Cult favourite Toronto pizza restaurant closing permanently this week
A Toronto pizza restaurant that served up some of the most unique pies in the city is officially closing its doors this week.
There's no two ways around it: Toronto loves our pizza. Longstanding operations like Oakwood Pizzeria or Danforth Pizza House, both still in operation after decades, are proof of that fact, but even younger restaurants, like Badiali, have managed to glean near-evangelical followings.
One such institution, since 2018, has been Geary Ave.'s Big Trouble Pizza. Founded by Mikey Pamaputera and Eddie Chan, the pizza chain originated in Chinatown before the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to close down, finally settling on Geary in 2023.
While many pizza joints in the city are lauded for their more traditional offerings, like pepperoni or vodka, Big Trouble sets itself apart with offerings unlike anything else in the city.
The Butter Jam Jam, for example, which features buttercream, raspberry jam and balsamic reduction atop melted mozzarella, has been a particular claim to fame.
Still, sometimes even the best of the best need to call it a day, and that is sadly the case for Big Trouble Pizza, which announced via Instagram post on Sunday, Jan. 25, that it'll close permanently within the week.
"After 8 years, Big Trouble Pizza will be serving its last slice on Saturday January 31st, 2026," the post reads.
"We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for all the support, thank you for all the enthusiasm, for pizzas like our Butter Jam Jam and Kung Funghi since our days in Chinatown, through our time at the Annex Hotel and now on Geary."
Though the pizzeria will spin its final dough this weekend, it's not all bad news. In the Instagram post, the team also alludes to a "new project" on the horizon. Whether or not that project will allow the city's residents to pick up a slice of Butter Jam Jam, however, remains to be seen.
"It's something we've been focusing more and more on over the last couple months," the post explains. "What's coming is something we're very enthusiastic and passionate about."
The precise details of Big Trouble's next move are being kept strictly under wraps for the time being, but, if the past eight years of pizza are any indication, it's sure to be tasty.
Big Trouble Pizza is located at 191 Geary Ave.
Fareen Karim
