Starting a brand-new year means making a mental list of restaurants you really want to dine at in next 12 months. For residents of West Queen West, there’s a new pizza restaurant in town, an import from Treviso, Italy. Piola has spread its brand of pizzerias to Brazil, Argentina, Turkey and the U.S. and have just opened their first Canadian location at 1165 Queen St. West. The media launch event allowed me explore the space and try the menu, including the highlight, Polenta & Ragu ($9, shown above).
Layered with bolognese sauce and topped with parmesan cheese, the first spoonful of this hearty delight made me realize I should be eating more polenta on a regular basis. It’s the kind of soul food with enough warmth to radiate all the way to your bones. I’ll be pining for one of these piping hot ramekins whenever there’s an extreme cold alert.
Piola’s space is very neighbourhood appropriate: tons of vibrant colours, an exhibit space that will feature a different local artist’s work every six weeks (currently showcasing photographer Mathew Merrett) and an atmosphere that’s anticipating many lively get-togethers between friends and young families. Design details like the two-sided wall slats, illustration-covered tabletops, and chairs made out of tightly recycled t-shirts and jeans are sure to intrigue both pint-sized and fully grown diners.
The 24 types of thin-crust pizzas are made on a gas-powered rotating stone oven situated at the front of the restaurant.
From the basic Margherita ($13) to the pictured Sparta ($14, topped with mozzarella, goat cheese, black olives, arugula and cherry tomatoes), there are plenty of combinations to please the pickiest of eaters. I was partial to the Contadina ($16) pizza with its smoked mozzarella, Italian sausage and grilled Belgian endive.
For diners looking to stretch their buck for the most sustenance possible, Piola’s monthly Lucky Gnocchi Day is a contender. On the 29th of every month, for $14 you can stuff yourself silly with all-you-can-eat gnocchi. Be warned, this isn’t the light and fluffy variety of the potato pillows. Their version slathered in tomato sauce or a four-cheese sauce are dense and very filling. Which might do you well if you’ve got a mighty appetite and a plan to hibernate on one of our bone-chilling winter nights.
Piola / 1165 Queen St. West, Toronto
416 477 4652 / Hours: Sun-Wed 11:30am-11pm, Thurs-Sat 11:30am-1am
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