Lambretta Pizzeria & Wine Bar: A Hidden Gem in Roncesvalles Village

I don’t spend enough time in Roncesvalles Village (“Roncy”, for short), although I should! It’s Toronto’s original Polish neighbourhood, and it underwent a significant revitalization a few years ago. It’s home to some pretty cool spots, like the original location of La Cubana, Reunion Island Coffee, and Barque Smokehouse and Butcher Bar, to name a few. But today on the blog, I want to share a pizzeria that I recently discovered, even though it’s been around for a couple of years: Lambretta Pizzeria & Wine Bar (See? This is why I need to spend more time in this neighbourhood. I’m a pizza connoisseur and make it a point to know about all the pizza hot spots in Toronto, so can’t believe I didn’t know about this place before!).

I recently went in to Lambretta for a tasting. I got to bring some accomplices along (we foodies like to travel in packs, you know). So, joining me for the tasting were: Karen, Alexa, and Annika. Located at 89 Roncesvalles Avenue, it’s open daily for lunch (11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.), on evenings from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, and until 10:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.

I was first impressed by the interior (I’m a sucker for a good interior, as you may know from my Instagram), which featured cute subway tile. The restaurant is very modern and spacious, yet it totally had an inviting, family feel to it. It also was pretty busy for a Saturday afternoon and got progressively more busy while we were there, which is a good sign. I’ll take you through all the delicious things we devoured in a minute. But I first want to tell you what’s especially unique about Lambretta Pizzeria & Wine Bar, which is the fact that it’s an ALL FEMALE owned and operated establishment, which is pretty kick-ass (Who run the world? Girls.)! Owner/operator, Celina Blanchard, has a long history in the hospitality industry and Lambretta is her third personal venture. Chef M.J. Jacques heads up the kitchen, where you can find a massive brick oven for the authentic Neapolitan style pizza they serve (mmmm…pizza)! I think it’s super commendable to see female chefs and entrepreneurs, especially in the restaurant industry which is still predominantly male!

So now on to the goods – what we ate. Being the naturally hungry and curious folk that we are, we decided to order about 80% of the dinner menu, even though it was lunchtime. Okay, I exaggerate. But we did order a lot, including:

• the Caprese Salad ($12)
• Calamari ($12)
• Beet & Goat Cheese Salad ($12)
• Panelle (Polenta Fries, $12)
• Caesar Salad ($9)
• Crema Di Funghi (Mushroom Penne, $17)

And that was all even before the pizza arrived! In terms of the main attraction—the pizza—we had the Carne (tomato, fior di latte, prosciutto, sausage and salami, $18) and the Vegetariana (tomato, fior di latte, zucchini, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and eggplant, $17).

I thought the polenta fries were especially good, and being Instagrammers, we appreciated that the fries came in the shape of a hashtag! The pizza was also very yummy. I thought the variety of pizzas on the menu was good, and there is something for everyone (including white pizzas and veggie options). Since I’m so partial to meat, the Carne, which was loaded with prosciutto and other cured pig, was my favourite!

To end our meal, we were presented with the kitchen’s specialty desserts: Tiramisu ($9) and Frittelle di Cannella (cinnamon and sugar fritters, served with mascarpone dipping sauce for $9).

We all left Lambretta with full stomachs and some doggy bags for later. I’ve now added Lambretta Pizzeria & Wine Bar to my list of Toronto pizza hot spots, and I expect that it will help bring me back to Roncy more often!

Buon Appetito!