Like finally giving Pizzeria Badiali their long overdue, trying out Mark's Pizzas was one I'd had kicking around for a while on the "Seriously Must Try" section of the endless list.
Hey... I don't drive and do you know where this freaking place is? It's in a random plaza in Scarborough (and I mean east Scarborough, not your quaint Warden station Scarborough), nowhere near any GO station, and the TTC bus that goes out there is the one that ends at the Toronto Zoo... which is probably only half a dozen stops later! At this point you're closer to Pickering than East York.
And yet... they've so consistently been regarded among the best pie Toronto has to offer... I couldn't just throw my hands up in the air and shrug forever. I mean, well I was doing just that... but no longer! Fortunately an old and close friend lives in Guildwood (which still isn't close to Mark's but at least within their delivery range) and so one recent night we collaborated to sample this critically beloved but distant pizza outpost.
This is an extremely rare occasion wherein I never entered the actual place, so you're all spared my usual "the place looked and smelled like this, it was windy outside, I was wearing a brown toque blah blah" shtick (some people seem to not like those parts). However, we're not quite yet jumping straight into things because Mark's Pizzas has a very interesting website. They go into a lot of detail about their ingredients, their prep and process, there's a sweet shoutout to their small staff by name, an opening confession of sorts from the owner (presumably "Mark"?) explaining he is not a trained chef but just somebody who likes to cook for people... and then most interesting of all: a half hour video of him making an actual pizza! There's too much there to really describe in further detail so I really recommend checking all this out yourself. Really fascinating stuff if you are a pie nerd and its extremely rare for a pizza place to go so into the thick weeds on their website.
More good news: because there were three of us (my friend and her mom, and then later her hungry brothers who probably ate the leftovers *edit: confirmed)... we got to try two pizzas! And let me tell you, these are bigger than your usual pies as well. I'm guessing probably 16" instead of your usual 12" (so an extra large at most chains).
Feel like I've been sampling a lot of pepperoni pizzas lately in these reviews. Regardless, this one puts a different kind of spin on things. On paper, it's really just their pepperoni pie with basil and some hot honey (which is smartly on the side, bless them). Basil is the most classic pizza topping of all time (duh)... but basil and pepperoni isn't really a duo I often think of on a pizza. If executed right it would make sense right? Sausage and basil work brilliantly in all sorts of pastas together...
There's also something about basil on a pizza that's just so appealing to the eye, and the presentation here fits that bill. While the cheese does look more on the yellow side, meaning a bit more oil/grease within (the contrast with the pure white box doesn't help) the blend of colours on this pizza is really quite stellar... I especially like the outer layer of the red sauce around the crust and then the core of pepperoni and cheese in that center. This may seem like much ado about nothing but at this visual level you can tell this was a pie built and crafted with precision and care. It bodes well.
Now for the important stuff. Unlike the New York City style slices I've reviewed a lot lately, this exchanges that crisp base for something much softer and floppier. Not a bad thing: the foundation is still firm enough to hold up the toppings, which is good because this thing is loaded with pepperoni. Deceptively so, like a secret base of them were hiding beneath the cups and cheese resting on the surface.
It's a simple pie, but a very good one. With all that salty pepperoni and shavings of dry cheese, that basil and hot honey are crucial in balancing out those heavy flavours. The basil is a pungent, leafy presence... only slightly baked and so keeping much of its distinctive taste and moisture. Refreshing! And crucial: the sheer amount of pepperoni on this thing could've been entirely overpowering (and texture-wise it kind of is, making this a somewhat chewy pizza in a meaty way)... but that basil just gives the tongue a reprieve from all that cured saltiness.
As for the hot honey... well hot honey makes almost any pizza better. There are exceptions (a white mushroom pizza with lots of blue cheese, for instance) but when you have a pie so heavy with pork as this one... adding a bit of sweet and a sneaky bit of spice to it really brings out more of the flavours within, like adding a keyboard part that fits neatly into an already great melody. Once again, bless Mark's for keeping the hot honey on the side rather than drizzling all over once fresh out of the oven. This both allowed us to add however much we wanted to each slice, but more crucially kept the honey from melting into the slices while the pizza was steaming hot... which would turned the affair into a sticky mess (and lessened the taste). Seems like obvious stuff, but in my experience you'd be surprised.
The sauce and crust don't stand out as much, but both do their jobs admirably. This is more of a softer crust, pillowy and only crunchy on those top charred bits. It's more of a hearty tomato sauce with a faint sting, which combines well with the pepperoni. As for the cheese, you can see (in the photo of the entire pie) how it mostly congregates in the center... leading into a sort of texture journey if you eat your slices from the pointy end working towards the crust: gooey cheese initially and then much saucier as you approach the edge, with pepperoni prominent throughout. Quick aside, now there's an article for another day: how do you eat your slices? I'll have to remember that.
Moving onto the second pizza, a vegetarian option as my dear friend's mother requested as such. What we've got here is a white pizza with arugula, squash, mozzarella, goat cheese and some shaved pecorino? I can't find this pie on their website anymore (must've been a special) and so I'm guessing what that last cheese is... but it's definitely a shaved hard-type of fromage.
In an absolute shocker, both my friend and I preferred this slice over the pepperoni one! My credentials as a meat-lover (such as they were) are in serious jeopardy. What is most interesting are the bits of squash: I'd never tried squash on a pizza before, possibly have never even seen anybody offer squash on a pizza, and the thought to put it on there had definitely not once crossed my mind. \
Here, the squash really works wonders: it's extremely well prepared (more juicy than firm) with a thick jam-like texture and just the perfect amount of sweetness. That sweetness really gives dimensions to this pie, which would otherwise be just the leafy spice of arugula and a mix of creamy cheeses (I would still eat that though).
Whereas the pepperoni pie was tasty but unbalanced, this particular pizza has that harmony between the elements. You can really taste the mix of cheeses more (and the goat cheese keeps the composition softer once cool), the arugula and squash pair perfectly (like a good restaurant salad) and it loses nothing taste-like when cold. A truly unique creation and a very impressive one that I liked considerably more than I thought I would.
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Overall! Even had we stuck with just the pepperoni pie, I'd still be giving this a very good grade. The addition of that squash pizza though... absolute game changer. Like pulling off a highlight reel dunk instead of an acrobatic layup... both are good but only one of those really gets the crowd off their feet.
I haven't described the mozzarella cheese much so I have to mention it's really marvelous in a "behind the scenes" kind of way. It doesn't jump out in particular but is solid and doing important work throughout... giving a slight buttery hint, still keeping its moisture when when cold... it's the crucial glue holding it all together (man I hate the unappealing way I describe good mozzarella as "glue" but you know what I mean here with my analogy).
Mark's Pizza definitely gets a firm recommendation from me. Their only major failing is just being so damn far from anything (apologizes to east Scarboroughers, but you're used to it I'm sure). Since we tried two very different pizzas, individually I'd grade the pepperoni one a high "B+" and the squash an "A--"... so going right down the middle Mark's gets a "B++" from me. Really damn good pizza and probably makes my Top 30 in Toronto comfortably.
Check them out! But, if like me you live west of Warden Avenue, or Midland Avenue, or Brimley Road, or McCowan Road, or Markham Road, or Scarborough Golf Club, or Morningside Avenue... its quite a trek from any of those and they do have weird hours, so definitely check ahead of time before embarking on the adventure.
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