When you can’t decide between pizza and spaghetti, a coin toss might settle it. Here in Quebec, why choose? Have both. Sound advice, if you ask us.
Pizza-ghetti is a Quebec comfort-food favourite that combines two familiar dishes into one satisfying meal. Because apparently, choosing one carb was asking too much.
Where Did Pizza-Ghetti Come From?
Pizza-ghetti is part of Quebec’s casual restaurant culture, found in pizzerias, diners and casse-croûtes. Exactly where it started, and who first came up with the combination, remains uncertain.
A 2013 VICE article explored the dish’s Quebec roots and floated a possible connection to La Belle Province, though it didn’t establish a definitive origin. Like many comfort-food favourites, pizza-ghetti may be easier to enjoy than to trace back to its beginnings.
Read the VICE feature: Move Over Poutine: Pizzaghetti Owns Quebec.
What Goes Into Pizza-Ghetti?
Depending on the version, pizza-ghetti combines pizza with spaghetti and meat sauce, often with cheese and other pizza toppings. An all-dressed version can include pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers.
Pizza-ghetti comes in at least two familiar versions.
The side-by-side version
Pizza and spaghetti are served separately on the same plate or as part of the same meal.
The inside-the-pizza version
Spaghetti and meat sauce are placed inside the pizza, beneath the cheese and toppings.
Better loosen that belt a notch. Pizza-ghetti doesn’t believe in leaving room for anything else.
Personally, I prefer the spaghetti on the side. I like going back and forth between a slice of pizza and a forkful of pasta. With everything together, I suppose there’s less work involved. To each their own.
Montreal Restaurants Known for Pizza-Ghetti
Pizza Spano
Address: 1360 Boulevard Sunnybrooke, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC H9B 2W5
Website: pizzaspano.ca
Menu: View menu
Map: Get directions
Family-owned Pizza Spano has been serving Dollard-des-Ormeaux since 1986. The restaurant offers traditional hand-tossed pizzas, pasta dishes, submarines and Greek specialties, making it a familiar West Island stop for anyone craving comfort food.
Marconi Pizzeria
Address: 2222 rue Beaubien Est, Montreal, QC H2G 1M7
Website: marconipizzeria.com
Menu: View menu
Map: Get directions
Marconi’s official menu describes an all-dressed pizza with spaghetti and meat sauce inside. It’s the clearest choice of the three if you want to try this particular take on pizza-ghetti.
The menu lists the specialty in several pizza sizes, giving you options depending on how ambitious you feel about this two-in-one meal.
Da Giovanni
Address: 165 rue Sainte-Catherine Est, Montreal, QC H2X 1K8
Website: dagiovanni.ca
Menu: View menu
Map: Get directions
Da Giovanni offers pizza-ghetti with a choice of all-dressed, pepperoni or vegetarian pizza, paired with spaghetti Bolognese. That gives you three pizza options while keeping the pasta part of the deal.
The online menu confirms the combination but doesn’t specify exactly how the spaghetti is served. If you have a preference about the presentation, check with the restaurant when ordering.
Pizza St-Laurent
Address: 24 rue Ontario Est, Montreal, QC H2X 3W2
Website: pizzasaintlaurent.com
Menu: View menu
Map: Get directions
Pizza St-Laurent lists pizza-ghetti as pizza with spaghetti and meat sauce. Its menu offers 10-, 12-, 14- and 16-inch pizza sizes, giving you a choice of how much pizza you want to tackle.
The menu doesn’t provide further details about how the pasta is arranged, so check with the restaurant if you have a particular version in mind.
The Final Slice
I’m sticking with the spaghetti on the side. I like going back and forth between a slice of pizza and a forkful of pasta, choosing my next bite as I go. If you prefer yours tucked inside the pizza, go for it. Just loosen that belt a notch!