The 13 Best Pizza Spots In Toronto

Defina‘s wood-fired game is on point: situated on quaint Roncy, this little gem serves up all kinds of dishes roasted over hot wood. From wood-roasted chicken wings to pizzas, every dish packs a full smoky flavour. Choose from ‘Nepoletana’ (a thin centre with fluffy crust), ‘Roma’ (crispy and thin), or ‘Kamut’, an ancient grain with high protein and, there’s even a long list of vegetarian options. The ‘margherita’ and ‘diavola’ are simple, yet delicious; ‘the butcher,’ with tomato sauce, pancetta, sopressata, fennel sausage, prosciutto di parma and caramelized shallots is the answer for all meat lovers. If you’re into trying something different, go for ‘the pumba’, tomato sauce, fior de latte, wild boar meatballs, mushrooms, grana padano, caramelized shallots, garlic and oregano.

North of Brooklyn is a new kind of pizza joint; a casual atmosphere, mostly doing take-out and delivery, but offering Neapolitan pizzas by the slice (yep, we said it). Using inspiration from Brooklyn-style pizzerias, where the pizza making is taken very seriously, North of Brooklyn makes everything from scratch, using only fresh (never frozen) and local ingredients. An all-time favourite is the white pizza (mozzarella, garlic, ricotta and arugula) although, other stars of the show include the ‘killer bee’ with sauce, mozzarella, Calabrese sausage, Serrano peppers, pickled red onion and honey, and the ‘kale & bacon’ with mozzarella, garlic and pecorino. If you can’t decide, that’s what the slices are for; or have a go at the craft, and make your own pizza, choosing from a list of toppings. Don’t forget the garlic knots, made from leftover pizza dough and covered in garlic butter, thyme and grana padano, and if you’re not able to make it over to Queen, NOB is also serving up pies at the back of the Get Well Bar on Dundas or on Church St. in The Village. *Delivery available.

What started as a grab-and-go coffee spot near Corktown, is now a bustling Italian restaurant serving up some of the best pizza in town. Although there’s no wood-fired oven at Mangia & Bevi, the sourdough crust still comes out charred and fluffy and the long list of pizzas to choose from (‘bianche’, ‘classiche’ and ‘guiste’) makes this spot a real hidden gem. Favourites include the ‘communista’ with San Marzano sauce, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and sopressata, the ‘piccante’ with spicy sausage, chili flakes, red onion, sauce and mozzarella and the ‘patata & pancetta’ with mozzarella, potatoes, bacon, rosemary, red onion and parmesan. Be sure to have a go at one of their breakfast pizzas, served only during brunch. *Delivery available through Just Eat and Foodora.

Maker Pizza is a hidden haunt that has gained massive recognition for delivering solid flavours in the way of delicious pies. Boasting a casual space meant for mostly delivery and take-away (there’s a long communal table for diners), Maker sets the bar high, bringing in Chef Matty Matheson from Parts & Labour to develop and create the menu: pizza, hot and cold Italian sandwiches, salads and hot wings. Choose from three different sizes, small, medium and large, and from a list of white and red pizzas. Feel free to be daring and make a pizza of your own, creativity is encouraged here. *Delivery available.

Viva Napoli is an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria in Mount Pleasant started by an Italian chef straight out of Naples. The restaurant is a member of the VPN (L’Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana), which has strict guidelines on how the pizza is made, the techniques used and where the ingredients come from (they must be from Campania). Just like Naples-style, the pizzas here cook in just over a minute in a wood-fired oven burning at 1000 degrees and made with ’00’ flour. The crust comes perfectly charred with a soft centre; be sure to order their specialty, the margherita pizza with San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte, basil and olive oil, or the ‘balsamica’ with ham, arugula, fior di latte, cherry tomatoes, grana padano and balsamic; although, all of their pizzas (with 37 to choose from!) are perfection.

Via Mercanti is a popular Kensington Market destination and Toronto staple for authentic Neapolitan pies. Expanding to a new location on Elm St, Mercanti dishes out perfectly charred pizzas from their wood-fired oven. The margherita is their specialty, but other go-to options include the ‘crudo e rucola’ with fior di latte, cherry tomatoes, arugula and prosciutto di parma, the ‘diavola’ featuring porchetta, roasted red peppers and hot chiles, and the ‘via mercanti’, a two-layer pizza with ricotta, prosciutto cotto, mushrooms and hot soppressata on the bottom, and a margherita pizza on the top.