margherita pizza – Michael Eats

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.

Tasty Roman Pizza at Ciao Roma

Published on August 9, 2025 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 28 Roytec Road, Woodbridge
Website: https://crpizza.ca/

Ciao Roma is a delightful take-out joint (though they have a couple of tables) that specializes in Roman-style pizza (which features a thick crust cooked in a square pan, also known as pizza al taglio).

I tried a couple of slices: margherita, and another one featuring salami, mushrooms, olives, and peppers.

Both were quite tasty. In particular, the crust is great, with a delicate crispiness on the bottom and a good balance of chewiness and fluffiness within.

As for the slices themselves, the margherita was tasty for all the usual reasons that margherita is tasty, and the other one was salty, meaty, and satisfying. This place has been around for several years (I originally discovered it thanks to an episode of You’ve Gotta Eat Here from 2014), and I can definitely see why.

Unique Pizza at Venga Cucina

Published on December 27, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3076 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.vengacucina.ca/

Venga Cucina is a really unique pizza place in the Junction that serves a style of pizza called pinsa, which their menu describes as a cross between focaccia and pizza.

The menu also features a variety of antipasti and pasta, but clearly the pinsa is where it’s at. I tried a couple: the margherita (“pomodoro, mozzarella, basil”) and the gino picante (“calabrian nduja, cured hot sausage, pepperonata, fior di latte, sundried tomatoes”).

Apparently the crust here is made with a combination of rice and soya flour along with regular flour, and is fermented for 96 hours. This gives it a texture that’s actually quite different from any pizza I’ve had before, with a very crispy exterior and a super light and fluffy interior.

I wouldn’t want this to replace normal pizza (I did miss the chewiness you get from a more traditional dough), but as something that’s almost in a category of its own, it’s quite tasty.

Both pinsas were very good, though as usual, the tasty simplicity of the margherita won out. Still, both featured a really satisfying contrast between the good quality toppings and the crispy/airy crust, and both were kicked up a notch by the tasty chili oil they had on the table.

Solid Roman-style Pizza at A Pizza

Published on October 13, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 252 Queen Street West, Toronto
Website: None

First off: yes, this place is called “A Pizza,” and yeah, I’m as baffled by the name as you are. I’m not an expert in business, but I think making the name of your restaurant so generic that it’s nearly impossible to find online may not be a great idea? As I noted above, there’s no website — or maybe there is, and I just can’t find it?

The restaurant is also inside a convenience store, which just adds to the oddness factor here.

They have a variety of slices of Roman-style pizza that you can grab and go, along with a few sandwiches and a Nutella-filled doughnut.

I got a slice of the margherita, and it was pretty decent. I don’t exactly foresee Badiali-esque lines around the block anytime soon, but it’s a respectable slice of pizza.

There’s a nice balance of sauce and cheese, and the thick crust is crispy on its exterior and fluffy within. It’s maybe a bit too fluffy, and is a bit lacking in both taste and substance, but it gets the job done.

Delicious Pizza (and Coconut Cream Pie) at The Fourth Man in the Fire

Published on August 5, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 832 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://thefourthmaninthefirepizzeria.com/

The last time I tried the Fourth Man in the Fire, I thought it was very good, but probably just short of greatness. I may have been wrong about that; I just had another slice, and I don’t think there was anything holding it back from greatness. It’s there.

I had a slice of the margherita, and it was seriously good. It’s cheesier than you might expect, but the balance of rich cheese and zippy sauce was just right. They also chop the basil and sprinkle it all over the slice instead of using whole leaves, and I actually think that’s the way to go. You get the flavour of the basil throughout, instead of just in a few mouthfuls.

On my last visit I found the crust to be slightly lacking in substance, but that wasn’t an issue this time. It’s got a good chew to it, a nice flavour, it’s perfectly charred, and it has a great balance of crispy interior and fluffy interior. The pizza is quite generously topped, but the crust has a enough substance to it to hold up perfectly.

I had to try the coconut cream pie after reading this article, and yeah, it’s delicious, too. It’s super rich and creamy, and has a really nice toasted coconut flavour. It’s one of the better slices of coconut cream pie I’ve had in quite a while, though it’s also extremely pricey at 13 bucks. They say it’s meant to be shared, and it is indeed very heavy, but it’s also a pretty standard size for slice of pie. It’s very, very delicious, so it’s hard to complain too much, but yowza that’s a lot for a slice of pie.