The Best Pizza Slice in Toronto
There are so many great places to enjoy a pizza in Toronto. While we've already looked at the best pizza in Toronto, not all offer the option to grab just a slice of delicious pizza pie.
The best pizza slice in Toronto is in Little Italy. In fact, one really doesn't have to venture too far from College and Grace to sample many of Toronto's top slices, day or night. There are, however, a few notable exceptions to the College Street cadre. Pizza abounds wherever students gather, often in the form of absurd rivalries. Yonge Street has been offering slices to Torontonians and tourists alike for years. And kudos to King Slice for plating up some premium pies out at the quiet corner of Bloor and Dorval.
Without further ado, here's the list of the best pizza slices in Toronto. Note: Massimo's was originally on this list but was removed because of its questionable food safety history.
Photos by Alyssa Bistonath
Bitondo Pizzeria & Sandwiches
Bitondo's doesn't deliver, which you think would hinder business, but they're not sweatin' it. The place is always busy and if you've had a slice of their pepperoni, you know why. It’s pure, fresh and simple, like it grew up out of the ground or came off a tree as “pizza”. More...
Cora Pizza
The Cora Pizza vs. Papa Ceo rivalry (they're right beside each other and across from U of T) is fascinating in that both are good, and quite similar (I get them confused in some of my pizza memories), yet their respective fans are fiercely loyal and rather vocal. In any case, Cora's is good for a late night slice (at 4am they're still open and ready for a bunch of drunken kids heading back to residence) and they have lots of vegetarian options. More...
Amato Pizza
Amatos still reminds me of high school when I didn't live in Toronto, but would come downtown on the weekend. We would always get a slice of Amatos because they had chicken, broccoli, spinach and hunks of garlic on their pizza, unconventional pizza toppings not available in the suburbs. They're still good for late night pizza because they're open until 3am, their slices are huge and their prices are pretty decent too. More...
Pizzaiolo
Pizzaiolo’s deep-dish pizza is some of the most satisfying in the city. Pies are doughy and crispy on top with a spicy bottom, toppings right out to the edges and golden crusts. Slices are a bit small and pricey, but it’s worth it. More...
Papa Ceo
Papa Ceo is known for big, soft slices of pizza dripping with toppings and named for famous people, mostly Italian, New York types with the exception of the Terminator and Tina Turner. Their selection is really huge. There's something for everyone! And the service is positively delightful. More...
Big Slice
Big Slice reminds me of New York (yeah, I said it). They have a very summer-in-the-city-urban-pizza-joint thing going on with coy but amusing (and amused) boys behind the counter. The slices are big, yes. The pepperoni is tasty. The plain cheese is really soft and greasy, so it’s a delight to cover in hot sauce, fold in half and shove in your mouth all at once (or as close as you can get to all at once). More...
Pizza Gigi
This place has very nice service and very nice crusts, textured and crispy. They are one half of the pizza competition (the other half is #10, Mama B’s) providing slices to hungry high schoolers outside Central Tech. More...
King Slice
Everyone I know goes crazy for King Slice when they're in the area, which is not often since I don't live around there anymore and the location is sort of between neighborhoods (it's at the intersection of Bloor W and Dundas W, where the borders of Roncesvalles, Bloordale, High Park and The Junction meet in a sort of uninteresting way). A slice of pepperoni from King slice looks like pizza out of an Archie comic - big, hot, chewy and dripping with cheese. I want to order an entire pie and put it away in a flash, Jughead styles. More...
John's Classic Pizza
John’s Classic makes for a solid snack. This is not heavy pizza. They go easy on the cheese and heavy on the herbs. The crust is thin and crispy, flecked with salty poppy seeds on the bottom. More...
Mama B's Pizza
While enjoying a slice of Mama B’s pizza, Alyssa said to me “this sauce tastes like the sauce Marco Bucci’s mom makes.” She actually said that, without even thinking. So to sum up - Mama B’s tastes exactly like it sounds and has very good sauce. More...
Supermodel Pizza
Supermodel Pizza is known for their thin crust (supermodel thin!) and the weird baby on their sign (who is not thin). A piece of their pepperoni and bacon pizza will get you a huge, meaty slice with one entire piece of bacon, like a delicious afterthought. More...
Comments (66)
Everyone's got an opinion on pizza, here's my 2 cents...
Bitondo: the epitome of a pepperoni slice. I would eat there more often if they had more variety.
Amato: I used to love it, but after the news came out re: not paying their workers and health code violations, I avoid it.
Pizzaiolo: current fave. Good variety, whole wheat options, fresh ingredients. Quality varies from location to location. The best is the one on Queen West next to the scene of the Great Fire of '07. They're licensed, too, which is great because nothing washes down a slice better than beer. Avoid the location on John St -- loud annoying music, terrible service.
Papa Ceo: Pretty good, but too much baking soda in the dough making the crust too crispy.
Pizza Gigi: Good slice, but too thick and doughy for me. Certainly filling.
John's Classic: Excellent traditional-style pizza. Nothing fancy, but it hits the spot.
Supermodel: I can't eat there; that baby freaks me out.
Of the chains, Mamma's Pizza makes a good cheese slice and Pizza Nova's usually pretty reliable. All time worst goes to Pizza Pizza.
Any list that includes Big Slice as quality is a joke. As a graduate of RyeHigh, I ate way too much of it in college. You don't go to Big Slice because it's cood, you go because it's big and cheap. Kinda tastes like cardboard. Pizza Pizza quality.
Where's Vesuvio's on Dundas West? Certainly deserves a spot above all the chains listed here.
Stratenger's in the east end (http://www.toronto.com/restaurants/listing/127658) has very underrated pizza, cooked in a wood stove.
uh... The Real McCoy? It's worth the drive to Scarborough.
where's Pizza Delight?
I kid I kid...
I also like Mamma's cheese slice, add a little parmesan and it's delish!
Just VESUVIO'S simple pepperoni and cheese pizza should have knocked Bitondo down to #2. Sorry Bitondo!
ROMA restaurant at Bloor + Gladstone has some mighty fine pizzas as well, for the thin crust lovers. And a good selection of fancypants toppings.
Amatos?? UGH. Why do you think they only have one location left? A formerly great pizza chain which spiraled into mediocre garbage. I once ordered a basic pepperoni, and received a stone-cold greasy slice. On my subsequent (and last) visit, I ordered the pizza with potato slices - received a slice garnished with diced McCain shoe-string fries. UGH.
I'll take Magic Oven over Amato's any day. I know it has its detractors, but I love the chicken pesto pizza, as well as the tandoori chicken slice.
I always assumed Pizza Pizza was the worst of the bunch, but then I discovered it varies greatly on where you get your deliveries from. I discovered that the one that delivers to my new apartment is actually really quite good. I don't know which storefront it gets sent from, so I can't say that their walk-in pizza is just as good.
Keep in mind this list is the best "pizza slice", meaning you can actually go to these places and buy a single slice. For the "best pizza" see last year's list here:
One little known spot.. but I feel has unbelievably good pepperoni pizza is a place called Cici's, it's on Queen, west of Lansdown, not too far from Not My Dog. If you are in the area.. definitely order up a fresh slipce or small pizza. I don't remember prices, but the pies are cheap.
This list is an outrage!
As for Massimos - you could put a sewer rat on top of my slice and I'd still eat it.
a couple of years ago you did your best pizza section and i commented on the lack of bintondos on the list. i was then chirped by the admin because NO ONE likes bintondos and it hadnt even been voted for the year before.
safe to say i stopped even bothering reading the resturant lists that you produced because of clear lack of informed production
after reading this excellent list (although amatos doesnt belong anywhere near it) i may have refound my respect for your opinions when it comes to food
I'm not sure what list or admin you're talking about. I believe the only other Best Pizza list we did was this one and as you can see Bitondo's is on it.
I'll throw my vote down for Mama B's, run by a kindly couple from Trinidad who couldn't be friendlier. The pizza is awesome, the bread is some of the freshest I've had and it all comes together for a very low price of 2.50 per slice. Having lived literally a minute from both Mama B's and Gigi's, while Pizza Gigi gives you an absolutely huge slice for 3 bucks, it's a bit on the greasy side at times. I don't know that I would call Gigi and Mama B's competitors because Pizza Gigi only seems to be open during the wee morning hours like 3am when one of their big ol' greasy slices really hits the spot.
Mama B's all the way.
You exclude Massimo's because of their "questionable food safety history"?
And exactly how much research did you do into the rest of the list's food safety history?
But the biggest bullshit is putting the abomination that is Amato's at #3 and Cora at #2.
Luuuuuudicrous.
King Slice used to rock! I'd have a slice for brunch every Sunday.
But I found it's gone downhill in the last couple of years. I keep giving it "one more chance" but it keeps disappointing me :(
And it's nasty if you don't get there just as it's coming out of the oven.
Supermodel Pizza? They use even less tomato sauce and cheese than Pizza Pizza and the slice tastes acidic. I don't like it one bit.
Bitondos is awesome, though :D
Gonna have to add my name to the bid for Vesuvio's to get a rank, you guys dropped the ball on that one, shit!
Little Tony's was up there too, until they went belly up.
Sad.
theres a magic oven on broadview just north of danforth. One on wellesly just west of yonge AND one in liberty village.
You've heard of google?
http://www.magicoven.com/
I agree Amatos has gone down hill since Gino Amato died. Pizziaola has filled thier spot. Most of the list have good slices. Its can be tough, sometimes you feel like a gourmet slice with gourmet ingredients, sometimes you feel like greasy cheesy pepperoni slice. Glad to see the BigSlice on here - there pretty much straight up normal slice, but gooood normal
I would recommend Diyar Pizza on Dundas St. West, near Bathurst.
It's a mom and pop place that will custom make your pizza.
Went to Bitondo's on Good Friday as per this site's suggestion and it was THE worst slice I've had in the city. I thought it was going to be great as the place resembled my nonna's kitchen, but boy was I disappointed. I didn't even finish the slice!!! I asked the guy behind the counter twice, to heat up my slice, but he said it was under a heat lamp. It was cold, and tasted like crap. Cici's on Dundas and Bathurst, next to the Poor Alex Theatre, is a favourite for me.
Massimos still needs to be on it. Rats or no rats, that's the best slice in Toronto.
King Slice and John's Classic above Amato.
Miss Cora's Kitchen has some great and original slices in Kensington.
San Francesco's slices are also really tasty. Way better than Supermodel's. I think Mamma's are also better than Supermodel's but I haven't been to any of their many new locations.
Fuck Massimo's. Being shut down for health violations is one thing; lying about why you were shut down (saying its a ventilation issue and failing to say it was also 10 other reasons) and hiding the part of the sign that said it was previously closed is low.
I had Bitondo's today, reminded me of when I used to have them everyday when I went to Clinton PS (which was a really shitty school, btw). It was the best Pizza i've had in sometime, and its cheaper and larger than the bread with a teaspoon of tomato sauce that PizzaPizza calls a slice.
No love for Martino's?? Right beside The Pour House, Davenport and Dupont. GREAT 'za, slice or delivery. Trust.
that place is creepy. I feel like a child molester is going to jump out of there each time i walk by.
How come no one has mentioned Mangia e Beve on King at Ontario St? They do a mean twelve inch, and the staff are amazing to boot.
We tried Bitondo on Saturday for the first time (and took 'em to the Monarch). HUGE yummy slices and soooo cheap! I'll be back!
Yes. Danforth Pizza House. The best pizza in Toronto hands down. Made by a man who has been doing it for close to 50 years! Check this place out. In between Jones and Donlands. Small place so keep your eyes open.
I noticed that there is relatively slim-pickings for deep dish pizza in the "Best Pizza Category" which is pretty disappointing. I actually looked on the Montreal version of "Blog T.O.'s" site called "Midnight Poutine" and there was a review for a Pizza place that looked like exactly the type of Pizza I like. I didn't seem to be able to find anything similar in the top pizza picks for Toronto. I am from Ottawa where many of the pizza places are Lebanese owned and man can I say they make the best pizza which looks similar to the one in Montreal (in my opinion, I'm not starting a debate). I do like thin crust once and a while but I will post a link to the place in Montreal to show you what I'm talking about. Check out the pictures, this is REALLY thick pizza. If anyone can recommend something similar in Toronto (preferably near downtown but anywhere is fine) I would be ecstatic. Here is the link: http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/food/2008/09/more_pizza_love_miteras_pizzeria/
Thanks so much!
Never forget SCOTT of "Mandanto's" (formerly "Amato") at yonge/eglinton: "Cheese is money. Money is cheese."
Mama B's is no longer open as of July 2008. Signs prior to the close said they were moving, but not where to.
You're SOL if u want Chicago style deep-dish pizza in town. There once was a Pizza Uno downtown that served it up real good but it's been closed for years. I heard of a good spot in Hamilton but why would u bother to go there.
looks like a fire took place at Massimo's, hopefully they will be up and running again? anyone know what happened?
...ah...no other rats in Toronto? U probably have eaten contaminated food unknowlingly food in many a prestine location...note Massimo's would still be THE BEST if they had kept the 2nd warming oven...a big thanks to the TV Show "Restaurant Makeover" for starting the demise at Massimo's
Classico Louie's Pizza on Yonge north of Eglinton has spectacular pizza with a nice thin crust, and amazing vegetarian options. Perfect for me! Also it seems, perfect for Joe Peschi, Robbin Williams, and Eugene Levy!
Old Man Pizza in Parkdale!
Very cheap, 2 slices and a pop for under 3 bucks. It's really tasty and the staff are very nice.
It's not my favorite list.. I could see making a case for most though.. but SUPERMODEL?? c'mon. That's garbage dump pizza.
I agree, Pizza Pizza is always uncooked and tastes like the smell of wet dog. Massimos is closed for some reason and I'm sad becuase its definitely the best pizza in tdot!
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