Fun Vibes and Quality Eats Make Pizza Dadi Your New Favorite Place to Party

Stepping into Pizza Dadi, the newest fast-casual concept from the talented folks behind Mad Bene, Café Duck Butt and DB Grill, is like getting whisked away to a simpler time. A time when magazines and music videos were king, The Spice Girls were the pinnacle of girl power, VCRs were living room essentials and inflatable bedroom furniture was a thing. Sleepovers captivated our attention spans way before social media did and pizza parties were the ultimate cool-kid gathering.

TLC bumps through the speakers while I’m in line and I peruse the straight forward menu. Basically, the owners decided to focus on Mad Bene’s bomb NY-style pizzas, added some new classics, left out the extra frills and—voilà!—Pizza Dadi was born. Pizza Dadi is now open for dine-in and takeout in the former Goma Tei Ramen location on the first floor of Ward Centre. I order at the front register, get my drink, my table number and head over to an open table. Easy peasy. (Did I mention that you can have chocolate milk with your pizza? These guys have been reading my diary.) Oh, and they’re BYOB, so come ready if your ideal pizza party includes booze.

One of the smartest things that the Pizza Dadi crew has done is to carry over some serious favorites from Mad Bene to the menu. My all-time favorite appetizer is the eggplant parm sticks—it’s like roasted eggplant had an affair with stretchy mozzarella cheese, and both got fried up golden brown and served with chunky marinara. I could eat a whole serving to myself. New to the Dadi menu is the antipasti salad, stacked with fresh romaine lettuce, chopped soppressatta and mortadella, roasted mushrooms, pepperoncinis, olives, tomato and two different kinds of cheese. This salad is not only meal-worthy, it offers all the tangy, crunchy goodness that one needs to feel like a pizza party’s been done right. Pizza is indeed the star, but, oh, how it shines brighter with the proper co-stars.

SEE ALSO: Pizza Dadi Brings Mad Bene’s New York-Style Pies to Ward Village

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty: the pizza. Oh, how I love a Brooklyn-style pie: foldable but not floppy (gotta have that crunchy bottom), topped with a perfect ratio of sauce, cheese and fresh ingredients. A nice char develops around the crust, giving you texture in every bite. I try the Spicy Flanders, the pizza of the week (don’t forget to ask about what’s on special!), and it’s everything I’d hoped it would be. Sweet caramelized onions, super flavorful and spicy house-made Italian sausage, red onion, Calabrian chilis and basil leaves, crisped up in the oven. A bite of this pizza will make you dance, and, if somehow it doesn’t, the Y2K soundtrack surely will. Pizzas are perfectly sized to be able to eat a whole one, if you’re into that, or to share a few with friends and sample something new.

At this point I’m getting full, but I hang on for dessert. While there are other options, I’m here for Mrs. Tran’s tiramisu. It’s so hard to find a tiramisu that is light, full of espresso flavor and isn’t too sweet. I’m lamenting not having a bigger stomach to fit some buffalo wings or the Dadi Fries, a literal flavor bomb of pizza topping-covered waffle fries. Note to self: Make more friends who love pizza parties and bring them here. This is definitely your sign to check out Pizza Dadi, and I’m almost certain that you’ll make some friends while you’re here.

For more information, visit pizzadadi.com.