The VIBE Inside Pizza e Pazzi, an authentic Italian restaurant in Corso Italia

Serving Up Italian Favourites & Authentic Neapolitan Pizza

Pizza e Pazzi, translated to Pizza & the Crazies, first opened its doors in 2011 at St. Clair and Dufferin  in vibrant Corso Italia Toronto. As of March 2017, it was taken over by new management – Chef Tomo Kovacek and his wonderful family who are quite passionate about Italian food – something you really feel throughout the food and VIBE of the place.

The Eats

Pizza e Pazzi serves up weekly seasonal specials and offers all your favourite traditional Italian dishes. Most recently they launched a new menu featuring top quality ingredients in partnership with Taste for Luxury, which imports some of the rarest, high quality ingredients from Italy. At a recent dinner event showcasing the launch of the new menu, our team had the opportunity to come in and taste the menu first hand — and wow we’re we blown away. Let’s just say we were stuffed!

The Neapolitan Pizza

If there’s one dish that can please the pickiest eaters out there, it would have to be pizza.  Whether you like your toppings simple or prefer taking a risk, there’s something here for everyone’s taste. And if that’s not enough, a few times a month, they will experiment with seasonal ingredients to create weekly specials only available for a limited time.

A few years ago, Toronto experienced the Neapolitan pizza wars with numerous restaurants claiming their pies were the most authentic.  Pizza e Pazzi entered the debate but they were one of the few pizzerias that could actually claim as being certified by the Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana.

They stick to the strict cooking guidelines set by the association to bring their patrons authentic Neapolitan pizza.  The pizza is baked perfectly in the custom built wood-burning oven at 485°C for 60 to 90 seconds and all their pasta is made in-house by the chef who, by the way, has been cooking for over 20 years. Stop by next time you’re in the mood for some Italian.

Don’t Forget Dessert…

For those of you with a sweet tooth, Pizza e Pazzi can definitely deliver. Nothing outside of the box, but perfectly mastered Italian classics for sure.

The Drinks

Definitely not what I would say Pizza e Pazzi is known for, but they have a decent selection. Built primarily of wines, prosecco and some classic cocktails. For the most part, they offer a bunch of Italian wines. If you’re looking for fancy cocktails with all the smoke n’ mirrors, this ain’t it. They do, on the other hand, offer a great selection of digestifs and aperitif liquors if you’re interested in the European style dining experience.

The Looks

A warm and welcoming space with brick finishes, dim lighting and dark wood furniture. They can host private parties up to 55 people or create something more intimate depending on what you happen to be celebrating.

The VIBE

Overall, it has a great VIBE. During lunches you can clearly see the consistent suits and business people, but it definitely gets more family and friends into the evenings. Looking for a spot in the city to take a date? This is it. It’s quiet, great food, and an excellent price point. I wouldn’t classify as picture perfect, but nicely laid out in it’s own way. The hanging lights inside seems a little much, but definitely compliment the aesthetic quite nicely in our space.

One a month, you can also enjoy the smooth, sultry sounds of live jazz while you sip on a beautiful Italian vino.

Location:  1182 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6E 1B4
Contact: 416.651.9999, info@pizzaepazzi.com, Website
Community:  Corso Italia
Crowd: Mixed, Family Friendly, Date Night
Delivery: Available
Reservations: Available

Have you been? Let us know what you think below, and tag us in your photos, use #TorontoVIBE, or slip them into our DMs @ViewtheVIBE for a chance to be featured online and on our social.