This new Harbord Village pizzeria makes a real nice slice
It’s right in the name
Nick White, owner of Nice Slice—a new pizza counter that just opened on an increasingly clutch culinary stretch of Harbord—didn’t exactly take the standard path to becoming a pizzaiolo. “I always did well in school, so I spent way too much time there,” he says. “I first did a master’s in communication and culture at TMU, then I went to law school at Osgoode Hall.” White finished his law degree and articled but soon realized he wasn’t happy with the career choice. “I spoke to other lawyers I knew, and they all said the same thing: if you don’t like it, get out of it fast.” White listened.
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At the end of 2022, while figuring out his next move, White got a job at Mac’s Pizza. He had put himself through school by working front-of-house jobs at Terroni and the Hamptons, but he’d never worked in a kitchen. “I’ve always loved tinkering with recipes at home, so I thought it would be really interesting to learn how to make pizza,” he says. When Mac’s opened in his neighbourhood, he took the job to make ends meet.
White fell in love with the vibe and culture at the Bloorcourt pizza parlour. “It seemed quite simple: they had great wine, excellent pizza, everyone loved working there and the customers were always happy.” After two years on the job, White decided he wanted to recreate that same kind of energy in a different neighbourhood.
His own menu is a pared-down list of slices and pies that includes the standard pepperoni or vodka-sauce pepperoni, plain cheese or cheese with vodka sauce, a red pie, a za’atar pie, a spicy pie (hot Italian sausage, roasted long hot peppers and house-made hot honey) and the divisive Hawaiian.
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To drink, there’s a selection of wines available by the glass or bottle, along with beer. White has even collaborated with neighbouring Bickford Brewing on a house pilsner. Its name? Nice Pils, of course.
White plans to expand the menu, but for now he’s taking it slow. “I want to get everything right before we move on—and pizza is a finicky thing.” Eventually, things that go along with pizza (desserts, salads, olives) will make their way onto the Nice Slice card. Sandwiches, however, are off the table. “We’ll leave that to Emmer,” says White, referring to the popular bakery down the street. “No one can make a better sandwich than them.”
Nice Slice, 196 Borden St., @niceslice.to
Erin Hershberg is a freelance writer with nearly two decades of experience in the lifestyle sector. She currently lives in downtown Toronto with her husband and two children.
