MAKER PIZZA AVENUE

Back in May one of my good friends visited from out of town and stayed in the Yonge/Lawrence area. Alivia was three months old and still happy to sleep through my lunch dates. I was excited to find out that Maker Pizza had opened their midtown location, which was a perfect strolling distance from my friend’s accommodations. The new pizza shop had dine-in seats and offered take-out, perfect in case I needed to make a speedy exit.

We visited during lunch time and the restaurant was busy. There were high school students, other moms, and a steady traffic of pizzas going out for delivery. This meant that while it was quick to place our order, the wait to receive our pizzas took some time. Tables were bar height and self serve. My friend and I were able to find seats facing each other and Alivia’s stroller fit next to us in between two tables. Now that Alivia eats with us, I would not bring her to eat-in at Maker with the high tables, backless bar stools and lack of high chairs. Toddlers and older children would have no issues.

For three people, we split two full size pizzas, the Tropic Thunder and Napoli Dynamite. Unfortunately I forgot to ask for their special sesame crust when ordering, next time! Both our pizzas had red sauce and an abundance of toppings. In hindsight, picking one pizza with fewer toppings (like Dr Pepperoni) would have been a safer choice.

Both pizzas had an amazing crust, crispy and thin but held up the sauce and toppings. I didn’t leave any behind. Between the two, both of my friends prefered the Napoli Dynamite with Italian sausage, olives, roasted red peppers and pickled jalapenos. Cheese, sauce and toppings were plentiful and the savoury sausage paired with salty olives was a delicious combination. The pickled jalapenos added a hint of spice and acidity.

Pineapple on pizza is a controversial topic, either loved or much hated. I for one have always been on the love side and a good Hawaiian pizza takes me to my happy place. Pineapple and all the pickled goodness (red onions and jalapenos) was how Tropic Thunder caught my eye. I somehow missed that there was no meat. I enjoyed the unique combination of toppings, which was sweeter that I expected but I did miss a savoury component. Next time, also read through the full list of ingredients.

Overall my first bite of Maker Pizza was pretty good. Splitting two large pizzas between three people was a good portion size for us. The bill was obviously more expensive than our usual pizza chain order, but worth the occasional splurge,