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.
Extra long wait & we arrived before lunch rush just for one pizza. Pizza served on the « cooler » end like it had been waiting to be served. Extra oily.
Stopped in for a bite, no reservations. They were able to squeeze us in. Ordered their pizza of the month: thin crust with pesto, micro arugula, prosciutto, burrata, & carmalized peaches. So tasty we ordered another pizza! 2nd one had prosciutto, melted leaks, buratta. Also delicious. Staff was friendly & efficient. For drinks we had espresso martinis, amoretto sour & two types of wine. All marvelous & the amoretto sour was the best I had so far on our vacation. For dessert, pistachio gelato with roasted peanuts. My wife thought she was in heaven. The server was wonderful & treated us as though we were family.
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.
Les arancinis étaient bons, mais la pizza Apennine était vraiment pas bonne, je me suis forcé pour pas jeter.
C'était une flaque d'huile sur une tonne de pistaches contre 4 très fines tranches de pancetta, à chaque part je laissais couler l'huile en tenant la part à la verticale mais même comme ça, la pâte était imbibée d'huile.
En fait c'était un pizza pistache - huile..
Pour le service il n'y avait aucune chaleur & 45min c'était un peu long
Every time I give this restaurant another try it disappoints. No attention to detail & very inattentive staff. Tonight we sent back half a pizza that had a hair inside the ingredients & they did nothing to make it right, they even had the nerve to tell us they can't give a discount (what an insult) for that (even though they did it!) & offered an ice cream which we refused, I paid the full bill (not to make a scene) & left. Very unprofessional & poorly handled once again as it's not the first time they screw up. I hope Stefano & Michael know how their staff are & clients are treated this way!
Aug 9, 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!
Aunque la comida y el servicio están muy bien, deja mucho que desear la tranquilidad que esperas tener cuando estas comiendo. El sonido que se concentra dentro del restaurante es muy fuerte.
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.
Aug 2, 2025
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Very disappointed...I am Italian & the only'authenticiy' (tourists are desperate to find) is the location in little Italy...
The pizza is ridiculously small & outrageously expensive, even for Montreal standards...
Staff is nice though, & location is great.
I am so happy that I randomly chose Gema to stop & eat something.
To start, I took the Roman style fried rice croquettes, a bit expensive but worth it! I don't usually like arancini, but at Gema, they know what they are doing. It was delicious!
As for the pizza, I ordered pizza RULIANO & it was OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD!!! It has melted leaks, prosciutto,Fontina on a perfectly baked & charred dough. It's what pizza dreams are made of.
I can't wait to go back & try the rest of the pizzas & reorder Ruliano.
Ouh & they have delicious ice custard that is full of flavor & not too sweet. So refreshing. Love this place!
PS: great service from the manager Adrien.
Oh, Gema Pizzeria, where do I even begin? It's truly a culinary marvel, especially if your frame of reference for'best pizza' is, shall we say, flexible. They claim to bring a slice of Napoli to Montreal, & by golly, they deliver... something.
The pizza, oh, the pizza! It's easily one of the pizzas I've had that was not in Napoli, Italy. A bold statement, I know, but one I stand by. You can absolutely tell the sauce is homemade - it has that unmistakable'someone made this at home' quality. It's truly a testament to the human spirit of trying.
& the meatballs! Ah, the homemade meatballs. They were so generously endowed with Parmesan cheese, it was almost as if they were trying to achieve a new state of matter: cheeseball.'Cheesy meatballs' is an understatement; they were practically a dairy product with a hint of meat. Just amazing. Truly. If you're looking for an experience that will make you question everything you thought you knew about Italian cuisine, Gema Pizzeria is your destination. Five stars for effort, I suppose.
Jul 2, 2025
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Une pâte à pizza excellente ,nous avons essayé les agnelotti,petit beignets enrobés de parmesan avec ricotta au miel épicé,une des meilleures entrée que j'ai jamais goûté
Pizza, accueil & ambiance au-delà de nos attentes. Un service avec le sourire & des desserts qui donnent envie. À coup sûr, nous répéterons l'expérience.
