The Top Pizzas In Toronto - Redux Part Two

Okay! We are back.

Before we continue I feel some housekeeping is in order. Since I published my original lists back in February/March 2019 some a-doin's have transpired. #33 on that list, east coast and SNES featuring Summerhill spot Yeah Yeahs closed down in November. Likewise #21, Big House, closed right as my list published (I knew about that at the time). Meanwhile True True (#24) reinvented itself as a fancy diner type place, so they're still an operating restaurant just one that doesn't offer enough of a pizza option to qualify. Same with ViVetha Bistro (#40), which was experimenting with pizza at that time but have since abandoned it for their regular menu. Castro's Lounge (#56) in the Beaches have also ditched pizza for other options.

Olympic 76 (#62) on Gloucester Street has closed after over 40 years in business, another victim of the rampant and rapid condoization of downtown Toronto (yeah I know that's not a word... don't care). Finally, Birky's Bar (#67) also seems to have closed, according to Google at least. I'm rarely in Parkdale however, so if they are indeed still operating feel free to let me know.

Anyway! Lets finish this off.


Big Slice (Dufferin-St. Clair): B (Rk: 54)
1154 St. Clair Avenue West

Although I've spent the past seven years (the majority of my adult life) residing out in the East End of Toronto, deep down I'll always be a downtown kid. My high school was maybe a twenty minute walk from the bustling stretch of Yonge Street between College and Queen, and while I was never an Eaton Centre mallrat or anything I was definitely around there enough to experience the now legend that was Big Slice at Gerrard and Yonge. The long 2am lines, the scent of oily grease baked into the tiled walls, the dirty napkins and spilled sauce on tables from folks too drunk to clean it up. Nostalgia is a preciously weird, funny thing.

That location shut down only a few years ago for condos (of freaking course) but they always had a second location on St. Clair, which I'd never tried until this sequel pizza quest. Though my memory is hazy (I was probably a teenager when I last had it), I recall the Gerrard/Yonge Big Slice being a soft, wider, much greasier slice. This St. Clair one has more crisp to it, more cheese yet much less of that oilyness (though still a lot). There isn't much tomato sauce here but the toppings are pleasant enough and the texture (a nice subtle crunch before the crust) really makes this work. It's a basic, big slice (ha) done simple and executed well. 


Motorino Citto: B (Rk: 49)
466 Adelaide Street East

Mottorino restaurants are a small-ish group of fancy-ish Italian dishes that recently opened a location in downtown Toronto (they have other vaguely different versions in Vaughan and King City). I went in on a cold Wednesday evening, delighted to see the the male staff uniform was a black shirt with a vivid red bowtie. Like I was in a photo negative of a classic old school restaurant. 

The pizza here is another wood-fired offering and while tasty, has some minor flaws that leave it lacking. The toppings were quite nice and flavourful: a drizzled sweet truffle honey prominent but not overly dominating, solid smattering of goat cheese (always a winner), and an Nduja sausage while not as pow! as I prefer, had enjoyably crumbly texture. The mozzarella cheese, however, tasted more for texture and was barely a flavour factor, as were the caramelized onions that were just so thin and scarce (a shame since that sweetness would've paired well with the sausage). A good pizza, sure, but mediocre when compared with some of this city's best (particularly its best wood-fired).  


Nodo Leslieville: B (Rk: 46)
1192 Queen Street East

Another attempt to break the "Curzon Curse", 'Nodo' is mini-chain of restaurants throughout the GTA that opened a location on Queen East this past autumn. I went in on a super rainy Saturday (my timing is impeccable) and elected on one of the "chef's creations": a version of a spicy Hawaiian with prosciutto cotto, spiced smoked pineapple and a green chili oil with mozzarella and tomato sauce. 

Giving any of those toppings such distinctive description is extremely generous. The pineapple had neither spice or smokiness and the chili oil was more of a barely noticeable smattering of chili bits about the pizza. Indeed even the sauce itself was treated more as a topping than a crucial foundation of this pie, leading this creation to be incredibly overpowered by cheese and bread. Flavour-wise it's quite rich (the cheese) and the texture soft but very chewy (especially once it cools). The combination works in theory but beyond the plentiful amount of ham there just isn't enough of anything to be a strong enough presence. I mean, the sauce is flavourful but where is it? A very strange entry... solid but a minor disappointment, frankly.
 

Leslie Jones: B (Rk: 42)
1182 Queen Street East

No, not the comedian.

The restaurant Leslie Jones (named after the nearby streets surely) is located on a quiet little stretch of Queen East featuring a few of my very favourite pizzas. This pie isn't quite up to that level, but where it succeeds is completely by uniqueness. The vibe inside is remarkable: small and somewhat cluttered but absolutely gorgeous. Filled with random couches, tables and chairs, you feel like you're inside somebody's living room/kitchen where they just happen to also run a restaurant. 

The pizza carries that sensibility with it, tasting like something an experienced cooking friend whipped up at home while using premium supermarket ingredients. A very crispy dough and crust, like thin pita baked in any conventional oven. There's a crunch that makes it crumble on the outer edges, but it's not burned and in the centre the thin foundation impressively holds the heavy amount of toppings. This thing was damn loaded with those: rich ham, sausage slices, juicy caramelized onions and well seasoned chicken, all held together by a sweet fresh tomato sauce definitely made in house. The quality is excellent. My only issues are that there was just so much quantity of toppings that they got in each others way fighting for supremacy, and the crust resembling cracker texture more than bread is interesting but not quite my thing. Still, it reheats well and is rather charming, equally in food and atmosphere. Fine stuff.


Goodfellas Wood Oven Pizza (Old Mill): B+ (Rk: 39)
1 Old Mill Drive

What makes the very best wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas so good is how their flavours and textures all blend together symphonically. The ones that achieve this are at the summit of my list. The ones that are lacking that seamless cohesion, while still varying degrees of tasty, have noticeable unevenness that drop them down.

To be fair, I don't think I've ever had a truly bad Neapolitan pizza. They surely exist all over the place, but in my travels the worst ones are just sorta bland. Goodfellas, at the base camp of its ingredients, certainly is not bland, yet it lacks that excitment or interest factor compared to the best of the best. There's good authentic sauce, nicely buttery mozzarella cheese and the speck slices on top (a smoked prosciutto, if any of you don't know. Frankly I had to look it up again myself) dissolve in your mouth with flavour. The speck steals the show, as while every other element is merely quite good, it individually reaches that summit I just mentioned. And there it is, while terrific pizza, Goodfellas is like a star player who makes a few all-star teams but comes up short of the hall of fame.


The Parlour: B+ (Rk: 36)
642 King Street West

I'd like to introduce something I'll call... the Buca Effect. It's when a pizza is indeed outstandingly good, but the high price is so prohibitive to an average schmoe they may and likely will never try it. Or like me, try it once, enjoy it, but never go back because... lunches over fourty bucks kind of explain themselves. 

The Parlour is a relatively new spot on King West and by hilarious coincidence, is right next to a Buca location (and perhaps by transference have adopted the same prices). During both quests I've gotten rather wary when pizza at any place pokes their nose over twenty bucks. Both Buca and Parlour are deep in the deep end, approaching thirty without tax and without tip. That's way too rich for this lowly mercenary critic so for me they're both one time stops, a 'Just Visiting' on the pizza Monopoly board. 

What you see here from Parlour is their take on a spicy Hawaiian, the heat powered by a generous sprinkling of chili flakes. At first I was concerned seeing both pineapple and roasted red peppers aboard this thing, two ingredients with soft textures and sweet taste seemingly destined to clash. This was not the case fortunately (don't try it at home, kids). The rest of it posed no other potential disasters: very bready but buttery throughout, a nicely sea-salted crust (don't see that often) and high quality ham to add some texture to all the passive sweetness going on. On principle I'll drop the ranking of a place if it's not very good and overpriced. This is so overpriced... but it is good and deserves a respectable spot in a tough top 40.     



DeePizz Pizzeria: B+ (Rk: 30)
384 College Street

Another downtown joint that did not yet exist during the original pizza list. I definitely have an affinity for pizzas of the deep dish variety and so was quite intrigued when first hearing about this place opening up last spring.

It's definitely an unusual one. This particular offering pictured above is like a thick, cheesy steak pie sandwich: red and green peppers, mushrooms, sliced steak and a generous drizzling of chipotle aioli on top of it all. Circumference-wise it's small, but because of the height and depth it's really quite filling. The combination is also rather tasty: sweetness from the peppers, the steak (while thin and used sparingly) well seasoned, the crust delicate like lightly toasted bread and the cheese generously thick and creamy. Even the aioli (a bit heavy handed as you can see) brought the whole enterprise some saucy tanginess. I would definitely go back, though probably for a more conventional creation next time.


Frankie's Italian: B+ (Rk: 28)
892 Queen Street East

Another classic "Go out to try a pizza place but Google lies about their hours" place. First attempt I arrived at 2:55 only to discover they're closed everyday from 3-5. Next week I tried again, which was a good decision. Frankie's Italian (where Lil Baci used to be, I had an interview there once) is another spot that does wood-burning oven pizza. Successfully gauging their hours this time, I ordered my pie and it being a nice October afternoon, went to sit in nearby Jimmie Simpson park.

For a wood fired pizza it's surprisingly not soft and fluffy, instead going for a crunchy exterior and firm centre. While sounding less pleasant (and I do prefer softer texture), this pie works because the ingredients are at a dynamite level. Very good mozzarella complimented by sharp crumbly asiago cheese, combined with seasoned bits of sausage give every bite an aged peppery, juicy taste. 

The main attraction here by far, though, are the confit cherry tomatoes scattered about. Tomatoes and I have a limited relationship (not as limited as a friend of mine who is completely allergic. Dude can't even eat ketchup): I love tomato sauces, tomato soups, sundried tomatoes etc. Actual raw tomatoes however, like tomato slices on a burger or diced tomatoes like in salads, the texture always turns me away for whatever reason. Well as mentioned, these cherry tomatoes were confit, so instead of that typical plumpness they dissolve in your mouth on first bite, evaporating with vivid juicy flavour that was perfect for this peppery pizza. At best, I usually find tomatoes fairly neutral. If you can get me actually praising them, you're doing something very right.


Positano Restaurant: B++ (Rk: 21)
633 Mount Pleasant Road

Funny how a place is good enough to crack my Top 25, yet isn't even the best place on its own block...

Positano is one of those pizzas that tastes way better than it looks, and it doesn't look that bad (the lighting at my friend's house was brutal for this shot). Just a strong complete package without weaknesses: the crust is bready and crunchy, the cheese thick, buttery and not at all oily, the slices of sausage sweet, pairing with the bitterness of the rapini here quite fantastically, while the tomato sauce gives just enough of a base to balance all the other flavours and textures. It is thick on the outside and the depth of it slowly descends until it's nice and thin in the middle, yet without being drippy when you start there. It reheats very well also, although I recommend a pan since that cheese in the centre probably will ooze down as it gets hot if you put a slice in the oven. I really don't have much else to say (for now). Just exceptional and exceeded expectations.


Fourth Man In The Fire Pizzeria: A- (Rk: 12)
832 Dundas Street West

I know sometimes in these review-things I like to mention if I had a difficult time trying the particular place in question, like for instance showing up on the wrong day and they're closed (probably the most common mishap, really). Fourth Man has many of those stories for me, but they were open each failed attempt. First one... I was kind of in a time crunch. They open at five, I had to work at six... blah blah. Second one though... I went with my trusted Pizza Associate(TM) on a Saturday night. Thing is, the place was only half full so we sat ourselves, only to be (somewhat rudely) told there was a waiting list. Confused, we decided on takeout instead. Well I checked the prices, saw a pizza with one topping was going to clear thirty bucks, said an expletive and we gave up. Hungry and cranky, over a cider I swore I'd disqualify Fourth Man from consideration for the list. And I meant it! ...for a while.

Fast forward a month-ish, I figured I'd try one last goddamn time. It was a Sunday, I'd heard they actually did slices, I was coming back from the west end anyway... here goes nothing. Well, first impressions often don't mean much, and frankly second impressions often don't either. Third impressions? That's the money shot.

Fourth Man is the latest endeavor of one of the founders of Burger's Priest (a popular chain of American style burgers, if you're not from T.O) and is indeed another Bible allusion (so the internet tells me). The decor inside is quite neat, sort of like Deco meets family restaurant, and the place has a nice glow at night. I got myself a pepperoni slice, struggled for like five minutes trying to figure out the debit-iPad payment system (truly not my finest hour) and the staff this time were extremely friendly and said I could sit at a table. 

Fourth Man goes for a New York style slice and succeeds. Maybe not quite authentic as those very best, classic NYC slices, Fourth Man is more like a fancier version of that style. Plenty of great, hearty tomato sauce (it basically spills out of this thing), terrific cheese coverage and a nice light, crisp crust. It has that classic oiliness you'd want from an NYC slice, especially with tasty, salty housemade pepperoni. Each bite (if you're strategic) will have that complete package of cheese, vivid sauce and soft thin dough. The only weakness is that there's maaaaybe too much crust, which is offset by the plentiful amount of sauce (thus, strategic bites ha). Basically, it's fabulous. A welcome addition to the upper echelon of Toronto pizza, worth the wait, weirdness and trouble.


Viva Napoli Pizzeria: A- (Rk: 10)
679 Mount Pleasant Road

Trying so many pizza places requires a few things. Money is obviously important (luckily I finished most of the quest before my current joblessness) as is a deep love for the food itself, but not as crucial as the insane drive and desire to actually do it. I've told a lot of people I did this thing and either the scope of the quest (100+ places!) didn't quite register with them, or it did and they gave me the "you're completely out of your mind" look. I know it well!

What helps with that 'drive and desire' part is sharing the experience with somebody. It is an adventure, after all. Unfortunately, the majority of these places I traveled to and tasted by myself, especially this second quest which was done almost completely alone. The trip to Leaside however, I was fortunate to be accompanied by an old friend of mine who lives near there. It was a windy cold Sunday evening when we met up on Eglinton and Mount Pleasant, and when I told him we weren't going to try one pizza but three this night, he didn't even blink. Sometimes enabling the madness is a good thing. Usually not. Sometimes though. 

Seeing as our two main targets (Viva Napoli and Positano) were within a block of each other, we pulled what I call the Pizza Quest Onetwo: you order takeout at one place, then go to the other place and order takeout there. By the time you get back to the first spot, it should be ready, and then the second one will be ready etc. We went to Viva Napoli first and pleasant surprise, most of their pizzas are about five dollars cheaper if you get them to go. It's a tricky place to linger about anyway (not very spacious and my buddy and I were awkwardly trying to balance staying out of the server's station while not blocking the kitchen). The dude behind the counter was incredibly nice, thankfully.

Once we had our pizza bounty secured, we rushed about a dozen hungry blocks through the cold eternity until at last reaching the warmth of his house. We'd each ordered a pie from V Napoli, his with anchovies (boo) and olives (also boo), mine the ham, salami and ricotta creation you see above. The pies came uncut so a knife and fork was needed, delaying my devouring somewhat but it was worth the wait and the cold stroll. Tomato sauce just immaculately finding that sweet spot balance between chunky thick and watery acidic, that delicate yet powerful sweetness you get with an authentic Neapolitan style, San Marzano sauce. The mozzarella was somewhat scattered about but was equally worthy, adding a layer of buttery, chewy texture underneath the creamy dollops of ricotta cheese also featured. That creaminess of the ricotta was also a perfect match for the crust, with a nice finessed char on the outside yet tender baked dough within. Perhaps the meat toppings, while strong, were somewhat lacking in comparison with the rest of it, as the salami had a pleasant peppery sting and the ham (while slightly smoky and juicy) mostly served to add a hint of salt to it.      


This is without a doubt one of the best pizzas in the city, full stop. The only weakness might be that their options lack the creativity you see at the absolute very top of the list: most of Viva Napoli's combinations are fairly textbook. It's a hell of a book though, and this place knows it like the back of their... um, oven? That made more sense before I wrote it, honestly.


Piano Piano: A- (Rk: 9)
88 Harbord Street

Though it hasn't been long as I write this, one thing I miss about working downtown are the breaks between shifts. I mean yeah, a lot of them were just occasions of desperately finding ways to kill time. Others though, in the right moment of inspiration, became adventures. 

I'd meant to try Piano Piano during the first quest but they were a late discovery and by that time I was nearing 70 places and had to cut things off somewhere. This time they were a spot I was quite eager to try. Between a Wednesday double shift with only an hour and fifteen minutes to spare, I strategized: Spadina streetcar up to Harbord super fast, pray the restaurant isn't busy, get a pizza for takeout and hop back on the south streetcar. This... mostly worked. I underestimated rush hour and was stuck standing on the trip back, holding a delicious smelling pizza on a crowded streetcar while tired commuters flashed me evil eyes and jealous glares. 

Piano Piano itself is odd visually, as the exterior with the pink bricks and flowery mural resembles more of an art gallery than a restaurant. Inside is cavernous, the sound of a bustling service murmuring throughout the place. The pizza itself is quite the opposite, very straightforward. It's the exceptional quality of it that brings it to this high level: a thick pillowy charred crust, like a kiddie pool holding in the sauce and tons of soft runny gobs of cheese. The sauce is sharp and not overly sweet, enough of a presence to be noticed especially since this thing is so overloaded with fiore di latte. Indeed it isn't your typical wood-fired pie (at least this one wasn't) as this pizza had so much height and depth, almost like a hybrid of styles. I suspect they cook it a little longer than the '90 seconds other wood oven pizzerias proclaim. Also appreciated was the generous helping of pepperoni on this baby. Thin, crispy and a bit of a spice kick to it (a chili oil was also in play here), yet thankfully not adding oppressive grease to the equation (a reason I often avoid pepperoni these days). This particular pie could be looked at as a classic pepperoni pizza done fancily, yet with just enough accessibility for it to keep that broad appeal. Well done. 


Napoli Centrale: A (Rk: 5)
964 Bathurst Street

Reading an article online about Napoli Centrale back when they opened in 2013, the reviewer (while complimenting the vibe of the place) lamented the consistently undercooked, um... consistency of their pizzas. 

I've only been to Centrale once (well twice, I forgot my knapsack and had to go back the next day. I'm good at that) and I will say I found their pizza noticeably softer than a typical wood-fired offering. Undercooked though? I'd say in those years since that review they honed in on their sweet spot, because this thing just melts in your mouth.

Breaking down the elements, what you see above is a simple mushroom, ham and basil pizza. Again it definitely leans towards undercooked, so a lot of juices from the ham, cheese and tomato sauce drip out as you fold a slice to take a bite. Fortunately, that combination creates an exceptional flavour, the slightly acidic sauce merging with the soft bread and gobs of gooey cheese is just profoundly satisfying. The ham is sharp and tender, baked nicely with the pie and happily avoiding that overcooked point with those crusty edges that so often happen with ham in an oven. Even more impressively, I saved a slice for the next day, took it out of the fridge and (being too lazy/hungry to heat it) ate it cold and was astounded how soft and vivid the flavour still was. Not even the crust had gone stiff. Completely blown away.

A quick note on the vibe of the place: there is definitely something cozy about it. Not very big, a simple setup (tables by the front window, bar near the entrance, more tables in the back), the decor going for more of a homely look than anything modern or eye-catching. Also, for the very first time ever on these pizza quests (remember, 105 places), I'm certain the manager/owner suspected I was a reviewer of some sort. Just a feeling, can't exactly explain it but I got that sense he knew (and was amused by it). 



And that's it. Another pizza quest, brought to a successful conclusion (and by successful... I mean that I got to eat a lot of pizza). Of course, these quests wouldn't be nearly as fun or enjoyable if not for you, dear reader, tagging along through these writings. For that I thank you for following this bizarre but delicious epic adventure and making it that much more worthwhile. I hope these reviews have illuminated some places to try or provided some other forms of insight. Or at the very least, made you as hungry as it made me. Til next time (whenever the heck that is), stay cheesy.