We’ve been craving delicious thin crust wood oven pizza since our return from DC. I don’t eat pizza often so when I do, I really want it to be AWESOME! Terroni is a small, family owned Italian Trattoria ‘chain’ with three restaurants in Toronto and one in LA. Their claim to fame is their overbearing motto that allows for no substitutions, so if you want anchovies with that and it’s not on the menu, they’ll refuse to serve it to you. Period. Now you have to admire the guts to do that. Not withstanding, they are enormously successful; one of their places(Queen Street West) in Toronto won’t even take reservations, so if you want to dine there, go stand in line at 5pm and you’ll get a table at 6!
The location JT and I recently dined at is central, right down town in old Toronto’s Courthouse, a beautifully renovated old brick building. The washrooms are in the basement located in the old holding cells. I would have taken a photo but it was disgustingly filthy (yes, I mentioned it to them, apparently a number of women had just stormed through).
We arrived a few minutes late due to traffic and we had to wait a minute or two for our table; we were seated in an outdoor space converted to an interior covered courtyard. I’m glad we were seated in this smaller room (~50 people) because it was noisy enough, the main areas it would have been brutal. They don’t rush you per-say, but it’s not a lingering meal (just as well, as I found it to noisy to talk).
We decided to share a pizza but have our own appetizers; I had the Grilled Calamari and JT had the Salad Nizzarda. The Calamari alla Griglia ($15.95) was a generous serving of grilled calamari, mixed greens, fresh tomatoes with a very nice balsamic dressing — the tomatoes had a lovely tomato flavour. By contrast, the Nizzarda ($12.50) which is like a salad Niçoisse, was a scant serving of Italian tuna, on a bed of arugula, potatoes, eggs, red onion, tomatoes, olives with pits, green beans and anchovies (JT gave me his anchovies, I hope we weren’t caught!).
We shared the Puzza Pizza ($17.95) which was a white pizza with mozzarella, italian mascarpone, gorgonzola, mushrooms, Italian ham, not inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination but it was well worth it. The creamy white base, slightly salty Italian ham with the tangy gorgonzola was a perfect combination. Even the next day it was outstanding. The pizza measured about 11-12″ in diametre.
Overall rating of Terroni, Adelaide (in my opinion): Decor 4/5, service 2.5/5, food 4/5, Value 3.5/5, Noise: 2/5 (1 being very noisy, and 5 being very quiet).
Disclaimer: We purchased our meals for full price and my opinions just that, my opinions.
Terroni Adelaide
57 Adelaide St E
416 203 3093
Mon–Wed 09:00–22:00
Thu–Sat 09:00–23:00
That’s interesting about putting a lot of topping on your pizza. I tend to do that too – but in a restaurant I prefer the simpler ones … Then the thought occurred to me, you and I put fresh stuff on the top. That makes the difference.
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True, but I think this place puts fresh on top too.
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Eva, I love this type of understated pizza – its isn’t as heavy as the tomato sauce, cheese smothered ones. I made something similar for lunch last week, a focaccia – all I would have to do is roll the pizza dough thinner and put even less on the top…
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Thank you Zsuzsa, it’s funny how I, like you, really enjoy these understated restaurant pizzas but when I make them at home I add too many things to the top! Our dough is usually quite thin, though.
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Love those thin crusted and simply topped pizzas! Looks like some great food.
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Thanks Betsy, it is definitely a good place!
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Not such a fan of Italian ham on pizzas, but the calamari looks delicious. It’s not nice to feel like your seat is “in demand” though… I like to be able to take my time 😦
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True Charles, but timing at that place is important to get the turn over. Unlike my favourite French restaurant in the city, they let you have the table all night, even if someone is waiting for it!
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The French place sounds like my kind of place. I don’t think I spend a long time over my meals, but I like to be able to sit back a bit at the end with coffee and let it all go down.
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You have me sold on that Calamari plate! We are heading to Toronto next month, and this looks a great place to try.
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You do get around, I hope you enjoy the restaurant, Minnie. Let me know if you need any Toronto tips, I have quite a few.
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if i had a restaurant i would want you to write a review for it. you are great with words and you make me want to eat here like NOW
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Hi Jessica, thank you kindly, that is extremely flattering.
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That looks like a pizza I would enjoy! Perfect flavor combos and your calamari salad looks delicious. Calamari is a favorite in our house – all four of us! And how cool that the restrooms are in the old holding cell. You’ll have to go back some time and get a picture for us (when it’s cleaner!). 🙂
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Hi Kristy, it was very tasty. Yes, photos of the restrooms are a great idea.
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Masarpone and squid are all at this party but me 😦 lol, it’s looks fabulous, Eva!
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Ha! Thanks SM, it was a tasty treat for sure.
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Now I know where you come up with al of your great recipes by trying all of the lovely restaurants and they trying them at home. I really think that eating can inspire some culinary ideas. Looking for a pizza sometime soon on your menu. Take Care, BAM
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Thanks Bam, inspiration comes from many places and it’s true that I use our restaurant experiences for many of my inspirations. Thanks for dropping by.
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They sound very serious about pizzas which is a good thing! But the restrooms sound like a bit of a concern! :S
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I know Lorraine, I will equate the condition of the rest rooms to the overall cleanliness of the place; but as I mentioned to John, I’ll give them another chance in case it really was just a hoard of piggy women that had been there prior to me. I once walked into a change room where the woman before me had just left (she passed me walking out) and it was atrocious…clothing every where on the floor. She didn’t even bother picking up the tried on items and rehanging them (which is another bugaboo with me) just strewn on the floor. It is a reflection of the younger generation but we won’t get into it!
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I agree with Charlie, Eva. Sounds like a great spot but the restrooms. Ugh! I can accept no substitution policies in restaurants, though I find it a bit harder to understand when it comes to pizzerias. Oh, I’d still go there. I’d just smuggle in a tin of anchovies. Come to think of it, one could start a business selling contraband anchovies to those waiting in line. 🙂
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That’s quite funny John, contraband anchovies! The bathrooms are a downer for me, but before I make a decision not to go there again, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that a hoard of piggy women went through just before me.
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That’s very funny about the anchovies. It looks like you had a great night out. Shame about the bathrooms! xx
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Thanks Charlie, it is one of the quirky things about that place, but you have to give them credit, if the chef doesn’t think it will go with the meal it probably won’t!
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I’ve never seen pizza with Italian mascarpone cheese, they must have been something, Eva! I do know I’ll contact you if I ever get the chance to visit your area.. or I can check all your reviews, there’s nothing like a local’s honest point of view of the restaurants to try. Btw, I’ve loved seeing your smiling face pop up in a few different traveling blogger’s posts:D You’re a popular gal these days! xx
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Thanks so much Barbara, it’s been such a gift to meet these bloggers from all over, we’ve been very very fortunate. I’m always surprised at how well we get on too, like old friends getting together, we have not skipped a beat.
I do hope you’ll be in touch if you ever come to Toronto, I would love to have a drink or dinner with you and I’d be happy to tout on about Toronto.
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I should try this place next time I am in Toronto.
Paul Jung asked me to thank you for sending his blog site to me. He has not seen the agave at Allan Gardens either. What’s with Torontorians?
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Hi Norma, you make me laugh. I’m glad you liked Paul’s blog, I tried to comment on it on my iPhone but had difficulty, and I don’t get to my computer all that often. I am going to check him out again, he has a no none sense way of writing which I like.
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My mouth is watering. this looks so good and the photos are amazing!
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Thanks so much cquek and welcome to my blog. The food was incredibly good there, that’s for sure.
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What a great idea to photograph the leftovers in good light. Clever you.
Sounds like a good place to visit again.
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Hi Maureen, yes, well necessity is indeed the mother of invention!
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Terroni is my absolute favourite pizza in Toronto! I love the fact that they have so many options and they are all so good. Have you tried Pizzeria Libretto? It’s now a close second for us. They also make traditional thin-crust pizza and their tomato sauce is amazing. They allow substitutions or changes, which is nice, but their menu isn’t as ginormous…
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Hi Michela, Terroni is indeed a great place for pizza and no I haven’t tried Pizzeria Libretto (it’s on Ossington, isn’t it?) but I have had some very good recommendations for it. I’m not often fond of a ginormous menu as it does make the decision process much more difficult.
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The pizza looks and sounds great but I would have had no problem finishing it by myself as I would have skipped both the salads due to the raw tomatoes. Is the italian ham prosciutto cotto? I wouldn’t mind trying to make the pizza at home one day, with just a crumble of the gorgonzola. 🙂
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Hi Maria, the ham was just listed as Italian ham on the menu but it was very similar to prosciutto. I would truly enjoy a crumble of gorgonzola on any pizza, for sure!
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The pizza has to be terrific.
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It surely was Karen.
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I hope to get to Toronto one day…and I will know who to turn to for restaurant recommendations! Hope life will slow down for you soon…we’re up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and I feel lucky that I found a corner of the porch with Wifi!
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Hope you don’t have too many bugs Liz, have a great little break. We are heading to Wisconsin at the end of July (to Delavan) wouldn’t it have been funny if we were there at the same time?
Well if you ever came to Toronto I would hope that we would be getting together for a meal or at least a coffee, and then I can give you the low-down of our wonderful city.
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It seems to be an exceptional restaurant, Eva. Good grilled calamar is something I have never tasted here in any restaurant (and the worst one I had in my life were served in the only Greek restaurant in my city, can you believe? It survives probably because it’s the only Greek…).
I have heard that in the US (maybe Canada too?) it’s frequent to ask for changes in restaurant meals. The only place where people in Europe regularly ask for replacements are… pizzerias! On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if in a good Italian pizzeria (like my favourite) they said they don’t make any substitutions or changes. It’s more respectful for the chef and restaurant owner (provided they make excellent quality food of course).
Anyway, both the calamar and the pizza look perfect (though I am not a fan of white pizza).
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Thank you for your comment Sissi, yes it is quite common to ask for menu changes, particularly here we seem to have so many allergies and intolerances. The calamari was delightful, we have quite a few places that prepare it grilled and it’s very good, but then there are some really bad ones too. I prefer calamari grilled to deep fried, but I am not a lover of deep fried foods.
It’s funny because I can only take a traditional pizza if the tomato sauce is not too acidic, so I usually prefer a white pizza.
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Mmm, those leftovers do look so tasty, I love this review 😀
Cheers
CCU
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Thanks CCU, pizza can be successfully warmed up using a cast iron frying pan, no more soggy leftover pizza.
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I want NOTHING but that SALAD!!
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It’s been brutally hot here in Toronto too, salads are at the top of my list too.
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