Let’s face it — the start of school is so busy that ordering pizza for the family often becomes a time-honoured first-week tradition. We asked chef Craig Wong, the mastermind behind Patois, along with his wife Ivy and their little pizza connoisseurs Milo (age 5) and Knox (3 and a half) to find the best pepperoni and cheese slice in Toronto. Read on for the saucy showdown results.

Maker – Winner, Cheese

“As a pizza nerd, I can tell a lot of time was spent on perfecting this pizza,”says Craig of Maker’s cheese pie.

“This crust is so good,” says Milo, of Maker’s pepperoni pizza. “It must be good, he never eats the whole crust!,” says Craig.

Multiple locations including 8020 Bathurst St., Thornhill $32

Conspiracy – Winner, Pepperoni

“This is nice and thin with a good amount of cheese,” says Ivy. “I like how small the pieces are,” adds Craig.

“This is my favourite one of all,”  says Milo. “You can tell, you’ve already eaten almost the whole slice,” Craig says laughing. 

858 Eglinton Ave. E. $29.50

Pizzeria Badiali – Runner-up cheese/pepperoni 

“I like this a lot – it’s nice and chewy and has a bit of charring,” says Ivy of Badiali’s cheese pizza. “It reminds me of the kind of pizza I would eat as a kid,” says Craig. 

“The pepperoni is too spicy and so is the sauce,” says Knucky. 

181 Dovercourt Rd., $31

North of Brooklyn

“This is good quality pizza,” Craig says of North Brooklyn’s cheese slice. “The crust is light and airy and it’s got great undercarriage.” 

“This pizza tastes sweet,” says Knucky of NOB’s cheese pizza. “I really like the pepperoni,” adds Milo.

Multiple locations including 1728 Avenue Rd. $29

Mezza Notte

“This is a delicious pizza,” says Craig of Mezza Notte’s cheese slice. “It’s the type of pizza you would order at a restaurant”. 

There’s lots of cheese,”  says Milo of Mezza Notte’s pepperoni. “It tastes good,” adds Knucky. 

3169 Dufferin St., $25.50