Pizza Banfi

We are so lucky in the village area, that a warm, friendly, neighbourhood restaurant with comforting food and excellent service (Does Nino or a server ever fail to say goodbye and thanks?), gets so little attention from the media critics. It is our own little oasis where we gladly stand in line for a table, knowing that delicious food and attentive service will follow.

Wow that was bad! We started with shiitake salad and we hoped it was not a sign of things to come but we were equally disappointed with the pizza and pasta. We’ve had better frozen pizzas. And, we had to drown the pasta in parm and hot sauce to give it flavour. Not going back.

It was a quiet day when we visited this restaurant (ie. we were the only ones there for a late lunch). We were celebrating a birthday, so we had some fun conversation with the servers while we were looking over the menu.
But, it went downhill from there and I will never go back there again. My reasons:
— They got my pasta order wrong, didn’t really apologize and the dish they did give me had very watery sauce.
— The gluten-​free pasta substitution will cost you an extra $ 4 (no note of that in the menu), which is more expensive than other places I’ve done this at. This brought my watery pasta to a whopping $ 21.
— When they heard of our birthday celebration they encouraged us several times to have some tequila — I gave in and had one drink and got a hefty $ 15 added to the bill (yah, my own fault).
— One of the servers told us a pretty off-​colour joke about ‘midgets’ and the other felt it appropriate to make a wife joke (you know, one of those «I never listen to her…» kind). Classy.
So it all became an overpriced disappointment. If I had been one of the servers I would at least have offered to take off the gluten-​free fee to make up for the mistake, but I guess they didn’t really care to keep our business. My date did enjoy his pizza, but overall it’s just not worth it to go here again.

Nestled right in Forest Hill Village, Banfi is one the best hidden gems in Toronto. Definitely in my top 3 Italian restaurants in the city. Even though no reservations, there is rarely a long wait. The owner takes care of everyone waiting for a table with getting drink orders and often bruschetta. Portions are generous, service is very warm and the food is fantastic.

great small little gem, great service great food keep up

I’ve eaten here several times and is one of my favourite restaurants. The food is delicious and they serve generous portions. My favourites are the ceasar salad and the linguine with goat cheese and mushrooms. The servers are fast, polite and attentive and the owner is very personable. He is always present and gives everyone personal attention. The place is small and you may have to wait a few minutes for a table but it’s worth the wait.

This place is perfect to bring a date, the atmosphere is very cozy and the service is top notch, now talking about the food it is really good, great portions, but in my opinion they could do better if they wanted to, this is probably one of the restaurants i came to many time since i been living in toronto. I think its worth a try if you love italian cuisine.

Amazing Margarita. great place for Saturday lunch with the kids. We enjoyed it so much. Nice service as well.

My wife and I ordered a Caesar salad, pepperoni pizza, and a mushroom and prosciutto pizza. We were really really impressed with everything. The salad was very fresh and flavourful. The pizzas were sooo tasty. There décor was charming, and the waiters were very friendly.
Prior to this restaurant, our favourite pizza place in the city was Pizzeria Libretto, but this topped it! We’ll be coming back!

A true hidden gem. Busy all the time. Since discovering this place a month ago, I have been 4 times. Food is excellent, wine list is good and reasonably priced. The only minor complaint would be the background music, but that is usually drowned out by conversation.
Wait staff are pros and the owner is very visible. Can’t wait to go again.

Good pizza and salad, but hard to get a table because very small, few tables ! Get a pie to go !

Great pizza for takeout! The restaurant is fairly small so call ahead to place your order.

I was brought to Pizza Banfi from a local Unilocal search and read all the glowing reviews so I knew I had to give it a shot. It isn’t really that hard to park around in the neighbourhood, there’s street parking everywhere.
First thing I noticed is that the place was rammed. Second thing I noticed is that it reminded me of what it would have been like if the set of «Cheers» was an italian restaurant instead. It seemed like everyone else that came into the store seemed to either know the staff or knew each other. I felt kinda let out… «where everybody knows your name…»
A cool thing I actually found out from the reviews (thanks Elaine K!) is that they split their dishes into halves for you. This is perfect cause we wanted to try everything. We ordered the caesar salad, the veal ravioli and the «Banfi» pizza.
They do give you a plate of antipasto which included olives and peppers which was really nice and a small thing of bread and italian seasoning. Nice thing to know incase you’re planning on how big the portions are going to be.
The caesar salad was actually pretty good. The homemade sauce really brought out the sweetness in the fresh romaine they had. However, it seemed like a squirt some sauce and toss the salad kinda dealy, it would have been nice to see some other things in the salad… Cheese? garlic? I bet it was just all pureed into the sauce, but still…
The ravioli was underdone and wasn’t exactly very good. It was really hard and unpleasant to eat as a whole. The veal kinda matched the hardness so the whole thing kinda tasted like a wet cracker. That and their sauce kinda just tasted like pureed tomatoes, there wasn’t really any character to it. Pitty…
The pizza was decent… I like how they used bocancini cheese, but didn’t think their sauce was that great in the first place. They do use gas ovens, but I found that their pizza crust was too soft and holding it was a hard enough task because it just kinda flopped as soon as you lifted your slice up.
I’m sorry to say that I’ve had way better pizza and italian food around. I may come back to give this place another chance since everyone else is writing great things. Maybe it was an off night? Maybe not =P

I’ve been a customer of Pizza Banfi for about twenty years strong, and the best thing that can be said about this magical little nook is just how little it has changed since it first opened it’s doors in 1988.
The owner, Nino Turano, is a stand-​up gentleman who makes every guest feel like they never left home. The cast of wait staff is a family in itself, a few of which have been there since the restaurant’s inception. Yoghurt takes care of the water, wine, bread and dirty dishes, and he does it with the most grace and gratitude of anybody there. Gianni is one of the younger wait staff, and it’s always entertaining to watch him squirm while the copper haired grannies of Forest Hill squeeze his cheeks. Show up for the late shift and you may be greeted by the namesake of the «Pizza Ciccio» — he’ll remind you that he worked at Banfi even before the big bang occurred.
The folks cooking behind the counter have a century of combined experience at this very establishment, so achieving a delicious al dente spaghetti is as easy for them as writing their own names. And they always wave with a smile when you’re coming and going. Thursday is lasagna day, and steak or lobster can be found on the specials menu at least once a week. This is more than just great pasta and pizza, it’s an atmosphere that the coldness of Toronto’s harsh restaurant environment doesn’t normally allow. It’s the feeling of knowing that with Nino at the helm, you’re always in good hands. They seat until 11, and even if you’re the last person in the joint by far, nary a chair goes up nor a broom comes out until you are good and finished. «Nino’s watching», they’ll say with a smile.
And you’d be committing a crime to leave without trying the Tiramisu.

There are three main types of business in Forest Hill Village: coffee shops, banks, and restaurants.
Restaurants that survive in the area speak to the wisdom of knowing one’s clientele. The few spots that try to become destinations generally don’t last long. Success like Banfi’s comes with playing it safe, keeping prices reasonably inflated, and serving customers like they were family. I visit occasionally, but see the same faces at the same tables every time I go. Dads carbo-​load while moms order off-​menu in order to satisfy the latest fad diet. Special requests and accommodations are readily granted.
If you arrive expecting a quiet, romantic dinner you’ve come to the wrong place. The place is all brick and stone; noice bounces off every surface so you must raise your voice to be heard. It doesn’t help that tables are crammed on top of each other, or that diners near the entrance must contend with frequent blasts of cold air, and an ever-​growing and glowering line-​up of oglers and take-​out customers. Claustrophobia eases when you realize that pretty much every table knows every other table.
Meat and seafood entrees change regulary. They’re well-​executed but so forgettable that I can’t remember what I had. I think there was chicken, and some kinda sauce with wine in it, and maybe a few vegetables. You want a steak? Go to the Keg. At Banfi, you stick to the carbs.
Caprese salad is a good idea during summer. Gorgeous slabs of buffalo mozzarella and ripe tomato need and receive little adornment. If ou order this in February, you’re missing the point.
Caesar salad is a hit year-​round. Tender romaine slicked with a garlicky, anchovy dressing with so much bite that you feel it at the base of your jaw. Salad is important here. Sonsidering the orgy of starch and cheese to come, you’ll want to be able to say «hey, I was healthy. I ate a salad».
Endive and arugula options incorporate the crunch of nuts, the sweetness of orange, and the pungency of grogonzola. I tire easily of those greens though, bitter and gritty if they’re the only roughage on my plate. In cold weather, soup is a better idea. It’ll have good broth, most likely tender beans, and a whack of more freshly-​grated parm. An antipasto platter hits all the expected notes. It’d even make a decent DIY lunch sided with good house bread and chili-​spiked olive oil.
Stuffed pasta-​veal ravioli chief among them-​are a hit. Light pasta pillows enclose gently-​spiced filling, bathed in just wnough sauce to demand an extra slice of bread or two suitable for bowl-​cleaning. Gnocchi in tomato cream sauce is similarly staisfying; the dumplings are airy, and the sauce contrasts tomato sharpness with creamy smoothness. Spaghetti Bolognese features toothsome noodles with well-​textured slow-​simmered sauce.
I love pasta carbonara, but let’s face it, if I eat it with any frequency it will kill me; so I usually limit my consumption to once or twice a year. Banfi’s version would make an excellent cause of death. More properly-​cooked pasta, swaddled in porky-​peppery-​oniony-​cheese-​creamy goodness.
Pizzas are also good, either split as an appetizer or consumed solo. They’re big enough that you could probably get two meals out of a pie; but you’re not going to do that, are you? Custs are properly crisp, sauce is barely smeared, toppings are plentiful. No matter how mangiacake you may be, you have a place at Banfi’s table. Marghareta is simple pizza goodness, especially when dashed to hell with more chili oil. A Canadian version adds old school pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers in an upscale version of the chain standard. The Lonsdale version sees delicious fennel-​driven sausage ond goronzola alongside oven-​wilted red onions.
Coffee is properly strong. Desserts largely forgettable except for the tiramisu, which packs a powerful caffeine-​alcohol double dropckick.
Forest Hill dwellers may often find themselves asking «what do you feel like for dinner». Banfi is the easy answer.

A very very excellent place for a meal.
I loved the atmosphere and service. It’s a small restaurant, busy without being too loud, due to the sound-​proof foam thingies they have on the ceiling. As soon as we walked in, the owner/​manager made a beeline over to us, shook both our hands and told us it would be five minutes. Another lady came in after us and told a nearby server that the table that was being reset was where she sat last time. The server politely replied that though that was very nice, the table was reserved for us, as we had arrived first. Take THAT, random lady! Exactly five minutes later, we were sat at our table, a cozy spot in the corner of the restaurant. Service continued to be absolutely excellent. The servers were the holy trinity of professional, friendly and competent. Also, they weren’t too bad to look at. Food came out pretty fast and our plates were cleared quickly.
The food:
— Bread on the table immediately, served with a bowl of dried herbs that you could mix with the olive oil on the table. I loved this.
— Caesar salad: excellent. We split an order and they were nice enough to put it on two plates for us. I also noticed that our split order was almost as big as the single orders of the couple beside us. Score! The salad consisted of almost impossibly crisp romaine, topped with house-​made caesar dressing. The Hubster was disappointed that there were no croutons or bacon bits, but I thought it was fresh and lovely.
— Ravioli: If I can get ravioli without cheese in it, I jump all over it. This was a veal ravioli. The sauce and pasta were great, but the filling was a bit on the dry side. The flavour was excellent, though, and the portion size was good. I was able to finish it and was full at the end.
— Pizza: From what I gathered (ok, INTERROGATED) from the Hubster, the pizza was very good. The crust was crispy, and the cheese was really nice. He noted that rather than just blending into the pizza, the mozzarella stood out as one of the things he liked most about it. He was able to eat that one pizza over the course of 3 small meals. It was the size of a large dinner plate.
All in all, this is a wonderful place for a romantic dinner (as long as you don’t mind being super close to the people beside you and hearing their incredibly inane conversation). We will DEFINITELY be back.
My only beef with the place is not really their fault. Despite the beauty of the place (the walls are covered in frescoes), everyone was dressed down… biking gear and sweat pants. People have no couth these days. I am still going to label this as «dressy» though, as that is how people SHOULD dress in this environment.

This is the perfect neighbourhood spot. There is a reason there are lines out the door daily — don’t turn away when you see them.
The service is amazing, it is great value and there is a fun /​friendly energy to the place. Some of the best pizza in Toronto and great variety for those of us who go back often.

Immediately upon walking into Banfi you can’t help but notice how hot, social and bustling the place is. While we waited for a seat as the place was packed on a tuesday night, we got a complimentary serving of tasty bruschetta.
For our meal, me and my dining companion shared the buffalo mozzarella pizza and the gnocchi in a light summer dressing. The pizza was very good, and was made with a nice thin whole wheat crust. The best part was the cheese and herbs that made me eat way too much. The gnocchi was very interesting with nice peppers, mushrooms and an olive oil based dressing. I liked how they served us each half of both dishes. On top of this, the wine list was great and varied in price and variety. Our waiter did a great job of pairing a nice Syrah with our meal. So while having mixed feelings on cheating on Grazie my favorite local Italian spot, I agreed to venture out and will definitely be back to this great italian place.

I have lived in or near Forest Hill Village for most of my life and I have to concur with the other reviews, Pizza Banfi truly is a hidden gem.
My relationship with this place goes back at least 15 years, when I was a much younger man. It was a time in my life where the contents of my fridge consisted of BBQ sauce and mustard (seriously…I couldn’t make this stuff up). Thankfully, Pizza Banfi was my kitchen and dining room. I can honestly say that I have eaten every dish on their menu and enjoyed almost all of them. The food has been consistently delicious over all these years and the service has been like family.
Some of my favourite dishes are:
— the Bresaola & Pear salad
— the Prosciutto & Parmigiano
— the Caesar salad
— the Linguini with mushrooms and a round of goat cheese in a tomato sauce
— the Calabrese pizza
— and… of course the tiramisu
Overall, Pizza Banfi has been a well kept secret amongst those in the know for a long time. Perhaps it’s time to share it with the rest of the world. Enjoy Pizza Banfi. I know I have.

This place was practically my kitchen at times since I used to live about at 20 second walk away. As Martin S. states, the service is truly excellent and the pizza very good as well as very reasonably priced.
My favourites on the pizza side, in fact and somewhat regrettably the only ones I really ever ordered because I really liked them were the Quattro Stagioni (artichokes, ham, marinated mushrooms, green olives) and Canadese (pepperoni, green peppers mushrooms). On the pasta side the Penne (Chicken, sun dried tomatoes in a cream and pesto sauce) as well as the veal-​stuffed Ravioli.
With regards to the take out, something I always found amusing is that the host would always check with the kitchen to see how long the pizza would take and the answer always came back «20 Minutes!». Sometimes I think the restaurant was just a front for the bustling take out business.
If you are dining in, there are No Reservations… if you go on a Friday or Saturday at 7:30 — 8 you will be waiting… they often however provide free apps as you wait… it can be a bit crowded, but everyone is used to it and its all part of the experience. And really, most of the folks I imagine are regulars from the neighbourhood. I’d suggest that you go with a party of two or four… while you can have more at a table, this number will I believe make it more likely that you will be quickly accomodated. Tables are sat relatively close together.
While its perhaps not worth driving in from all corners of Toronto, if you are anywhere downtown and looking for a new pizza /​pasta haunt to try I’d recommend you give Pizza Banfi a try!
Closed Sundays.