The Flying Banzini

From wood oven pizza to tiny dessert cheesecakes, the Flying Banzini is a great little café. Their menu offers a new take on some old favourites, the portion sizes are quite large, and they serve a good cup of coffee. I’ll be honest though, my favourite part about this spot: the tiny cheesecakes!
Score, lemon, cherry, chocolate — there are so many variety a of the delectable little treats. There is a discount if you buy in bulk: 6 or 12. Of course you’re going to buy in bulk! Cheesecake is amazing, these ones in particular are somewhat addictive, and they come with less guilt since they are so small. I particularly love the score cheesecake.
I look forward to my next visit for more cheesecake!

I have been wanting to go to this restaurant for over a year! Finally made it out… We went here for desert, after a Unilocal get together (at another restaurant — LOL!)
Guess what we had? Those delightful mini cheesecakes! I couldn’t believe how much they charge for them — $ 2 a piece! And they really are tiny — like, done in 2 bites — but they were very tasty. It was very nice to have small sweets to eat after that very heavy dinner we had. I had the «She Sells Sea Shells», and «Razzle Dazzle Chocolate Raspberry». Need I say more? Very nice! Such small cheesecakes almost make you feel like you’re not cheating on the diet. Go ahead — kid yourself! These were rich enough, without being over the top, and flavourful. The hubster and I complemented these sweet treats with hot coffees.
One of these days, I will have to try this place out for a «real» meal.
The décor was eclectic! I couldn’t believe they were showing a movie on the wall near the back. How funny is that?! We were seated near the front and my back was to the entrance. In front of me was a display of framed photos (I think?) that appeared to be for sale. Always something to look at!

Love the atmosphere here and the food has always been great. I love the specials and they are generally exciting and fun. Good food, good drinks.

I went to the Flying Banzini to try out their miniature cupcakes, they were absolutely delicious! The restaurant is interestingly decorated, with a projector screen on the back wall which (at the time) displayed an old black-​and-​white movie. While I went there solely for dessert, they have a full menu of other food to have as a proper meal. Next time I go, I will try one of their roasted meat sandwiches!

This is by far the best bang for you buck when it comes to sandwiches and pizza. We ended up getting 2 pints of the beaus seasonal (tom green), the «late in the evening» panini, small «that’s Amore» pizza, small ceased salad, and three mini cheese cakes for only $ 49 before tip $ 60 after. First things first order a side of pesto with your food, it’s fresh pesto that’s amazing on the pizza. The pizza did need something and this was it ! Also the pesto was a decent addition to the sandwich. If you haven’t tried the tom green beer yet do it before it’s gone !!! The salad come with a craisin and pistachio cracker instead of croutons, which is an amazing idea. If you are going for the cheese cakes get the skor bar cheese cakes !!! All and all most restaurants 2 people can barely eat let alone eat have a drink and a dessert for under $ 50 so it’s definitely worth a visit. Not to mention staff was super friendly. Sunday is kids eat free day, Monday is cheap pizza, Tuesday is gluten free cheap day, and today (wed) was small salad and small pizza $ 9.99.

So finally, 2 years after my first visit, I came back today to try their miniature cheesecakes. I was here with some Unilocal friends and we had a dozen of their mini cheesecakes (there was 6 of us so we got 2 each).
I had the «She Sells Sea Salt Chocolate Skor Bar» and the «Bodacious New York Cherry» cheesecakes. They are really tiny, like about 1.5 inches in diameter. However, they were delicious. I didn’t really taste any sea salt in my chocolate cheesecake, but it did have Skor bits sprinkled on top. The cheesecake itself wasn’t all that chocolatey, but the crust at the bottom is chocolate cookie crumbs. I like that it wasn’t overly sweet and it wasn’t overly rich. I liked the cherry cheesecake too. The tartness of the cherry topping balanced the creaminess of the cheesecake. The bottom of this one is like graham cracker crumbs.
The mini cheesecakes are $ 2 each or $ 10.95 for 6 or $ 19.95 for 12. For the size I think they are expensive. However, if you literally just want a bite, then at least this is a good way to portion control.
Please see my previous review for their sandwiches.

I heard some buzz about The Flying Banzini having some really great paninis, so a friend and I decided to meet up for a bite after work in the summer. I sat that for what felt like ages just staring at their menu, completely indecisive. The server was very kind and patient with me, grabbing some water for me and asking me if I needed anything while I waited. When my friend arrived, she told me about a new and gigantic sandwich. Naturally, I had to have it.
I was warned that it was humongous and about $ 25 – 30, so I opted to go without any sides or belly-​filling carbonated beverages. The «Appetite for Destruction» sandwich was so new that it hadn’t made it onto the menu just yet, so I had the pleasure of being the first ever customer to order it. I was not disappointed! It had slow-​roasted chicken, crispy pork belly, pork shoulder, double-​smoked bacon, jalapeño havarti, provolone, and cheddar cheese, tomatoes, arugula, caramelized pearl onions, pickled eggplant, pesto, and chipotle mayo… between two grilled cheeses. AND it came with some tasty vinegar-​based slaw. INSANE. I tried to fork and knife it at first, but that wasn’t working out, so I ate it in quadrants :) Very tasty and obviously filling. The house-​roasted meats weren’t too salty like many are, but I would suggest pairing it with a light beer or plain and simple water. The complimentary side of coleslaw was actually pretty addictive. It wasn’t creamy or too sour, perfectly crunchy. Because I’m such a gluttonous beast, I had already finished about ¾ of the sandwich before remembering I wanted to try their frozen mini cheesecake popsicle things. I could’ve finished the sandwich (yes, it is possible), but I wanted to leave some room for cheesecake, so I got the rest to go.
I ordered the She Sells Sea Salt Chocolate SKOR Bar mini cheesecake-​sicle for dessert. I think the frozen versions were seasonal for the summer, but their popular mini cheesecakes are available year-​round, two of which I ordered to go. The cheesecake-​sicle was absolutely amazing and everything I expected. It was coated in dark chocolate and pieces of Skor bar with caramel drizzle, more similar to a decadent ice cream bar than cheesecake, but both versions were great and just the right serving. There are six different kinds for only two bucks a pop, so you can easily order them all to taste and split with a friend.
Would love to come here again to try their pizzas. My friend was also indecisive and asked our server to surprise her with one of the pizzas on the menu. It ended up being «That’s Amore», which had Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, and basil. It looked and smelled delicious. I will be back!

Went to this lovely place today with my boyfriend, sister, and her S.O.
First impression walking in; felt kind of cozy with the unique lighting and decorations, but still trendy as well. Might have been because there was only a handful of other people when we came in.
We picked our seats, and our server came over and handed us menus. I got an orange juice to drink (nothing special, bottled), and my boyfriend got the rooibos tea. The tea came steeping in it’s own teapot and a cup. He found it average, but he appreciated the special touch with the pot.
As for food, between my boyfriend and I, we ordered the wedge potato poutine, skillet bread, and the mac and cheese appetizers. He ordered the beef dipper sandwich as well to split between us. I had thought that the apps would have been a bit bigger, but not really. They came in this cute mini skillet pans, but I was surprised how small they were for the price.
The mac and cheese was really underwhelming. It didn’t really have much flavour except for the aged cheddar on top. Not worth getting. The wedge potato poutine was delicious. I loved the seasoning they used on the wedges, and I actually enjoyed the gravy (I’m picky with gravy). The skillet bread was yummy. It was soft and moist, with a nice parmesan crust. Really liked the poutine and skillet bread, but the serving to price ratio makes it hard for me to justify getting it again.
The beef dipper sandwich was tasty. I haven’t had one in a long while, and it’s hard to find other places that sell it, so I really relished the opportunity to try theirs. We asked that it didn’t come with any horseradish mayo (fiery throat reaction), and they complied with that.
I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t like it, but I ended up loving it! The sandwich bread was good, and the beef was cooked well. The dipping sauce was very nicely balanced to the flavours of the sandwich. The little onions threw me off a little, but it didn’t ruin my experience.
Then came dessert. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity to eat cheesecake, the boyfriend ordered a half dozen to try out the flavours. My sister had already given us a tiny nibble of her oero cheesecake, so we picked out different ones. Top ones had to go to oreo, skors (salted caramel), and the lemon. The other flavours I found disappointing in taste.
A quick note on the bathrooms, they were nice and clean. Figured I’d stick in this tidbit, as I personally like to know the place I come to eat has clean facilities. The stairs are a bit steep, so watch your footing. For those wondering about accessible bathrooms, there is one one the main floor.
All in all a good experience. Our lovely server was wonderful and super friendly, and was quick to answer any questions. Would recommend.

Not too bad, but nothing spectacular, in my opinion. I wasn’t particularly tickled by anything on the menu — it’s a bit boring and lacking in variety. That said, the prices are reasonable for what you’re getting.
As a starter, I got the pickled cheese. It’s supposed to come with artisan crisps – and it did – but only three. Three thin crostini-​type crisps for a long hunk of cheese. The cheese wasn’t very good, either. It reminded me of those Kraft cheese strings, but it was harder/​firmer. Wouldn’t recommend.
I would, however, recommend the Leave Your Hat On panini. It’s very good. It’s also pretty filling, even though it looks kind of small (just due to the grilling).
Maybe this would have been a four-​star review had I tried their cheese cake for dessert (they’re cute and little), but I was too full for dessert.

The Steve McQueen pizza! Thin crust (but not too thin or cardboard-​like), with some kind of fig drizzle and other unexpectedly amazing topping combo deliciousness. Great local beer selection. Oh! And get a mini cheesecake. Trust me, they’re worth every freaking last crumb. So good.

3.5÷5
After four harrowing hours of garage-​sale hunting at the Great Glebe Garage Sale this year, my partner and I decided to go to a completely different area in town to enjoy our late lunch in peace. Pointing our compasses to Westboro, we ended up in the Flying Banzini.
I like the casualness of the place, but opted for table service instead of the cafeteria-​style process many have described in their reviews. We ordered: pizza (Devil with the Blue Dress — roasted pork; spicy and Papa loves Mambo — chicken, pesto), soup (sausage fennel), cheesecake and beer. The pizzas were decent. I didn’t have any problems with the pesto chicken one, but the roasted pork did seem a little dry (my partner lamented the lack of a thicker sauce on it, in particular). The latter was also a little too spicy for my taste. The soup was excellent, although it would have been better if it didn’t arrive after the third slice of pizza (and after reminding them we were still missing it). The cheesecake was also good, and at a much more appealing size, to me at least. I can never finish a full slice myself, so these «bites,» even at $ 2 apiece, were worth it.
I like that you can order the Pink Fuzz (from Beyond the Pale) here, even though I opted for their «special» that time (since the growler would have been too much for just me). The service was a little slow; there were only two servers for about ~10 or so occupied tables. Their patio was open but it was a colder day so we decided we’d stay in.
Overall, a relatively pleasant — but — unremarkable experience. I would come back for the soup and the beer. Maybe I’ll even try the paninis and sandwiches next time… (hey at least there’s a next time!)

Went there for dinner with a friend, and was pleasantly surprised. We split the chicken wing starter, which was pretty tasty, though a tiny bit over seasoned. She ordered the roast beef panini and I ordered the mozzarella and basil personal pizza. Both of the meals were fantastic. The pizza was hot and cheese, with a nice firm thin crust. The panini was perfectly pressed and tasted excellent. The portion size was pretty perfect for the price.
For dessert we got the mini cheesecakes. The chocolate raspberry cheesecake was great and satisfying. I am definitely looking forward to sampling the rest of their selection.

If you enjoy pizza and sandwiches, you will definitely enjoy The Flying Banzini. However, you’ll have a hard time choosing between the two — they have a lot of great choices that will appeal to different tastes. Harder still will be choosing your dessert: their mini cheesecakes are pretty superb. Also you gotta love the hip/​rustic atmosphere, and the neighbourhood. Overall a really great experience, and all my buddies thought so too.

Driven by this place many times, today seemed to be a great day to try it out.
We ordered:
Zooma Zooma panini — roast beef, tomatoes, caramelized onions, arugula, horseradish, rosemary yoghurt, cheddar.
and
Pizza — roast chicken, peaches, spinach, red onion, red peppers, mozza cheese.
I’m always up to trying different things. Peaches on a pizza?
Who figured it would work THIS WELL!
Everything is made fresh, and you can tell as soon as you take your first bite.
The icing on the, er, cake, is that the prices are VERY reasonable for the quality.
I’ve paid double for similar grub at «higher end gourmet» places.
I much prefer this atmosphere — friendly, welcoming, and quaint.
We will be returning with the kids very soon!

On my last visit to the O-​dot, my sister had to take my girlfriend and I out to one of her and her husband’s new favourite spots, The Flying Banzini. First of all, it’s a great name. I don’t know if this Banzini guy (or girl) flew or not, but he (she) sounds like they have some chutzpah. Also, it’s really fun to get your four-​year-​old nephew to get psyched up saying «THE FLYING BANZINI!!!».
Unsurprisingly, TFB is located in the ever so happening Wellington Village area of town. Its modern interior of exposed ductwork and exposed brick wall on one side would be painfully cliché if I didn’t love the stuff so much. So it’s just unpainfully cliché. A palette of light browns and Cherokee red (as I was informed by my more colour conscious significant other) makes it warm and inviting, while some jazz pictures and a projector on one wall add to the coolness vibe. I didn’t know what one old black and white movie was, but I did recognize some segments of Disney’s Jungle Book.
The ordering system seems to be that you look at the menus on the tables, order at the counter, and then have your food brought over to you. Next to said counter are their desserts, mainly their bite-​sized cheesecakes, of which there were eight options that day. The menu had a make-​your-​own-​sandwich option, as well as several paninis, personal-​sized pizzas and a handful of sides. I enjoyed the random toe tags on each table as well as the placemats with the (fake) history of the Banzini family.
I settled on the Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ panini with its porcine allure of porchetta and bacon, and oven-​dried tomatoes, honey dijon red onions and provolone. I got the house salad as well to keep up my daily intake of veggies. The meat on it was surprisingly bland and the biggest flavour on the sandwich was the dijon, with some acidic pop from the tomatoes. The bread was really well executed panini bread, crisp on the outside, soft inside. The salad was really good, with nice big flavours from the dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers, and lightly dressed in a mild vinaigrette. The mystery coleslaw, which I wasn’t sure if it was made from shredded parsnip or celery root, was alright with a light citrus-​y zing.
Naturally, we had to get some cheesecake bites for dessert. My salted caramel was super light and tasty, although it needed a little bit more salt for that great sweet and salty contrast that makes the pairing so good.
It was a solid meal, if not one that met the hype of my sister, but I certainly wouldn’t mind having another go at THE FLYING BANZINIIIII!!!

And then I was eating this sandwich…
… Is how I would describe the dream I had last week when I was in Ottawa visiting a friend and colleague over the weekend. But wait a tick, that wasn’t a dream at all, it was real life and I lived it — and you should be jealous!
Upon arrival to Ottawa I heard about this spot that primarily focuses on two things; thick meat sandwiches and cheese cake. What more could a fella ask for? A good cardiologist for one thing.
I won’t go on about the cool vibe of the place, but take me at my word, when they open up the windows and doors to the street outside, it definitely is the place to be — you need to check it out for yourself.
On my visit I was lucky enough to speak with the Owner himself and I asked him for his recommendation on a sandwich. He made a custom selection and as tempting as it sounded, I couldn’t look past this one menu item (which was very close). That sandwich was…
The Leave Your Hat On — THICK Crispy Pork Belly, Onion Jam, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, red peppers and cheddar $ 8.95 (OH… MY… GOD). It was incredible! Pressed perfectly in a panini press with perfect char/​grill marks. It was crunchy on the outside, soft, hot and warm on the inside. Sandwich perfection.
For my side I went with their potato wedges which were served with a house made chipotle mayo AND I should also mention their coleslaw made with celery root and citrus juice– these also were cooked/​prepared to perfection, a thing of beauty!
Not much more I can say, I didn’t have the cheesecake but this was a reason for me to come back next time!
Eatcrest Out!

This is a bit of a tough review for me to write. On one hand, the place is visually stunning — I love the exposed brick and chrome, and love that they have a wall that they project funny scenes on. The attention to detail is amazing from their menu history to the placecards you receive (ours was FIFA themed!), they really do put a lot of effort into the visual experience. On the other hand… there were some minor issues.
We were greeted by the owner, Steve, who I really enjoyed. He is clearly very passionate about his place. He explained the ordering procedure: you choose a seat, then take some time to look at the menu (or order at the counter if it’s to-​go) and then order at the counter (drinks and all). You’re then given a place card with a number (and as I mentioned, ours had a soccer player on it), and they find your number and bring you your food.
I ordered a delicious panini — the late in the evening which had a whole host of delicious toppings including roasted chicken, apple, bacon, Quebec Brie, spinach and lemon chive mayo. Yum yum yum!!! I really enjoyed it. I also love that they have Harvey and Vern’s soda and craft beer.

I went here on the weekend, Saturday in the afternoon around 2pm to be more exact. It wasn’t busy at the time and had plenty of tables available. They have a small patio with a few tables and a beautiful view. Much like everyone else’s review on here, you pay for your meal at the beginning rather than after your meal and you order at the front; then the staff will bring your meal to you. I liked this idea because once you are done your meal; you can get up and leave.
I got a «That’s Amore (sausage) pizza» — Luciano’s sweet Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, caramelized pearl onions, fresh basil, tomato sauce, and mozzarella ($ 12.95) and a Caesar Salad ($ 2.95) with a Harvey & Vern Cream Soda ($ 2.95). (See the picture I posted). I didn’t like it too much. It was just «okay». My girlfriend got a «Late in the Evening — Chicken Panini». I tried it and liked it a lot more. She also ordered a soup but they never brought it to us. We didn’t even realize until we got home.
The people were friendly and polite. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. No complaints there. I would try it again if I was in the neighbourhood.

Well, I decided to try The Flying Banzini a second time to see if I would enjoy it more than my first visit.
I have to say I sort of enjoyed it more but was still disappointed.
On this visit I ordered a daily special sandwich which was curried chicken with bacon, cheddar cheese and cucumber along with a cream of tomato soup.
The soup, I quite enjoyed as it had a nice thick consistency and was quite flavorful, along with the focaccia bread that came with it. Though both were a bit on the salty side.
The sandwich, while more substantial in terms of size than the last time I went, was a bit lacking in the flavor department. To begin with, the sandwich was cold (cold bacon, cold chicken) and the curry flavor was really weak. Essentially, the cheddar cheese was the strongest flavor in the sandwich.
I finished it off with a chocolate raspberry cheesecake which was nice but nothing special in my mind.
I was eating there with my friend who had the same soup as I did and he quite enjoyed it. He had a prosciutto grilled pannini which he found a bit underwhelming and finished of with a sea salt cheesecake which he enjoyed.
So… that’s two strikes for the sandwiches meaning I would not go out of my way to go there again but would still eat there if I had to.
Service was fine.

Fairly new restaurant in Parkdale area — cute theme that is well executed without going overboard. Inside, staff (and patrons) are friendly and happy. (Love seeing that.)
Old move footage was being shot onto a white textured wall when we were in there which gave the restaurant a sense of movement and life. Fun!
We looked over their menu — but what we really came in for were the bite-​sized cheesecakes that we’d spotted from outside.
Ordered some — popped them in our mouths — !! heaven !!. My fave was the salted caramel (a thing these days). It was perfect. Hubby did chocolate (of course) :-) and loved his too.
Sandwhich menu looked *fantastic*. Like Arnold S., «I’ll be back». Great location to stop for lunch while wondering in Parkdale area.
Would I return: Yes
Would I recommend: Yes