A popular east-end café is becoming a pizzeria

Café Zuzu is doubling down on dough. The Regent Park café is relaunching on November 14 with a new pizza-focused menu. The change marks a shift in how the restaurant wants to meet the needs of its neighbourhood. Part of Gusto 54 Restaurant Group, owned by Toronto restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, Café Zuzu originally opened in 2022 and quickly became a popular gathering place for the locals.

Lauren Bailey, brand strategy and communications manager, says the café’s evolution is grounded in its relationship with the people living nearby. “It’s such a community spot,” she says. “We’ve really garnered a nice following of local regulars.”

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Part of the decision to change things up was acknowledging where value sits for diners in the current economy. Many Toronto households are being more cautious with their budgets, but they still want to enjoy a night out at a restaurant once in a while.

“People are always looking for a great deal, and one thing that always falls into that bracket is pizza,” Bailey says. “Pizza is a little bit more affordable, and it’s something we do well, so we decided to lean into it.”

Executive chef and pizzaiolo Elio Zannoni remains in charge of the kitchen. The new 16-inch pizzas take cues from New York–style pies, with thin, crisp crusts and dough that’s aged for flavour. Bailey says diners can expect a mix of red- and white-sauce pies, with standard toppings like pepperoni sharing space with elevated touches like spicy vodka sauce and basil pesto drizzle. The menu will also include Italian snacks, like garlic shrimp and fried calamari.

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Several of Café Zuzu’s most popular dishes will remain, including the mozzarella sticks and the spicy vodka rigatoni. For dessert, there’ll be bread pudding with a panettone twist and New York–style cheesecake topped with stewed Lambrusco cherries.

Also new to the menu: martinis. “They’ll be served tableside with individual shakers, so they can be enjoyed at that ultimate super-cold temperature,” says Bailey.

The main dining room will remain mostly unchanged, but the private dining room will be rebranded as the Pantry. The retail market and bottle shop will expand, giving guests more options to pull together take-home meals or grab quick hosting gifts, including wine, cured meats, cheeses and specialty jarred items.

Bailey says she expects the neighbourhood to treat the change as an extension of what’s already working. “To have groups come in where the adults can have a nice little tableside cocktail while everybody, including the kids, enjoys their pizza and pasta is something that can be appreciated by the entire family,” she says. “I think it’s just going to be a natural evolution.”