Name: Spaccio West
Contact: 128A Sterling Rd., terroni.ca, @spaccio_to Neighbourhood: Junction Triangle
Previously: The Drake Commissary
Owner: Cosimo Mammoliti
Chefs: Daniel Mezzolo, Matthew Park
Accessibility: Fully accessible (through a separate entrance, inquire for details)
The food
This is Terroni’s newest commissary kitchen—an extension of its larger Sackville Street location, Spaccio East. For owner Cosimo Mammoliti, quality control was the initial impetus for the Spaccio concept. Bread, pasta, pizza dough and butchery products—virtually all the raw materials used in Terroni restaurants—emerge from the commissaries’ massive open-concept central kitchens.
But the spaces are far from just production hubs. Like its predecessor, Spaccio West offers a complete menu in three spacious dining areas, including a sunny patio. Guests can grab a bombolini and an espresso at the café counter or sit down for a bowl of spaghetti pummarola, secure in the knowledge that every component of the dish was produced in the adjacent kitchen.
There’s also a well-stocked storefront with fresh and frozen Terroni and Sud Forno products, including produce, pantry products, meat, cheese, and handy heat-and-serve versions of classic Terroni dishes like eggplant parmigiana and lasagna bolognese.
A mosaic of the Roman-style pizza you’ll find at this location, distinguishable from Terroni’s traditional pizza style by its fluffy, focaccia-like crust. Left to right, we have the pork sausage and olive Matta ($7.50 per slice), Patate e Gorgonzola ($7.50), a classic Margherita ($5.50), and a Cacciatrice ($7) complete with its namesake salami A cheeseless vegetarian pizza with no compromises on flavour, the Ortolana is a sunny array of zucchini, eggplant, pepper, artichoke, basil and fruity olive oil. $18 Folded pizza dough is stuffed with prosciutto di Parma, fior di latte and arugula and topped with a meaty olive. $14 This is the Filone al Salame, a satisfying combo of fennel-spiced salame finocchiona, sweet and salty Crotonese cheese, lettuce and artichoke cream sandwiched inside a crusty loaf. $14 Cherry tomato sauce, zucchini, buffalo mozzarella and basil adorns chewy morsels of rigatoni in a clean, summery dish known as the Rigatoni Arcobaleno. $20 The Terroni burger’s secret ingredient is bone marrow, which gives the seven-ounce ground chuck patty lip-smacking unctuousness and body. It’s topped with tomato, cheddar and sharp dijonnaise and served with bacon-and-parsley-spiked fried potatoes and a sweetish tomato chutney. $22 Here we have the Polpo alla Griglia, or slow-roasted and grilled octopus with caponata, a medley of sautéed summer vegetables—zucchini, red pepper, eggplant—served with a punchy, garlicky salsa verde. It’s finished with micro sorrel, toasted pine nuts and paprika. $23 A happy miscellany of grilled or roasted veg makes up the Verdure alla Griglia: baby carrot, rapini, cherry tomato, oyster mushroom and asparagus, simply seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. $12
A selection of sweets from the café counter. Clockwise from the bottom: a delectable cornetto con Nutella, girella alla cannella (otherwise known as a cinnamon roll) and a saccottino al cioccolato, or chocolate croissant (all $4.25 each) Up front are crisp and creamy chocolate cannoli with pistachio and candied orange; above them, plush, perfect bombolini filled with Nutella or pastry cream. $8 for two cannoli, $8.50 for three bombolini Here we have a collection of Al Volo jars, available individually. Clockwise from left: tiramisu, raspberry panna cotta, chocolate mousse and Maldon salt–sprinkled crème caramel. $7 each An assortment of goods available at the on-site mercatto, including ready-to-eat meals Left to right: head chef Matthew Park, Terroni executive chef Daniel Mezzolo, Sud Forno executive chef Giovanna Alonzi and owner Cosimo Mammoliti.
The drinks
Wine is from Cavinona, Terroni’s wine import agency, and the list includes more than 160 labels representing 70-plus producers, with a focus on indigenous grapes from across Italy’s diverse wine regions, including lesser-known varietals like Nerello Mascalese and Cortese. Enjoy a glass of something in the restaurant or buy a bottle (or bottles) from the storefront to take home. A cocktail program features Terroni classics: Aperol spritzes, negronis and other amaro-forward tipples.
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In the glass, we have a 2019 Ciro 906 Fiano di Avellino, made from 100 per cent Fiano grapes, a variety from southern Italy. It has notes of peach, sage and volcanic basalt with a saline finish. $18 a glass The refreshing spirit-forward Dundas West pairs Fernet Branca with St. Germain, yellow chartreuse and lime juice. It’s garnished with mint. $17 Just some of the wine available for purchase from the on-site bottle shop
The space
The roughly 8,000-square-foot space—housed inside an old factory—is divided into a storefront, a café counter, two dining areas and a patio. Super-high ceilings and ample floor space give the room an airy, open feel. Exposed brick, hardwood floors, leather booths and vintage furnishings lend a cozy, lived-in vibe. Visitors can peek into the open-concept kitchen at the back: Spaccio West is home to all of Terroni’s pasta and pizza production (while the eastern kitchen is now dedicated to butchery, pastry making and bread baking).
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