Trendy Toronto pizza shop quietly shuts down

A funky Toronto pizza spot from the people behind one of the best Italian restaurants in the city has officially closed its doors for good.

Big names are in no short supply when it comes to Toronto's pizza scene, with spots like Badiali, Maker and Descendant all ascending to a certain level of widespread notoriety akin to being household names.

It's not just pizza-specific restaurants that have a dog in the fight, though, and Harbord Village's Piano Piano is right up there among the heavy hitters of the slice-and-pie scene. 

With six locations in Ontario, it's fair to say that nearly everything on the menu at Piano Piano is a hit, but it's largely their pizzas that have attracted the greatest notice over the years.

It's only fitting, then, that owner Chef Victor Barry would go on to open a devoted pizza shop.

What began as an online venture turned takeout counter at Chefs Hall, Piccolo Piano Pizzeria eventually moved into a permanent home across the street from the original Piano Piano location, serving puffy-crusted pizza and a variety of playful other dishes, like mozzarella sticks topped with caviar, amid animal print-laden interiors.

Ultimately, it was a short and sweet run for Piccolo Piano, as the restaurant quietly closed at the end of April.

"After years of wonderful memories, we've officially closed the doors at Piccolo Piano," a representative from the restaurant tells me. "It will always hold a special place in our hearts."

However, they explain, as the Piano Piano brand grows and changes — two new Toronto locations have opened in recent months, with a new Hamilton restaurant on the horizon — so too do its needs.

At the end of the day, the representative explains, it made more sense to pour their energy and resources into the future of Piano Piano, and let Piccolo Piano gently fade away.

"We're excited to see what's next for the space under its new ownership, and we're deeply grateful to everyone who made Piccolo Piano so special," they say.

On the bright side, you can still get your hands on that perfectly pleasing Piano Piano pizza at their Toronto locations in Harbord Village, Mount Pleasant, Bloorcourt and Leslieville.

Piccolo Piano Pizzeria was formerly located at 89 Harbord Street.