pizza – Michael Eats

Quick Bites: Bear Steak Sandwiches, Pizza Cantina, Pizza Karachi

Published on July 26, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Original Steak Sandwich from Bear Steak Sandwiches

I’m a big fan of Bear Steak Sandwiches, though I’ll admit that a recent experience there was a bit unfortunate. I ordered the special, which was a steak on rye sandwich, and… it was basically inedible. The rye bread it was served on was so stale and dry that it crumbled into bits the second I picked it up. I took a couple of bites, and then brought it back for a refund, which is something I basically never do. Not great! On the plus side, they seemed to know it was an issue and immediately offered to replace it with an original steak sandwich, which they assured I’d like much better. And they were correct — I’ve previously raved about this sandwich, and yeah, it’s still stellar. A bit too greasy, but otherwise the combo of the ultra-tender steak and zippy chimichurri (and non-stale bread!) is a big winner.

Diavola Stinger from Pizza Cantina

Pizza Cantina, a pizza joint in the Junction, seems to be pretty well regarded, so I was excited to try it. I went with the Diavola Stinger (“San Marzano tomato sauce, hot soppressata, mozzarella & hot honey drizzle”), and it was tasty enough. Certainly, I didn’t dislike eating it. The crust was odd, however. I don’t know if it was supposed to be like that or if something went wrong, but it was extremely stiff and cracker-like, with the ends being full-out crunchy with no softness or chew. It was a bit too much for me, but if you like a crunchy pizza, it was otherwise pretty solid. My only other complaint is that I found the hot honey to be a bit too aggressively applied — but then I find honey on a pizza to work best in small doses. Others may disagree.

Pizza from Pizza Karachi

As you’d gather from the name, Pizza Karachi serves pizza with a Pakistani flair. I tried a couple of pizzas (the Mirchi Sauga and… another one whose name is currently escaping me), and both were solid. They were pan pizzas (somewhat Pizza Hut-esque), and while the vaguely gummy crust was nothing to write home about, the vibrant Pakastani flavours actually worked pretty well.

More Great Pizza at Pizzeria Badiali

Published on July 25, 2026July 25, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 581 Markham Street, Toronto
Website: https://pizzeriabadiali.com/

After years of around-the-block lines at their original spot near Ossington, Pizzeria Badiali has finally opened a second location. Whenever a great restaurant starts expanding, the fear is that the quality will start to dip. Thankfully, that’s not the case here (not yet, at least!).

And the new location is a definite upgrade — it’s got a decently-sized seating area inside, and an even bigger patio out front. I went on a Sunday afternoon around lunch, and while it was packed inside and out, there was barely a line.

Mostly, it’s the same assortment of slices and full pizzas that you’ll find at the original location, with the notable addition of the Grandma Pie: “square, tray baked pizza with mozzarella, fior di latte, sicilian oregano, tomato sauce, pecorino and padano cheeses, olive oil and fresh basil.”

This was fantastic — the crust is slightly thicker than a standard slice, with a perfectly crispy exterior, a nice level of chewiness, and a good amount of flavour. It’s also fairly greasy, but in a way that feels pleasant and not overly heavy. And the balance (and quality) of sauce and cheese is stellar, as you’d expect from Badiali.

There’s always a possibility that a place this popular will coast by on their success and become overhyped, but the pizza here continues to be among the best in the GTA.

Amazing Pizza at Beast Pizza

Published on April 18, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 96 Tecumseth Street, Toronto
Website: https://thebeastrestaurant.com/

I was a big fan of Beast way back in the day — it was one of my earliest reviews on this blog, and I actually wrote about the Beastwich on Serious Eats (alas, that post is long gone) — so it’s weird it took me this long to check out Beast Pizza.

I’m happy to say that Beast has not lost a step over the years. I’m honestly a bit shocked that it doesn’t come up more often when the best pizza in the city is being discussed (though I guess the fact that they’re only open for dinner and don’t do slices probably doesn’t help).

I started with the smoked trout pate: “Applewood smoked Ontario trout pate topped w/ pickled chilies and chives. Served w/ our house-made pizza dough bread.” This was pretty fantastic — it’s rich and creamy with a mild smokiness, and a nice flavour from the trout. The fresh bread that comes on the side is great. It’s a stellar appetizer.

But of course, the pizza is the reason to come here.

I went with the meatball: “red sauce, mozzarella, meatballs, fennel jam, and arugula.”

Every element here is just right; the meatballs are tender and packed with flavour, the fennel jam adds some nice pops of sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm, and the pepperiness of the arugula rounds things out.

But as good as all the flavours are here, it’s the crust that makes this a best-in-the-city contender. The contrast between the seriously crispy exterior and fluffy interior is the stuff dreams are made of. It also has a good amount of flavour, and enough chewiness to keep things interesting. It’s so good.

A Tasty Slice at Big Trouble Pizza

Published on April 14, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 191 Geary Avenue, Toronto
Website: https://bigtroublepizza.com/

I tried the very odd Butter Jam Jam pizza at Big Trouble years ago, when they were still on Spadina, and liked it quite a bit. They’ve since moved to Geary (which has become a bit of a food hotspot), and now serve burgers as well as pizza.

I stuck with the pizza, and tried a slice of the King Fungi: “Cremini Mushrooms, Beech Mushrooms, Mozzarella, Sauteed Onions, Chives, Truffle Oil and Tangy Chilli Jelly.”

I mostly got this after being intrigued by the sight of several bright red cubes of chilli jelly on the pizza, and yeah, that stuff works. It’s a very savoury pizza, with a nice umami punch from the two types of mushrooms, and the sweet and spicy jelly does a fantastic job of balancing that out.

I was a bit worried about the presence of truffle oil, which I don’t particularly care for, but it wasn’t applied too heavily, and was only mildly offensive (rather than ruining the pizza outright, which it would have if they had used too much of it).

And the crust was great — it’s thicker and breadier than the New York style you might be expecting, with an almost focaccia-like heft and nice external crispiness that holds up nicely to the heavily-topped pizza.

Delicious Slices at Sadboy Pizza

Published on March 23, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 51 Main Street South, Georgetown
Website: https://sadboy.ca/

I can’t say I’m in Georgetown often (or ever), but I had heard nothing about good things about Sadboy Pizza and was in the general vicinity, so sure, why not?

All those good things: 100% correct. Sadboy Pizza serves some top notch slices.

They have a variety of interesting-looking pizzas, but I’m all about the plain cheese, particularly when I’m first trying a place, so I went with the mozz OG (“fresh and aged mozzarella blend”).

It’s a great slice of pizza. In particular, the crust is just where you want it to be, with a perfect amount of exterior crispiness, a tender chewiness within, and a really satisfying flavour.

The combo of fresh and aged mozzarella adds a pop of flavour that you normally don’t get in this type of pizza, and there’s a good ratio of cheese to tasty sauce.

It’s not one of the bigger slices I’ve ever had, but it was also only five bucks even. Which means that it was small enough and cheap enough that I was able to justify buying a second slice. I went with the breakfast4dinner (“garlic cream sauce, crispy diced hashbrowns, bacon, chicken breakfast sausage (halal), sesame seed crust, frank’s maple syrup drizzle”), and yeah, it was just as good.

I don’t know that I would have guessed the breakfast angle if you hadn’t told me — it tastes like a pretty standard meaty pizza, though the syrup does add a nice sweetness that helps to balance out the saltiness from the sausage and bacon. Still, whatever it is, it’s quite delicious.

My only real complaint here is that both slices could have used another minute or two in the oven (they were both a bit lukewarm around the middle), but other than that? Sadboy totally holds up to any of the top-tier pizza joints in the GTA. It’s that good.