Honestly, I’ve never been to Turkey (it’s on my to do list) but I’ve eaten a whole lot of pizza (simply can not count the thousands of slices). I had been researching Toronto’s Top Turkish Pizza joints over the winter and in late March when I spotted the cities first Spring day I hopped on my bike and zoomed East along Gerrard Street. What a great feeling, dusting off the old bike and whipping myself through the city as birds chirped and beams of light blasted away winter blues.
Pizza Pide is considered the cities best spot to fill up on Turkish Pizza (known in yee ol Istanbul as Lahmacun which translates to “meat with dough”). The restaurant is located on the south side of Gerrard at Pape and offers a cheep and cheerful dining room (read: it’s more of a take out spot). The menu is offered up on a large board behind the cashier and features traditional Turkish Pizza offerings served with lemon wedge, hot peppers, pickles, tomatoes, onions and parsley.
We feasted on two Pide’s over the course of an hour. Condiments on the ready include squirt bottles of hot sauce and a creamy garlic (which I became obsessed with). We popped our Turkish Pizza cherry that Sunday afternoon together. I dare say I prefer the stuff to Italy’s variety (shame shame shame on me I know). The Turkish crusts are so delicately thin, glazed with an egg wash sheen and topped with fresh ingredients. A middle eastern kick bound to take you on a trip.
We enjoyed:
Sucuklu Kasarli
turkish sausage, mozzarella
Mevlana
feta, ground beef, tomatos, parsley, peppers, onions
