Mark's Pizza is a small pizza place at a rather obscure intersection in an unassuming plaza. Don't…read morebe fooled by the simple location and the charming, home-drawn logo: the pizzas are unique, with the most flavorful tomato sauce and mozzarella, delightful pepperoni and an assortment of artisan quality toppings. Mark's turns out some of the most flavorful pizzas in Pickering and East Scarborough, and I've tried a lot of pizza! Each week, they have a different feature pizza, and the full size pizzas are similar to a New York style, with the thin, crisp bottom crust surrounded by a heftier, lightly charred edge crust. Full pizzas are ordered in advance on line, but they have Italian sandwiches and pizza slices to go (subject to availability). The slices have a thicker crust than the full pizzas, and look delicious. There is limited seating for eating in, and Mark's mainly does a take-out business.
I went on line earlier today, and ordered a 6:00 pick-up. The online order system is efficient and user-friendly. We had a pepperoni pizza as well as this week's special, a meatball and pesto pizza. Both were excellent, and the tomato sauce really stood out. It was garlicy, herbaceous and delightfully savory; quite different from the bland, sweet tomato sauce served up by most of the large chains. The crust was flavorful, and lightly charred to perfection, giving it a slightly smoky flavor. As a crust snob, I was very pleased! The meatball and pesto pizza was really good, with flavorful, juicy mini-meatballs and delightfully garlic-forward pesto. The pesto, made from pumpkin seeds rather than the traditional pine nuts, was so good with bold garlic and basil flavours. The pepperoni pizza was superb, with the cup-and-char, New York style pepperoni. My whole family was delighted!!
In short, the pizzas are remarkably flavourful, and their preparation shows time, care, and attention to quality ingredients, as well as a superior crust. It was worth the drive from Pickering, and with the efficiency of Hwy. 2, took only about 15 minutes. Parking is a bit tight, but there is frequent turnover of parking spots.
Thanks to Chloe H. at the counter for friendly service with helpful recommendations for me to consider for future orders. And there will certainly be future orders from me!