Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria.

I recently had a chance to visit the famous west-coat pizza chain, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria.  I've heard about this place for a while now and luckily this past June two locations opened up in Toronto.  One location is at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre and the other is located in the Annex.

I visited the Yorkdale location which is located on the 3rd level of the mall. A bit odd going to a mall pizzeria but the restaurant is off on its own with the standard food court options just outside the vicinity.  The atmosphere inside the restaurant was quite laid-back with a modern atmosphere and some really beautiful decor and lighting.  You can seat yourself at any open table and browse the menus at your own pace. When you're ready to order, just head up to the main counter and either pay up front or leave an open tab in case you want to add drinks/desserts afterwards. A waitress will still tend to your table for any additional orders you may have throughout your visit. 

Famoso is known for using only fresh ingredients, with a lot of the main ingredients being imported straight from Italy.  The flour they use is '00' caputo flour which is highly-refined, low-gluten flour which makes the crust slightly chewy with a crispy exterior. The Campania tomatoes are imported from southern Italy and contain a lower acidity level than your average tomato. The cheese used is fior-di-latte (fresh whole milk mozzarella) which melts ever so deliciously on the pizzas and doesn't leave your pizza dripping with grease.  After your pizza is created it is cooked in an imported bell-shaped oven (open-kitchen concept so you can watch from your table) and cooked for 90 seconds at 900 f.

The menu has a variety of pizza's ranging from the traditional margherita to something more exotic like the Spicy Thai.  You also have the option of choosing a white pizza which uses a white sauce containing extra virgin olive oil, oregano and garlic. There are also appetizers, fire-bread sandwiches, desserts, cocktails, wine etc.  

My sister and I both ordered the pizzetta which is a smaller pizza that comes with either a soup or salad.  We both we went for the margherita with a side caesar salad.  Our order came out within 5 minutes and we immediately dug in.  The pizza smelled fantastic but it was really hot so I waited a bit and started with the salad.  The dressing was more of a garlicky caesar vinaigrette which I prefer over a creamy dressing any day  Instead of bacon bits they use prosciutto crisps which were quite salty but complemented the salad well.  The parmesan reggiano was freshly shaved which really made this salad much better than your average caesar salad.  I could order a large size of this salad and be happy, it was that good! Finally my pizza was cooled down and I tried to pick up a slice but it was a bit too thin and the sauce was making it quite messy.  I decided to eat it with a fork and knife instead which is fine by me.  The sauce was mild but flavorful, the crust was chewy with a light crisp to it and the basil leaves and cheese perfectly portioned.  I was satisfied with the size of the pizza and left feeling perfectly full. I loved that I wasn't in a bloated pizza coma which usually happens after I grab fast food pizza.

My sister's boyfriend ordered the regular size of the Capricciosa which has Italian ham, roasted mushrooms, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and extra virgin olive oil.  He didn't really give me an in-depth review of the pizza but instead nodded his head and scarfed the whole thing down in 5 minutes.  I assume it was delicious!

For dessert we ordered a tiramisu to share but unfortunately it was still quite frozen in the centre.  Apparently it is imported from Italy and they didn't have enough time to defrost a new batch and so the owner actually told us that if its too frozen inside to just let him know.  We ended up taking a bite and realizing that it really was too frozen to eat and so the owner kindly offered us any other dessert on the menu free of charge.  We went for the Dolce & Banana which is oven-roasted bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar, crushed pecans, caramel sauce and vanilla bean gelato.  I cant even describe how incredibly delicious it was.  The brown sugar was hardened on the bananas like a crème brulee crust which was a big WIN in my books and the gelato balanced out the sweetness of the banana-caramel-sugar mixture quite nicely. There are some other impressive desserts on the menu like a nutella pizza and very unique flavors of authentic Italian gelato.

Overall this place is really great if you're in the mood for a nice pizza and don't want to wait in long lineups to more of the famous pizza places like Queen Margherita or Pizzeria Libretto. The concept makes for a leisurely dining experience and you wont be rushed out or have people waiting in the front gawking at you to leave!  A great new addition to Toronto!

I recently had a chance to visit the famous west-coat pizza chain, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria.  I've heard about this place for a while now and luckily this past June two locations opened up in Toronto.  One location is at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre and the other is located in the Annex.

I visited the Yorkdale location which is located on the 3rd level of the mall. A bit odd going to a mall pizzeria but the restaurant is off on its own with the standard food court options just outside the vicinity.  The atmosphere inside the restaurant was quite laid-back with a modern atmosphere and some really beautiful decor and lighting.  You can seat yourself at any open table and browse the menus at your own pace. When you're ready to order, just head up to the main counter and either pay up front or leave an open tab in case you want to add drinks/desserts afterwards. A waitress will still tend to your table for any additional orders you may have throughout your visit. 

Famoso is known for using only fresh ingredients, with a lot of the main ingredients being imported straight from Italy.  The flour they use is '00' caputo flour which is highly-refined, low-gluten flour which makes the crust slightly chewy with a crispy exterior. The Campania tomatoes are imported from southern Italy and contain a lower acidity level than your average tomato. The cheese used is fior-di-latte (fresh whole milk mozzarella) which melts ever so deliciously on the pizzas and doesn't leave your pizza dripping with grease.  After your pizza is created it is cooked in an imported bell-shaped oven (open-kitchen concept so you can watch from your table) and cooked for 90 seconds at 900 f.

The menu has a variety of pizza's ranging from the traditional margherita to something more exotic like the Spicy Thai.  You also have the option of choosing a white pizza which uses a white sauce containing extra virgin olive oil, oregano and garlic. There are also appetizers, fire-bread sandwiches, desserts, cocktails, wine etc.  

My sister and I both ordered the pizzetta which is a smaller pizza that comes with either a soup or salad.  We both we went for the margherita with a side caesar salad.  Our order came out within 5 minutes and we immediately dug in.  The pizza smelled fantastic but it was really hot so I waited a bit and started with the salad.  The dressing was more of a garlicky caesar vinaigrette which I prefer over a creamy dressing any day  Instead of bacon bits they use prosciutto crisps which were quite salty but complemented the salad well.  The parmesan reggiano was freshly shaved which really made this salad much better than your average caesar salad.  I could order a large size of this salad and be happy, it was that good! Finally my pizza was cooled down and I tried to pick up a slice but it was a bit too thin and the sauce was making it quite messy.  I decided to eat it with a fork and knife instead which is fine by me.  The sauce was mild but flavorful, the crust was chewy with a light crisp to it and the basil leaves and cheese perfectly portioned.  I was satisfied with the size of the pizza and left feeling perfectly full. I loved that I wasn't in a bloated pizza coma which usually happens after I grab fast food pizza.

My sister's boyfriend ordered the regular size of the Capricciosa which has Italian ham, roasted mushrooms, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and extra virgin olive oil.  He didn't really give me an in-depth review of the pizza but instead nodded his head and scarfed the whole thing down in 5 minutes.  I assume it was delicious!

For dessert we ordered a tiramisu to share but unfortunately it was still quite frozen in the centre.  Apparently it is imported from Italy and they didn't have enough time to defrost a new batch and so the owner actually told us that if its too frozen inside to just let him know.  We ended up taking a bite and realizing that it really was too frozen to eat and so the owner kindly offered us any other dessert on the menu free of charge.  We went for the Dolce & Banana which is oven-roasted bananas coated in caramelized brown sugar, crushed pecans, caramel sauce and vanilla bean gelato.  I cant even describe how incredibly delicious it was.  The brown sugar was hardened on the bananas like a crème brulee crust which was a big WIN in my books and the gelato balanced out the sweetness of the banana-caramel-sugar mixture quite nicely. There are some other impressive desserts on the menu like a nutella pizza and very unique flavors of authentic Italian gelato.

Overall this place is really great if you're in the mood for a nice pizza and don't want to wait in long lineups to more of the famous pizza places like Queen Margherita or Pizzeria Libretto. The concept makes for a leisurely dining experience and you wont be rushed out or have people waiting in the front gawking at you to leave!  A great new addition to Toronto!