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    Il Focolaio

    4.3 (534 reviews)
    ModeratePizza, Italian
    Closed • Closed

    Il Focolaio Photos

    IL FOCOLAIO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Carré Phillips Pizza
    Mike H.

    Found this nice little pizza place around the corner from our hotel. The restaurant was a bit small, and it was busy, but the service was still very good and attentive. We ordered the Suprema (7/10) and the Carré Phillips (8/10). The pizzas we ordered were decent. They came out fresh out of the brick oven. The pizza dough at the center was just a bit soft making the dough a bit soggy. Other than that, I enjoyed the pizzas and our waiter also recommended some other entrees to try when we come back. Overall, it was a great dinner here!

    Pizza
    Cole R.

    Great pizza spot! Came here for dinner, and although they close a bit early for me, we didn't feel rushed at all. Lucky to secure a table right away, and while we were a bit close to the couple next to us, it wasn't terrible. Got our own customized pizza, which was lighter than we thought it would be. I wanted there to be a bit more dough, and it seemed to be more in the background, but still a delicious pizza, and all their toppings are appreciated. The cannoli for dessert was delicious and you can tell the freshness. Cute spot in the city, great for date night.

    Caesar Salad
    Jenn S.

    There was a long line to get in, but it moved fast. And someone from the restaurant came out to check in and ask how many people in each party. So they're clearly planning ahead and know how to move tables without making you feel rushed. Everything was absolutely delicious and fresh. Pizzas are hot and come out so fast, and the salads are HUGE (Caesar was a BIT overdressed). Pizzas look small but are filling. White sangria was a very generous pour and delicious.

    #15
    Lili S.

    As an American, I was surprised to be handed silverware for pizza haha. I loved the unique pizza box design and large variety of pizza options. I selected #71 out of 80 pizzas. The crust was not too thick and the vegetables paired nicely with the balsamic vinaigrette.

    #27 Carré Phillips pizza with escargots and blue cheese
    Raul S.

    The best pizza in town. Whatever you get, it will be delicious and surprisingly filling, even the salads! The service is amazing and the food never takes long to arrive. The space may seem a little crammed but the food will make you forget about it! Also, the sangria is perfect ;)

    Menu septembre 2024
    Jean Sébastien F.

    This is my second time at this little Italian pizza place and I have only one regret, that I didn't came back earlier. The pizza here is very good. The menu have over 80 different pizza from which you can choose. You can substitute some ingredients or add extra. There's also calzoni, beer, wine, softdrinks and deserts. You can replace the cheese for no lactose bio cheese or even vegetalien cheese. The crust can be switch for a biologic whole wheat or gluten sensible (but still contain wheat/gluten). All the pizza are single person serving but can easily but shared with someone. It is thin crust style pizza baked in stone oven. This time, I took the carré Philips pizza. It is a pizza made with tomato sauce, capiccolo, pepperoni, spiced Italian sausage, ham, mushroom, mozzarella and green bell pepper. It was very good. Hit the spot perfectly for a good lunch. My friends took the suprema splitter between them. It arrived already splitter in half in each plate which is very nice. It consist of tomato sauce, smoked meat, beef salami, mushroom, mozzarella, green bell pepper and peperonni. They took it without the green bell pepper and they really like it. The service is very friendly and fast. There is an outside terrace in front of the square Phillips.

    #13
    Justine S.

    This place frequently has lineups and I understand why. They have such a wide variety of pizza's to choose from and so far, the ones I've tried, have all been excellent. They also accommodate most modifications so there is something for everyone. Generous portion, warm and fresh, with crunchy crust. Although it is busy, I find their service very fast and they are very friendly. Over lunch, it's best in the summer since they open the outside terrace so more chances to get seated quickly. Takeout is also a great option and it only takes around 15 minutes.

    Margherita Pizza
    Mylo B.

    Place was delicious. The pizza was great and well-cooked. The space was clean, crowded, and organized, which made for a nice tight-knit city feel. The service was perfect as our waiter was very attentive to our every need. Overall, very pleasant experience.

    Pizza pazza (#60) and s4
    Tramy T.

    There were many choices of pizza and a few salad choices. The food was pretty good, the salad and pizza really went together. When we got there, there was a really long wait line so we were really excited to see the hype. Coming from Boston, the crust was good and the sauce was perfectly light. The service was amazing! They offered to separate the pizza and our salad into two plates which makes it really convenient for sharing. The ambiance was nice outside. It was a perfect day to enjoy outdoor seating. Our table was small but it was just enough for us.

    Hawaiian Pizza
    Mike M.

    Great spot to get off the street and enjoy a mid day slice of pizza. Service was super fast and I liked the interior design with the Italian car in the wall.

    Mushroom pizza
    Stefanie K.

    Looking though reviews trying to find a good gluten free pizza I haven't tried yet, I stumbled upon this pizza place. Browsed through their extensive menu (77 choice of toppings) to finally pick the seafood And the mushroom pizza. Since they are very far I decided to take 2 to make the most of the experience. The driver met me at the end of their delivery limit which is about half way from my place to the restaurant. The pizza in amazing could hardly believe it was gluten free. Although they have a disclaimer on their website they do take precautions using separate utensils to cut the pizza and wash the surfaces. I am highly reactive to cross contamination i did not get sick. This is the best GF pizza i have tried yet. The service from ordering to delivery was incredible. I highly recommend this place and can hardly wait to try some more pizzas!!! 2 down, 75 to go...

    Snails , taste like mushrooms

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    2 months ago

    Take out for work meeting lunch brought back to VRBO. Wow. Pizza was amazing. Many choices and the Caesar salad was fantastic.

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    10 months ago

    Rachid , est très serviable et très orienté vers le client.Il nous a offert un service 5*

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    7 years ago

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    Daniella P.

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    2 years ago

    The Service was quick and food was good and tasty with a nice ambiance at the restaurant

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    Page 1 of 14

    Il Focolaio Reviews in Other Languages

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    Wienstein & Gavino's - Our brick oven pizza

    Wienstein & Gavino's

    3.8(318 reviews)
    1.0 km•Golden Square Mile, Centre-Ville, Ville-Marie
    •$$

    It was late. We were hungry. And then I saw the sign:…read moreWienstein & Gavino's. Italian restaurant. Finally. My people. The restaurant itself is huge and multi-level inside, but since I was joining dinner, we settled onto the large patio out front. There are plenty of tables, lots of room, and I was welcomed without any issue. Then the staff brought me a water bowl. And by "bowl," I mean what appears to be a small aluminum swimming pool. I respect their understanding of VIP service. Mom ordered the penne with prosciutto and mushrooms, covered in Parmesan, along with a Diet Coke. Now, I don't like to pull rank, but I am an Italian Greyhound sitting at an Italian restaurant while someone eats prosciutto directly in front of me. Surely there are laws governing this. Apparently not in Canada. Mom said the pasta was delicious. I spent dinner alternating between relaxing on my cooling mat and staring upward in a manner I felt clearly communicated, Perhaps the tiny Italian gentleman would like some prosciutto? No response. Still, this turned out to be a great easy option for a late dinner with a dog. The patio is spacious, I was genuinely welcomed, and the staff made sure I had plenty of water. Sometimes that's exactly what traveling pups need. Dogba's verdict: 4 paws out of 5. Dog welcome: easy and fuss-free Late-night dinner option: very useful Patio space: plenty Water bowl: possibly designed for a Great Dane Personal cooling mat: brought by management (Mom) Mom's penne: apparently delicious Prosciutto spotted: immediately Italian Greyhound at Italian restaurant: culturally significant Prosciutto shared with Italian Greyhound: NO COMMENT

    Ordered the fungi pasta with rigatoni! Wow, it was so flavorful and tasted a bit asian fusion with…read morethe greens. We had a table for 20 and the service was amazing and was even able to separate checks for whomst ordered food or food/drinks. I liked that it was super lively in there was chitchat across the room and felt welcoming to a tourist visiting. Please stop by here for some yummy pasta, bread, and drinks.

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    Wienstein & Gavino's - Salumi e Cacio

    Salumi e Cacio

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    Restaurant Siciliana - Snails

    Restaurant Siciliana

    3.5(96 reviews)
    0.7 km•Golden Square Mile, Centre-Ville, Ville-Marie
    •$$

    Typical old Italian restaurant of Montreal. The salad looks good and great. The service is rapid…read moreand nicely done.

    Restaurants in Montreal with the name of an Italian region - 2 of 2…read more I had seen Restaurant Siciliana before. It is on Rue Stanley, not too far away from the Peel Metro Station. Rue Stanley always makes for a chuckle. I have known very few people with that name. However, it's the eponymous name of a (not even) B movie about someone's dangerous pet snake. I looked at the menu board at around lunch time. It seemed like a generic Italian restaurant, with a broad-based Italian menu and not one that was particularly Sicilian. But this was at lunch time, and I was walking down the street with something to do. I returned for dinner another day. Everything at Restaurant Siciliana was sort of perfunctory and ordinary. The interior is old school and has the red and white check tablecloths. The wood fired pizza oven is visible from the restaurant. They seat you quickly and I wanted to sit closer to the back and next to a wall, to which they obliged. Since I could not find a wall outlet, they were willing to charge my phone for me. I did not want a pizza. For that, I might go to dei Compari, which I very much like. I was looking for pasta. Since I couldn't see what it might look like or what others had ordered, I settled on the trio - three types of pasta. I've seen this done before at other Italian eateries and, within reason, they allow substitutions. Here, the wiggle room is not that much (that means no filled pasta or lasagna/e) and there is an upcharge for the allowed changes. I wanted to swap out a pasta with Alfredo sauce and they did so for another pasta that is also on their menu at the same price, but with a $3 upcharge (for U.S., divide by ~1.36). Is that that much of an inconvenience? Everything was ok - one in a Bolognese sauce, one in a rose' sauce, and one in a pesto sauce - except that the pesto sauce was a little oily and didn't sit with me. To drink, I had a ginger ale. I'm beginning to like that stuff. The service was good. It was also expedient, albeit a little reserved. This was a 3-star event and, going forward, I will continue to look for other Italian (and Sicilian) restaurants in the area. I would love to know of an authentic Sicilian restaurant in the agglomeration that is Montreal. The very first Italian restaurant at which I ate in Montreal was just up the street, at Stanely and Maisonneuve. Either a Chapters or a newer building went in. That restaurant was more of a diner, which explains why it wouldn't be there - close to the financial district - anymore. Change can be hard to accept. I remember that that was also the first time I had heard the term rose' sauce. This is what Eastern Canada refers to a pink tomato-cream sauce. The middle-aged dark-haired woman who helped me had to have been from the western part of Montreal or its island, spoke perfect English with mannerisms suitable for an Italian neighborhood the Northeastern U.S., and looked like Kaye Ballard. I would have preferred a restaurant like that to this one for the price-quality rapport of the food and a Rue Stanley/Financial District location. If you are a tourist and your time is metered, I might skip this one. If you are a local, you can try Restaurant Siciliana for pizzas and/or pasta and see if it suits you.

    Photos
    Restaurant Siciliana - Since, like French, Italian is gendered, Trattoria Siciliana would be correct but I'm not so sure about Restaurant Siciliana.

    Since, like French, Italian is gendered, Trattoria Siciliana would be correct but I'm not so sure about Restaurant Siciliana.

    Restaurant Siciliana - House salad.

    House salad.

    Restaurant Siciliana - House wine.

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    House wine.

    Marcella

    Marcella

    4.3(39 reviews)
    1.0 km•Vieux Montréal, Ville-Marie

    We went to Marcella for lunch on a Saturday and the place was hopping. Even without reservations,…read morewe were warmly greeted by Michael and were seated quickly. The menu has lots of choices for carnivores and vegetarians. I ordered the cavatelli alla pesto which was steaming hot (as pasta should be) and delicious. The pesto was fresh and aromatic. The dish was topped off with aged Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. My wife had the spaghetti pomodoro which was also well presented, delicious and served steaming hot. Service by Michael was superb, friendly, and good humored. Despite being overwhelmingly busy, he found time to gone by and chat with us. This is definitely a keeper for future visits.

    Came to Montreal for the weekend and was looking for a dinner spot near my apartment. Stumbled upon…read moreMarcella and absolutely loved it. They take reservations. Unfortunately, everything online was booked, but I gave them a call and they squeezed us in last minute. The ambient and decor inside are absolutely stunning. They have a nice bar area too. We stared off with Chianti wine and Calamari. Both fantastic. I ordered the bolognese pasta without the burrata (dairy free) and my fiancé ordered the cavatelli pasta. Extremely rich in flavor and delicious. They even placed the burrata on the side for my fiancé to have since I was unable to eat it. The service was great. They checked in often and were very polite. Had a wonderful experience and highly recommend them!!

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    Marcella
    Marcella
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    Bellucci Italia - Margherita Pizza

    Bellucci Italia

    4.0(28 reviews)
    0.4 km•Centre-Ville, Chinatown, Ville-Marie

    Delicious drinks and superb service!…read more If you are vegan or have strong dietary restrictions, the drinks and fries may be all your getting. But my friend, the drinks and truffle fries sans cheese are bomb. If you are here for an event, it is conveniently located in the heart of the city. Enjoy a treat here with friends or solo. There are two floors and the atmosphere is quite nice. Definitely will come back again for a drink.

    First off, the food itself, we ordered Carbonara, Gnocchi and fisherman pot…read more The carbonara was ok, but the bacon was way too salty and the pasta was flavorful even other reviews said the sauce is too heavy, but to me, it was ok, not bad. Gnocchi was really bland, no flavor at all. I feel like I was eating a dough with a bit of sauce on top. The fisherman pot was good, flavorful and the bread was crunchy, not too dry. They had even seafood in it, squids, clams, mussels and scallops. The portions of the food were too small. Even we ate something before coming here. The service was questionable, she was ok but keep pushing us to order more food or drinks, to the points I had to tell her that we ate something before coming here, so we weren't that hungry. The worst part is she tip shaming us, after I got the bills, she basically standing next to me, pressuring me to leave enough tips for her. It made me very uncomfortable.

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    Bellucci Italia
    Bellucci Italia - Americana Pizza

    Americana Pizza

    Bellucci Italia - Inside.

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    Cafe Presto

    Cafe Presto

    3.4(27 reviews)
    0.7 km•Golden Square Mile, Centre-Ville, Ville-Marie
    •$

    Cafe Presto was a unique little storefront restaurant. We were standing around outside wondering…read morewhere to go have dinner when the owner of this little place stuck his head out and said "come on in." With such a quirky start, we did just that. Inside this little place there are maybe a dozen tables ... mostly for two. The place was casual, unpretentious, and relatively inexpensive. Service was friendly and spot on. Now the owner who drew us in - whatever his name - does it all here. He seated us, we saw him clean off some tables, and he goes back and forth in the kitchen personally making each dish. He had only two helpers ... one doing dishes and the other helping wait the tables especially when he was fixing a plate. The meals are essentially light pasta with light sauces ... nothing much heavy here. It is meant to be a quick lunch spot, and only stays open a while after hours. The menu - posted in the front window - is written on a sheet of paper and usually is about 8 different pastas and sauces; after you sit at a table you will find that the current list is generally smaller as they have run out of stuff during the day. Be that as it may, it was pretty good food. We had the Canelloni Rossini (4 stars with a light red sauce), Penne Arrabbiata (4 stars with another very light sauce), and a Calypso Salad (4 stars with very nice greens). The big takeaway was that he can make any kind of quick pasta and put any one of his light sauces on it for a quick meal. The sauces were nice - very light but nice. The pastas could have been a bit fresher. Interestingly, they only take cash - and that is not mentioned on the front window. He does have an ATM machine inside to help you cover the cash, but he should really announce this out front, especially for all the tourists that are in Montreal. Our bill came to $70 and he wrote down $80 ... maybe he included the tip for us - don't know, but pay attention to your bill on the way out. In fairness, the prices are reasonable here - $4.95 for a glass of the house Chianti, and every one of the pasta meals were simply $9.95. Canoli were $6.00 each.

    Hmmm, I've never gone to a restaurant where they don't offer menus, until this one. I personally…read moredid not like this, but whatever floats your boat and makes you happy. Of course after we ordered we discovered a have written, 8" x 11" menu on one of the walls. Would have been nice to have been directed to that earlier... anyway moving on. Food was okay, we ordered spaghetti... the sausage was really good, bread, meatball and red sauce were a little bland. ‍ overall we most likely wouldn't be back.

    Photos
    Cafe Presto - Home style beef stew

    Home style beef stew

    Cafe Presto - Inside

    Inside

    Cafe Presto

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    Il Focolaio - pizza - Updated October 2026

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