Impasto's owners, Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione are bringing their culinary skills to their new pizzeria called GEMA (an acronym for their children's names). The establishment serves fresh pizzas and decadent desserts.
Overall, reviews describe Gema Pizzeria as a warm neighborhood spot with a welcoming vibe, solid wine selection, and very good pizza, though experiences vary. The crust is frequently praised as delicious and blistered, while a few visits note undercooked centers or pizzas that feel oily and where the toppings don’t always come together. Pizzas such as Apennine, Ruliano, Capricciosa and Vetri get strong praise for the crust and balance, though some diners find certain toppings or additions like balsamic on fior di latte to be overpowering. The Jean Talon market salad is consistently highlighted for freshness and brightness, with several calls to its standout vinaigrette. Calamari and some antipasti can disappoint when not crispy or sufficiently flavorful, and tiramisu often lacks intensity. The atmosphere is described as casual and convivial, with some reviews noting it can be noisy and the space crowded; service ranges from outstanding to slow or inattentive, and a few readers question tipping defaults on the machine. Still, the consensus leans toward returning for the quality and charm.
A good little pizza spot with tasty food, a solid wine selection & friendly staff.
The crust was delicious & nicely blistered, however the toppings didn't quite come together for me. The balsamic vinegar on the fior di latte, micro arugula, & prosciutto pizza felt like a note that pulled the balance off, at least for me.
The Jean Talon market salad however, had me singing. It was fresh & vibrant - especially impressive in the middle of January. I would absolutely recommend the salad.
The tiramisu fell a bit flat for me. I was really hoping for more intensity & flavor.
The atmosphere hit all the markers of a casual neighborhood pizza spot. Overall, it was a very enjoyable stop.
A good little pizza spot with tasty food, a solid wine selection & friendly staff.
The crust was delicious & nicely blistered, but the toppings didn't quite come together, leaving the pizza pleasant rather than memorable. The balsamic vinegar on the fior di latte, micro arugula, & prosciutto pizza felt like a note that pulled the balance off, at least for me.
The Jean Talon market salad however, had me singing. It was fresh & vibrant - especially impressive in the middle of January. I would absolutely recommend the salad.
The tiramisu fell a bit flat for me. I was really hoping for more intensity & flavor.
The atmosphere hit all the markers of a casual neighborhood pizza spot. Overall, it was a very enjoyable stop.
We'll be visiting again.
Feb 2, 2026
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My partner & I visited on a Saturday evening & ordered the Jean Talon salad, fried calamari, Capricciosa, & Diavola pizzas. Located in the heart of Little Italy, the restaurant sits among numerous excellent dining options in the area.
The service was outstanding-attentive, professional, & accommodating. The interior is nicely decorated, though we were seated beneath a large light fixture in the center of the room where the lights continuously flickered in intensity, which became somewhat distracting.
The Jean Talon salad was excellent-fresh greens with a standout vinaigrette. Unfortunately, the fried calamari fell short of expectations. They lacked the crispiness I was hoping for, arriving pale & soft. The seasoning was too mild for my taste, & the accompanying tomato dip was one-dimensional, lacking any depth beyond basic tomato flavor.
The pizzas, however, were excellent. Both were generously sized with well-balanced toppings & a lovely crust.
We'll definitely return, though we'll skip the calamari next time-& hopefully the lighting issue will be resolved.
J'y suis allée avec mon mari, l'accueil & le service rien à dire, rapide & courtois, pour les plats nous avons commandé la salade de poulpe, le Frito Misto, & 2 pizzas (1889 & Affumicata), la poulpe était caoutchouteuse & le frito misto , calamars & crevettes frits mais on a eu que le calamar, en revanche les pizza étaient excellentes, l'ambiance trop bruyante & les lieux trop étroit, on entendait la conversation des clients assis à coté de nous plus que la notre.
Première & dernière expérience chez Gema.
Le service était très long alors que le restaurant était loin d'être saturé de clients (45 à 50 minutes d'attente pour 2 pizzas), aucune compensation proposée & un personnel quasi absent.
La pizza Apennine était imbibée (ou était baignée à vous de choisir !) d'huile, cela dégoulinait dans l'assiette.
La salade du marché jean talon ne présente aucun intérêt, aucune élaboration.
Aucun plaisir gustatif, nous repartons déçus & frustrés.
Les tarifs sont élevés pour la qualité des plats proposés.
Aug 10, 2025
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Cute cozy atmosphere, simple but good menu - fritto misto & octopus salad were dynamite - more vegan options (cashew cheese or vegan cheese) would be better to make more dynamic for those with dairy allergy or vegan preference. Excellent service, very kind staff & attentive. Will be back!
Quelle belle soirée nous avons vécu dans ce restaurant aux serveurs attentionnés & aux mets délicieux. Nous nous sommes partagés les entrées dont la salade de pieuvre & des croquettes de riz à la romaine. J ai obtenu une délicieuse pizza Hawaï sans fromage comme je l aime, & la végétarienne fut très appréciée. Tout cela accompagné par un vin de toscane soigneusement recommandé par le gérant.
Merci à toute l'équipe, nous reviendrons assurément.
A little disappointed with their Fior di latte cheese. It was not creamy on the beets salad- dry & lack of dressing. We ordered two pizzas with no meat toppings & the pizzaoilo put prosciutto on one of them. Upon biting on the pizza, we tasted & found the meat which was alarming. On the other side, Staff was willing to change it which is a normal gesture to do since they made the mistake. Service was courteous. Price wise, a little expensive vs quality of the food. All in all, I do not think I would return to this place because I believe there are better good pizza restaurants.
Apr 10, 2024
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Chez Gema, tous les amateurs de pizzas (minces) sont les bienvenus, que vous découpiez la vôtre à la fourchette en l'enrobant comme une crêpe, que vous la rouliez (comme moi) ou que vous la mangiez « à plat ». Le constat de cette valeur d'inclusion - mot populaire & politique par les temps qui courent - a été renforcé en apercevant la pizza « hawaïenne » sur le menu régulier, honnie par les puristes. À l'origine, je m'étais esclaffé lorsque mon amie avait arrêté son choix sur cette dernière, ce qui l'a probablement fait se raviser. Ensuite, je l'ai quelque peu regretté à la pensée des saveurs inattendues que j'aurais pu découvrir. Enfin, peu importe ! Ici, les pizzaioli sont maîtres de leur art ; nos trois ventres ont été très comblés de leur choix : la fungo pour moi, l'appenine pour mon amie & la capricciosa pour l'amie de l'amie. Par suite, il n'y a pas réellement de repentir à avoir. Toujours dans cette poursuite de mettre toutes les bonnes gens à leur aise, le Gema ne prend pas des airs. L'ambiance est décontractée, intime, & le service l'est également, toujours à portée de main & souriant. Le défaut, s'il en est un, réside dans la petitesse de la salle. Elle se remplit relativement vite &, sans réservation, on pourrait devoir gentiment vous refouler, en espérant vous y revoir un autre jour. Selon moi, si cela devait effectivement vous arriver, essayez de revenir. Autant les délicieuses entrées (salade du marché Jean-Talon, suppli Elena), les pizzas & les desserts (une tendre crème glacée à la vanille) devraient ravir votre bande affamée. Prenez note toutefois que les prix se situent dans une fourchette un peu plus exclusive & que vous devriez prévoir un budget conséquent, de 40 à 50 $ par personne en omettant les boissons. J'ai fermé la porte à une consommation d'alcool en voyant les prix des coquetels se promener autour du 17, 18 $, chiffres dignes d'un restaurant haut de gamme. Toute réflexion faite, nous avons savouré un repas simple ponctué de conversations simples, qui aurait pu se conclure tout aussi simplement, n'eût été un petit incident hilarant, soit la rencontre de ma tête avec la vitre de la porte coulissante alors que j'essayais de regarder à l'extérieur. Je vous assure qu'elle était invisible ! Mais plus maintenant, gracieuseté d'une belle grosse empreinte « digitale » de mon front.
Quality pizza. Very quality. Absolutely the best crust. We had arancini to start, then him & I shared a pizza & a salad. The salad was very fresh & pizza was perfectly cooked. We asked for a pizza cooked more on the crispy side of things. It was delicious. Most of all, the service was above & beyond what we usually get in restaurants these days. It was a very professional lady brunette that served us Tuesday night. Many thanks.
Salads : the good & the bad & the not so ugly. Fantastic, best of the late summer tomato salad , fresh, tasty & daring in big savoury chunks with great buratta — & the worst fennel potato octopus salad ever - potato from the day before yesterday back of the fridge tasteless fennel & onion - so so sad— although the octopus (pieuvre) was good
Sep 2, 2023
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100$ for one burnt pizza, one salad that only consisted of leaves & oil & two glasses of wine.
There's cheaper & better pizza one block down from here.
Was there in July 2017, party of 2. Ordered drinks, wine, appetizers & entrees & desserts. Cocktails were the high note. Food is made up of high quality ingredients. There is just not enough of them in every dished. Barely no octopus in the octopus salad. Barely no mozzarella di buffala on our pizza (literally had to look for it). Same for every serving
Was there early in the evening - no rush. The servers didn't even inform us of items not on the regular menu. Seated outside, there was no way to find out.
We like Stefano quite a bit but were very disappointed this time. There are many other "higher" end pizzerias in Montreal. Will not be coming back here
Très déçu. Les calamari était très tendre mais pas crousiant. La salade verte avec radis melon d'eau n'avait aucun goût. La pizza tomate, di Buffalo (prèsque pas de fromage) était brulé.
Je ne retournera jamais & je le recommander pas du tout. Il y a beaucoup de resto dans la petit Italie qu'il font une très meilleur pizza.
C'est dommage.l
