Pizzaiolo

Mmm. I love pizzaiolo! Its my go-​to for a cheap lunch and their pizza always seem a bit healthier than pizza hut or pizza pizza. Its not as salty or oily and the crust is always soft and crispy. Definitely a fan but I hope they open more restaurants outside of downtown.

I got what I wanted. A late night slice (s). Satisfying, yet the pizza kind of lacked great flavor.
Perfect what what it was… A late night dive in.

As mid-​range pizza chain restaurants go, this is my favourite. I think one of the things they really have going for them is they are in a very popular location, so whenever I ask them what’s freshest they point to a slice that’s just come out of the oven. Pizza really is best served fresh. They use decent ingredients too. While this is not among our very favourite pizza restaurants in Toronto, it’s our favourite local fast food pizza spot for sure.

am actually a fan of this pizza chain. Though for some stupid reason I always ask for the prices of each pizza slice. And EVERY time they tell me that EVERY slice is the same price. I prefer going for the thick slices, and always ask that they cut them in half — because they are so thick, I end up eating the 2^nd half later.

Surpasses any fast food pizza expectation. Their crust is wonderfully crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the insides. They have great topping combinations and they are fast. Although I am more of a carnivore than an omnivore, I must say that when I tried some of their vegetarian slices because they looked really cool and different, I was very pleasantly surprised! My favourites are Spinotta and Gianni ola

After seeing this place everywhere around DT toronto, I decided to finally try it for once, and I ended up trying it a lot more afterwards.
They had a walk in deal for a $ 16 extra large pizza with two topping. The crust is made really well and it was great! Wins best fast-​food pizza I’ve ever had. The XL is good for a small party of 4 or 3 if you’re hungry. You can taste the difference of pizzaiolo against pizza pizza or pizza nova.

GOOD Pizzaiolo store for the Hawaiian and the sopressata and gorgonzola pizza — if he slices are fresh, which off hours can be a risk anywhere. Manly points for decent edibility and reasonable value in an Ontario city with really low expectations in food standards. You could cook an oven mitt to taste better than a lot of Toronto Takeout.

Pizzaiolo requires a discerning eye when picking up your pizza by the slice. You must carefully eye all the different options and balance flavor with the one that appears to have been cooked in the last hour.
In all seriousness though, this is your only decent choice in a many-​block radius for pizza by the slice. In fact, sometimes the slices can be relatively good… their flavors are many times better than Pizza Pizza!
The two reasons this doesn’t get the 4^th star:
—-Some of the pizzas sit around for way too long. It’s not only a health hazard, it’s a flavor hazard.
—-The staff lean towards the unfriendly side. No one ever seems happy to help me… in fact, way more put out is the way I would describe it.
They have a huge back area in the restaurant, but no one ever sits there… this is a 100% takeaway/​delivery joint it seems. They have an easy-​to-​use online ordering system.
P. S. I chuckled when I saw the review that referred to their stone oven. They have a super commercial metal job. No stone or burning wood was harmed in the making of your pizza.

The pizza is cooked and sliced and then reheated to order in a large stone oven. The selection is non-​traditional, with a couple of vegan options and whole wheat crusts. The slice is about ¼ of a large pizza, for $ 5, which seems like a decent price. The room seats about 15, with a large tv showing the news or a view of Yonge street.

Decent enough place to get some exotic slices before, say, going to a film at the Varsity. Nice to sit along the window counter and people watch. Unlike some slice places, they always have a good variety of slices ready and waiting.

Got pizza from here for work. It was ok but not stellar. There was nothing resembling crispness to be found. It was quite soggy. There were abundant toppings. The one covered in meat tasted nice. The one covered in veggies wasn’t as nice. There was too much spinach (spinach is really watery, never understood why people put it on pizza) and the green pepper pieces were gigantic (overpowering in my opinion). I found the pizza to be no better than the budget place around the corner from my apartment and the Pizzaiolo prices were double. I’d fully support the place if they lost the wannabe gourmet image and adopted lower prices, but in the meantime I won’t rush back.

Skip the Chicago Style Pizza they offer. It’s more dough and crust and nothing else, not more of the good stuff the way everyone knows it to be.

***Okay, the fact is this review is more of a 2.5 star review.***
They are on all grounds better and more varied than Pizza Pizza which although not disgusting, let’s remember that for all intensive purposes Pizza Pizza is only marginally better than getting some street meat.
This Pizzaiolo’s location is just 30 seconds south (if that much) from Yonge and Bloor and as such gets plenty of traffic which guarantees their slices to be fresh and not crusty-​old which Pizza Pizza’s almost always seem to be. Which is understandable as the nearby PP’s main source of income, specially in the evening seems to be its delivery service, not serving fresh slices.
Pizzaiolo gets tons of Friday/​Saturday drunken kids so if you trying to catch a bus or live nearby (like me) then expect it to be packed with rambunctious and tipsy UofT students and other late clubbers or bar– hoppers. Expect to seat on the ‘bar’ near the window unless you get lucky.
Even simple classics like Hawaiian or heavy meat slices are done well and for Canadian standards (as low as they are) are reasonable.
Furthermore some of their more deluxe/​gourmet slices seem to be well thought out and again, are more creative than Pizza Pizza’s which is reflected on their price. Which again is not saying much when the overall Toronto bar is set so low.
Just remember they might be alright, but you generally go there for the convenience or if you are in a hurry.
True Pizzaphiles go elsewhere.

Chain pizza. In my world, this the moral equivalent to the cruelest forms of BDSM play…“Yes Mistress, I will gladly accept your cheesy breadstix. Oh no! Not the stuffed crust!!! — Silence — you’ll take two 1 toppings pies and you’ll like it!!”.
Ok, back to the review; was dragged in here kicking and screaming (no-​I do NOT prefer it that way) with a group and was pleasantly surprised by the pizza. Nearly endless variety, fresh and tasty high quality ingredients atop a slightly chewy non-​traditional but ultimately compelling crust. Bonus points for multiple compelling veggie options. Also, in a first for Toronto — a whole wheat crust whose primary ingredient is NOT recycled phone books. What? It’s fiber-​y… On the downside; The endless parade of homeless hitting up diners for food and money can be a turn off to some, although considering the neighborhood, my fellow diners and I preferred to look it as the extended disco remix of street theatre.
WARNING: If you are from New York THIS IS NOT PIZZA. This has been a public service message from the Canadian Committee to Prevent Excessive Nasal Whining.

Although Pizzaiolo is a chain (and I’m usually pretty opposed), they do things right.
If you’re rolling solo or in a hurry and don’t want the typical greasy slice of za, they have you covered. Thin crust italian, pretty good.
Try the Bianca.