Il Focolaio
Info & Location
About us
Since 1984 clients have been coming to Il Focolaio to get that authentic Italian taste that is reminiscent of their grandmother’s cooking. Il Focolaio, in fact means fireplace in Italian. The name depicts the maple wood burning oven where each and every one of our pizzas and roasted ingredients are cooked. Our fireplace, as in the old country, not only brings forth the food but also becomes the gathering place for our clients who always feel welcomed and right at home. Our recipe for success is simple, serving up pizza using ingredients that only a true pizzaiolo would use, such as extra virgin olive oil, top quality tomatoes and only the freshest ingredients, all prepared with passion and a love for cooking to bring you the end result that you will never forget. We invite you to come and enjoy the taste of Italy with a nice glass of wine from our wine list. Enjoy it all on our terrace in the middle of downtown during the summer months.
Our Specialties
Wood oven pizza.
Amenities, services & more
Capacity: 128 We accept: Master Card, Visa, AMEX, InteracPhotos (19) More
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Events Nearby
Pride 2025 at Place Ville Marie
Aug 10, 2025
Fantasia International Film Festival Montreal 2025
Jul 17, 2025 to Aug 3, 2025
Reviews often mention
Display Allpizza(555) salad(35) recommend(34) crust(29) options(26) italian(23) rapide(22) pizzeria(22) topping(20)Page 1 of 1 - 22 Reviews
Bradley
Amazing pizza every time! Consistent, always fresh, & not shy with toppings. Plus they have delicious gluten free crust available & lactose free cheese for people with dietary restrictions! The servers are also very knowledgeable & friendly. Highly recommend!View more
Matthew
Maybe I came at an'off moment', maybe it's just a matter of taste, but this pizza was so lackluster for the price & I left confused by the overwhelming amount of positive reviews this place has.
I'm surprised not a single reviewer has mentioned the tomato sauce here, either as a positive or a negative. Because that was my biggest issue. The crust was amazing. Classic thin crust Italian baked in a super hot oven. Exactly what I want. But the sauce was like battery acid. Just pure acid & salt & zero sweetness, no fresh tomato taste. Tasted like it was poured out of a store brand jar. The cheese was also cooked pretty dark & pulled off in large chunks which was disappointing.
Great service. Nice views of the square. But overall I wouldn't subject myself to a pizza this pricey & this mediocre again.
I would expect this quality if I was ordering late nView more
JC
Saw the reviews & wanted to try. Lived up to the hype. Great pizza. Crispy crust. Good quality toppings. Decent prices depending on what you order. Like the larger style cuts for slices. Free WiFi. Great comfortable atmosphere. Clean facility. Clean washroom. Friendly staff who can speak English well.View more
Sina
Absolutely loved this pizza shop! The pizza was genuinely tasty - fresh ingredients, perfectly cooked crust, & just the right amount of cheese & toppings. The price was very fair for the quality & portion size, which is always a plus. What really stood out, though, was the staff - they were incredibly nice, welcoming, & made the whole experience even better. You can tell they care about their customers & take pride in their service. Whether you're grabbing a quick bite or dining in, this place is worth a visit. I'll definitely be coming back. Highly recommend it!View more
Bianca
We were honestly surprised at how much we loved Pizza Il Focolaio. My husband & I have been diehard pizza enthusiasts for years & most places are very middle of the road. But this place had great service, a really efficient team, & pizza combinations that are interesting & delicious. One of the best things about this place was the chili oil they will bring out to the table at request. We split the Capo Franco pizza & were very full! Although the pizzas are on the smaller side, any one of them can easily feed two people comfortably because they really load on the ingredients. That being said, despite lots of toppings, the pizza's crust was still crisp, slightly chewy, & maintained a nice char without being soggy. If we ever go back to Montreal, we'll be sure to visit again!View more
Sean
This spot seriously delivered some of the best thin-crust pizza I've ever had! The crust was perfectly crisp with just the right amount of char, & the toppings were fresh & flavorful. We tried a variety-one with pineapple & blue cheese that was unexpectedly amazing, & another loaded with sausage, pepperoni, & green peppers that was packed with flavor. The Caesar salads were also generous & creamy-definitely a solid starter.
Service was excellent-super friendly & attentive. The only downside? It was surprisingly crowded for a Tuesday lunch. That said, it's clearly popular for a reason. Would absolutely come back!View more
Daniel
Gluten free friendly crust is to die for. Best ever. Cooked to perfection. Our one regular wheat crust eater said it was his most favourite pizza ever. Definitely recommend & coming back. So happy you were so close to our hotel. Front staff ladies 10/10.View more
Greysuitcase
Ended up at this place because of my friend's recommendation. She's been to this pizzeria before & thought their pizza is amazing so she took me here during our Montréal trip. The place was busy when we went for a visit during peak lunch hour rush on a Thursday. There was even quite a long line forming outside the restaurant of people waiting for a table. We ended up waiting for about 15 minutes or so before getting a table. The waiting time wasn't too bad to be honest. & if you don't want to wait, you can always order to go & eat it at the park across the street. What we ordered: Caesar Salad 8.5/10 The salad was fresh & nicely seasoned. Not too salty or peppery or cheesy. Very balanced. The portion was quite generous too. No.23 Campagnola 9.5/10 Sauce, mushrooms, onions, spicy pancetta (Italian bacon), mozzarella, black olives. I have to say this was probably one of the best pizza I've ever had in recent times. The pizza was cooked really well with that wood burning aroma whiffing off of the crust that's slightly charred on different spots. The texture was nice, chewy & there's a slight bounce to the bite. All the toppings were also evenly cooked & sitting nicely on top of the gooey mozzarella & the portion is quite big & generous. No.68 A La Griglia 9/10 Fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, onions, artichokes, mushrooms, green & red peppers), fresh garlic, Italian herbs, olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano. My friend actually ordered this one & I have the same comment about the overall pizza like the Campagnola. I think their pizza is really solid & you can just order whichever pizza that have the toppings that you like & I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it. Definitely will go back again the next time I'm in MontréalView more
Vishal
I recently dined at Pizza Focolaio in downtown Montreal & was thoroughly impressed! I ordered the vegetarian pizza ratatouille & the Giardino salad, & both dishes were fantastic. The pizza was stone-baked to perfection, with a crisp crust on the outside & a soft, chewy interior. The ratatouille toppings were generous & beautifully seasoned, creating a delightful medley of flavors. The Giardino salad was fresh & well-composed, providing a refreshing contrast to the pizza. Pizza Focolaio offers a wide variety of pizzas, both vegetarian & non-vegetarian, catering to diverse tastes. Each pizza is stone-baked, enhancing the flavors & giving it an authentic, rustic touch. The ambiance is cozy & welcoming, & the attentive service made the experience even better. I'd highly recommend this spot for anyone craving delicious, high-quality pizza in Montreal!View more
Yike
I am a pizza lover & I have tasted many delicious pizzas. I have to say that when I first ate the pizza from this restaurant, I was really amazed. The tomato sauce was very delicious, & the ingredients were matched, & the crispness of the crust was just right. I will definitely recommend it to every friend who comes to Montreal.View more
Qingying
My partner & I ordered the Calzoni Volcano (No. 44) & the Pizza Carré Phillips (No. 27), & we both thoroughly enjoyed the Volcano Calzoni. It was incredibly flavorful, with a filling that had a gentle, spicy kick that blended perfectly with the cheese & mushrooms. The Pizza Carré Phillips was more of a classic all-dressed pizza on a thin crust-not bad, but I found myself wishing I'd tried something different, as I can get an all-dressed pizza anywhere. The Cannolis are so delicious too! The waiter was exceptionally friendly & made us feel very welcome. I would definitely come back!View more
Abhinav
Food 5/5 Service 5/5 Ambience 3/5 This is definitely my favourite pizza restaurant in Montreal. For years, I stop by this place whenever I had the chance & it never disappoints. The quality is as good as it can be, crust & toppings, simply can't get enough of those pizzas.View more
Rachel
This place has over 73 different types of pizza, & you can have it with vegan cheese & a vegan crust ! They have tofu & vegan pepperoni as well. This fungi pizza had pleurotte mushrooms & spicy peppers, it was excellentView more
Daniel
Visit: June 2024 I got the Suprema Pizza, which was very good, with an insane amount of toppings & a thin, crisp crust. One pizza is still pretty filling for one person. Also comes with olive oil to add to the pizza or use for the crust. Also loved the decor in the restaurant, it gave a very rustic feeling to the placeView more
Researchy
La croûte a été brûlée. / The crust was burnt.View more
Michel
The place was busy but the service was fast, get there early if you don't want to wait! The salad was huge but perfect to share, & the pizza was great. Crust was nice & lots of cheese!View more
Lidia
The restaurant was very busy which is always a good sign. The pizza was delicious, I would just get it well done next time because I love a good crispy crust.View more
Elias
The food here was absolutely phenomenal & the service was great. The quality of the pizza ingredients is definitely above average. It is very busy, we were waiting in line for a seat, but it was very much worth it. The normal pizza crust has egg & milk in it, but the whole wheat crust is vegan friendly.View more
M
Second time, just as good as the first. Had the gluten-free crust with prosciutto & spicy pancetta (since the pepperoni is not gluten-free). I'm already looking forward to our next visit.View more
Vivian
I've loved pizza my whole life, & these were definitely on the top of my list. I eat all kinds of pizza, pan pizza, thin crust, stuffed crust, homemade, frozen, New York style, Chicago style, Italian pizza, Canadian pizza, etc., honestly speaking, pizza is just so versatile that I personally believe anything can be added on it. I've never seen a pizza menu with 77+ flavors. Besides the pizza per se, the highlight of the experience to me was the fact that they served olive oil & red chili pepper flakes on the side, which made me feel like it was a "healthier cheat meal". Thank you for the great experience. Servers were so nice as well! Will be back there again! P.s. We didn't make a reservation, but we noticed there were people queueing up to get in after 6pm.View more
Foodie
9 Reviews
We hit up Il Focolaio for the 1st stop on our downtown pizza crawl.
The Margherita pizza's crust was thin but retained a certain level of chewiness while the sauce was very scarce so we couldn't really taste it. The basil flavour was absent & we encountered a few salty pockets here & there.
The Polpetta Di Mamma Angelina pizza had the same crust with good sauce coverage this time. The sweetness of the red pepper comes through but we wished there were more meatballs.
Overall, Il Focolaio is an OK place for your weekday lunches, but we wouldn't recommend it for a night out on the town.