OMG I love the Magic Oven!

[loftman]

I just had yet another fantastic meal (this time via delivery) from the Magic Oven...this has now become my favourite place for delivery and one of my favourite places for comfort food.

For those of you unfamiliar, their "schtick" is to offer healthy versions of traditionally unhealthy meals..."vegan", "gluten free", "spelt", "hemp seeds", 'flax" etc. appear all over their menu...the bottom line is that they use primo ingredients.

I have had the Gourmet Veggie Magic pizza a few times and each time i come to the conclusion that it is the best pizza I have ever had...BURSTING with flavour and huge chunks of all the toppings:

"Herb tomato sauce, grilled eggplant, garlic zucchini, roasted red peppers, garlic spinach, soft goat cheese"

Tonight i had the extra hot free range chicken wings and they were GREAT! As were the "Greek Fries", nice thick fries with huge chunks of feta and Greek seasoning...I also tried the portabello/gorgonzola sandwich...GREAT again..you can really taste the blue cheese.

On the down side, I was a bit disappointed with the smoked salmon pizza and the garlic bread with cheese but they more than made up for it with other things. :) Oh yes, i also recommend staying away from their pre-prepared pizzas (that you can buy by the slice) and stick with getting a fresh one made. also be aware that they ain't cheap!

[duckdown]

Do they have a pepperoni & cheese :)

[tp24]

Hmmmmmmm.....I've been reading a lot of negative reviews on MO..I think you guys are just going to the wrong location!

We went to MO last night - to the Yonge/Wellesley location and it was the best f*ckin' pizza each of us had ever had!

[jamesm]

I've had many pizzas and wraps from the Liberty Village location and although you do have to wait everything I've had has been really, really good. The BBQ chicken pizza is awesome.

[Pincus]

If you enjoy Magic Oven, that's great. But for me, it hasn't been a great enough of a food experience to travel to Yonge & Wellesley just to get it, although thanks for the hint. When I'm in the area for other reasons, I will check it out.

[vorpal]

Can you walk in and order slices? I'm still curious to give them a try, since I've almost had their pizza a few times. I just don't know if I want to commit to a whole pie and the wait time for that right now.

[Pincus]

The Broadview location has slices, don't know about the other locations.

[embee]

When they had only one location, on Broadview, I used to describe Magic Oven as having some really good food served in the form of a pizza. Their salads and desserts were also well above average. The wings and fries were always pretty bad. The restaurant was cramped, disorganized, and uncomfortable. They never did delivery acceptably, though, and we gave up on that many years ago.

Then something changed, even before their expansion. It became a source of very expensive pies that weren't very good. The service, always disorganized, became surly. We stopped going. I agree with you about the toppings. But, for $25, there isn't much food on the soggy crust. If we were celiac, or wheat allergic, or cheese intolerant, I'd consider them a godsend. But we are none of these things, so they lost our custom.

If your review is the first of a string of good ones, we'd try them again. So are any other happy Magic Oven eaters lurking out there?

[bluedog]

I live near the Danforth pizza House and am not willing to change. At the end of the day (or more literally, at the end the week when I just give up and buy pizza), Magic Oven is just too expensive and Danforth Pizza House is just too darn good to give up.

[embee]

I wanted to love Danforth Pizza House, but found it merely okay and kind of boring. But it sure is cheap, and it has no pretensions. Given that, I'm more gentle with them than with a place such as Magic Oven.

[bluedog]

I do agree that I wish they'd expand their topping list. What I often do is order their house special with double extra anchovies (usually not on the special), get it home piping hot and add capers and pitted kalamata olives. I get everythign ready so that when I got the pizza home, I add my extra ingredients and the heat from the pizza warms them up so that its almost like getting a sicialiana a la DPH, right out of the oven!

[bluedog]

Well, I think your the only one :).

[loftman]

well i don't understand it...just to be sure, i ordered from there again tonight (so 2 nights in a row)...I ordered my usual gourmet veggie magic and those great greek fries...again it arrived in under 45 min and again it was great! in fact, the greek fries were even better as theyincluded tzaziki this time (guess they forgot it yesterday)...

what were the problems reported in the past? I'm sure going to keep eating there :)

[pescatarian]

loftman, I've enjoyed pizza from the Magic Oven. We get it for work parties sometimes. Last time I had some Tandoori Chicken pizza that was pretty good.
I don't think it's the best I've ever had, but it's definitely tasty.

[bluedog]

Here is a thread that more or less sums it up.

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/443804

But you know, to be fair, if you have never had problems and like the pizza, that's great. I have never had a bad experience at La Palette, but people on this board are vitriolic about the service there. Not my experience, though. One always needs to take remarks with a grain of salt! Or Mozzarella as the case may be ;)

[vorpal]

I believe that there are quite a few more threads than the one bluedog posted as well, but that's a good example. A quick search should reveal some. One, IIRC, of the biggest complaints I heard was that the crust was frequently undercooked and soggy.

I'm wondering if the opening of the new location has changed things at all. Do you know which one is delivering to you?

[loftman]

i have only visited/ordered from the one on Broadview (just north of Danforth)...I always order it with the whole wheat crust...I didn't notice it being soggy but then again, I usually pay more attention to the toppings

[vorpal]

Cool. Well, I'm glad that you're enjoying it, and perhaps, since their delivery times have improved for pizzas, I'll give more than their sandwiches and desserts a try next time I order from them!

(Incidentally, their roasted veggie sandwich is very good, and I'm in love with their caramel pecan dessert and carrot cake.)

[pescatarian]

I have to say, that when I think about the pizza I've eaten from Magic Oven, it's the toppings that stand out. The crust, when fresh and hot, is ok as a vehicle for the toppings, but it is not a standout pizza crust. But that's ok sometimes too.

[loftman]

"a vehicle for the toppngs"

great way to put it :) yes, i am all about the toppings...

[vorpal]

I will admit that I like their desserts and sandwiches, but I've never been able to try one of their pizzas. Every time in the past I tried to place a pizza order, I was told that it would take a minimum of an hour 45 minutes or two hours for delivery (with the admission that it could be considerably longer than that, even), and I'm not willing to wait that long, so I canceled in all three cases. Then I came here and read the negative reviews and felt relieved that things hadn't worked out.

How many times have you gotten food from them, and how recently did you start?

I ask only because you're the first person I've heard say anything positive about their pizza since I joined Chowhound about seven or eight months ago, so I'm wondering if it's possible they've taken notice and are improving?

[loftman]

wow really? I would say i first ate there over a month ago...both times that I ordered for delivery, they said it would take an hour but they got here in just under 45 min....i have also eaten there a few times

dunno...I consider myself a very picky eater and I think their food is great (and I am certainly not into "health food" ;) )