I’ve been hearing good things about Danny’s Pizza Tavern, located at 611 College Street on a busy stretch of Toronto’s Little Italy.
Danny’s opened in 2022 and is the creation of Daniel “Danny” Barna and his wife, Anna Hopkins, along with partners Mark Kupfert and Daniel Suss. Interestingly, Barna is a journalist by trade and Hopkins is an actor, writer and director, and neither originally set out to become a restaurateur. Their idea was to create the kind of welcoming neighbourhood tavern that felt as though it had been around for decades, a place where you could come with the family, meet friends for drinks and pizza or even have a casual date night.
They certainly captured that feeling.
We visited on a beautiful day, and more people were dining outside on the sidewalk patio than inside. But you really need to step inside to appreciate the personality of Danny’s. The restaurant feels a little like walking into someone’s basement in the 1950s. There’s wood panelling, marble-topped tables, Tiffany-style lamps, quirky knick-knacks and walls plastered with family photographs, including pictures of the family dogs. Many of the photographs, artwork and objects actually came from Barna and Hopkins’ own families and childhood homes. Add some old-school jazz and big band music and the whole room has a wonderfully nostalgic, lived-in feel.
I asked our server if Danny’s was considered Italian and she said no. Looking at the menu, however, I would describe it as an Italian-American-influenced neighbourhood tavern serving classic American comfort food.
Chef Jonathan Pde, whose background includes Piano Piano, heads up the kitchen. The philosophy here isn’t about reinventing familiar dishes but rather doing them well, and the menu is designed for sharing.
The signature is their Chicago or Midwestern tavern-style pizza. These are not your typical thick Chicago pies. The crust is extremely thin and crisp, the toppings extend right to the edge and instead of wedges, the pizza is cut into lots of small squares. Apparently, when the owners first found the space, it already had a pizza oven, which helped inspire the direction of the restaurant.
The pizzas were surprisingly good. One pie can easily feed two to three hungry people, particularly if you’re sharing some other dishes.
We chose the white mushroom pizza with shiitake, king oyster and cremini mushrooms, mozzarella and lemon zest. It was delicious. Two dips came alongside, a garlicky cream sauce and hot honey, and I loved both of them on the pizza. There are several red and white pies to choose from, with the pepperoni being their bestseller and the clam pie becoming something of a house signature.
We started with an arugula salad with crispy chickpeas, pomegranate and candied pecans. Fresh and tasty, although I would have liked a few more of those candied pecans.
Another dish worth ordering is the vinegar chicken, inspired by the well-known vinegar chicken at Bernie’s in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We ordered a half portion. The chicken is brined and roasted and served with confit potatoes, pepperoncini and shallots, then finished with a delicious sweet-and-sour sherry vinegar sauce. It was a great combination of flavours and one of my favourite dishes of the meal.
There’s also a full bar, which is very much part of the Danny’s concept, with tried-and-true cocktails, beer and an interesting selection of wines from Ontario and Italy to as far away as New Zealand.
Dessert keeps things simple with three choices when we visited: an ice cream sundae, key lime and chocolate-dipped ice cream, and a blondie cake with cream and candied pecans.
Danny’s Pizza Tavern isn’t trying to be fancy or overly serious. That’s exactly its charm. It’s fun, unfussy and nostalgic, with good, generous, shareable food and a room that feels instantly familiar. It’s the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that works for almost everyone, whether you’re taking the family, meeting friends for pizza and cocktails or enjoying a casual date night.
A fun addition to Little Italy and a perfect neighbourhood eatery.
Happy dining,
Shanea
09/27/2026
