Italian – Michael Eats

Tasty Slices at Di’s Pizza Pies

Published on January 25, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 115 St. Paul Street, St. Catherines
Website: https://www.dispizzapies.com/

Yeah, Di’s Pizza Pies is in St. Catharines and is a bit of a trek from the GTA, but if you’re in the area or passing by, it’s worth stopping in.

They had a few slices on offer; I went with the pepperoni (“Red Sauce, Mozzarella, Battistoni Cup and Char Pepperoni, Pecorino”).

The pizza is interesting. I sort of assumed this was going to be the usual thin crust, NYC-style pizza that you can find at so many pizza joints in the GTA. But the focaccia-like crust is actually quite different from that style of crispiness and chewiness, with a crunchy exterior and a fluffy, bready interior.

It definitely works, with the more substantial crust doing a great job of holding up to the flavourful sauce, salty peperoni, and generous amount of cheese. It’s a great slice.

A Great Slice at Maker Pizza

Published on January 19, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 59 Cameron Street, Toronto
Website: https://www.makerpizza.com/

I was surprised to see I haven’t written about Maker Pizza on this blog since trying their Reuben pizza several years ago (which I didn’t particularly care for, and which is no longer on the menu).

I’ve been back several times since then, and the pizza is always stellar.

On this visit, I got a slice of the pepperoni with spicy vodka sauce, and yeah, they continue to serve very good pizza. The slice had a decent amount of good quality pepperoni (the type that curls up and becomes a grease goblet — the best kind), a nice ratio of cheese and sauce, and a good amount of flavour and a mild spicy kick from the spicy vodka sauce.

Of course, a pizza lives and dies by its crust, and the crust here is stellar — great blistered edges, crispy enough to hold up to the toppings and the sauce (but not overly crunchy), and a good amount of chew. It’s a top-notch slice.

Amazing Pizza at Tony’s Sourdough Pizzeria

Published on January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 45 Mill Street West, Elora
Website: https://tonyssourdoughpizzeria.com/

Tony’s Sourdough Pizzeria opened a few months ago with a decent amount of hype. That’s despite the fact that it’s way out in Elora, which is a bit of a trek from the GTA, putting it mildly (it’s about an 80 minute drive for me). So when I found myself in the area? Yeah, of course.

It’s a popular place. I showed up right when they opened at 11:30, and it was already pretty packed. Reportedly, they only make 100 pizzas a day before they sell out, so showing up early seems advisable, particularly if you’re making the trek from Toronto.

I kinda wanted to try every pizza on the menu, but I only have so much stomach space, so I went with the meatball and onion: “Fior di Latte Mozzarella | Italian Meatball | Caramelized Onion | Pecorino Romano | Fresh Basil.”

Wow, it was good. It’s that crust. A lot of places advertise that their pizzas are made with sourdough, and if you really concentrate, you can kinda identify a mild sourdough flavour. Here, on the other hand, the sourdough flavour is front and centre, with a noticeable tang that gives the pizza a whole bunch of personality.

And it’s perfectly cooked. The pizza is Neapolitan-adjacent, with a perfect leopard-spotted crust and a great balance between its light exterior crispiness and the chewiness within. It has a bit more heft than your typical Neapolitan pizza, which totally works with the generously-topped pie.

And yeah, the toppings are stellar, too — the meatballs, in particular, are absolutely packed with flavour and have a great tender texture. I could eat a million of these just on their own, but combined with everything else here, it was profoundly delicious.

It’s a ridiculously long drive for a pizza, so… is it worth it? Yes. Yes it is. It legitimately might be among the 10 best pizzas I’ve ever had.

Quick Bites: Outback Steakhouse, Blondies Pizza, Insieme

Published on December 20, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse

Remember the Outback? We had a bunch of them around the GTA, but then they abruptly closed down all their locations and, mostly, left Canada altogether. But they’ve got a couple of locations in Niagara Falls, so sure, for nostalgia’s sake, why not? I got the Bloomin’ Onion (of course) and a steak. The steak was just okay (it was mostly pretty decent, but was something like 50% gristle), but the Bloomin’ Onion was actually pretty great. This was always my favourite thing about the Outback, and yeah, it’s just as delicious as I remembered. It was nicely seasoned and perfectly fried, with the individual petals having a great exterior crispiness and tender onion within. And the zesty dipping sauce complements it perfectly. You can find knockoff Bloomin’ Onions at various carnivals and ribfests, but the version at the Outback can’t be beat.

Cheese pizza from Blondies Pizza

I’m not sure why it took me so long to check out Blondies Pizza — they’ve been around for a few years now, and have expanded to an impressive 14 locations. So clearly, they’re doing something right. I tried the plain cheese pizza, and yeah, it’s not bad. But while it’s definitely a step up from chain pizza like Dominos or Pizza Pizza or whatever, it’s not remotely on the level of any of the better pizza joints in the GTA. Most pressingly, the slice I got was fresh out of the oven (it was still hot despite the fact that it was handed straight to me without being reheated), but had a crust that was just one-note soft and chewy, with zero exterior crispiness.

Margherita pizza from Insieme

Speaking of pizza that’s not much better than okay… Insieme. They have a lunch special where you can get a pretty generous salad and a pizza for 18 bucks (or at least they did when I originally wrote this — I’m not seeing any mention of it on their website), so it’s definitely a good deal. And the pizza was mostly pretty solid, with a great amount of char on the crust and a nice exterior crispiness. It’s a bit gummy, however, and I’m not sure what kind of tomatoes they were using, but the sauce was overly acidic (it was downright sour). Still, it certainly wasn’t outright bad, and they have chili oil available by request that really jazzes it up.

General Tao Pizza at Martino Pizza & Asian Kitchen

Published on November 19, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 178 Dupont Street, Toronto
Website: https://martinokitchen.com/

General Tao pizza. I’m going to say that again, just for emphasis. General Tao Pizza. If you can hear that combination of words and not immediately want to try that pizza, you and I are very different people.

Martino Pizza & Asian Kitchen is the unlikely combo of pizza joint and Chinese restaurant, which makes them uniquely equipped to serve the aforementioned fusion concoction.

The pizza comes topped with green peppers, red peppers, onions (which I skipped on my half of the pizza), and — of course — General Tao chicken (more commonly spelled “General Tso’s chicken”).

It’s… pretty good? The pizza itself is nothing special (it’s slightly better than Pizza Pizza, but it’s definitely along the lines of chain pizza in that vein), but the very generous amount of chicken on top is as delightful as you’d hope.

The General Tao chicken is fresh, with a nice crunchy exterior and tender chicken within. The sauce is very, very, very sweet, but of course, that’s what General Tao chicken is supposed to be. The contrast between the salty pizza and the sweet, tangy chicken actually works quite well.

Would I get this again? Probably not! But it’s fun, and I’m glad that I tried it.