Maria’s Pizza

Specialties

Brantford’s favourite homestyle pizza and pasta. Fresh dough and tangy tomato sauce made in house with family recipes since 1968. 100% mozzarella cheese, real bacon, Genoa salami, Black Forest ham — no artificial ingredients or soy fillers. Fresh-​made lasagnas and pasta dishes. Come on in for a slice of heaven!

History

Established in 1968.

When Maria Risi opened a storefront on Colborne Street in 1968, to sell homemade pizza and pasta to an audience just discovering the joys of Italian food, she had no idea that she was starting a Branford tradition. She had to double and redouble her recipes as the business grew, until she was making 200-​pound batches of dough to meet the demand. Her husband Virgilio left his job at Massey Ferguson to ‘join the family team in the kitchen, and in the garden, where they grew their own vegetables for the menu.

Now, almost 50 years later, many things have changed, but not the homemade taste. Maria’s has resisted the trend to soy fillers, meat crumbles, pre-​frozen ingredients and other shortcuts, and is still bringing Brantford the taste of Maria’s home kitchen. Sauces, dough, garlic bread, meatballs, and even lasagnas are made in the store, using Maria’s original recipes.