The pizza slice that changed how Toronto thinks about the form. Pizzeria Badiali on College Street serves New York–style pizza by the slice — large, foldable, crispy on the underside, properly charred at the crust edge — at a standard the city simply didn't have before it opened. The line down the sidewalk has been a permanent fixture since opening day.
Neighbourhood: Dufferin / College · Address: 793 College St, Toronto, ON · Hours: Wed–Sun 12pm–9pm (or until sold out) | Closed Mon–Tue · Price Range: $ · Phone: (416) 537-0037 · Editorial status: Not yet verified
Pizzeria Badiali serves the kind of massive, thin-crust New York–style pizza slices rarely found in Toronto — perfectly chewy yet crisp, with a legit char at the crust. The lineups are for good reason: every pie is made fresh and turnover is quick, so you're always getting great pizza.
This is one of the only places in Toronto serving classic New York–style pizza by the slice at a level that actually rivals NYC joints. The pizza here isn’t overly fancy — it’s about high-quality basics and the right technique: huge, foldable slices, homemade tomato sauce, and the blistered edge. The constant queues speak for themselves.
Pizzeria Badiali opened on College Street in 2017 and immediately became the most discussed pizza in Toronto. The reason is not complicated: it is simply very good pizza, made with a rigour that Toronto's pizza-by-the-slice market had not seen before. The New York slice format — large triangular slices served from full 18-inch pies displayed on the counter, sold by the slice, reheated on the deck — is about as straightforward a food proposition as exists. What distinguishes Badiali is the execution at every point.
The dough is fermented for at least 48 hours, producing a crust with the flavour complexity that fast-proofed dough doesn't develop. The sauce is san marzano–style tomatoes crushed simply, not cooked down, so the acidity and brightness survive the oven. The fior di latte is whole-milk mozzarella that melts correctly rather than releasing water and diluting the sauce. The deck oven is calibrated to produce a properly charred bottom without burning the toppings. These are not revolutionary innovations — they are the basics of good pizza done with consistency. The gap between this standard and what had been available in Toronto was large enough that the restaurant became a destination from its first week.
The format is deliberately minimal: no tables, no servers, counter service only, eat on the sidewalk or standing at the window ledge. The selection is plain cheese, pepperoni, and a weekly rotating special that might be sausage and fennel, or mushroom and truffle, or something seasonal. The prices are reasonable — this is pizza by the slice, not a tasting menu. The line is the main operational challenge: on weekend afternoons, it runs down the College Street sidewalk and the wait can be 30–45 minutes. Weekday mornings at opening are the correct move.
Pizzeria Badiali uses a 48-hour fermented dough, san marzano–style tomatoes, whole-milk fior di latte, and a properly calibrated deck oven. The result is New York–style pizza by the slice at a technical standard that Toronto didn't have before it opened — properly charred underside, bright acidic sauce, melted (not watery) cheese, and crust with real flavour from the long fermentation.
On weekend afternoons, the line can be 30–45 minutes. Weekday mornings at opening (noon) typically have little to no wait. The pizza can sell out by late afternoon, so coming at opening is both the fastest and most selection-rich approach. Check their Instagram for days they're closed or hours adjustments.
The plain cheese slice is the benchmark order on your first visit — it shows what the kitchen is doing with sauce, cheese, and crust more clearly than a topping-heavy slice does. Add the weekly rotating special, which changes and is usually something creative and seasonal. The pepperoni is excellent. You don't need to overthink it.
Yes — it's consistently ranked among Toronto's best pizza by both food media and the people who eat there regularly. The quality is high enough that the line is a function of genuine demand rather than hype. If you're willing to come on a weekday at opening, there's essentially no wait and you get full selection.
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