The Fourth Man in the Fire Pizzeria — Restaurant in Toronto

Wood-Fired Feelings The Fourth Man in the Fire (Toronto)

I came looking for a pizza moment. You know, that just-slightly-burnt-edge, basil-kissed, soul-satisfying kind of moment. Instead, I found myself halfway through a meat-heavy pie wondering if my taste buds were broken or if I’d accidentally ordered from a wood-fired food court. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I peaked too early with pizza.

What Was Ordered

One large pizza — Heavy on toppings, light on identity. Fast-food energy in artisanal drag. Not terrible, just not transformative.

Caprese salad — Looked like it had potential. Tasted like it gave up halfway through.

Two Birra Moretti — Cold. Reliable. Emotionally supportive.

Box of donuts — Yes. A soft, fried redemption arc. If the pizza whispered, these shouted in fried soprano.

Bonus Round: They do offer half-and-half pizzas, which we didn’t realize ‘til too late. And they make their own dipping sauces—creamy garlic, hot, and one called Hot Horny, which I assume is either spicy or very emotionally confusing. Either way, good to know.

Service Commentary

Staff were cool, calm, and not overly chatty—my kind of people. The donut guy had the focused stare of someone who’s been through the crust wars and lived to glaze again. Everyone moved with quiet confidence, like they knew the donuts would do the talking.

Vibe Check

Soft chatter. Dim lights. Tables full of people pretending the pizza hit harder than it did. The energy? Mild optimism with a dash of internal disappointment. This is where you bring a first date if you're hoping the conversation saves the night.

The Space Itself

Clean and modern with checkerboard floors and big front windows. The kind of room that feels like it should smell like pizza dreams, but mostly smells like “we’ll do better next time.” Bright, open kitchen. Everything spotless. But the soul? Still somewhere near the donut fryer.

About the Neighborhood

Smack beside Trinity Bellwoods, which means you're never more than six feet from a tote bag, a tiny dog in a sweater, or a guy doing tai chi next to a Bluetooth speaker playing Bon Iver. In the summer, this park becomes Toronto's most chaotic runway—picnics, breakups, and shirtless men discussing crypto, all within earshot. Parking? Forget it. Bring a bike, or borrow a friend with a driveway.

Hits & Misses

✓ Donuts — These slap. Fluffy, golden, slightly greasy in the best way. Get a box. Hide it. ✓ House dips — Creamy garlic, hot, and whatever Hot Horny is. All worth a try. ✗ Pizza — Too much happening. Less a meal, more a conversation you didn’t want to start. ✗ Caprese — Emotionally absent.

Important Disclaimer from the Author

Maybe it’s my taste. Maybe I was in a mood. I’ve had great pizza, and I know what it can be. This wasn’t it. But it also wasn’t bad. And those donuts? They made me forget my complaints for three bites at a time. I’d give it another shot—smarter order, spicier dip, lower expectations.

Final Verdict

The Fourth Man in the Fire is a place I wanted to love. The branding? Strong. The space? Solid. The food? Uneven. It feels like the pizza is trying to be something for everyone—and ends up being unforgettable only when dipped in Hot Horny sauce. But those donuts? Go for those. Stay for those. Forgive the rest.

Rating: 3.3 / 5

Perfect For

Second chances and sugary forgiveness Post-date donut therapy with a side of...

I’m not sure if it was because we arrived close to closing or if it was just an off day, but I had one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had in Toronto at this place today.

When we arrived, I let the staff know that we had dogs with us and wanted to sit on the patio. The girl at the counter told me there would be about an hour wait for patio seating and that the pizza would take 40 minutes to prepare. That was totally fine, we were happy to wait. My husband waited outside on the patio while I placed our order inside. It didn’t take an hour, we were there for less than 10 minutes and we were already seated.

We ended up spending around $60 on our initial order. Once we were finally seated, I told the server we had already ordered inside and that they can just serve it as dine in, he told us we had to order another pizza in order to sit on the patio. That made no sense, especially since we had already ordered and paid. To comply, we decided to add a Caesar salad and a dessert instead. At this point, we already spent almost $100.

The server came back again and insisted we needed to order an additional pizza to stay seated. At this point, I was frustrated and explained that I had already cleared everything with the girl at the counter and I told her that we will be seating outside. They finally agreed that we can sit. To be honest, if they insisted we order another pizza I would seriously just ask for a refund. Like what do you want me to do? Eat 16 slices of pizza? Have you seen how huge these pizzas are?

After waiting 40 minutes, our pizza was brought out, in a takeout box, despite us clearly dining in. And to top it off, the order was wrong. When we told the manager, his response was essentially, “is there anything else you would want?” At that point, we’d already waited over an hour for the pizza, so we just accepted the food because we didn’t want to wait another hour for them to get it right or for us to be served another dish we didn’t want.

I was shocked at how poorly the situation was handled. A proactive manager would’ve just offered to comp something. Instead, I had to suggest hey why don’t you just comp this dessert because I can’t order another pizza we were already super full.

It’s a real shame because the food here is genuinely good, but the staff seemed completely clueless, unorganized and lacked basic customer service skills. I hope this was just a one-off experience, but unfortunately, it left a...

It's taken me too long to write this review, but I visited Toronto in August and was suddenly struck by an insatiable craving for good pizza. I did way too much googling and this is the pizzeria that most intrigued me so I stopped by on a rainy afternoon and ordered an entire pizza, a donut, and a glass of red. It is one of the best meals I've ever had. The pizza is excellent--just the right give and amount of crust + PLENTIFUL toppings. I am so tired of dinky pizzas with what appear to be one mushroom divided and scattered across the top, so thin that, when you raise them to eye level, they vanish into the horizon. This pizza has substance but somehow sits relatively lightly in the stomach. I ate 3/4 of it in one sitting and the leftovers straight out of my hotel fridge the next day and they tasted even better cold.

The donut is THE best donut I've had in my entire life. I don't like cloyingly/artificially sweet things and do not often get donuts for this reason, but the display looked so attractive. After too much deliberation I chose the glazed filled with marshmallow creme--it felt like it weighed a pound at least. The marshmallow creme was somehow not too sweet (I don't know how that's possible), rich without being greasy, absolutely spectacular with no diminishing returns to taste. The dough had the perfect springiness and bounce you want from a yeast donut. I tried to get another one but alas they had sold out for the day. I then looked into whether they shipped to the US (sadly no). Apparently they're "California donuts", which I find incredible as an American who knows many Californians and can't imagine any of them eating a donut unless it's made from unprocessed kale.

Atmospherically, it was my kind of vibe--black-and-white checkered floor, counter service, good bathroom, clean but no frills and no fuss. Everyone who worked there seemed super chill and friendly.

I can't recommend the food here enough. It literally makes me more likely to fly back to Toronto and I am very jealous of everyone who lives in the...