaching amy final verdict. Why? Because those previous times I'd missed the most interesting slice to try: the Butter Jam Jam. A slice with raspberry jam, lemon zest and balsamic reduction? I'd be a terrible reviewer if I moved on from here without at least seeing if that one worked. 

Does it? You know... it does. Somehow, they pull it off. Imagine a thick slice of buttery toast, loaded with jam and melted cheese. That's basically what this is, with the balsamic there to cut into the intense sweetness of the jam and the lemon zest to... make this whole thing weirder I guess? It's a messy slice to eat (the soft dough foundation floppy under the weight) and maybe the novelty of it wears off a touch once you're halfway through eating it. Still though, massive creativity points whether they pulled it off or not and I'd say they do so successfully. A really, really innovative and cool pizza joint.


#18 - Double D's - B++
1020 Gerrard Street East

 

This place is a funhouse madhouse, friends. You go there anytime, any day and it's likely going to be memorable for you and whoever else you bring. The first time I went was with a friend similarly curious about some legit deep dish pizza in Toronto, and the staff was basically having a dance party. On a Tuesday, no less. They bought us two shots of Jameson, for cryin' out loud. 

The second time was with a buddy now teaching in China (good job but hurry the hell back would yeh) and we just went for some cheap pitchers of beer, not pizza (despite the temptation) and sat on their corner patio. At one point our cool and super eager server told us if anyone asked for her she'd be right back, then proceeded to hop into a SUV full of people blasting techno and drove off. (And she did come back!)

Right, the pizza itself. It's deep dish! Maybe not up to the absurd quality of Giordano's in Chicago or the amazing Zachary's in Rockridge, California. Taken out of comparisons like that, DD's is pretty damn good. Obviously there's a ton of sauce (duh it's deep dish) and it's full of tomato texture, like a thick hearty consistency while also avoiding soupiness. This particular slice did have a slightly stale crust (arg...), a result I suspect of my ordering a slice (and pint) special instead of ordering a fresh pie (I was in a hurry). The sausage meanwhile was delightfully smothered in the sauce and carried a presence even the bites that didn't have any. 

I love this kind of pizza. DD's misses only in overall consistency (the slight staleness and cheese not quite melted compared with the rest of it). It's not Giordano's or Zachary's but DD's is mighty good, a testament to deep dish style and damn memorable if you pop in at that right time.


#17 - Bellissimo Pizzeria and Ristorante - B++
164 The Esplanade

 

Pure nostalgia, baby. Unless you've lived near Sherbourne and Front (nope), dated somebody who lived there (also nope) worked in that area (yep), or shot hoops on that great Esplanade court (also yep), you've probably never even heard of this place. Well, it is a gem, a downtown pizza gem hidden around the corner from skyscrapers and behind the guise of some externally dumpy looking bar.

On appearance you really wouldn't think this as a great spot for pizza. I went to high school right in downtown Toronto and one evening after the talent show we all went. At that time I thought it was just some shady spot we went to because a dude on my Improv team lived nearby. Bellissimo though is more lived-in than shady. I've been going there occasionally for five years now (starting when I worked at a bar nearby) and it's always been one the same three people taking my order.

Enough nostalgia, the pizza itself claims this spot because hey, it's really good. Real, real cheesy, like to the point you probably have to wait five minutes to even break the slices apart because it also comes out real hot. Bellissimo pizza is really about layers: the layer of dough at the bottom (so thin it'll soak up all the oils of the toppings directly above real fast), the layer of toppings all together cooking under the heat of the gooey cheese layer, the said gooey cheese layer, and anything else that escapes to the surface. If you add feta cheese for instance (a very good move, like I did here), that will rest at the top and add a serious additional salty, flaky texture. And the ingredients themselves are solid: the mushrooms flavourful and moist, the salami super thin and lightly salty, the cheese thick (probably too much so, compared to the dough) yet not so much that you get the Domino's Pizza problem where it becomes impossible to reheat.

This is one of my personal favourite spots in the entire city, but I will say objectively they drop a bit for that excess cheese and there really are significantly better choices. But not that many, and their walk-in specials (10 bucks for a medium that's really a large) just adds to the loads of positive stuff happening. Never change.


#16 - F.B.I. Pizza - B++
2336 Lakeshore Boulevard West

 

Mimico is a fascinating part of town. Somewhat obscure (occasionally I encounter people who don't even know where it is), obviously beautiful (close to the lake and the Humber River), sketchy in some spots but also with a serious student presence (Humber College) while the Queen streetcar holds it all together. 

I traveled to Mimico twice this year specifically for pizza. Considering I live near Neville Park believe me when I say both times were worth the trip. Yeah, Calibreze wasn't anything great but Il Paesano really has a classic recipe thing going on; FBI Pizza takes it up a few levels. This pie I ordered (spicy salami with a drizzle of hot honey and pepperoncini) at first appeared seriously overcooked with those brown cheese bubbles. Instead it was a combination of mozzarella cooked at different levels: a crispiness to the cheese sure, but softness in the centre and a gooey consistency hidden by first impressions. Damn spicy too, oh yeah, yet the hot honey really combats that spice attack with a wonderful easier sweetness baked into the pizza and cheese itself (but not excessive to the point it simply thins and drips off; with honey on pizza you really have to find that sweet spot). 

I was impressed and this pie is truly delicious (still maybe slightly overcooked). Maybe another time (not -10 degrees) I'll head out to Mimico again for a pie. Maybe this one, maybe a different one.


#15 - Queen Margherita (Queen East) - B++
1402 Queen Street East

 

Back when I worked at Libretto some of our staff occasionally debated Terroni versus Libretto. QM was the rivalry our patrons often asked us about, wondering what the exact differences were or even if there was bad blood.

As style goes they're obviously very similar. QM seems like they keep things a bit simpler: not to the point of Terroni's minimal topping/no substitutions kind of thing, just a more straightforward traditional result. Not to say this is boring pizza in any way: this pictured pie was loaded with deliciously tender pulled pork, a drizzled olive/herb oil mix, some tiny peppers for a spice punch here and there, and the classic arugula/grano padano combo landing on the pad. 

This was the second time I'd been to QM, the first being a few months earlier likewise for this article but I forgot to take a picture. It's maybe for the best I did, because that first pizza was merely good while this pictured one (a daily special I think) was outstanding. This one had that dough/cheese melt in your mouth mix, with a little hint of char you expect from this type of pie, while my first go was more saucy, bitter outing (sausage and rapini) and I used a lot of nearby spicy olive oil for the excess crust. So consider it a B the first time, an A- the second. Like a roll of the dice where "good" is the worst result.


#14 - Salt And Tobacco - B++
521 Parliament Street

 

I went in this one not knowing what to expect: some random Cabbagetown spot I'd only heard about from Google Maps. So I was riding the wheels on a rainy December evening, happened to be passing by and thought this was the time to give them a shot. Nothing on the menu really jumped out except for a personal standard: a spicy Hawaiian.

Don't get me wrong, while I'm obviously pro-pineapple on pizza I only go for it once in a while (Once in a younger time I ordered a pie from Domino's with pineapple as the only topping. That... didn't really work). Anyhow when a Hawaiian pizza is executed like this, that is some serious points for pineapple. Everything here was top notch: tender bacon slabs (which I prefer over ham in this configuration), big jalapenos oozing with danger, fresh pineapple chunks (no residual juice suggesting anything from a can), and a dusting of parmesan all combining into a hot sweet party. 

Mix in some house spiced olive oil for the crispy (soft on the inside) crust or some hot honey (even better) and this one really wins. Spicy, sweet, cheesy (focused in the centre, a slight weakness), and quite saucy, I'm confident anyone outside of a vendetta against pineapple will find this pie exceptional.


#13 - Conspiracy Pizza - B++
176 Wicksteed Avenue

 
Sharing a building and kitchen with a seriously legit BBQ spot in Leaside, Conspiracy Pizza is a real good pizza spot on a damn obscure street. They also follow their name with some very clever topping combinations and the names thereof: Roswell, Bay of Pigs, Halifax Explosion, Grassy Knoll just to mention a few. 

I went for the Roswell (minus the olives), basically like a taco bowl meets a pizza. With so many toppings on many of their pies, Conspiracy uses a lighter touch: just a little bit of everything here and there, maintaining an intended overall flavour by not overwhelming you with one thing. Knowing they also sample many of their meats from Adamson BBQ next door, I was excited to try the pulled pork on the Roswell and holy pig man, even unsauced this thing is tender, loaded with smoke and melts in your mouth like a winter fling in the summer. What does that even mean? I don't know!

It's a phenomenal pizza, with great flavour, topping quality and combination barely matched by anyone. The crust though... man the crust. It only stands out because compared to the fact you're eating a pizza with of sour cream, cheese, green onions, ground beef and pulled pork and FRITOS and this whole thing somehow works magically, the crust is really unremarkable. It's just there, not soft and delicate or crunchy and fun, just generic and physically keeping the whole brilliance contained inside. It is what it is, get a dipping sauce I guess.

Seriously though, head up to this place or the BBQ spot. It's a weird trip (I biked up the DVP trail to get there) for a unique place and well worth it.


#12 - The Good Son (Assembly Chef's Hall) - A--
111 Richmond Street West

Now that we're in the 'A's', there won't be much quibbling about. These are really, really good pizzas and my biggest complaint about this particular spot is that they need more than four options available to order. I get the Chef's Hall is small and doesn't leave much space for things like prep, but man it's a shame to be left imagining how they'd handle some more creative pizza ideas.

Nevertheless this pizza is ridiculous. This had more salami than cheese on first thought, except the cheese jumps out at you in unexpected places, like to remind you it's still there and still delicious. There's a ton of soppressata, a ton of parmasean, all counteracted by a fat crust just meticulously sized so to absorb all those strong flavours. It's actually a pretty simple pizza and still that first bite will just pull you in. Maybe too much of everything, especially salami? Sure that makes it salty, but the quality of the salami also adds fat and spice as a counterpunch. In this realm it isn't as exciting on first glance as others but it will impress.


#11 - Cellar Door Restaurant - A--
3003 Lakeshore Boulevard

 

Escape From Mimico! Starring me as Sauce Pizzkin in the pie soaked streets of south Etobicoke. I (er, "Sauce") went to Mimico wanting to try Cellar but they were closed (on Tuesdays apparently). Considering the distance I wasn't sure I'd bother trying them, having to travel so far again to do so. Damn am I glad I reconsidered.

I will mention that even though I was getting take-out, the waiter and I still had a damn bizarre time interacting with each other through what you'd think would be an minimal encounter. He was like a Vulcan and my universal translator was malfunctioning. Still though, I asked for a side of tomato sauce (something I like to do when ordering a white pizza, get the best of both worlds) and while he was incredulous as to why I'd want such a thing, it came with my pizza and it was plentiful.

Just my luck a snowstorm had started while I was waiting inside for the pizza, so I had to wait for a precious, precious streetcar to get me back to Neville Park (I wanna go home!) and eat the pizza there. First bite... I went from feeling like a pizza crazed, obsessive article writing maniac to an innovative adventurist seeking the very best and succeeding. Prosciutto and arugula on a pizza is often fabulous, add a drizzle of honey and some perfectly creamy blobs of lightly peppered ricotta cheese... something wonderful happens my friends. The honey was slight but in every bite, the ricotta nicely oiled so to keep that important soft consistency, the arugula crisp fresh and the prosciutto the perfect salt accompaniment to this strong melange of leafy spice and sweet creamy flavours. Then the side tomato sauce, full of chunks of tomato and a touch of crunchy of bell pepper, yet smooth enough for easy dipping of crust, absolutely wonderful.

That crust was great also: soft and doughy, uncharred wood oven pie done to perfection. In my FBI write-up I mentioned I'd ride to Mimico when the weather gets good, well it's a tough call which place I'd go and Cellar probably has an upper hand. Just amazing pizza done magnificently. 


If you think I liked those last few, next up is the final ten. I'll try to use phrases beyond "uhmdhfdfdhfdhmygawd"