The Best Pizza in Etobicoke, Compared: Neapolitan on the Lakeshore, Wood-Fired on The Queensway

Toronto has the fourth-largest Italian population outside Italy, and Etobicoke has been quietly benefiting from that fact for decades. The pizza here is not an afterthought to the downtown scene — it is a parallel one, clustered along three corridors: Lake Shore Boulevard West through Mimico and Long Branch, The Queensway, and Dundas Street West through the Kingsway and Islington Village.

The corridors matter, because each one has developed a slightly different house style. Here is how the main options compare.

The Lakeshore: Neapolitan and wood-fired

FBI Pizza — the initials stand for "full blooded Italian" — sits near Lake Shore Boulevard and Burlington Street, with a second location in Woodbridge. It is the classicist of the group: margherita, caprese, New York cheese and calabrese pies built on thin, chewy crusts with quality ingredients and no gimmicks.

850 Degrees Pizzeria at 3455 Lake Shore Boulevard West in Long Branch is the small, arty end of the spectrum, leaning on locally sourced ingredients and a wood-fired oven. The name is the thesis — very high heat, very short bake, blistered crust.

Eden Trattoria at 58 Marine Parade Drive is the one to pick when pizza is part of a longer meal rather than the whole plan: an airy room with outdoor seating and a full Italian menu around it. Cellar Door Restaurant at 3003 Lake Shore Boulevard West sits at the upscale end, with wood-fired pizzas alongside house-made pasta.

The Queensway: counter service and casual rooms

Dino's Wood Burning Pizza at 820 The Queensway is the fast option — counter service, thin-crust pies, Turkish sides, wings and salads, and a patio for when the weather cooperates. Two doors down the same strip, Pazzia Osteria at 848 The Queensway is the sit-down version: a rustic room with an open kitchen and a broader Italian menu. Mamma Martino's at 624-B The Queensway rounds it out as the long-standing neighbourhood Italian, with a dough recipe of its own and a focus on local ingredients.

This is the corridor to aim at when you have not decided in advance how formal the evening is. All three are within a short stretch of the same road.

Dundas West and Royal York: the village pizzerias

Pizzeria Via Napoli at 4923 Dundas Street West runs a casual Italian menu built around wood-fired pizza, with pasta, cocktails and a patio. A few doors along, Sorsi e Morsi at 4900 Dundas Street West is the warmer, more intimate room — homemade pasta, pizza, fresh seafood and a considered wine list. Capi's Pizza at 4247 Dundas Street West is the quick, bake-to-order local, and Crudo Pizza & Panuozzo at 1451 Royal York Road is the specialist, handling both handcrafted pizza and panuozzo — the sandwich made from pizza dough that most places in the city do not attempt at all.

The dependable chains and neighbourhood standbys

Not every pizza night calls for a wood oven. Il Paesano Pizza at 396 Browns Line is the relaxed Italian eatery doing classic pies, sandwiches and homemade pasta with delivery. Pizzaiolo at 4335 Bloor Street West is the thicker-crust, gourmet-topping option with gluten-free bases. Gino's Pizza at 2140 Kipling Avenue is known for deep-pan pies but also does thin crust and vegan versions, and Parma Pizza at 716 Scarlett Road is worth knowing for its sides — calamari and rice balls alongside the pizza.

How to choose

Decide on the crust first and the neighbourhood second. If you want blistered, high-heat Neapolitan, go to 850 Degrees or Pizzeria Via Napoli. If you want thin and chewy New York-leaning slices, FBI or Dino's. If you want deep-pan comfort, Gino's. If dinner needs to be a proper sit-down with wine, Sorsi e Morsi, Cellar Door or Pazzia Osteria will all carry the evening.

The one thing worth resisting is judging any of these by the storefront. Several of Etobicoke's best pies come out of plain rooms on wide suburban roads — which is precisely why the neighbourhood's pizza scene stays a local secret.