Sister don't reduce yourself
You gotta find something to love
Pidgeon girls got no religion
You are a diamond in the rough
Another Tuesday... another Taste! The weekly review took a break last week, what with that weekend being a birthday celebration and um... me being too hungover to go review anything. *cough*
Anyhow we're back! And reviewing some pizza no less, from a chain you've probably heard about in passing. Well get ready to see double here (four Krustys!) as we dive into Double Double Pizza.
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I never knew a man
could tell so many lies
He had a different story
for every set of eyes
Another
Tuesday... another Taste! We took a break from the weekly review last week,
what with the weekend being a birthday celebration and um... me being too hungover to go out and review anything Monday. *cough*
Anyhow we're back! And reviewing some pizza no less, from a chain you've probably (maybe) heard about in passing. Well get ready to see double here (four Krustys!) as we dive into Double Double Pizza! Hey wait... this seems, familiar? Have we done this one before? Hmmmm, probably just imagining things.
Double Double Pizza is unusual in that it's a moderately far reaching pizza chain, with locations from Kitchener/Waterloo to the west to Cornwall to the east, yet not a single one anywhere close to central Toronto. Not sure this has always been the case, as I simply just don't have any clear recollection of ever going to or seeing one when growing up... and I was indeed a downtown kid. Apparently they had commercials though:
Isn't it sad (and rather telling about the present moment) that the 1990s now feel like such a sweet and innocent time? Man.
It would seem that like much of that precipitous innocence, the story of how and why Double Double Pizza exists is lost from the interwebs (possibly just not interesting enough for anyone to have bothered documenting). I think they were founded in 1986? Or 1990? They were the first ever pizzeria to offer turkey as a topping? Maybe? Oh well! Straight ahead into the review then.
There's a location on Kingston Road not too far from the Scarborough GO station... naturally I got off at the further away Eglinton GO Station and adventured through some bizarre ravine trail to get there. My methods are not for everyone.
Back when I reviewed Duckworth's Fish and Chips last autumn I wrote about how this particular neighbourhood, Cliffside, was a serious motel haven three-quarters of a century ago. Even now there's a unique frontier-like sense I get from this area of Kingston Road: a wide open expanse that feels populated but not habitated. You really feel like you've left Toronto despite actually still being well within its eastern boundaries, helped by a smattering of those motels still standing near Brimley Road.
Back to the pizza joint, which calls a tiny concrete plaza home just off where St. Clair Avenue East ends forever (most major eastern Toronto streets get swallowed up by Kingston Road). Before even going inside, thanks to several posters on their window I was conflicted as to which special/deal made the most sense for me on this sunny Wednesday evening. In the end I kept it simple: a large one topping walk-in special (pepperoni) and some chicken wings. Chicken is in their name, after all.
Off the jump I have to mention the sheer quantity of food here at a fairly reasonable price. A large pizza and a pound and a half (best estimate) of wings... totaling in around thirty-two dollars? Here in 2025, when half that amount of wings alone can often clear twenty bucks... this felt like a bargain. Naturally, this made me immediately nervous as to the level of quality I was about to encounter (the scars from my horrific Wing Machine experience years ago do still burn badly).
While I ordered sweet and chili as my flavour, the folks at Double Double smartly kept the sauce on the side rather than toss the wings to order and have them get all soft, soaked and sticky in time for their destination. Positive points there. Said sauce is... well it's the exact type of sweet and chili Thai stuff you can find at nearly any grocery store. If you like that kind of stuff, this does that job.
A pretty decently sized, lightly breaded wing (if a bit over-fried in old oil). That old oil taste does seep through prominently on a few of the more well done wings (those darker spots especially) but generally it's not a big enough issue to ruin the overall taste or texture.
I gotta say, for cheap pizza chain wings... these are pretty solid. A very dirty crispiness (in a good way) with a notable but not overwhelming oiliness... while the chicken inside is nicely cooked without being at all chewy or rubbery. Not a particularly fatty or juicy wing, not a whole lot of seasoning (if any). It's just inoffensive crispy chicken that also keeps together well on a reheat.
Into my zone of particular expertise, the 'za. Again, my expectations weren't skyhigh or anything... I was just hoping this would be reasonably edible and that I'd actually want to finish it (as I like to say, a surefire sign a pizza is terrible is if I don't even care about eating the leftovers).
Well, I did finish this one. Double Double Pizza's pizza is... entirely okay. Not a lot going on with it but not aggressively bland either. Not once does it taste like cardboard, which immediately launches it in a tier far above Domino's or Pizza Pizza.
There are a lot of rather generic elements on display here. The tomato sauce has that typical sugary sweetness you find in only the very finest economy priced cans in the supermarket, the dough fairly tasteless with an unfresh firmness... yet somehow these slices have a mostly soft texture as well? A strong helping of greasy cheese helps with that, plus as cheap as the sauce is they do put a lot of it on here which helps prevent the pie from drying out as it cools off.
I also kinda like this crust. Airy and crunchy, greasy (the whole pizza is very much that) and still rather tasty even once the pie goes cold.
Honestly... this is a good way to do a cheap-ass pizza. None of these flavours are at all notable yet the sum is greater than the individual parts. And it tastes/feels exactly the same on the reheat in the toaster oven... which might not be as big an endorsement on this pizza's quality as it seems but certainly isn't a negative.
Overall... well I think this is one where perspective and context have to be taken into account. On pure quality alone, I would not recommend Double Double Pizza. The flavours are cheap and very simple. However, nothing about what I ate here was bad either... and frankly affordability does count for something. If all you're looking for is some grub to share with some pals while watching a game, or an easy spread for party guests to mindlessly munch on... this is an option that won't disappoint or leave an abyss in the ol' wallet. If there were one of these in my neighbourhood... once in while I probably would head on over for an inexpensive, no frills pie (and jazz it up with my own additions once I got home of course).
It's a very average pizza chain, which I think gives it a strong "C" grade. Tastes like pizza, lasts well in the fridge, doesn't hoard the cheese or sauce on ya. Plus the wings are likewise solid with some good crispiness. Double Double Pizza is one that has its time and place.
---
It's hard not to surrender
To the bold and comely words
What sway the bloody minded
What hang above the graceless herd
Another
Tuesday... another Taste? You got it! We're back after taking a break last week, the weekend being a little birthday celebration and um... me being too hungover to go review anything. *cough*
Anyhow we're back! And reviewing some pizza no less, via a chain you've probably heard... hey, wait a minute...
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Burnt Pizza Ends
How about a link dump! Surely everyone's favourite form of content. Here are a bunch of pizza reviews I've done in the past couple months:
Crudo (they've reopened!)
Catch Me If You Can
Seriously though, even though the Jays held on to win the game anyway... I'm still incredulous that wasn't ruled a catch.
Tuesday Tune(s)
Due to the um, "glitch/hiccup" nature of this week's review...
That's all for this week! Until next time... stay safe, stay cool and most of all...
That's all for this week! Until next time, stay safe... stay cool and... oh for crying out loud. Don't spill that mustard!
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