The Best Pizza in Toronto

In West Queen West and the Annex, this bustling spot slings New York-style pizzas with classic toppings, from salami and hot peppers to pepperoni with whole milk mozzarella. For seating with your slice, plus a taste of the team's thick-crust grandma pies, head to the Annex location. 

Poolish-based dough and electric ovens are as essential to the success of this local chain as its team's commitment to fresh ingredients, distributed generously. In Queen West, Rogers Road and various other corners of the city, its menu of crisp and chewy pies stretches from classic pepperoni to luxe Vodka Verde and the Maui Wowie, which wisely trades pineapple chunks for a subtly sweet pineapple glaze. 
 

Hefty, Detroit-style pies emerge from the kitchen at this Leslieville restaurant. The result of a multi-day proof followed by a turn in a searing-hot deck oven, each is a maximalist's dream — slathered in sauce, covered in toppings, fluffy, soft and frico-edged. Inspired by the city, the team reaches for lime aioli, kothu roti, and other unconventional toppings as often as they do for pepperoni. 

For Josh McIlwaine, the pandemic saw pizza-making shift from hobby to vocation, his New York-style pies drawing raves at pop-ups then his namesake Bloorcourt shop. Whether the team's slicking its signature dough with cheese sauce, then piling on beef, pickles and condiments, or serving spartan slices delicately anointed with zippy red sauce, the marriage of technique and quality mean that there's plenty to love in each and every slice.

Fold it, crunch it, crush it — just make sure you secure the goods at this oft sold-out Davenport Village pizza shop. Serving slices until 3 p.m., then whole pies to those wise enough to call ahead, this teeny spot is as famous for the quality of its habit-forming pies as it is for their limited availability.

Licked by wood-fed fire, every pizza at this local chain boasts a smoky aroma and char-dappled crust. Though customers can build their own pie — mixing and matching oodles of fresh toppings on a plain or sesame crust — the team's pistachio bianca, nduja, spicy chicken, and other recipes cover all the necessary bases. 

A sizeable menu of red and blond pizzas greets diners at this multi-location local chain. Made to order, each begins with hand-stretched dough and fresh tomato or white sauce, before its accessorized with handfuls of expertly paired toppings. With cup-and-char pepperoni, jalapeños and honey, the signature Cold Drink/Hot Girl has never budged from the menu.

Light yet robust enough to withstand plentiful toppings, the blistered, thin and chewy crusts at this chain combine the best qualities of Neapolitan and New York pies. In Chinatown and at its other locations, teams sauce OG and tavern-style pizzas with organic tomato or spicy vodka sauce, then go crazy with quality toppings chosen for their guaranteed punch of flavour.  

There's no shortage of temptations at this casual Harbord Village restaurant, thanks to a deft team of pizzaiolos working with flavours inspired by nostalgia, the seasons, and favourite snacks. Fold up a classic slice, say vodka pepperoni or mushroom goat cheese, or dip into the novelty of hot BBQ or dilly pickle pizza garnished with hickory sticks. Regardless, you're likely to agree that owner Nick White makes a mean pie.