COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Meet Pizzeria Toro
NOTE: Please help support small businesses and local neighbors during these challenging times. Many local restaurants, bars, and shops have been forced to temporarily close their doors due to COVID-19. Please consider buying a gift card, or ordering products online where applicable to help provide support.
10-12 minute walk from Elliott Square
Pizzeria Toro in Downtown Durham
Widely hailed as an inspired-Durham favorite - Pizzeria Toro is a celebration of bold flavors, locally sourced ingredients, passionate and nimble chefs, and community. Through the seasonality-based, continually rotating menu, two things become clear: 1. Pizzeria Toro provides a unique experience every visit, 2. This ain’t your average slice of pie.
The passion behind the pizza is what makes the difference - you can literally taste it.
“This kind of pie comes from someone willing to take risks with flavors and ingredients, to push the boundaries of tradition for the sake of the perfect bite. Someone like Gary Brooks and his team at Pizzeria Toro.”
This kind of pie comes from someone willing to take risks with flavors and ingredients, to push the boundaries of tradition for the sake of the perfect bite. This daring pizza expert is Gray Brooks, owner and General Manager of Pizzeria Toro alongside Jay Owens and wife, Cara Stacy. The former works magic in the kitchen, crafting and curating menus alongside a team of incredibly talented and innovative chefs. With Brooks in the back, Owens and Stacy run the front of the house, catering to guests and delivering exemplary customer service. Hardly surprising, given the long list of accolades and success stories under this team’s belt.
Some could attribute this to a bit of home-court advantage on Brooks’ side - being a Durham native and famously long-time fan of the Five-Points district Downtown. While that may have a little bit to do with their success, we’d argue the only home-court advantage here is the access to the vibrant agricultural community in the area. Boasting artisanal meats and cheeses, house-made sausage and locally sourced ingredients, the ingredients that go into each plate are designed to leave a lasting impression.
“Special of the Day”: White Sauce + Spicy Italian Sausage + Chard Pizza
It's not just pizza for which Pizzeria Toro is famous! While its pizza makes up the majority of its menu, the restaurant offers a delightful selection of desserts, antipasti, and pairing wines + cocktails worth exploring. You can’t go wrong with the world-famous crispy pig ears! Served alongside NC apple mostarda and recently recognized on the Cooking Channels, “Best Thing I Ever Ate,” these crispy, delectable bites are mouth-watering. Looking for a slightly lighter fare? The Tuscan kale salad has become an unexpected fan-favorite, with many citing their love of the bold flavors created through the perfect blend of pine nuts, chiles and parmesan.
But now for the grand-daddy of it all, the unbeatable and incomparable pizza. With both red + white sauce variations to choose from, there isn’t a bad call on the menu. Can’t decide - order the special of the day! We did, and were blessed with this white sauce, chard, spicy Italian sausage combination on a blistered, thin crust that nearly brought us to tears. Dietary restrictions? Don’t worry! The orange co. Escarole, cauliflower, garlic, and cashew “parm” pie is a phenomenal vegan option.
One thing is for sure - this won’t be the first time you hear about Pizzeria Toro.
Recently this Durham pizzeria and its incredible team have been receiving national attention. Notably, Marla Thurman, Chef de Cuisine at Pizzeria Toro for the last five years, was recently featured on popular Food Network program, “Chopped”! On February 25, the Toro team and members of the community gathered for a special showing of the episode, cheering her on as she dominated in the kitchen and walked away with $10,000 and the championship title. We’re just saying, if she impressed Ted Allen, she’s already won our hearts (and stomachs) over.
Orange Co. Escarole + Cauliflower + Garlic + Cashew “Parm” Pizza
Typically, we’d advise that next time you’re in Downtown Durham you stop in and sit down. Don’t get us wrong, we recommend going in person! There is nothing like the ambiance that comes from sitting around that huge pizza-oven for an intimate dinner with family and friends or casual work lunch. But you can also beat the crowd, and have it delivered! Wherever you are, the temptation of this oven-baked pizza is more than enough reason to leave that freezer-burned pizza tucked away behind your icemaker for at least another night.
Regardless of where, how, or why you eat at Pizzeria Toro - make sure you do. With a menu that checks the boxes you didn’t know you had and an extensive wine + cocktail list to compliment it. Without a doubt, this upscale pizzeria in Downtown Durham is sure to become a familiar favorite. When every trip feels like the first time, thanks to the vast selection and kind reception, the only question you need to ask yourself is, “When can I go back?!”