Pizzeria Defina

My husband has made it his mission to try all of the big-​name pizzerias in the city and Pizzeria Defina is undoubtedly his favourite. So when his 30^th birthday rolled around, we decided it would be a great place to celebrate.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that Defina had a dedicated event space above the restaurant (aptly named The Upstairs) and were floored when we went to go check it out — the space is absolutely beautiful! It has stunning distressed wood floors, giant windows, and a dedicated bar and patio.
Planning the party with the owner Roksolana was a breeze. She answered all of my (many) questions, was quick to respond and worked with us to plan every detail.
The party itself was absolutely wonderful and exceeded all of our expectations. The staff was PHENOMENAL — they were so attentive, so on top of things, and were wonderful to work with throughout the night. I didn’t have to worry about a thing; we felt truly taken care of.
The food — wow! The antipasto boards and vegetables were delicious and the pizza, well, that’s what we came for, and it delivered! Our guests loved that they could sample many different types and there was more than enough food.
We got nothing but compliments from our guests on the beauty of the space, the level of service and, of course, the food.
I would host another party here in a heartbeat. Highly recommend!

Lunch
4some
Grilled veg OK — like a lot of. Thoughtful, well meaning, uneven execution.
Beets best veg — a little only hard hitting.
Game meatballs good — real game safely bred out. Cephalopods atop good artichokes.
Spaghetti squash bland; social hormonal hypothesis parried or eschewed .
Pizza muddy flavored soggy bland. International winner? Field confined to obscure countries with irreproducible pizzas.
Good Negroni.
Good ice cream
Waiter the best ;with no give a fuck masculine knowledgable droll nonchalance
Fun space and company.

Five stars for the brussels sprouts! I crave the dish often now, and so do all of the regulars! Amen for Defina!

I was here for an early Saturday dinner, and found it really enjoyable.
The pizza’s flavour was excellent, although the combination of super thin base and lots of toppings left the center part pretty soft and wet — not something I would have an issue with, but I know it’s a deal-​breaker for some people. I got lavender crème brûlée for dessert (I was torn between that and an orange and chocolate tart, the server recommended the crème brûlée), and it was good. The lavender came across stronger in the smell then in the taste, but the custard was excellent. The sugar on top was a tiny bit burned in places, but it’s almost impossible to find a crème brûlée where that’s not the case, so I can’t fault them too much.
All in all, a good meal with fast and friendly service. I’d definitely recommend it to friends.

Better than Libretto…
As a pizzaiolo I can atest that is worth the drive from Suburbia
Grab a pizza and a pint monday special and dig in
Awesome steak for the gluten free in your dinner party

Loved this place. Staff was friendly. Beer selection was great. Grilled Caesar salad was unique and tasty. Loved the big chunks of double smoked bacon. Last but not least, the pizza was excellent.
Was able to try the pierogi, The prosciutto and arugula and the butcher. All great.
Definitely going back.

The pizza was still good! But I prefer other pizza places to this one. We had the Defina Sausage and The Butcher pizzas. The crust was a bit thicker than I prefer and they skimped out on some of the toppings. The service and ambiance were good, but I couldn’t help comparing it to Libretto and still prefer Libretto’s pizzas (at Danforth and Ossington locations). With that said, they have a lot more options on their menu and I would still come back to try some of the other pizzas/​dishes. I’m hoping to re-​visit this review after trying a few more plates and hopefully edit it for the better!

Defina is up there in the Toronto pizza scene and on par with Pizzeria Libretto and better than Queen Margharita, FBI, Buca, and Terroni. Staff: friendly enough, great service. Décor: nice and unique but hey we’re here to eat some pizza!
We ordered the pesto, excellent pizza, real chicken; and the butcher, which actually has all four meats (pancetta, sopressata, sausage, prosciutto d’parma) in four separate slices so it’s like getting four mini pizzas, awesome! We also ordered their Las Vegas award winning pizza (I forgot the name sorry) and it was excellent too. All pizzas were in the true Napoletana style (thin crust, tiny burnt crust edges etc.) Prices are reasonable too, plus you’ll get leftovers unless you can somehow eat a whole wheel!
We did sit near the window and it was hot as hell but the staff kindly opened a door for us. Great beer selection and the wine deal on Tuesday (I think Tuesday?) We got there at 5 and the place was pretty empty but I heard it fills up quick.

Positive: Amazing thin crust pizza, its as good as it comes. Friendly staff and nice décor.
Negative: The topping seems to be less generous compare to a year ago, someone is cutting corners: p

I just discovered this place and I ADORE it.
First of they have one very cool dinning room. They have a very nice modern/​vintage mix. The pizza prep area is also open, so you can see their gorgeous wood oven and the pizzaiolos working their magic.
As for the menu, they have a good selection of pizzas and appetizers, but concise on the other main dishes offering. But the goal here is to eat their pizzas ;)
My friend and I both ordered pizzas and man, they are big!
First stop, The Butcher’s pizza. If you haven’t realized by it’s name, this is for meat lovers. 4 different type of meats. And the difference is that they are not mixed but in 4 distinct slices. I find it interesting, you can appreciate each type of meat, it’s like you ordered 4 different pizzas in one.
Then we also shared The Expo. This pizza won the 2013 Best Traditional pizza at the Boston food fair. And it truly deserved it! The sausage went very well with the mushrooms and bufala cheese.
We also got served pepper flakes and their homemade chilly oil. Both had a nice kick without being overly prominent on the dish.
I also must commend the amazing service we had. The waitress was fun, very knowledgeable and made sure we did not miss of anything during dinner.
I highly recommend this venue.

My sister and I decided to come here right after work for dinner. We loved the ambiance of the restaurant. Small yet spacious enough, rustic and had a lot of unique décor pieces. For example they have an old school black and white movie playing from a projector on the wall. Or the wooden tree barks used as candle sticks– overall, cute décor and great atmosphere.
Staff– friendly, suggested menu options and was attentive.
Food. We started off with the Caramelized Plum salad which came on a wooden board (unique!) and EXTREMELY delicious. The salad consists of arugula, bufala cheese, prosciutto, toasted almonds, saba vinaigrette and it also had warm plum (never had that before but it worked very well with the salad). It was delicious and I’m glad we decided to order it. Not enough for a main in my opinion though so we decided to do a salad + pizza split for the evening.
We then got our pizza. We ordered the pesto on Napoletan (which is apparently a softer thin crust). The pizza had lots of fresh and vibrant veggies such as different types of peppers, spinach, red onions and sun dried tomatoes.
You can taste the crispness of the pizza from the wood oven which was made to perfection and the pizza was extremely easy to eat. It was not soggy and not hard. The only disappointing factor was that I was not impressed with the chicken on the pizza. It just seemed bland and had no taste. Perhaps it was marinated or even tossed in the pesto that would have been better as the chunks are rather large.
They also give you a side of chili flakes and spicy olive oil which is DELICIOUS and a plus for pizza.
Overall it was a great experience and I will return :)

I really loved both the atmosphere and the food. The pizza was delicious and I watched them cook it in the stone pizza oven on display at the back of the restaurant. Great wine as well.
The only negative was our server was a little crusty and short with us. Not much interaction.
Also the food comes really fast. I would’ve preferred it took longer so we could’ve stayed longer. I felt rushed out of there. But I guess that would be nice if you were in a hurry.

I have happily eaten here several times now but most recently was for a birthday. When we arrived, our reservation a) existed (which is sadly rarer than you would think & b) was sat immediately. Also a plus as it was quite busy. Thanks to the wood burning over the place smells legit. On top of the great service, and a pleasant pop-​in on our meal from the owner, their beer vendor was in house giving away samples. Free samples. Pint size free samples. :D Not too shabby! I recall having a crispy brussel sprouts, and the diavola pizza, which was nice and spicy. It would have rivaled for best birthday ever if they managed to squeeze in a chucky cheese size ball room but hey, nobodies perfect.
Highly recommended!

I go to a lot of pizzerias and grew up eating gourmet pizza, Defina is truly delicious. Their pizza dough is so good I even ate the crusts. Also the crispy Brussels sprouts were to die for.
Authentic pizza!

I have held several events at Italian restaurants in the past, and they all fell short. Yes, most of my guests seemed to love the pizza, but I am just too particular I guess. Though I do love Pizzeria Libretto — but they can’t be the only restaurant (chain) in Toronto that serves delicious pizza? The kind of pizza that when you take a bite, you can savor each individual ingredient… How is it that I like to put it? Mmm… oh, «when the ingredients sing in perfect harmony.» Ick! So cheesy! No pun intended. HAHA I know, I am a riot!
Anywho, so after a great deal of research, and a lot of back-​and-​forth, I contacted Pizzeria Defina, and OMG, Roksolana (owner) patiently put up with my million questions (poor soul), and agreed (shocking!) to give us a family style experience. Oh yeah, we are dining like one would in Nona’s house in Italia – pass those plates around and mangia!
The days before this dinner were stressful! The fact was that I had no idea what we were going to be eating. Roksalana had said that my group would get to sample a few appetizers, and each person would get a couple of slices of pizza, and a dessert. This sounded fine to me when she and I initially discussed the menu, however, the week before this dinner I had gone out for brunch with friends, and the restaurant and I had agreed upon a similar deal (family style – but in this case brunch, not dinner), and that experience did not go well at all! So I guess you could say that I was panicking and maybe even traumatized. «What if this dinner is a complete bust like the last one? I will feel incredibly guilty for dragging 10 friends to another disastrous meal.» But I took a deep breath, and decided to take the plunge and trust Roksalana.
We arrived for our dinner at 7pm, and our table was ready for us. Shortly after our arrival, our waiter came over to our table and asked if I was there («is Itanni here?»). So I introduced myself, and asked if we could wait a couple more minutes before the first course came out. At 10 after 7pm we received our first course, and let me tell you, I blew out a huge sigh of relief. Unlike my last family style experience, the portions we received at Pizzeria Defina were plentiful, and the staff was relaxed and knowledgeable. I also did not have to worry about timing, or having my guests leave hungry.
I normally review each individual dish, but in this case, I don’t see the point. The review for each dish would read the same: «wow, delicious, amazing, fresh.» We were all blown away by the food. This was a meal of my dreams that I did not think anyone would be able to make a reality, and somehow Roksolana and her team did. We dined on dishes that were made with fresh ingredients, perfect ingredient combinations, on-​the-​money seasoning, vegetables grilled to perfection, perfect pizzas… I died and went to food heaven.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU Pizzeria Defina for accommodating my request, and for giving me one of the best dining experiences of my life. The food was phenomenal and I can’t wait to return!

Finally authentic pizza in a city that is overrun with Pizza Pizza’s, Pizza Nova’s, Boston Pizza’s…and such.
Left with a very good first impression, I will have to see if the second impression is going to be consistent.

Went there for an early dinner on Friday (6pm) and was able to get a table for two without a reservation. There was soon a lineup out the door, though.
I had the ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Sangria’ which was pretty good, and the mushroom pizza which was fabulous.
My date had a spicy pizza with sausage and hot peppers, which I had a slice of. It was pretty good, too.
Our waitress was super nice and helpful, though the hostess was a little snotty. Oh, well.
All in all a nice meal.

So absolutely delish with a cozy atmosphere and view of the wood-​fired pizza oven. Defina is a close second to Pizza Libretto and that’s only because the latter has infused their crust with magic to make it pillowy (which is just a matter of preference, really). Nonetheless, I would choose Defina more often for its better value and the selection and combination of toppings. Well done.

I don’t find many combinations of kid friendly environment and sophisticated food, so Defina has moved high up on my short list of places to dine on Roncy. No small feat to stick out on this strip of eclectic and interesting restauranteurs who have to endure what seems to be the outcome of fertility drugs in the tap water. I can’t comment on the night atmosphere, but the day atmosphere is just right for families. Service is friendly and speedy and music drowns out the protestations of little ones. All this and pizza that makes my mouth water just thinking about it, interesting choices on the beer list too.
Only downside is the tables are so close together you feel like you are sitting in each other’s laps. Maybe they spread them out when it’s adults only?

Wandering around hungry on Roncesvalles, a friend and I decided to try this spot. Something about maple and bacon on a sandwich board was very alluring.
The place had a nice atmosphere and smelled delicious. It was kind of empty but it was a cold Tuesday.
We sat down. Service was very friendly. The 2 staff we met were both passionate about the food there. It’s really nice to see people get excited about the menu items. We went with the special pizza of the day which had 2 different types of bacon, basil, cherry tomatoes… I think. There was more, too. Anyhow… Absolutely delicious. It came on a nice, soft dough (which was recommended over the hard dough). This pizza was amazing.
The pizza fed 2 people nicely for $ 18 before tax and tip.
The pizza here is better than most, if not all, pizza I’ve tried in Toronto. I really enjoyed the scotch bonnet oil; I thought that was a nice touch!
I would recommend this place for pizza for sure. It’s affordable, has a nice atmosphere and friendly staff that are passionate about their food. Most importantly, it is delicious!
They told us how they won an international pizza contest in Vegas and that they were entering again. Congrats and good luck, may the best pizza win!
I’m still thinking about that pizza I had there…