Viral Toronto pizza restaurant opens second location
A Toronto pizza restaurant that's earned a hearty helping of online acclaim (to say nothing of its evangelical IRL fanbase) has expanded its footprint in the city after three years.
There are a handful of big names on the Toronto pizza scene that tend to get all the glory when folks discuss the best pizzerias in town. You've heard them all before: Badiali, Blondies, North of Brooklyn, the list goes on.
But for every Badiali, there are even more great pizza spots that don't get a majority share of credit. Prior to a surprise visit from food critic influencer Keith Lee in 2024, Yonge and Dundas' Afro's Pizza was one such spot.
Aside from an enthusiastic cult following, the restaurant, specializing in Detroit-style pizza with unexpected toppings (like fried chicken, pecans and watermelon habanero maple syrup, for example), frequently flew under the radar before Lee blew the lid off the whole operation.
Since then, Afro's has become nothing short of a destination; a pinnacle for the creative places that pizza can go in a city that not only celebrates, but actively craves, diversity.
Afro's Pizza is the sort of place that should have a location in every busy neighbourhood in the city. It's easy to see it doing just as big — if not bigger — numbers at the corner of King and Portland or on Ossington as it does at Yonge and Dundas, and it's finally getting the chance to do exactly that, albeit in a different but just as busy area.
As of Thursday, June 11, Afro's has officially opened its long-awaited sophomore location at Stackt Market, churning out its signature thick-crusted, crispy-edged pies at the open-air shopping complex all summer long.
Aside from a handful of core menu staples, the Stackt location is also set to offer exclusives and seasonal offerings, so even the most seasoned of Afro's Pizza fans can expect the unexpected with the new location.
With a temporary lease, there's no word yet on how long the Stackt location will remain in operation, but with any luck, it's just one step closer to a permanent second (and third, and fourth) location for Afro's.
You can visit Afro's at Stackt Market, located at 28 Bathurst St., Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
