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GuideUpdated July 15, 2026

4 Best Places for Margherita in Toronto

Where to find the best margherita in Toronto — each restaurant rated 4.0★ or higher. Top-rated at 9.2★. Spanning pizza kitchens. Curated by TastyPals.

The best places for margherita in Toronto are Napoli Centrale Pizzeria, Pizzeria Via Mercanti, Pizzeria Libretto - University, and more. Start with Napoli Centrale Pizzeria if you want the strongest overall first pick.

By Marcus Chen•4 ranked picks•Published July 13, 2026•Updated July 15, 2026
Methodology•Editorial team
Napoli Centrale PizzeriaPizzeria Via MercantiPizzeria Libretto - University
4 Best Places for Margherita in Toronto
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Top picks at a glance

#1Napoli Centrale PizzeriaPizza • Toronto • $$#2Pizzeria Via MercantiPizza • Toronto • $#3Pizzeria Libretto - UniversityPizza • Toronto • $

Who this guide is for

The Margherita is the pizza that tells you everything. Across Toronto, this deceptively simple pie is treated as a diagnostic order — the dish that reveals whether a kitchen is operating at its standard — and our editorial reviews confirm four spots where it lands. Napoli Centrale Pizzeria and Pizzeria Via Mercanti share the top score at 8.7/10, with Napoli Centrale's Margherita described by most accounts as the correct entry point, the benchmark against which the rest of the menu is measured. At Via Mercanti, regulars and critics alike point to it as the diagnostic order. Pizzeria Libretto's University location earns an 8.6/10, where the Margherita is built to the VPN standard and, by design, reveals exactly what the kitchen is doing. General Assembly Pizza rounds out the group at 8.2/10, sitting on the more classical end of its range and drawing a following among regulars who prefer to let the dough do the talking. Together, these four map out a scene where the Margherita is less a starter than a statement — worth navigating with intent.

Quick picks

Napoli Centrale Pizzeria
Pizza • Toronto
Napoli Centrale on Bathurst Street positions itself squarely in the Neapolitan tradition — wood oven, Italian soundtrack, a lively room — and the regulars who call it the most authentic Neapolitan…
Pizzeria Via Mercanti
Pizza • Toronto
Pizzeria Via Mercanti carries a specific credential worth noting before you book: the Kensington Market location beat both Libretto and North of Brooklyn on Chow's Pizza Wars, and the man behind th…
Pizzeria Libretto - University
Pizza • Toronto
Pizzeria Libretto arrived in Toronto in 2008 with a mandate that was, at the time, genuinely unusual: Vera Pizza Napoletana certification from the Naples government body that sets the standard for…
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Editorial details
Author: Marcus Chen
Published: July 13, 2026
Last updated: July 15, 2026

On this page

  1. 1. Napoli Centrale PizzeriaView →
  2. 2. Pizzeria Via MercantiView →
  3. 3. Pizzeria Libretto - UniversityView →
  4. 4. General Assembly PizzaView →

How the restaurants compare

Napoli Centrale Pizzeria
Toronto • Pizza
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
$$
Best for
cocktail
Mood
Easygoing
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Pizzeria Via Mercanti
Google
Pizzeria Via Mercanti
Toronto • Pizza
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
$
Best for
italian
Mood
Casual
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for Pizzeria Libretto - University
Google
Pizzeria Libretto - University
Toronto • Pizza
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
$
Best for
italian
Mood
Casual
Editorial restaurant image stand-in for General Assembly Pizza
Google
General Assembly Pizza
Toronto • Pizza
9.9/10
TastyPals Score
Price
$
Best for
italian
Mood
Casual

How we chose

We looked for restaurants that feel like a strong fit for the guide topic, not just the most obvious names in the city. The shortlist favors rooms with clear mood, dependable pacing, and enough distinction to help someone decide faster. Read our full methodology →

Room tone

Lighting, pace, and general energy all need to support the reason someone clicked this guide.

Food fit

We favored restaurants that feel best suited for the moment, not just restaurants with broad reputation.

Useful range

The final list tries to give readers enough variation in neighborhood, price, and style to compare real options.

4 ranked picks

Napoli Centrale Pizzeria — Napoli Centrale on Bathurst Street positions itself squarely in the Neapolitan tradition — wood oven, Italian soundtrack, a lively room — and the regulars who call it the most authentic Neapolitan pizza outside Italy appear, from consistent reporting, to mean it. That is neighbourhood-Neapolitan praise rather than destination-restaurant praise, and the distinction matters: this is Seaton Village doing something specific well, not a tasting-menu occasion. The menu is deliberately focused, which is usually a good sign. The Margherita is, by all accounts, the correct entry point — the benchmark against which the rest of the menu is measured. More revealing of the kitchen's range are the pies a step off the classic: the Brie e Funghi, which the menu builds around fior di latte, mushrooms, and rosemary, and the Quattro Formaggi, anchored by gorgonzola and ricotta. On the antipasti side, the Polpette al sugo and the Zeppoline are the reported openers of choice. One honest caveat worth flagging: Neapolitan dough is unforgiving of any lapse in oven attention, and diners note occasional inconsistency — a wetter centre, a pie that didn't quite finish — which suggests this kitchen rewards visits when the room is at full pace rather than on a quiet, slow night. Practically: the format works best when a table shares across two or three pizzas and the antipasti together. Walk-in availability on weeknights is reportedly reliable, and the pricing sits at a level where the cheque doesn't demand justification. Bring a group, order broadly across the verified menu, and treat this as a generous, informal dinner rather than a carefully timed occasion. View restaurant →
Pizzeria Via Mercanti — Pizzeria Via Mercanti carries a specific credential worth noting before you book: the Kensington Market location beat both Libretto and North of Brooklyn on Chow's Pizza Wars, and the man behind the oven — Romolo, a pizzaiolo with roughly four decades of practice — is consistently billed as a grand master of the Neapolitan form. That is an unusual concentration of pedigree for a room at this price point, and it shapes what the place is actually offering: wood-fired, Naples-style pizza made by someone whose institutional knowledge of dough is, by most accounts, the real draw. The Margherita is the dish regulars and critics alike point to as the diagnostic order — the one that reveals whether the kitchen is operating at its standard. It is known for the balance Naples demands: tomato and fior di latte in restraint, the cornicione doing the structural and flavour work a properly fermented rim should. The Via Mercanti two-layer pizza is the signature showpiece, reportedly richer in construction while still built on the same base dough, and it is what long-term regulars tend to direct first-timers toward. The menu also includes a Napoletana and a Calzone, rounding out a focused list that resists the temptation to overreach. One caveat diners raise consistently: quality can shift between locations and across service, and the Augusta Avenue original is the address that receives the steadier reviews. This is a casual neighbourhood dinner rather than a special-occasion room — the Kensington space is small and lively, which accounts for much of its appeal. Walk-ins are reportedly viable on weeknights; for weekend visits, arriving early or checking ahead is the practical move. View restaurant →
Pizzeria Libretto - University — Pizzeria Libretto arrived in Toronto in 2008 with a mandate that was, at the time, genuinely unusual: Vera Pizza Napoletana certification from the Naples government body that sets the standard for what the designation actually means. Co-founders Rocco Agostino and Max Rimaldi had an oven built in Naples and imported the attendant discipline alongside it. That origin story is not mere marketing. A significant portion of Toronto's current pizza culture traces a line back to what Libretto established — that the city could hold itself to a serious, codified tradition. The University Avenue location carries that pedigree into the financial district, serving a lunch crowd that might not make it to the Ossington original. The Margherita is, by design and by the logic of the VPN standard, the dish that reveals what the kitchen is doing. Diners and observers consistently point to it as the order that honours the certification — a short, high-heat bake producing the puffed, flame-touched cornicione and yielding centre that define the Neapolitan style. Beyond orthodoxy, the menu includes a duck confit pizza that reflects the kitchen's willingness to range outside Naples' strict canon, and a rotating seasonal special that reportedly demonstrates similar ambition. Gluten-free pizza is available and is regarded as receiving more considered treatment than is typical at comparable pizzerias. The midday prezzo fisso is frequently cited as one of the more reasonable sit-down lunches in the area. This location takes reservations and moves tables efficiently at lunch, which makes it the practical choice when the Ossington original's well-documented waits are not an option. Come expecting a proper sit-down meal rather than a quick counter transaction — the room is built for an occasion that, at this price level, asks very little of you in return. View restaurant →

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General Assembly Pizza — General Assembly arrived on the Toronto pizza scene in 2017 with a deliberate argument: that the city warranted a more considered slice, built not on Neapolitan convention but on a naturally fermented sourdough base cut from Canadian and Italian flour with a measure of olive oil that would raise eyebrows in Naples. That departure from orthodoxy is, by all accounts, the point. The dough is reportedly what defines the operation — a crust known for genuine browning, structural crunch, and a tangy complexity that straight Neapolitan dough does not typically carry. The sourcing throughout is described as careful and intentional, which places General Assembly in a bracket above the average downtown slice shop regardless of format. The menu centers on individually sized pies, and the Certified Lover Boy is consistently identified as the signature — the build to start with, an upscale arrangement on that light, fermented base. The Margherita and Pepperoni represent the more classical end of the range and draw their own following among regulars who prefer to let the dough do the talking, while a Seasonal special rotates the lineup and reflects whatever sourcing commitment the kitchen is making at a given moment. The honest caveat that surfaces repeatedly among diners is the price relative to the format: a personal pie here commands more than the category usually demands, and the question of whether it represents the best pizza in Toronto remains actively debated. What is less contested is that it is executing a distinct and coherent vision with consistency. Practically, General Assembly suits a solo lunch on Adelaide Street or a paired dinner for two rather than any kind of group occasion — the individual format is a design choice, not a limitation. Order one each; the size is calibrated for exactly that. View restaurant →

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