![]() "2247 Midland Ave., Toronto, ON, M1P 4R1" Some of Pizza Nova's signature products include: Signature pizzas In October 1987, jingle writer Syd Kessler, advertising agency Montana Steele, and Pizza Nova President Sam Primucci produced an advertisement featuring the singing of the phone number and vocalising the quadruple zero as "4-3-9, Oh-Oh Oh-Oh Pizza Nova!" Sung by Canadian musician Zappacosta, edits of the original can still be heard on Ontario radio and TV today, with new voiceover by company President Domenic Primucci, son of founder Sam Primucci. Upon celebrating the company's 50th anniversary, the pizza chain also announced their partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Rogers Centre as their official pizza supplier, starting in January 2014, and continuing for a three-year agreement. įollowing many years of success in both their delivery and walk-in services, the restaurant opened their first franchised store in 1969. Their first location opened on at the corner of Lawrence Avenue East, just west of Kennedy Road. I certainly wasn't coming here expecting gourmet pizza and pasta, but with a pedigree like Pizza Nova I'd expect the restaurant to at least get me fed.The chain was founded by a young family of Italian immigrants-consisting of Sam Primucci, and his brothers Mike, Vince, and Joe-originating from Basilicata, Italy. It's hard to imagine why, with absolutely no redeeming qualities, this restaurant ballooned into the franchise empire it is now. ![]() Secretly, I was hoping for something resembling a margherita but with no basil at all, it's mostly just a circle of neglect. Sadly, it's mostly just squishy tomatoes with an overhand toss of dried Italian seasoning. The Nonna's Favourite ($11.99) is billed as a white pizza with plum tomatoes, sprinkled with basil and parmigiano cheese. Sauteed broccoli is almost non-existent with a mere four to a bowl full of broken promises.Īt least the pizza would be ok right? Wrong. White wine sauce is just a pool of oily white wine in the bottom of the bowl. The caramelized onions are really just raw white onion slivers, and the Penne Nova ($13.75) comes next and is also decidedly unappetizing. The bottom bun is soggy from the burger grease and the crispy fried leeks look like crusty fried grass. The top bun appears pre-chewed with a noticeable chunk missing from one side. A freshly made patty with homemade BBQ sauce and crispy fried leeks are promised on the menu but instead the burger arrives in what I swear looks like a Schneider's frozen meat puck with three sad pre-cut tomatoes, wilted lettuce and half cooked fries. The Nova Burger ($12.99) seems like a safe choice. The rejected bowl is removed by the server, who whisks them away without a word seemingly unsurprised by the untouched leftovers. The golden rings are the right colour after a bath in the deep fryer but are rubbery and raw on the inside we chomp on two or three before feeling queasy and leave the rest aside. ![]() We start with the Calamari Nova ($10.25) which arrives in a black vessel with some spicy mayo dip and a half carved lemon. Sandwiches, burgers, seafood and even brunch options compete with the massive pizza menu. It took some time to sort out what would be worth trying, other than pizza of course. The room itself has been recently updated (partially) but the laminate wood festooned walls still reek of the 70's decor that is mostly relegated to suburban rec rooms now. Operating side by side with a takeout counter, the original location welcomes you with a hostess, a massive marble bar and a TV screen permanently parked on CP24. But any familiarity goes out the window when you walk into the retro dining room. Purists will be happy to know that this Pizza Nova maintains the same logo and frontage as it did when it was founded, making the restaurant easy to spot. Yup, the first location is fancy (in relative terms). It has a full wine and beer menu, $27 steaks, burgers and even serves brunch too. I immediately realize that the first location has some stark differences with the rest of the chain. Up for a bit of an adventure I decided to check out whether the first location scores points for nostalgia trips or otherwise offers up anything special. The almost 50 year old pizza institution started out with one humble restaurant, and then became the empire we know and tolerate today. The original Pizza Nova that started the pizza chain still exists in Scarbrough near Lawrence and Kennedy.
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