Now in the name of full disclosure, I am not a pizza girl. I don't like Pizza Hut, Domino's or about 90% of fast-food pizza, but I couldn't resist giving Buddy's a try.
The history behind the slice
Brooke Houghton | Narcity
I spoke with one of the managing partners of the location Chris Zownir, and he told me a little about what inspired them to bring pizza onto the menu and spoiler alert, it all started 50 years ago.
Zownir told me they took Buddy's 50-year-old family recipe for mozzarella and flew their staff out to New Jersey to learn how to make it from the source.
"We sent our team down to New Jersey to learn the family recipe and the tradition of making the fresh mozzarella and what we did is we created some really New Jersey-inspired sandwiches and bakery-style pizza," said Zownir.
The savoury program offers three different types of pizza, Cheese, Pepperoni and The Boss, and you can choose between grabbing a slab or a slice.
I figured when in New Jersey (or as close as you can get to it in Canada), go big or go home, and I grabbed a slice of The Boss for $5.50.
Since indoor dining is closed in Ontario, I grabbed my slice to go, and it sat for about 30 minutes in the bag before I dug in at home.
The flavour
The Boss was smothered in spicy pepperoni, bacon, sausage, meatballs and of course Buddy's fresh mozzarella, so if you're not a meat lover, look away.
Brooke Houghton | Narcity
The slice was generously portioned, and the sauce was perfectly layered underneath the cheese, so you got a good goosh of tomatoes and spice with every bite.
I didn't find the pepperonis to be spicy, but I did enjoy them and the meats blended nicely without just becoming a tornado of meat in your mouth.
Despite having sat in the bag for a while, the crust was still fluffy and thick without getting doughy or too damp, which made for a good overall base, but the mozzarella absolutely stole the show.
It was fresh, stretchy and really everything you could want in melted cheese.
The verdict
Come for the cake but hang around for the pizza because it's worth making room for.
I wouldn't go as far as to say the pizza outshines Buddy's cakes in any way, but I would come back for another slice, and that's saying a lot coming from me.
Overall I think the slice was tasty, well balanced and did a great job of packing in a lot of flavours without ever getting greasy or too heavy in taste.
The mozzarella is made fresh daily, which definitely goes a long way, so if you're at the bakery, it's worth a try even to taste a 50-year-old family recipe in action.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
