How a humble hot dog cart became Toronto’s hottest new dining destination, Canada Reviews

While it’s a new spot on Annette Street, Fuoco Mio is far from new to Junction locals. Known for its wood-fired Neapolitan pizza and its 13-year-old delivery staff, the spot became a neighbourhood favourite nearly a decade ago.

Like many of Toronto’s most beloved spots, Fuoco Mio has humble beginnings. In 2015, co-owner Frank Addesi started a hot dog cart as a hobby for charity events and Santa Claus parades. It wasn’t long before he found a weekend home outside Shacklands Brewing in the Junction. By 2021, Fuoco Mio (which means “my fire” in Italian) evolved into a food truck, serving pizzas, paninis, “famous” homemade burgers, and the ever-popular arancini balls.

“I wanted to get a little bit more into whole food and upscale food service like restaurant style,” he explains. “The food truck allowed me to showcase more of my cooking skills.”

When Addesi began catering for events at Rainhard Brewing, a neighbour to Shacklands, he left his job and pursued the business full time. Moving into a restaurant space was the natural next step — and the Junction was an obvious choice for a location.

“I just fell in love with the area,” Addesi says. “It’s a very tight-knit community and I started getting to know a lot of residents around the area and there’s just so many great people. I always figured if we’re going to open up anything, it should be around the Junction area.”

“If you buy a bottle of wine and it’s a special occasion, we’ll give you a marker so you can all sign the wine bottle and we’ll hang it up on our wine wall,” Addesi explains.

Alongside the list of imported wines from Italy, the drink menu will also boast originals like a one-of-a-kind Italian pilsner made by the Rainhard Brewing specially for Fuoco Mio.

As for the eats, regulars of the food truck will recognize Fuoco Mio’s signature Neapolitan-style pizzas — made with Addesi’s decade-old dough recipe — along with the familiar paninis, grilled chicken sandwiches and his award-winning veal on the lunch menu

Dinner offers a larger selection of upscale and comfort food, including homemade pastas with signature bolognese, braised beef ribs and pancetta carbonara. A standout is the osso buco, slow-cooked veal shank braised in red wine and served on mashed potatoes.

Despite the restaurant’s expansion, Addesi assures that his 13-year-old son Matthew will remain involved in Fuoco Mio’s operations. A familiar face to those who frequented the food truck, Matthew used to help with appetizers and make deliveries to the breweries.

“He’s loving the cooking life and this whole restaurant life,” Addesi says. “He became the face of the trailer, so Matthew’s still part of Fuoco Mio.”

Find Fuoco Mio at 521 Annette St.