Buddha Pie

My husband and I ordered two pizzas from this place. So incredibly bad we thought it was a joke. Completely inedible.

Crisp, yeast crusts
Minimalist décor BYOB!
Fab pizza wi thoughtful ingredients– simple is better
Such a cool owner chef
TRY!
Of the earth

I got a cheesesteak and it was tough as hell it was pretty fatty and it was very blan. to make things worse they were very rude and uninviting, I just felt awkward.
I’m sticking with IWTP

My go-​to pizza place when in Toronto. Such a great vibe when you walk in and the pizzas are never less than amazing! I would definitely recommend the ‘Fun Guy’ pizza — my favourite. The only thing is the size of the pizzas are a little but still, the flavour is wicked awesome, I can never get enough.

I stumbled across this place by accident and I’m glad I did. I was intrigued with the name and the look of it. Some of the best places i have eaten at were holes-​in-​the-​wall kinda places. This met that prediction is spades. John and Beth were working — I know that because they introduced themselves and knew practically everyone by name. I tried their Buddha Bomb and it was all that i had hoped for. They have a great little thing going there — nice people, relaxed atmosphere and the pizza is some of the best I have ever had. Their hours are a little light but maybe I’m just jealous. Cheers!

We have been wanting to try this place for quite a while. We finally got the chance tonight. It was a rather unfortunate experience. Our pizza was burnt and thus overly crispy. My fiancé got take out then picked me up from work. By the time we got home, the pizza was no longer edible as it was way too crispy and salty. It was also so greasy that it stained the car seat. I wonder if the person who pulled it out of the oven didn’t notice the obviously blackened bacon. I’m shocked that they didn’t offer him a discount, a redo or even a free pizza. He didn’t know that it was burnt until we got home and we are too far away to go back. There was also an unusual afttertaste that I can’t quite place. A very disappointing experience. My fiancé, one of the long lost Ninja Turtle brothers will still give them another try though.

The pizzas are very small and they only do thin crust. If you like thin crust pizza then you will love this place. But I like my pizza thick and doughy. The selection was good

There was another review that gave a lot more detail, but I will try to put it all in a few points.
1. The pizza here is about average. To say that the pizza here was amazing would be overdoing it, perhaps to the point of saying Pizzeria Libretto did not exist.
2. The pizza is thin crust. It has decent flavour and quality toppings, but is just ok.
3. Prices here are reasonable at 12 – 15 per pie. Two adults could share one a be comfortably full.
4. The night I ate here they did not have drinks of any kind, so I went to the corner store for a pop. Seating is available, but limited.
5. The owner is an absolute delight. You will want to come here to meet someone who is more passionate about customers than just about any business owner anywhere.
All in all, good but not great. Amazing service.

The other day we went for the first time to the Buddha pie and were really happy with the service and food.
Had a pizza that had fresh Ingredients and tasted like heaven. Totally recommend going to this cozy little pizza place.

Great food. Ready fast. Great service — the guy is always friendly and up for some talk while he gets your food set.

Flavourful crispy pizza in a small but welcoming shop.
About 4 or 5 tables but the people there are super friendly and helped us decide on our orders. Had the good karma pizza, and you can taste the onions, artichokes, and seasoned chicken. I wanted to try the pear and proscuitto, i’ll do that for next time if i’m around the area. My friend had the mushroom and cheese which is simple comfort food.
The pizza crust is thin and crispy, almost like a pita. If you’re into a more dough-​y thick crust kind of person, it may not suit your fancy.
Environment is friendly, casual and comfortable with upbeat music :) The staff made conversation with us, which I appreciate, especially John, the owner. He gave us his special chipotle sauce with carrots and lime to try and it is not the typical sauce drenched with mayo, it’s quite refreshing in the sense where you taste the apples, but it’s not mild in flavour. He recommended a great french bakery, and showed us his favourite ice cream.

Buddha Pie is hands down one of the best pizza joints I’ve been to since moving to Toronto! The Presto Pesto with Goat Cheese (Gluten free) is absolutely fantastic, we get it every single time. It’s hard to find a really good gluten free crust, other pizza joints always taste like cardboard but at buddha pie it’s amazing, you don’t even notice that it’s gluten free. Definitely anyone in this area needs to check out Buddha Pie for an awesome meal!

This pizza joint is one of a kind. Unique menu of pizzas. Great customer service. Good music. Very upbeat. And the pizza, spectacular! I go here regularly as well, obviously because its so good. It’s like a gourmet pie.

Awesome regular and gluten free pizza! Officially have found a new spot in the area.
The guys that run this place are a good time, always up for a chat and can hammer out a great pizza for pickup in 15 – 20 minutes. FYI no delivery. Highly recommend! Attached picture is the regular BBQ chicken and a gluten free buffalo Buddha

Awesome gluten free pizza. So happy I found this place. A little pricey, but worth the treat.
The only challenge seems the inconsistent hours and boy it would be awesome if they delivered as I need to time the bus to and fro.

Went here after a day at the CNE.
Some very interesting pizza choices. We ordered 4 pizzas (for 4 people) (very veggies, mediterranean sundance, Buddha bomb and buffalo buddha)
Nice decent flavors… the only cons… would be you have to pay extra for gluten free crust? I was under the impression everything in the restaurant was gluten free, the restaurant is really stuffy… way too hot and I found the crust to be on the hard side… almost like a pizza cracker? lol
The poor guy was over worked… they definitely need an extra set of hands in there and a fan…

A personal pizza pie prepared in under 15 minutes you say? Inconceivable! Well not at Buddha pie, heck you can even get a delicious Aiden’s gluten-​free crust if you ask.
Now that is Amore!
Buddha’s is a cozy lil’ pizza place with a small seating area. Empty boxes of pizza line the walls with drawings on them created by gratefully pizza satiated kids and artistic pizza lovers. It’s never boring while you wait for the pizza here as there’s plenty of diversions, from reading the off-​beat Blues Music posters (and of course there is some groovy Blues music playing in the background complete with images of Jake and Elroy plastered about) to the wise sage advice offered from books like «Everything I know I learned on Acid» scattered about the place.
Hubby ordered the Memphis pulled pork which is gourmet smoked pulled pork in signature BBQ Sauce, freshly sliced Mozzarella and then topped with homemade «Buddha Slaw». Hubby’s reaction once eating this meal atop a pizza was just simply «MmmmMMMmmmMmmmM!!» I got the Very Veggie on a gluten free crust, sans onions and added goat cheese and I gotta say, it was pretty damn well the best G-​Free pizza I’ve had in TO!
The owner here is a super cool and friendly dude who also knows alot about sound tech was having an intense convo with hubby about speakers and headphones, and don’t you know it by the time they started talking ’bout Sennheiser headphones our pizza was as good as done. On my way out friendly owner/​dude and even gave me a little brown paper bag filled with fresh sprigs of Basil to put on my pizza. Talk about great friendly service!!!
Did I leave Buddha Pie knowing what the sound of one hand clapping was like… hmmm, maybe not, but forsure my tastebuds did experience a moment of pizza inspired Satori!!! Please get your ass to Buddha Pie NOW, your later reincarnations will thank you for it!!!

I was shocked to find that such great pizza comes from this small shop on Annette St.
We ordered 2 pizzas for pick up and were told that they would be ready in about 40 min. We got the Zen Margherita ($ 13.99) and the Presto Pesto with goat cheese ($ 14.99).
Both pizzas were great. Sizing is a bit on the small size. The Margherita pizza came with a bunch of fresh pesto that we could add to the top. I actually found the cold leftovers of the Margherita tasted even better than the fresh pie.
Mostly a take out place but there are 1 – 2 tables inside for seating.
Worth checking out and better than Pizza Pizza and Dominos.

Buddha Pie is better than many other pizza options in this area but I do not think it is one of the best pizzas in the city. One of the biggest downfalls to the Buddha Pie pizza is the crust, it just does not seem right. I have eaten pizzas all over Italy and in Toronto and just don’t think this crust is up to snuff. It’s better than, say, Pizza Pizza, or one of the chains, but it is not as good as it could easily be. The canned tomatoes, although imported from Italy, are a big problem for me, especially when used when fresh tomatoes are available. The tomatoes, to me, taste like canned tomatoes, a bit tinny and acidic, not fresh. If they were made into a sauce, this might bring out some of the sweetness in them. They also make the pizza a bit soggy, letting them drain a bit before using them may help this problem too.
Buddha Pie has its issues, but the owner seems extraordinarily pleasant, and the pizza, although not perfect, is better than the average take-​out, especially in High Park, which often feels like the bermuda triangle of take-​out options.

I’ve been delaying reviewing Buddha Pie for some time. I really want to like this place and I feel bad giving it an average review given how awesome the owner is and how much potential there is. But, the bottom line is that despite the amazing reviews here and elsewhere (e.g. BlogTO) the pizza here isn’t that amazing.
The owner and operator of this small pizza shop is awesome. The minute you walk in the door he starts chatting with you like you’re an old friend. He’s very proud of his pizza and will explain all the ingredients to you and walk you through the process of making a pizza.
The dedication to top quality ingredients and craftsmanship is impressive. Buddha Pie’s flagship pie, the Zen Margherita, uses Mozzarella di Bufala and Valoroso tomatoes imported from Italy; tasty, locally-​sourced basil; and high end flour. The owner is genuinely interested in what his customers think about his pizzas and is continually improving his method.
The pizza is a decent imitation of a traditional Neapolitan pie but nothing more. It could be so much better considering the high quality ingredients. Unfortunately, I think the fact that the owner has no prior experience cooking professionally is working against him here.
First, the tomatoes are excellent but should be pureed or at least crushed up rather than left whole. The basil is put on fresh after cooking. An interesting idea but it fails to bring out the full flavour of the herb. It’s hard to go wrong with Mozzarella di Bufala but it doesn’t seem to melt quite right; I think the oven needs to be hotter.
The dough is in serious need of improvement. Buddha Pie makes their dough fresh every night but they don’t seem to understand the delicate art of breadmaking. They use Fleischmann’s yeast rather than a nice, natural live yeast. And, while I’m not a bread expert, I believe the process they use for making their dough needs improvement. The dough tastes too much like pre-​made grocery store dough to me. If they want a proper traditional pizza they’ll also need to get a hotter oven to get a nice texture to their crust as well.
The end result is a good pizza but it tastes like something you’d make yourself at home not a traditional Neapolitan pizza. My theory for all the amazing reviews is that people are swayed by the owners friendly personality and his talking up the ingredients. I was even raving about how good the pizza was until a couple hours later when I started to evaluate it critically. But, who knows, maybe some are just into this style of pizza.
I don’t want to sound like I’m trashing Buddha Pie too hard. I like this place and it has massive potential due to the impressive commitment to quality and self improvement. Over time the pizza will certainly improve. I think they would especially benefit if they temporarily brought in a proper pizza maker or baker to show them the ropes.