Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

After a bad experience at Via Vai for Neapolitain Pizza in Toronto I went out for lunch this afternoon to Famoso. The restaurant delivered on all fronts.
The location is in a cool looking rotunda type building with lots of windows and high ceilings. There was a moderate lunch time crowd there for a Monday afternoon. The waitress was friendly, attentive, and also knew her menu items.
Now onto the food! We ordered the lunch specials which consisted of a pizzetta and either soup or salad. Each pizza is hand tossed and fresh ingredients are used. Both pizzas were delicious and the dough was thoroughly cooked with a crust that is firm yet having a slight resistance when pulled apart. The taste was just right and complimented the toppings.
The tomato bisque according to my meal partner was like home made tomato bisque, creamy, well seasoned with pieces of basil mixed in. It received a pass! Meanwhile, my salad was good… hard to screw up salad unless they tried.
Yes, I would come back here.
Overall rating: ⁴⁄₅
Experience: ⁴⁄₅
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅

Really good pizza neopolitana in a casual dining environment. This place is a chain, but the quality is still very good.

I made my first visit during #YYCPizzaWeek. Wow — the Patate Pancetta Pizza is simply the best pizza ever! I really hope they add it to the menu. I wanted to order an extra to take home!

Do you ever get so excited to catch up with friends and devour amazing food that you forget to take photos? That happened to me here. (BTW — sorry not sorry!)
I am in love with their white sangria, it’s light and so refreshing! A fun twist on a childhood beverage — apple juice with Grand Mariner and lime soda.
Being that the pizzas are thin crust, there are no regrets being able to finish two pies — one being the formaggi with prosciutto and the other a spicy salami.
And you can’t forget about dessert — the vanilla bean gelato is the perfect way to finish off a great meal.
Highly recommend Famoso!

Pizza was great and the cost is more reasonable than many of the other thin crust Italian pizza joints. Nice thing about these sorts of pizza is that you don’t wait very long for them to show up. Last Best beer on tap, so despite this being a chain they do have good local connections.
Ambience was best described by one of my dining companions — «food court chic». And that was upstairs — beware of the handful of tables downstairs, that basically take up the space between the men’s and ladies loos!

Famoso has never lived up to expectations for me. Every time I have been, the pizza has been bland and soggy. When there are other great pizza places so close by, there are much better options than Famoso.
Many people describe this restaurant as family friendly, but if you do not have children to bring to a restaurant, and enjoy a nice atmosphere, this place is probably not for you

The waitresses were so sweet and attentive, they really made the experience that much more pleasant.
The pizza was alright but very runny, although we asked for it well done because my friend had that same issue with them before, and it didn’t seem to make a difference. It was funny to the point that you’d pick up a slice and all of the cheese would slip off of the pizza, and it would feel very damp on your fingers. Not great.
The Caesar salad was good, we had to add olive oil for it to actually be edible, but no croutons :(
The atmosphere was nice, somewhat homey, and the kitchen is open so you get to see everything they’re doing.

Love their pizza and i am italian!

We didn’t get the best service, our drinks didn’t show up and waitress came and asked us again later and brought them. The food was really good: hot, flavourful, and the pizza crusts were crisp.

Who doesn’t love pizza, especially when it’s done right and Famoso knows how to blow your mind.
From the instant we walked into the McKenzie Towne location we were treated amazingly well. The restaurant was bright, clean and comfy. You immediately felt like you belonged.
Our late lunch consisted of two pizzas (there was no way in hell I was sharing mine) Me, the Abruzzo & hubby the Siciliana. And the taste? Put me in a gondola because I was floating down a river of happiness; and I could rave for hours about the sauce, it was the best that I ever tasted.
All in all; I don’t think I’ll ever want pizza from anywhere else unless I’m in Italy. Our experience at Famoso was perfect, and I can’t wait to go back.
Seriously, if you haven’t eaten at this place, do yourself a favour and go. You won’t be sorry.

Great Pizza but Terrible Phone Answering!
Delicious pizza that isn’t greasy and you even want to eat the crust.
Only problem is trying to call to make a take-​out order.
We tried for a solid 30min before we gave up and just went down. They’re VERY fast but we noticed so many people standing around when we got there I can’t understand why the phones weren’t answered.

The pizzas are good… But I think my expectations were higher for this place… The service was not bad and the cocktails were good as well… I wouldn’t say the pizzas are bad, but I would say they are average good… Nothing incredible…

This little slice of Italian heaven never let’s me down. They offer a vast array of topping options, I’ve never had the same pizza twice, and they were all amazing! Even off beat choices like the spicy Thai chicken, was a crowd pleaser. Plus it’s so very hard to find the perfect thin, chewy Neapolitan style crust that they do so well. The food is always consistently delicious, no matter what we order, the drink menu is well rounded, the service is always friendly and the atmosphere is laid back & casual. It’s a great spot for a low key dinner or even a quick lunch. :)

I really like this place. It’s family friendly; my 2-​year old also loves it.
The pizza is great, the staff are always nice and cheerful. They have good salads too.
The only thing that’s weird is the ordering system. You have to get up and go order your food and drinks — they should change that.
Anyway, I have been about 6 or 7 times and will keep going back.

Very tasty pizza. Their tomato sauce is the best I’ve ever had. A good selection of Neapolitan pizzas. Service is always good and the dining atmosphere is causal and relaxed. The prices are pretty reasonable too as pizzas are around $ 13~$ 18 range (one pizza is usually enough to feed 2 adults after a healthy round of appetizers).

4rth Street Location:
Their Margarita pizza is a sure thing. I always eat the entire thing. There other pizzas are popular, there is a generous selection for varying tastes. The service at this location has been adequate — it varies from good to mediocre. I never hesitate to return when the craving hits. I recommend the lemon sorbet for dessert. They have other delicious sorbets and gelatos, one can sample before choosing.
Update: Nov. 10, 2015.
Yay! They know have a normal restaurant ordering system. I am glad switched from the old system.

Casual dining and a nice night out in Mission. The neopolatin style pizza is light and fresh with ingredients that are so full of flavor. The service is a little different in that you order at the counter and then it’s table service from there. The choices on the menu are varied with lots of options for toppings but my favorite is the magherita for the fresh basil.

I visited this great restaurant when in Calgary during the Stampede based on a recommendation from someone back home near Toronto. The pizza was excellent, and I love pizza so I’ve had my share of samples to compare it to. I had the Vesuvio which comes with spicy salami. For dessert, I had the gelato on a brownie cookie and a cappuccino and both were also delicious. The staff was friendly and the manager was stellar. He remembered speaking to us for our reservation and asked the caller, by name, how our meal was. Very impressive.
The approach of ordering is a little different where you take your order to the front yourself instead of a waitress. It’s the only thing keeping this from 5 stars because it’s always a little awkward to have one person at the table scribe the order then take it up. Also, we labeled the items 1, 2, 3 to organize it and ended up ordering something extra by accident. Either way, the manager fixed everything since he was great.
Overall, a great place to stop and a thanks was given to the person who suggested it. Definitely would go again.

Just as I anticipated, Famoso on 4^th knows how to make a delicious, AUTHENTIC Neapolitan pizza.
I finally had the chance to enjoy an evening here over the weekend to try some of the new spring/​summer menu over a nice bottle of Pinot noir. The don Andreas and Funghi pizzas were fantastic. If you are a bonafide mushroom lover, you must try the Funghi pizza with truffle oil, parmesan and fior-​di-​latte. I love avocado and chicken, so naturally, the don Andreas was a hit. Both pizzas were cooked thoroughly without charring the crust.
I somehow managed to save just enough room to sample the yummy Thai coconut gelato for dessert.
In summary, Famoso is wonderful, this location in particular. The service is warm and friendly as well, which I really appreciate. Best Neapolitan pizzeria I’ve tried in Calgary.
Una pizza deliziosa!

Famoso is wonderful. This was my first visit, and it was such a happy one, that I’m already mentally planning all of my future trips :).
Vegan cheese at no extra cost, delicious toppings, sensible portion sizes, a warm server that made our dining experience more enjoyable with his engaging personality; worth every minute of the 20 minute wait for a table!
At Famoso, once seated, you go through the menu, write down what you want on a pad of paper and hand it off to the front counter. Wait time is reasonable, and the food arrives on a cutting board for sharing or being as greedy as you want. Since I was here with Sarah Louise, I got to experience the rare joy of being able to share food with a friend :). Yay, VEGAN SUPER POWERS. You have to try the Funghi Tartufo pizza, three different kinds of mushrooms and a drizzling of white truffle oil. Or Sarah Louise’s choice: The Primavera, which included olives and artichoke hearts. Both were equally nomz.
It was so good that I was momentarily lamenting ordering the half size, until I realized that this meant I had room for dessert! Indecisive me had trouble deciding whether or not I wanted the Blueberry Basil sorbet, the Mango sorbet, or the Pineapple. Then I remembered that I’m a grown-​up now, and this means I can have all of them if I want to. And I did! And our server gleefully set it down in front of me and made a «SKIDOOSH» noise when doing so. The flavors all together, was like eating a basket of summer garden goodness.
The only qualms I have were that when our drinks came, I asked for a glass of water that never showed up. I had to ask for it again when my second drink arrived. Also, when we went to pay our bill, the lady behind the counter wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on. She let someone behind me pay first, even after I handed her our bill, and instead of handing me the debit machine, handed me a reprint. Our server apologized for her, though and charged us and sent us on our way.
The thing that made me most at ease about Famoso? Going downstairs to where the bathrooms are located, and seeing one of the chefs eating the food. Always a good sign! They have a free wine tasting night every Wednesday, and Monday — Thursday, you can get a movie pass with your meal for $ 16.