A Toronto pizza joint that was a hidden gem for those in the know has officially closed the doors of its first and only Toronto location.
I know, I know; Toronto has no shortage of pizza joints and, really, a large number of them more than hit the spot, but that doesn’t stop my little cheese-and-carb-loving heart from breaking each time one of them leaves us.
After Oswald’s Pizza defected from its space in Chefs Hall in favour of a catering-only model earlier this month and Mattachioni announced the impending closure of its Little India location, it seems like pizzerias all over the city are making the choice to pare down their operations, and yet another has recently joined the club.
Founded in 2021 as the result of a collaboration between former Soho House pizzaiolos Andrew LeBlanc and Jean-Paul Mallah as well as Hot Black Coffee veterans Jimson Bienenstock and Momi Kishi, Bello Pizza, located inside Bloor West Village’s Halcyon Cafe, was just the sort of if-you-know-you-know spot that Toronto pizza lovers (i.e., me,) go wild for.
Serving up wood fired red and white pies topped with everything from delightfully crispy pepperonis to dandelion-marinated kale (don’t knock it ’til you try it!), the pizza counter quickly gained its fair share of notoriety, prompting the team to expand with a flagship location in Collingwood just two years later.
As of Monday, Jan. 20, though, the Collingwood location is all that remains of Bello Pizza, as the business recently took to its Instagram page to announce their location in Halcyon Cafe is closed, effective immediately.
Despite the heartbreaking closure, it’s all love between the boys of Bello Pizza and the Halcyon Cafe team, though, as Andrew LeBlanc tells blogTO.
“The owners of the space […] were looking to make some changes once our lease was up and the new model and space design didn’t work for us,” he says. “We left on amicable terms and wish them well.”
While this news does mark the end of Bello Pizza’s Toronto tenure — at least for the time being — Andrew tells blogTO that it’s far from the end for the business.
“We will leave the door open if there is an opportunity that makes sense for us in Toronto,” he says, “but in the meantime we plan on focusing our efforts on our northern expansion.”
If you find yourself in the mood for a roadtrip (who says they’re only for summertime?), you can visit Bello’s Collingwood flagship at 72 First Street, Wednesday through Sunday.
Bello Pizza was formerly located inside Halcyon Cafe at 2196a Bloor West.
