Ok have been wanting to try this place for awhile and it was not worth the wait. The food was good but not great as you would expect in a place at this price plus the waiter talked wayyyyy tooooooo much. Friendly yes but overboard indeed. With some much available to us I will not be back. read more

So apparently there's this style of pizza called "pinsa", which involves a lighter, airier dough. It wasn't on my radar at all, so when I found out Venga Cucina was serving a well-regarded version, I was raring to stop by. We arrived shortly after they opened on a recent Friday evening and managed to snag a table near the front. We obviously knew we wanted to try the pinsa, so we opted for the Margherita ("pomodoro, mozzarella, basil") and the Gino Picante ("calabrian nduja, cured hot sausage, pepperonata, fior di latte, sundried tomatoes"). They arrived a short time later and they sure looked tasty. They're presented unsliced and you're given a pair of scissors with each pinsa. They were both delicious. That light and crispy crust was perfect, while the various toppings worked really well together. The whole thing was enhanced really nicely by the table side chili oil. So good. The service was friendly and efficient, and I liked the vibe in the place, too. I'll definitely be returning. read more

Venga Cucina - Margherita and Gino Picante. - Pizza Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This gem in the heart of The Junction is rapidly becoming our go-to spot for amazing food and fantastic customer service. They go above and beyond in sourcing the best ingredients from Italy (and locally when possible), and it shows in the quality of the various antipasti, the pinsa and the pasta. We first encountered pinsa when we were hiking in Italy in the spring-summer of 2022 and we can honestly say that Gino's versions are better than any we had in and around Rome (the home of pinsa). His certification shines through in the quality. The fresh pasta is sourced from Petti Fine Foods - an Italian grocer literally across the street - and combined with Gino's mastery of light, Italian sauces they are always a treat. Perhaps best of all, though, is the welcoming atmosphere of the place. Gino and Mary routinely come say hi to patrons, asking after the food and chatting. Highly recommended. read more

See all

We were there for the first time and everything was amazing. There were four of us and we were able to order quite a variety of things to share. Great service added to the experience including guiding us with special needs and recommendations. We will definitely return. read more

Bye-bye, pizza... hello, pinsa! With scissors! We tried this place on a whim, having seen their sign advertising "PINSA" and thinking "What's that?" We looked it up online and learned it was a unique flatbread-type thing from Rome - a bit like a pizza, but not pizza - pinsa! Friends had planned to go to Rome, but the pandemic forced them to cancel, so we suggested we eat like they do in Rome instead - and headed to Venga Cucina. Big menu: there's a huge assortment of pinsas to choose from - both meat and vegetarian offerings (in the 15 to 22 dollar range). There are weekly specials, too, which all sounded tempting when described. But we were here to sample the pinsa. Each of our foursome chose a different type. Pinsas are more oval-rectangular shaped, made from a special mix of flours, and prepared by a special technique. When they arrived, we were especially charmed to see that they were served with SCISSORS! No struggling to try to slice through that crispy-chewey deliciousness with knives and forks here. You just snip, snip, snip! That first bite: WOW! Thin and crispy and chewy and oh-so LIGHT! This dough was truly something different. So airy and bubbly. And hot out of the oven! We tucked into our pinsas so fast and furious it wasn't until they were almost gone that we remembered we should exchange with each other. I chose the margherita, with fior di latte. The fresh tomato sauce was so fresh and light and lovely. The other pinsas were delicious, too. All of the topping combinations were unique and had so much flavor. Pro tip: check the pinsa menu online first so you don't spend way too long deciding what to order, like me. We paired with a bottle of waiter-recommended house Chianti - which was great ($50). The dining room along Dundas in The Junction strip is lovely - spacious, elegant, comfortable. This would be a great place for an event or party. (And there's a side outdoor patio.) Our server was super friendly - efficient, informative and relaxed. He set the perfect tone for this place which is confident about their offerings, helpful in all the right ways, but not overly swooning over you as a customer. After we were done, the pinsa master came to our table to tell us all about his craft, show us the special flour mix he uses, and describe what goes into making the pinsa dough - which needs to sit for 3 days! Because of that, their planning has to be spot-on... or they might run out of pinsa dough! Venga Cucina takes an enormous amount of pride in their food and their craft - and it shows :) I'm glad I discovered the pinsa - we'll definitely be back to try more. read more

See all

The restaurant was lively on a Saturday night, but our meal started off on the wrong foot with printed beer selections not available and being brought the beet carpaccio instead beef. When the beef carpaccio was brought out, it was frozen, which was really disappointing. Our server was gracious and we did not pay for this dish. The pasta was mediocre and the focaccia/pizza combo was alright. As someone who eats Italian food at home and seeks out great Italian restaurants in the city, I will look elsewhere next time. read more

The same owners as Junction Local has reinvented the menu to offer amazing Pinsa (pizza)!!! We ordered a veggie pinsa for take out - Gardieniera, and it was loaded with really tasty well prepared vegetables and herbs.Every bite was a unique taste! Started with mushroom, then eggplant, red pepper, sweet onions, and zuchinni Can't wait to try everything else on their menu! read more

Venga Cucina - Gardiniera Pinsa (pizza) - Pizza Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

See all

Just ordered takeout from Venga Cucina. I ordered a Pinsa and a meat lasagne Both were OUTSTANDING. The Pinsa is unlike any pizza in the City (of course it is a Pinsa not pizza after all). The dough is crispy, light, airy and thick but not chewy and not overwhelming (as you sometimes see with thick doughs and it's too doughy). See photo below of inside of dough. The sauce is flavourful. See photo of overall pizza. Incredible flavours. The lasagne meat was amazing; not chewy or coarse. Melt off your mouth and well minced. Sauce extremely flavourful. The lasagne noodles are home made and you can totally tell. They are so soft. Will definitely order from here again. read more

See all

This is a very strong 4+ star review. I went to Venga thinking I'd be having pizza and left feeling satisfied but not heavy, like I ate pizza. I visited on a Thursday night with some knowledgeable Italian pals and it was not overly busy. Not packed. They have a nice beer selection (I like crafts) and we opened with beer, 3 oysters each and calamari. They were out of mussels, but I'll try next time. The menu was quite a bit different than what I see online, and I happy. They have some great looking pasta dishes but I was there to try Pinsa. The oysters were bang on, I think they were raspberry points from PEI - small and tasty. The calimari was lightly breaded and tasty - we could have easily had twice as much between 4 guys. There was a mixup in my order and I had the prosciutto Pinsa. It was very basic with an awesome crust, arugula and loads of prosciutto. However, the porchetta and the more oily Pinsas (even the fungi) looked and tastes more to my liking. The special that night was a lamb Pinsa. What 'got' us all was that the crust is not heavy at all. Very tasty, great crunch, zero soggy, and inventive toppings. We followed up the meal with cappuccinos and espresso's. I was impressed with the whole thing. And it was a nice touch that the chef came out and chatted with us about the meal. Very Italian. I really look forward to going back to try some of the other pincers and something like the wild boar rigatoni. Thanks to the owners for taking a shot to reinvent this place it was good before, but it's even better now. read more

In my opinion, I prefer the Junction Local. Flavours are good, but the junction local was better Patio is fantastic. Service was good. read more

not sure what's wrong with this place specifically there seems to be a general breakdown between both order taking and kitchen communication where some orders arrive on time and the rest of the table get their food all at once, appetizers and mains land at the same time it's unfortunate it's a beautiful place just terribly long waits once the first course arrives at a busy time this is excusable but when 20% of the tables are occupied it is unnecessarily slow service from the kitchen and unfortunately too long to wait for mediocre food.... will not be back read more

Had dinner with group of 8. Shared appetizers, salads & flatbread "pizzas". Food was excellent. There is so much more I would like to try. Had a great time. read more

We were a group of 6 visiting on a Tuesday night for the Cacio e Pepe pasta feature, and the pinsa. This was our first time at Venga Cucina and it definitely won't be the last. The food was delicious, the service was impeccable. The truffle polenta fries and stuffed artichokes were the perfect way to start....so flavourful. The table side pasta feature by Gino was special and the dish didn't disappoint. We ordered a few different pinsa's, all were excellent. We will definitely be returning to Venga Cucina. read more

I really think the staff need to be trained on their outdoor patio pet policy before giving customers conflicting information. Walked passed this restaurant with our small dog and it had an amazing patio off to the side that was not very busy. I asked the waitress at the front door if we could sit on the outdoor patio and that we had a small dog, she said "sure" and to meet her at the side patio. We waited patiently for over 5 minutes....(again, outdoor patio was not busy) and finally a waiter asked if he could help us. We asked to be seated and he immediately said no and that no dogs were allowed on the outside patio. Disappointing that we were turned away on an outside patio, but more disappointing that staff can't even get their policies right. read more

Amazing!!! I got the Giardiniera and Finanziera pizzas and they were both superb. The dough is made differently, it's very light and delicious. The roasted veggies on the giardiniera were amazing. Customer service is friendly and inviting, overall great experience. I will be back! read more

These guys reinvented themselves during the pandemic and have emerged with some delicious Pinsa Roma. Similar to pizza. Imported flour and top notch ingredients. Highly reccomended. I see this place being a staple of the junction. Filing the void vesuvio left behind, but better! support local. they will make your pinsa in a couple minutes. just call a couple mins ahead. read more