They came to compete at the 2026 International Pizza Challenge, Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. And the winner is? Drumroll…Canada!
It was all about the dough in Las Vegas. At a three-day Bake-Off in March, 750 restaurants and pizzaioli took up arms to compete in the 2026 International Pizza Challenge. They gathered from around the world. From New York, Italy, Detroit, Montreal and everywhere to compete in eight divisions with their signature pizzas: Traditional, Non-Traditional, Neapolitan/STG, Pan, World’s Best Cheese Slice, Classica, Bacio Legacy Non-Traditional, and Daiya Dairy-Free Pizza.
The judges, a panel of renowned, accredited chefs, went about their business: sniffing, cutting, folding, pinching, tasting. Then, they further challenged each division winner to a face-off in a Mystery Ingredient Showdown to determine who will be crowned Pizza Maker of the Year.
Defeating the winners in five out of eight categories, Executive Chef Mirko D’Agata of Montreal’s Pizzeria No 900 claimed the $5,000 award and the ultimate title in the pizza world: World Champion Pizza Maker.
Co-Founders of Pizzeria No 900, Dominic Bujold and Alexandre Brunet, alongside head pizzaiolo Mirko D’Agata, have built a brand focused on precision and quality, from the VPN-certified techniques (Verace Pizza Napoletana) that define their wood-fired pies to their locally-sourced ingredients in restaurants across Montreal. No doubt they are ecstatic. For a Pizzeria, it’s like winning the FIFA World Cup.
I confess, the last pizza I ate was in 2011 on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. But this news is a call to action. I immediately phone my two pizza mavens, the kid and the grown-up, and we drive to the Pizzeria No 900 outpost on Queen St. East in the Beaches, delightfully situated right next to a public park.
Inside, it is structurally relaxed, like a pizzeria built by a set designer: shiny black and white tile, a bar, a few comfortable tables. In front of us, in the center, is a glass enclosed kitchen with an authentic wood burning pizza oven and a counter where the dough is rolled and stretched—presided over by Dan, a pizzaiolo without peer. To the side, a wine cave like a glassed-in jewel box with a myriad of bottles reflects light through its window-walls. The back dining room affords a full view of the park through its large windows.
We’re warmly greeted by owner Luke Soave and seated on a leather banquet, facing the business part of the place, the oven.
Kids will be kids. Mine walked in to get a closer look at the wood burning oven, and was immediately invited by Dan to learn how to make pizza, from a lump of raw dough to the finished product. With excitement, the kid dons a No 900 cap, gets his ball of dough and begins to learn how to stretch the dough with ten fingers, how to fold and stretch hand over fist, how to pick it up and stretch it to size—lessons that will probably stay with him the rest of his life.
There are hundreds of pizzerias in Toronto. What distinguishes this pizza? The 00 flour rests for 36 hours before baking. The magic oven temperature is 900 degrees and the baking time is 90 seconds—not one second more or less. When it comes out of the oven the dough has a soft texture but maintains firm integrity and doesn't flop over like a noodle. The light and airy cornicione and crust are slightly sweet and harmonize with the toppings, rather than just hold them in place. The ingredients are selected to match the dough—the Fior de latte, in particular, with its creamy, "flower of milk" texture, is a perfect complement.
We order from a menu that offers a delectable selection. We wait for 90 seconds in anticipation. And then, “Lunch is served!”
Like a collaboration with nature, three delicate and buoyant pizzas are set before us.
A classic Margherita, the queen of Italian pizza, is also the most basic. Representing the three colours of the Italian flag, each ingredient must be high quality, because there is nowhere to hide. Tangy tomatoes, fresh spring basil, extra virgin olive oil from Italy, and Grano Padano, which is not as sharp as Parmigiano Reggiano, and so it doesn’t compete, by collaborates with the other ingredients for that familiar balance of flavours that sing of Italy in minimalist perfection. We are torn between pairing with a Sangiovese from Puglia or a Pinot Grigio from Veneto. We order both! Why not mix and match?
The Smoked Meat pizza balances an unusual combination of ingredients like espresso aioli and parsley emulsion for an overall mouthfeel that is velvety smooth with a hint of heat from the chili flakes and black pepper that delicately elevate the smoked meat and caramelized onions with a je ne sais quoi that is lip-smacking good!
A flirtatious pizza, there is so much going on with the Organic Mushroom. An umami forest awaits. Herb-touched and fortified by the unique taste of each mushroom variety set within a blend of fresh buttery mascarpone and the sweet notes of fior de latte, nourished by the rich sugars and mellow, jammy texture of caramelized onions and lightly seasoned with truffle salt, it all coalesces to create satisfaction in every corner of my mouth. Could we be devouring the winning pizza?
Pizza and Italian wine make happy culinary matrimony. For the Organic Mushroom and Smoked Meat pizzas, we choose from the wine selection a Palazzo di Varignana Chardonnay from Emilia Romagna, and a Nicosia Vulkà Etna Rosso from the volcanic soils of Sicily.
We’re all smiles, and I can’t believe we ate the whole thing. “Wait,” says Dan, “there is dessert.” And he sets before us a perfectly crisp pizza crust lavished with an in-house made chocolate and hazelnut blend that puts Ferrero to shame. Mildly sweet, thick melted chocolate with a nutty crunch is decadent but refined, and begs for a pairing with the house signature Ethiopian espresso.
Pizza is not only one of the most popular comfort foods in the world; it is the most commonly shared dining experience we have. Everyone gets a slice. When it’s done right—when it’s done perfectly—it’s a joy, and while elements of pizza transform around the world, right now, the world’s number one pizza is right here at home in Toronto.
Pizzeria NO.900 Beaches, 416-690-9994, 1987 Queen Street East