You may have noticed a shortage of Toronto related food posts lately. Having to live through Toronto’s coldest month on record greatly reduced our desire to get out and explore the city, but with the recent surge in temperatures all the way past 0 degrees on the thermometer, we sieged the opportunity to take a short walk over to Pizzeria Via Mercanti at 87 Elm Street. Having never been to the popular original location in Kensington Market, we walked into the restaurant with no expectations. Our real intention in venturing outside had been to visit a local playground, but when we noticed the pizzeria, we quickly decided we had to try it.
My love of pizza is difficult to describe; it is a food I could eat any day for any number of consecutive days provided I could find a variety of options. The Neapolitan style pizza at Pizzeria Via Mercanti was an excellent shift in flavours from the Dominos I had ordered with a group of friends that Friday evening. The pizza we tasted here is the type of pie I could imagine eating at a cafe in Italy. In fact, the whole ambiance of the restaurant prepared me for a great dining experience. I noticed a number of accolades on the wall, which combined with the well stocked wine shelf on the wall and the cheerful red and white checkered table cloths, raised my expectations immediately. I was also excited to see a range of beers available on tap from Amsterdam Brewery, including a seasonal tap that on this day featured Wee Heavy. When our Traditrice Pizza arrived, piled with hot Sopressata, I dove in. It was delicious. We went with the Margherita Pizza for the kids, and the Little Monkey was not impressed that the “round red pieces of meat” weren’t on top, but she stopped complaining once she had a taste. The Little Man spend the whole time eating, as usual, and looked pretty content the whole time.
Pizzeria Via Mercanti is a very kid friendly restaurant. I already mentioned the colorful table cloths. Our waitress was very friendly and accomodating, and showed very wise judgement in not pushing too hard for answers to her questions for the Little Monkey. The restaurant has a change table in the ladies washroom downstairs and high chairs available. We has a little trouble finding room for our double stroller, but there is enough space just outside the restaurant to park a stroller if the restaurant is packed. The restaurant is located in the YWCA building just across from the Sick Kids hospital, an unusual but great place for a pizzeria. We noticed a patio outside with lots of sunlight and look forward to revisiting in Summer.
