At last, we have an Italian-sounding name for a restaurant that actually doesn't translate as anything! I was going to assume it meant levels (levels, Jerry) or a ladder or something. Something involving elevation? I'm sure you can all tell how monolingual I am...
Unlike those other restaurants we've covered as well, Levetto doesn't have any kind of family-run origin story either. I'm not even kidding, when you click on the 'About Us' tab on Levetto's website, an empty page with "content coming soon" is all you get. I've heard of wanting your history to be an open book but this takes it to a whole new level...
Looking elsewhere on the internets, I can surmise Levetto's existence as such: about a decade ago and seeing the emerging popularity of quick Italian pizzas in a casual fine dining environment, Levetto was a corporate/rich investors gambit from the very beginning... going through various name/brand changes, company restructuring and even at one point having the financial backing of former Ontario Premier Mike Harris (but I won't hold any prior affiliation with that motherf-cker against them).
While the dream of being the next big Italian restaurant sensation was never quite fully realized, Levetto has done well enough to maintain four locations throughout the GTA (Aurora, Waterloo and Vaughan as well as Toronto). They've tried to expand within the downtown core of T.O. (most notably in Chinatown) but as of now, August 2025, only the Liberty Village outpost has enjoyed any sustained success in the 416.
Even calling this a "Liberty Village" location is pushing things. It's on Sudbury Street, which is both north of King Street and significantly closer to Queen West, the same stretch of Queen that has the Drake Hotel, The Great Hall and several other bars or destinations of your choice. Admittedly Sudbury Street is a bit of a 'no man's land' as far as what neighbourhood it really belongs to (not to mention fifteen-to-twenty years ago it was an absolute nowhere land on the other side of the tracks, Famous People Players original HQ excepted of course). Regardless, I take exception!
I was in the midst of working seven straight days when I ventured off to Levetto's Sudbury Village location on a breezy Friday. The interior of the restaurant is tight and boxy: about ten tables (not counting the patio out front) and a tiny ordering counter directly in sight of the front door. Compared to other full pizzas I've had in 2025, the prices on the menu were steeper than average (ironically BlogTo's Levetto review from a decade previous praises the affordability) but it's far from unreasonable. I made my selection (the "Affumicato", meaning "to smoke" or "smoked") and ten minutes later took it to a nearby public space to chow down before my shift.
Behold! Levetto's Affumicato: tomato sauce, smoked-I-mean affumicated mozzarella, mushrooms, bacon and scallions. Plus one of their creamy garlic dips (surely I don't have to explain why).
The most distinctive aspect of this pizza, aside from its rectangular shape (Levetto proclaims their pizzas as Romana style), is its considerable oiliness within the dough. It's a consistency and taste that reminds me of a buttery pastry, though less flaky and more of a bready crunch on the corners of the pie. Kind of like a giant, softer crouton.
It's a very bread-heavy pizza and as such there's a bit of denseness to it especially in the middle bites. That is indeed the worst part of the entire thing... even while still warm the texture of those parts is strangely tough and chewy. The bites around the crust and closer to the edges are definitely much better.
The overall flavours of the pizza are good. Tomato sauce has some standard zing (a touch of garlic powder in there also) and that dough also has a nice cakey texture to it at times (along with that crunch and butteryness). These mushrooms are nicely baked (still with some moisture) while the big hunks of bacon are... big hunks of bacon. What else do you need? Delicious... though chewy and tender on the less fatty bits. A pizza with solid sauce, good mushrooms and terrific bacon. That's an excellent baseline to start from.
I'm at a loss however with the mozzarella: the name of this freaking pizza is essentially "The Smoked" don't forget... yet beyond the bacon I don't get much smokey flavour from this cheese whatsoever, it just tastes like typical good-ish quality mozzarella. Totally fine objectively, but perplexing from a "your pizza isn't really bringing what you're saying it is" standpoint.
In fact, most of these flavours seemed a little too... pedestrian as I kept eating. It's good and enjoyable without question, yet I can't help feel that this could be bigger, linger longer on the tongue, really be something vivid and memorable. Like I said the most distinctive element and flavour of this pizza is that buttery crust/dough, because the rest as a whole pizza doesn't do much to stand out beyond being solid-to-good. The heavy breadiness of it doesn't help that either: it takes away/neutralizes those additional hints of cheese and sauce you do get.
A quick note on their garlic dip, though... which is in fact really exceptionally good. Like Pizza Pizza's famous garlic dip (which I maintain is the only quality thing they make) in its full-flavoured garlic creaminess, except Levetto has a herbal hint to theirs (oregano?) which elevates it even further. Easily the best thing I encountered here, though some of that bacon comes very close.
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Overall! What we have here is another entirely serviceable, casually hip Italian resto concept that makes food good enough to be enjoyed but not exceptional enough to be remembered or fully recommended. It's the definition of a down the middle "B" for me as far as pizzas go. You won't be disappointed (and the pizzas are a good size for the record) but its far below the newer top tier stuff we now enjoy here in Toronto. Perhaps back in the mid-2010s this level of pie would be a bit more notable.
I also have to mention why Levetto (perhaps for the best in their regard) didn't get a chance on the reheat test. See, I was only able to eat half my pizza before heading to work the Barenaked Ladies concert, so I left my bag (with the remaining slices) outside the lockers (my summer workplace has a ton of employees and some of them like to raid the staff fridge, so I'm told).
Anyhow, once my shift was over I go grab my bag... only the slices are completely gone! Nothing else was taken (not my headphones or my Left Field sparkling waters) except my three remaining slices of this Levetto pizza. Well, here's hoping that resourceful squirrel or raccoon or whatever lakeshore creature enjoyed it and is writing their own review of it this very moment on West Collier Squeak...
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