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Pizzeria Libretto
Categories: Restaurants Pizza Restaurants Italian Pizza, Italian [Edit]
221 Ossington AveToronto, ON M6J 2Z8
Neighbourhoods: Little Portugal, Ossington Strip, Trinity Bellwoods, Beaconsfield Village
(416) 532-8000
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 12 am - 11 pm
Sun 4 pm - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
172 reviews for Pizzeria Libretto
Review Highlights
"Great experience and delicious thin crust pizzas."
(in 26 reviews)
"The most awesome Duck Confit/pear/mushroom pizza ever."
(in 24 reviews)
"I usually get either the Margherita or the Mushroom pizza."
(in 41 reviews)
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172 reviews in English
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Review from Ellie A.
2/5/2012
This place is perfection. I'd give it 6 stars if I could. Just go during lunch when you won't have to wait and you can get a fabulous (and generous) prefix for $15.
Best?
Calamari appetizer with cornmeal crusted rounds and a lovely red pepper dipping sauce that is so much more than the sum of its parts.
Wonderful beet salad and a rotating menu of delightful bruchetta apps (never had one that wasn't terrific).
The star of the show: the margarita pizza. It's just the best damn pizza in town and the other Neapolitan spots just don't come close. The sauce on the pizza is oozing with fresh basil flavour. Crust is thin and crisp but chewy at the same time. Everything is seasoned to perfection.
Don't forget to ask for a little jar of their homemade hot peppers. You take the jar home and they charge you about $6 for it, but it is so worth it.
I could go to this restaurant everyday and never tire of it or ceased to be impressed by the quality.
In the words of Sinead "Nothing compares to you..."
Vegetarian Score: 8/10. You get all the stars and just miss out on some of the side acts.Listed in: Pizza Pizza Pizza
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Review from Mikael J.
Toronto, ON
1/31/2012
This place is fucking phenomenal. Best pizza in Toronto, by far, and I'd almost go as far as to say it's the best pizza I've ever had.
Thankfully since they've opened their second location in the East end, the wait time is now nonexistent. I used to wait 1-2 hours for this place (seriously) - and it was worth it every time, even when shivering in the middle of the winter in a bar across the street, sipping pineapple juice.
The wait staff at this place are, 90% of the time, superb. Once after we got called back (they used to take your # and call you when there was an available table), I had to wait for literally 2 minutes to be led to my table. The rest of the night, me and my dinner partner each got free champagne - which amounted to 3 glasses each. I love the waiters here, seriously - friendly, prompt, on the ball, not awkward, not too invasive, and they don't rush you.
I always make my own pizza here (I'm vegan) and they're always happy to accommodate my weird requests for lots of vegetables and a side plate of plain arugula (no oil, no cheese, no nuthin' - and they have ARUGULA!). I discovered a love of wildcrafted mushrooms at this place. Divine! Another favourite is a cheeseless pizza with red peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. The vegetables are never overcooked, always supple and juicy. Only once has my pizza been cold, and after I ate half of it I was a bit pissed off so they told me they'd be happy to make me a brand new one, free of charge. Great service.
Lovely ambiance, definitely a dress-up-a-little-bit kind of place. The prices are very reasonable for the service, ambiance, and amazing food, but it's still packed mostly with 30-something career people, which is really not my scene, but it's the kind of place where you won't feel out of place if you're a bit of a ragamuffin artist type (like me, lol). Maybe because of all the framed pictures of graffiti on the walls?
Anyway, honestly - go here, the food is to die for. The one thing I'd change is to introduce a vegan-friendly (and lactose-intolerant friendly) sorbet on the menu, so I could actually get something for dessert. They do have gelatos but they all have cream or egg or something which makes it inedible for me. Come on, Libretto! But I give 'em 5 stars anyway, because they're just that good. -
Review from Happybadfish S.
Toronto, ON
1/15/2012
Outside of the wait for a table, this place has my heart. I've tried most of the small plates and a couple of the pizzas. This is my go to place when I don't want to risk a new resto.
The servers I've had have all been really friendly and helpful.
When they have pepperoni on the menu, get it, the pepperoni is homemade and a bit spicy.
Such good quality toppings, and a crust that is beyond perfect! -
Review from Rachael T.
Toronto, ON
1/15/2012
Pizza Libretto has restored my faith in thin crust pizzas....so there is such thing as a thin, soft, and easily cuttable slice of goodness that can be made in a hot stone oven and be at your table side in under two minutes, PL you make some good pizza and have some great people serving it.
I have tried thing crust at two places - one in Vancouver which i will keep anonymous, and Toronto's Terroni which I had such high hopes for. In both cases, the crust was hard and a knife was surely not tough enough to cut through the rubbery crust.
My experience at Libretto is as follows...probably overl excited as I walked into the door and almost ran two ladies over, I gave my name down and the waitress kindly told me that they would give me a ring when a table opened up. We went next door to Salt for a drink, which I must say was very tasty but too short because I got the phone call quickly afterwards..I was very pleased none the less.
although we were offered a table at the bar, I think it worked out to be the best situation because there was a tv with the exciting football game on- how lucky we're we!
The waitress was top knotch from the moment I sat down- Shannon was her name and she was an absolute joy, from taking photos of us, to making sure that the wine we had selected would satisfy our palettes. While searching the the wine list, we noticed a sparkling red that we were very intrigued by..you don't see those often. It tasted like a good red wine, with notes of carbonation and bubbles.., it was wonderful!
Having read so much about the calamari, it was something I had to get, accompanied by red pepper aioli. They came perfectly in a tower which S and I pretended to play Jenga with. I don't know if anyone has ever questioned this but I wonder if the calamari is prepackaged. The way the batter is tied, in my mind seemed artificial, unlike the overly greasy deep fried batters you may find elsewhere. Believe me, these tasted amazing, with the calamari at a good Size, and perfectly cooked, not rubbery and overlooked. The sauce had just a bit of kick that you could taste and leaving you wanting more with every bite.
for the main star, we order the homemade sausage with carmelied onions and chili oil pizza... No tomatoes but I was fine with that. The first bite was by far the biggest relief ever, as the cheese melted and the crust was everything I imagined in a thin crust. we both ate happily and added more chili oil to heat up eat bite of our slice. Even the crust was doughy!
we saved just enough room for dessert and as much as I wanted to try the affogato, we ordered the lemon panna cotta with cranberry sauce. This is the softest pc I have ever tasted, with a burst of lemon in each bite, and the sweet and slightly tart cranberry compote. It was a good size for sharing although I wish I had my own.
There is not one bad thing I can say about this place. I was scared that my expectations would be too high going in and would be miserably disappointed but it was even better than I could have imagined. I can only hope that the next time I come that line ups won't be too long and pizza is just as good... Cant wait! -
Review from Coy W.
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's been awhile since I've been to Libretto and we came by for lunch to avoid the massive wait times during dinner.
We were sat immediately and the place was half full. 5 minutes went by and I looked up and realized a line had already formed.
We ordered a homemade pepperoni pizza and nduja sausage pizza. We had an oxtail gnochi to start as well.
The gnochi was excellent. It had some great flavours and I really enjoyed it. The pizzas arrived shortly and they were just as I remember, really good. Both the pizzas were spicy and each pizza tasted like they had their own style pizza sauce. The crust is the only thing I don't love about Libretto. It's good but I've had a lot of great thin crust pizzas the last while and this one doesn't match up. It's ok but not great.
TIP: If Libretto is packed, you want pizza and don't want to wait you might want to check out Piola on Queen St. The pizza is very comparable in terms of quality, quantity and price minus the wait.Listed in: Toronto: Tomato Pies!
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Review from Martin W.
1/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place seems to be perpetually packed. If busyness is your thing, you'll like it here. I didn't find that it affected the quality of service here because I thought the service was very good and the staff quite friendly.
The pizza itself was a little bleh. The thing with these pizzas is that they are thin, and because they are thin they can burn easily. And when they burn, even just a little, you get that gross charcoal taste. And when every other bite contains that taste, it just isn't that great of an experience.
I was thinking of giving this place 4 stars, but its closer to a 3.4 so I rounded down. The thing is, as gross as many people think a place like Pizza Pizza is, I at least have never gotten a burnt slice of pizza there. When you are paying more than double that at Libretto, you do expect a little more quality and a little less charcoal. -
Review from Jason K.
12/23/2011
- so i finally figured out the best way to get into this busy joint for dinner.... go mid-week prior to the christmas holidays!
- couple of notes, since there are so many other reviews on this place:
* although the buttermilk calamari seems/sounds interesting... it's pretty average. tastes like calamari mixed with onion ring batter, which overpowers the flavour of da sea...
* the homemade duck prosciutto is dynamite
* margarita pizza.... equals happiness. -
Review from Joe C.
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I stil remember not too long ago when "the oz" was a grimey ghetto area. things have certainly change for the better with places like libretto setting up shop here. It kind of reminds me of Clement st in San Francisco. To reiterate past reviews about long long wait times during peak hours, yes it's true but def worth it to try the Neapolitan style pizza here. The proper size thin crust pizza, means for us north americans, its too damn small so we need to order other great dishes on the menu. If you can appreciate quality cheeses i recommend this place.I dont think they use Kraft mozzarella here. I really enjoyed the anchovy and chilli pepper pizza. I find the anchovies were not salty at all which is usually the case when you order this topping from other pizza places. The chilli pepper adds a nice kick but not deadly mouth burner.
After a nice meal at libretto head down the oz for a drink or two at some of their many hipster bars. -
Review from Jessica H.
Toronto, ON
12/28/2011
First went here on a date. We waited an hour and a half to be seated (they didn't take reservations) which made us a little irritated but once we took a bite into our pizza's all was forgiven.
They make amazing food and I could never go anywhere else for pizza! -
Review from Emily H.
11/25/2011
My girlfriend gets major props for bringing me to another five-star worthy restaurant!
Got there for about 6:30. We were told it would be 45min to 1 hour wait, so we walked around and got a pint nearby. We got a call from them sooner than we expected! Got seated, greeted and we ate.
Cheese platter was amazing. The cheese themselves were good alone but it's the pairing with respective jams that made it. As for pizzas, we ordered the mushroom and prosciutto & arugula. I was a big fan of the prosiutto and my partner was a fan of the mushroom, so it worked out great for us. And we still had nearly a whole pizza leftover to take home! We left ourselves enough room in our belly for dessert: Tiramisu and espresso cinnamon gelato. I'm glad we ordered these two together because for me the tiramisu was a tad sweet and gelato a tad bitter. Went really well together.
Will definitely come back. With good company, the wait won't seem so long... and it'll be worth it anyway.
Atmosphere - 5/5
Service - 5/5
Food - 4/5
Price - 4/5Listed in: 30 Day November Challenge!
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Review from Howard H.
11/20/2011
It's....real.
Real pizza...in Toronto.
Really.
I...review...food...good...now
Oh sorry for the rampant synaptic misfires - my brain had difficulty in processing the fact that my mouth had just ingested REAL PIZZA IN TORONTO.
Libretto makes proper Italian pizza (NEW YORKERS - HEED MY WARNING - NOT THE PIZZA YOU'RE USED TO) in the true Neapolitan tradition. These crispy, light discs of perfection are swathed in a sweet juicy tomato sauce, genuine Fiore Di Latte mozzarella, and a selection of toppings delivered fresh daily directly from Mount Olympus.
After recovering from the shock of the amazing pizza, I returned to sample some of the other fare and was similarly impressed. Honestly, every single item I've consumed at Libretto has been superb.
The 3 course lunch set has now been sampled several times...no, not enough to have had EVERY potential combination, but certainly a sufficient reference sample to prove my hypothesis of absolute deliciousness.
The lunchtime service was great and it was nice to see the space with, well, some space. Dinner can be pretty crowded - but that really just adds to the atmosphere. Ignore any of the whiners and haters - this is the real deal, it's right here, so get going! -
Review from Peter B.
Toronto, ON
12/13/2011
I was here on the weekend and I was not impressed by their pizza. It was chewy, wet in the middle, and was burnt on several areas. I also looked around to make sure I wasn't the only one who experienced this, and I wasn't. Having been to other pizza establishments that have the 'authentic' Neopolitan pizza making standard, the pizza I had at Pizza Libretto is vastly overated.
Ironically, the appetizers and other items on the menu were actually very good and the wine was excellent. So, I would say that everything but the pizza was great. -
Review from Anita K.
Toronto, ON
12/7/2011
I am sure it has been said a million times over, but if I could give 6 stars to only one restaurant in Toronto... Libretto would be worthy of my extra star.
The food, the staff, and the atmosphere all combine euphorically to make for a consistently epic and memorable experience.
The food I cannot rave enough about. The appetizers are bold and doused with traditional Italian flavours of garlic and olive oil served with perfectly toasted crostini.
My go-to salad is always the Walnut, Pear and Arugula which I highly recommend.
I have tried a few varieties of the pizza's and they have always been cooked to perfection offering a chewy and crisp crust topped with fresh, melted buffalo mozzarella cheese.
Finally, the big finish is the tiramisu every single time. Creamy... decadent and so perfectly indulgent.
The staff is always helpful and absolutely energetic - they truly share and drive your Libretto experience. It is a warm and inviting atmosphere surrounded by amazing food... very much like a giant Italian family feast!
The wait is always at least 45 minutes, but there are so many wonderful bars in the area that after a few drinks, you are only that much happier to eat at Libretto. -
Review from Ana W.
12/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
The pizzas are really good especially when they are right out of the oven. It's a thin crust pie haven!
My fave are the homemade sausage pizza and a daily special with a sweet creamy sauce with prosciutto and lots of cheese. The mushroom pizza was too salty for my liking.
Line ups are crazy, be sure to arrive early, by 6pm for dinner, if you don't want to wait for a table. -
Review from Angela H.
Mississauga, ON
11/12/2011
Got a table right away on a Tuesday night around 6 pm. Pizzas took awhile, but was well worth the wait. Wet in the middle, chewy around the edges, absoutely delicious.
The waitstaff are soooooo much friendlier at Libretto's than at Terroni's. Less snob, more friends next door kind of feeling. I feel like at Terroni's you're being judged if you pronounce something wrong on the menu. Here, it's like a slap on the back, smiles all around.
I cannot wait to go back to Libretto's. I'll be eating a pizza, and ordering one to go for a midnight snack!!! -
Review from Hilary S.
9/20/2011
This place is supposedly for pizza, but I'm going to let you in on a secret.
Sure, their pizzas are "VPN certified", sure they're pretty good, but the real hype here should be for their spicy meatballs.
Dear lord.
The meatballs are made with a blend of meat and some other spice--rosemary? I don't know, but it's fragrant. They come with a slightly crispy slab of garlic bread and spicy tomato sauce.
Is it juvenile for me to like meatballs? Because if it is, then I am so totally underage. -
Review from Cindy C.
Toronto, ON
11/20/2011
A worthy long wait, the pizzas are traditional, thin, and piping hot!
The wait was predicted at 45 minutes, we went next door to grab a drink, to our surprise, they called us with a ready table in 15 or less! We were prepared to wait....
For starters, we tried the SPICY MEATBALLS, and they were full of flavor and delicious, small and bite size, they were great fir sharing and saving the dipping sauce for later...
The main attraction: pizzas. We shared a cream-based CREMINI MUSHROOM PIZZA, which was pungent in fungi and brought out by the Gorgonzola cheese. It was an acquired taste in which I enjoyed greatly but my company did not. Not your typical cheesy tomato pizza, it was rich in flavor and worked quite well if you like a rich mushroom taste.
The next pizza, we sprung for a more traditional pizza which was tomato-based and highly recommended by our lovely waitress, the NDUJA SAUSAGE. This was a great spin on the more traditional Margherita Pizza. It had a spicy and flavorful sausage, which was soft, almost spreadable. The basil and other ingredients were delicious and brought out the sweet tomato and sausage. It was great and I can see why this was a clear favorite amongst the crowd.
Both the pizzas were thin and crispy, clearly made traditionally in a wood oven in 90 seconds, blazed in heat over 900 degrees, wow. It brings me back to eating really traditional pizza in Italy, wood oven and all. The service is amazing, our lovely waitress was informative and eager to please, she wasn't there to "serve" us,bur more so to make sure our experience was the best.
I highly recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a good quality pizza, it feels wholesome and totally takes a different spin on pizza night! -
Review from Maheen M.
9/28/2011
Craving some really good, authentic pizza, my date and I headed to Pizza Libretto. I had heard everyone raving about the pizza, we checked it out to see what the hype was about.
The unfortunate part of Pizza Libretto is that they do not accept reservations, unlike their sister restaurant, Enoteca Sociale so I figured that on Tuesday night they would not be packed - I was wrong. When I arrived, there was about a 20 minute wait for a table but no wait for a seat at the bar. We took the bar seating - it actually worked out, we shared a communal area with other patrons.
Drinks
We ordered half a litre of Ripasso 2009 DOC, Monte Zovo, Veneto - it was a wonderful medium bodied red. After finishing the first half a litre, we ordered another half a litre. We should have ordered the bottle, we would have saved a few bucks! Hindsight is 20/20, oh well.
Food
Appetizer
Buttermilk Calamari, Romesco (a red pepper almond sauce) - OMG - so good, the sauce was wonderful. If there weren't people around us, I would have licked the plate.
We ordered two pizzas - one tomato and one cheese:
Margherita D.O.P - simple, clean, DELICIOUS! I loved the thin crust, perfect ratio to cheese to sauce. My favourite and my date's as well.
Verdura - in comparison to the Margherita, this was an ok pizza. The rapini was a bit bitter but was balanced with the black olives. I really liked the goat cheese.
Service
Fabulous - we had a great waitress who met our dining needs. She was attentive as were the other wait staff. Food was brought out quickly and plates were cleared once we were done.
Atmosphere
It felt like we were in a pizza shack, cozy but loud. Very different vibe to Enoteca Sociale which has a more romantic vibe.
To date on my Toronto pizza experience, Pizza Libretto is a clear winner. I will be back in the future for sure!Listed in: That's Amore - Italian Eats
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Review from Ryan S.
North York, ON
10/31/2011
My wife, her sister, her sister's boyfriend and I decided to go here after we opted against going to another high end pizza place because of their shoddy service but continued to have a craving for pizza.
On our way there - I made a joke that we might have to wait 45 minutes and if so, we'll just eat at Pizza Pizza (local cheapy chain). When we arrived, my wife was told the wait time was 45 minutes. Shoot.
So, yes, there can be a wait.
Luckily, a table was finishing up and we got a spot within 5 minutes!
Service - quick and attentive. The servers are casual ordering was kind of like a friend asking you which beer you want from their fridge. Later, when I didn't realize I had dropped my napkin and they placed a new one on the table for me while picking up the dirty one. Brownie points! Water refills were quick and so did the beer. They also explained what some of the topping were since we weren't entirely sure.
I'm going to go on a slight tangent here and praise the business model of this place. Any pizza you order is placed in a stone oven heated at 850 to 900 degrees! This means, according to Pizza Libretto, that pizzas cook for 90 seconds! In turn, this results in food that is made fresh to order in under 5 minutes - 3 minutes prep time and 2 minutes cook time. Think about what this means for customer service - High quality food, fast! Think about what this means for business - quick turnover -$$. Brilliant! Anyways...
Anyways, I ordered the salami pizza. As expected, the pizza came quick. The crust was light, the toppings were a bit sparse but still provided enough taste and goodness. The cheese was quality! I devoured it! Then I devoured half of my wife's order - margherita (She was full). Then a quarter of her sister's bf order (He was full). In all, I almost ate two whole pizzas and I'd do it again!
All in all, great place, good atmosphere, great service but can be pricy at about $1 for each "personal" pizza. This is expensive 6compared to regular pizza but cheap compared to regular restaurant entrees. Your call!
PS. Great place to take a date. :), If you can get seated quickly.
PPS. An Italian buddy of mine says "that's how pizzas taste in Italy". -
Review from Glen M.
Toronto, ON
11/17/2011
On a recommendation we tried out Pizzeria Libretto with a few friends for a mid-week dinner. Arriving around 7pm, it was already busy with would-be diners waiting inside. We left our name and phone number and went across the road for a few beers at a bar on the corner of Rolyat St (for a future review).
It ended up being about the hour we were initially quoted, and once back at Pizzeria Libretto we were seated and our waitress provided us with menus. The decision made by the four of us was to each order a pizza and then share so we could try a variety of flavours. The choices were Berkshire Ham, Italian Anchovy, Cremini Mushroom and House-made Sausage.
For starters we got Arancini and Spicy Meatballs for our entrée which we ordered to come out with 4 of each and which was happily catered for. The entrées were really tasty, the cauliflower puree the arancini came on is not to be left behind either.
The pizzas came out shortly after. One of them ended taking longer due to a minor mishap which required it to be made again. The pizzas are traditionally made pizzas with a thin crust but were a little wet in the middle. This is usually the case with most traditional pizzas, which requires them to be eaten with a knife and fork rather than fingers.
The Berkshire ham pizza comes uncut with a soft egg in the middle which is mixed across the top before eating. Also to note is that the Italian Anchovy pizza has white anchovies rather than standard pizza anchovies.
The consensus was in favour of the mushroom and the sausage pizzas although they were all very nice. Each pizza is a good size for most with a decent appetite and a bottle of the Ripasso goes really with all the pizzas.
As far as ambience goes, it is not quiet, but this is mainly due to the busy activity of the place. A good place to go with friends for a casual dinner. -
Review from Jonathan L.
Richmond Hill, ON
1/2/2012
The best thin crust margarita pizza on the planet. There is never enough seating, so go early or be prepared to wait 45 min for a table. Staff are super friendly despite the chaos of the ultra packed restaurant.
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Review from Tony F.
8/3/2011
(Domo Arigato, Pizzeria Libretto)
Domo Arigato, Pizzeria Libretto
Mata ahoo Hima de
Domo Arigato, Pizzeria Libretto
Himitsu wo Shiri tai
I've got a secret
I've been hiding
Under my skin
My stomach is human
My blood is boiling
My brain IBM
I'm just a man who
Needed thin crust Pizza
And somewhere to hide
To keep me alive
Just keep me alive
I'm not a robot
Without emotions
I'm not what you see
I've come to help you
With your problems
So we can be free
I'm not a Hero
I'm not a Savior
Forget what you know
I'm just a man who's
Circumstances went beyond his control
Beyond my control,
We all need control
I am the Modern Man
(Secret secret, I've got a secret)
Who hides behind a mask
(Secret secret, I've got a secret)
So no one else can see
(Secret secret, I've got a secret)
My true identity
-----
Decent Pizza, but not sure it lives up to the hype. Had the duck confit which was a bit salty but good, and the best way for me to describe the crust was like it was naan.
We also had the charcuterie platter which was nice but again, nothing outlandishly special. The sausage from the Black Hoof was good. Actually couldn't complain about any of it.
They hinted that they normally wouldn't let me sit until my guest arrived, who happened to be 10 minutes late. I kept getting from the waiter.. Is she here yet? Is she here yet? Is she here yet? I could understand if the place was packed like it normally is, but at 5:30 pm it wasn't half full.
http://app.toronto.ca/...Listed in: Date night, Lyrical Miracals
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Review from Cristina A.
Toronto, ON
12/6/2011
Spicy meatballs, hand made sausage pizza! Don't forget the coffee (will keep you up till the wee hours of the morning) Chewy, elastic pizza! Mm hmm.
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Review from Brian J.
North York, ON
10/29/2011 1 photo
Been twice. Yeah it's good. Nice pizza, great crust. But the pizzas can be "runny" and reach the point where they all taste the same. Still a worthwhile try.
First time we went it was great, second, so-so.
Service is good, kind of casual, but attentive. Atmosphere varies depending on where you sit. Try to get inside the restaurant.
Pizza recommendation: The Margaharita -
Review from Fern H.
8/12/2011
I haven't been back to Libretto since it first opened a few years ago and we had to come right at 5pm when it opened to avoid the lines and get a table.
Now that the hype has died down, I'm happy to say that we didn't have to eat at a senior citizen's dining time as there were seats a bit later around 6pm-ish on a Thursday.
Came with Daniel O before an Elite event in the area. Shared the Margherita pizza ($13) and the calarami appetizer ($11). I remember the pizza being soggy in the centre during my first visit way back when but there was no issues this time.
Service was very friendly and orders came out super fast!
Happy to see that Libretto is doing well and on their way to a second location in the city. -
Review from Jamie K.
Vancouver, BC
12/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ahh Pizzeria Libretto. How delicious. I think my girlfriend and I have tried most of the pizzas and they are simply delish! And the tiramisu should rip off the Lay's chips slogan. Bet you can't have just one. If you die and go to heaven, you will probably end up in this jar (yes jar) of tiramisu.
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Review from Bahi K.
Scarborough, ON
7/19/2011 4 photos
I went here for a birthday dinner last week with my family and we had a delightful time. We were all in the mood for some pizza, and since Libretto is generally considered to be the best pizza place in town, we made the drive here (from opposite ends of the city) on a Tuesday night. We arrived at the restaurant around 9:00 pm and only had to wait about 15 minutes before the 4 of us were seated.
We had the bruschetta (which my brother loved), the arugula and caprese salads (which were both light and refreshing), the verdura pizza (with seasonal zucchini), the eggplant pizza, the margherita (with bufali di mozarella) and the homemade sausage. Being the only meat eater of the bunch, I was the only one eating the sausage pizza (and it happened to be my fave), but the veggie pizzas were all tasty (it being a tossup between the margherita and the verdura as to which was the best).
The available chilli flakes and chilli oil certainly helped enhance an already tasty pizza. For some reason, I recall the pizzas being more moist when I came here the last time, but nonetheless this problem was solved with a generous helping of the chilli oil. We all left happy customers. -
Review from Amy P.
Toronto, ON
10/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great pizza, nice atmosphere, friendly service. Go on a weeknight or weekend afternoon when it's far less busy. The warm olive plate appetizer is amazing.
Cannot believe the reviewer complaining that the server offered their table wine when she was pregnant (the HORROR). I went when I was pregnant and was personally not put off at all when the server offered me wine. I'm pretty sure i'm an adult who can make my own choices, pregnant or not. -
Review from Danielle F.
Toronto, ON
9/25/2011
Thursday arrivals at 8:30 make for 45 minute waits but let me tell you, once you step through those doors, you're not leaving. The smells, seeing gorgeous plates of food leaving the kitchen- nah, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. You have the option to leave, grab a drink around Little Portugal and they'll call you when the time comes. Nice to have options but we stuck around.
It can get a little steamy with a table so close to the wood fired oven, but it's worth it for the view. Our server was sweet and understands the urgency of our hunger after the wait, taking our drink and meal orders at the same time. I had a glass of Riesling, loved the stemless wine glasses. Don't really understand how they keep track of everyone's wine choice but they knew exactly where to put each identical glass.
I ordered the grilled eggplant pizza that comes with chilli, basil and ricotta salata. They made them so quickly, we got the first of our pizzas right before the waiter came around with the bread! But I was the last one to get my pizza, so I was grateful for the bread. It had a great bite to it and a nice accompaniment dipper of chilli oil.
My pizza arrives a few minutes after everyone else's and I can't wait to dig in. And I don't have to! After seeing my friends' melty mozzarella, I get a bit of cheese envy. But pay no mind to that, there are TONS of factors that make up for it. Such as an amazing fire burnt, toothsome crust, a good tomato sauce, a zip of spice and thinly sliced eggplant. This might be sacrilegious with such fine pizza, but I enjoyed rolling up small sections and eating it that way.
We were almost tempted by dessert but made it out of there safely. The panna cotta sounds delicious. I'll definitely save room for next time. There will be a next time! It was a night of some great service, food and company. -
Review from Tas H.
Toronto, ON
10/11/2011
The most awesome Duck Confit/pear/mushroom pizza ever!
Haven't tried the Margaritta pizza at Torito yet, but really liked the margharitta pizza here.
Nice atmosphere, fun in a group if you can get here early enough for dinner -
Review from Daniel O.
Best pizza in the city by far.
This place deserves all the accolades and fuss. Yes, there are lines, yes, you will have to wait, and no, they do not take reservations. But its all worth it.
My go-to pizza is the classic Margherita pizza. Classic and simple, with a really tasty tomato sauce (tastes like tomato sauce should taste, acidy, super fresh, no tomato paste after taste). buffalo mozzarella (huge creamy clumps) and a handful of fresh basil. Cooked in a flown-in- from-Italy oven at 900 degrees, the thin crust pizzas cook in about 90 seconds. Crazy, right?
Also love their pizza with heaps of salty proscuitto, garlic, tomato, shaved parmesan and a handful of fresh arugula thrown on top after the pizza is baked (see photo).
Another menu item that's pure gold is the Buttermilk Calamari, crispy deep-fried rings of soft calamari over a red pepper & almond sauce (as well as a bit of pesto and good quality olive oil).
Service is always friendly yet efficient as well plus the decor of the resto is super cool.
Note: Their lunch pre-fix menu is the best value going: $15 for a pizza, salad (caprese or green) & a small dessert of gelato or biscotti is a steal (pizza's run $13 to $18)....
Libretto. Please don't change. You have hit the perfect formula of casual dining, high quality, delicious food at a really good price.
Note x2: Danforth location slated to open in the early fall. -
Review from David S.
Toronto, ON
9/17/2011
This came as a recommendation from a friend who lives in the Dundas/Ossington area so we thought we'd give it a try. Verdict? Well worth it. I stuck with the previous Yelp recommendations and requisiteDuck Confit. It was AMAZING. I'm not a duck fan but this thing was THAT good! My wife got the Prosciutto and Arugala pizza but our response was meh.
As expected, the lines were long, wait was 1.5 hours but staff were courteous and even called us on our cellphone when ready! Recommended! We'll be back! -
Review from Yumiko K.
8/7/2011
Per my local friend's suggestion, 4 of us (plus a 2-week old baby) had a fabulous dinner at Pizzeria Libretto. This restaurant is ridiculously popular and extremely crowded even late at night (it was still extremely crowded even when we left around 10:30 or so on Friday).
We shared a bottle of red wine (fabulous), a cheese plate with homemade crackers and assorted condiments (I especially adored the fig jam). My friend's wife also had a gorgeous-looking Caprese salad.
My friend and his wife both ordered Ontario Prosciutto & Arugula each, which looked scrumptious. My boyfriend and I ordered grilled eggplant pizza (his favourite) and Verdura (Goat Cheese, Black Olives, Mozzarella: my favourite) pizza. I loved the chili oil, which was spicy enough. However, my friend got us a small bowlful of chopped up green chili (the one you might see at a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant), which was a lot hotter than the chili oil or chili flakes. I usually love hot and spicy food, but I really didn't think the green chili was necessary...
We also ordered some espresso (very strong!), Espresso Cinnamon Gelato (very espresso-y and sweet cinnamon aftertaste), Biscotti, and Vanilla Affogato (YUM!!!).
Although the restaurant doesn't accept reservations, they did call us when our table was ready. Also, they were accommodating and helpful with my friend's 2-week old baby (who thankfully slept through the dinner despite of all the noise and commotion around her).
We all enjoyed the food, wine, and conversations (and I am glad I wasn't starving!). -
Review from Anabel L.
Toronto, ON
8/31/2011
This area gets more action than a bar on UFC night...crazy I know. Libretto probably fuelled that when it first opened its doors. I've never seen so many sober people wait for pizza - that sentiment will be lost on you if you've never walked by a downtown pizza joint at about 3 am.
If you like Neapolitan pizza Libretto is a lively, down-to-earth place to eat with friends. The seating (they have some communal tables) fosters a carefree environment and service is great, oftentimes entertaining (there are some characters here I tell you).
If I had to recommend something it'd be the beef carpaccio with shaved piave cheese. It's a great prelude to what's going to be a great meal. My two favourite pizzas are the Duck Confit and Margherita D.O.P. The first because I'm a raging carnivore, and the second because basil and mozzarella is a winning combination.
Finish with the Vanilla Afogato, pat your belly, and roll on home. -
Review from Angela L.
5/20/2011
I'm in Toronto once or twice every year; accordingly, I have make my dining selections very carefully. I had been itching to try Pizzeria Libretto for a while, as I LOVE Neopolitan style pizza, but the fact that I watched "The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pizza" on the Food Network on my flight over really sealed the deal for me.
My sister and I dropped in for lunch on a Friday. We arrived within a half hour of opening, and it was already quite busy. The restaurant was very nicely decorated; my only complaint might be that tables were a bit too close together. Our charming server greeted us immediately and brought over water. He inquired as to whether we had any questions about the menu, but we had already studied the menu beforehand and knew exactly what we wanted. We both ordered off of the prix fixe menu, which was a steal at $15. I ordered the arugula salad to start and the margherita pizza as my main.
We were brought over some complimentary bread with an oil and vinegar dip, both of which were fantastic. The arugula salad was perfect: not overdressed with a wonderful balance of flavours from the pear, cheese, and walnuts. I was already super-impressed, but when the pizza arrived I was over the moon. Honestly, I think I prefer the crust at Pizzeria Primastrada in Victoria a little bit more, but this pizza was absolutely delicious. Of course, there was still dessert to be had, and my sister and I chose two different flavours of gelato: vanilla and espresso cinnamon, which we mixed and matched to our great delight.
Overall, my experience here was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had. The food was excellent, the ambiance was excellent, the service was excellent (our server discreetly brought over another bottle of water after we gulped down the first one, which was greatly appreciated), and the value is unbeatable. I look forward to returning on my next bi-annual journey to T.O.! -
Review from yelpprofiley p.
Toronto, ON
11/30/2011
THEIR PIZZA SUCKS.
The 550 Danforth Libretto pizza is not that good at all. What a bummer, we didn't like it! The pizza is like cheap pita bread that's in an oven for a few seconds.
No clue why there's claims it's so good. I don't even remember tasting pizza in Italy like this. -
Review from Robert L.
9/13/2011
AMAZING! Salumi e Formaggi, Antipasti, Insalate and pizza.
This is the real deal if you want a delicious wood fired pizza.
Great for lunch or dinner. -
Review from Christina C.
5/30/2011
I'll only give a place five stars if I experience some sort of epiphany there and/or plan to return one day as soon as I leave. This much is true of Pizzeria Libretto - I may or may not have dreams about this stuff.
I'm talking about the pizza, of course. The Margherita (classic), Sardines (salty), Ontario Prosciutto (perfection), and House-Made Sausage (oily greatness) get my vote for the best slices here, especially dipped into the house chili oil - where can I get my hands on this? The only miss I've had so far is the Duck Confit - it's a little on the dry side. But this is nothing to worry about, as there are so many other delicious options on the menu. Bring friends, split, sample, and enjoy.
(And finish it all off with a Chocolate Affogato. Trust me.)
As long as Pizzeria Libretto keeps doing what it's doing, I'll keep coming back for more. Long live Libretto!Listed in: Eating my way through Toronto
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Review from Kat K.
4/26/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I've been itching to try this place for a while, but somehow never got around to it. This changed about two weeks ago, where I had the opportunity to come and have dinner here twice.
Few things, Pizzeria Libretto does not take reservations( seems like all the hottest food spots don't), so if you want to come here for dinner get there early or late... peak time, you might be in for a wait...
While Pizzeria Libretto does offer different types of pizza, I recommend going for their classic Margherita or Marinera (like the Margherita but no cheese) for the simple flavour of their tomato sauce. Their crust is amazing, soft and chewy, and very flavourful. They do give your their house chili oil to swab the crusts in, however I don't feel it is really needed.
Order their salad with mushrooms, which is big enough to share with one other person. I suggest skipping their calamari and their housemade meatballs; don't get me wrong they are good, but the mushroom salad is a bigger hit as a starter.
For dessert, their tiramisu is a winner for sure, as a rule I don't like soggy cake, which is what Tiramisu typically is. However Pizzeria Libretto does their tiramisu in a mason jar, and can be described more like a pudding with bits of cake stirred in. I'd say you can share with someone for this, but ... inevitably someone will want the last spoonful, as which point spoons @ high noon might occur.
Service is excellent, despite the place is bustling, but well worth the vist to Little Portugal/Ossington strip. -
Review from Kent P.
Updated - 4/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've almost certainly gone back to this place more than any restaurant in Toronto (McDonald's excluded, obviously). It's almost entirely reliable in terms of a decent time. At its best - it's excellent and at its worst- it's pretty good.
New favorite time to go: late Sunday nights. Enjoy the staff's full attention, eat at your leisure as they close down shop, and have a pizza that will make you hate Monday morning a little less (especially if you keep some leftovers).Listed in: VEG that's more than risotto.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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8/26/2010
The lunch deal is pretty stellar- salad or bruschetta + a pizza with garlic or basic or their folded… Read more »
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