Build-your-own fast-casual Neapolitan — Blaze Pizza's assembly-line model lets you choose every topping on a proper Neapolitan base that goes into a very hot oven for 3 minutes. The result is genuinely better than the price suggests, and the value for money is exceptional: a fully customized pizza for under $15.
Neighbourhood: Various Toronto Locations · Address: Multiple Toronto locations — check blazepizza.com · Hours: Daily 11am–10pm · Price Range: $ · Phone: (437) 887-1152 · Editorial status: Not yet verified
Blaze Pizza is where you can customize your own thin-crust Neapolitan pizza and have it baked in just three minutes. It’s seriously budget-friendly—get a loaded, personal pizza for less than most slices elsewhere downtown.
Unlike other pizza chains, Blaze uses a Subway-style assembly line so you can choose every topping without extra charges. The dough is fermented properly, the oven is fire-blasted hot, and pizzas cook in minutes—rare for anything this customizable in Toronto. It fills the gap between slow, authentic Neapolitan and quick, cheap takeout.
Roman-style pizza (pizza al taglio — by the cut) is a distinct tradition from Neapolitan pizza: thicker, crispier, baked in rectangular trays in electric ovens rather than wood-fired, and served cut to a size and weight chosen by the customer rather than as a whole pie. The Roman tradition allows for a wider range of toppings (the room-temperature flat surface and longer bake time accommodate moisture-releasing ingredients that would make a Neapolitan pizza soggy), and the purchasing model (choose your section, pay by weight or slice count) encourages experimentation.
White pizza with ricotta (pizza bianca con ricotta) is the Roman staple — a thin layer of ricotta cheese spread on the pizza's surface before baking, which melts and integrates into the crust structure, creating a surface that's slightly creamy and richer than olive oil alone. The result is a pizza with a particular moistness that distinguishes it from the conventional cheese-on-tomato approach.
The tray format allows the kitchen to produce multiple styles simultaneously: red (tomato-base), white (olive oil or ricotta base), and verde (herb-based) versions of the dough, each with different topping combinations arranged across the baking tray. Customers can take one section of each style, creating a mixed plate that samples the kitchen's range. This flexibility is particularly well-suited to Toronto's multicultural food culture, where parties with varying preferences can eat from the same counter.
The create-your-own option (choosing base, cheese, and toppings from the kitchen's current selection) is the most direct expression of the Roman style's democratizing approach to pizza — the customer is an active participant in the final product rather than choosing from a fixed menu.
Roman pizza (pizza al taglio) is thicker, crispier, baked in rectangular trays in electric ovens, and served by the cut/weight. Neapolitan pizza is thin, soft-centered, round, wood-fired, and served as a whole pie. The Roman style accommodates more toppings and is a stand-up, counter-service format.
At a Roman-style pizza al taglio shop, you point to the section of pizza you want, indicate how much, and the staff cuts and weighs it. You pay by weight (typically $10-16 per 100g depending on toppings). This allows you to mix different styles and take as much or as little as you want.
White pizza with ricotta or potato (thin-sliced potato, olive oil, rosemary) are Roman classics. Red pizza with seasonal roasted vegetables shows the kitchen's range. Avoid very watery toppings (undrained tomatoes, fresh mozzarella) that make the crust soggy.
Toronto's pizza scene has added Roman-style options alongside its strong Neapolitan tradition. Ask locally for current recommendations — the style is increasingly available in the downtown core and west-end neighbourhoods.
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