Crispy pastizzi and Maltese café eats
There aren’t any Maltese dinner restaurants in Toronto. The Maltese food establishments here are cafeterias that offer the national pastry, pastizzi, among other things. Nannu’s Pastizzi is the best of the lot, has the largest variety, and even has decent Maltese lunch options.
The food
For the uninitiated, pastizzi (singular: pastizz) are filo wrapped pastries. Classic fillings are cheese and peas. A good pastizz depends on the quality of its filo dough: a multitude of thin, flakey layers folded into pleasing shapes.
Nannu’s Pastizzi offers two versions: cheese and meat. They are best eaten fresh, while they are still crisp.
The cheese pastizzi was baked well and had a lovely golden hue. The multi-layered filo was showcased in the rippled exterior. It was the prettiest pastizz in the city.
The pastizz was packed with soft cheese. It was mild in taste and moderately salted. Two of these should make a fine breakfast or snack. The dough was ultra crispy, almost as if it had been deep-fired. There were audible snaps as I bit into it. 7.5/10.
The meat pastizz looked similar. The only difference is the filling. More regular and symmetrical ridges would make it perfect, but that is difficult to pull off with this type of dough.
It’s more appropriate to call this a pea pastizz. The filling was mostly peas. There were only some bits of ground meat. The flavours were more savoury than the cheese pastizz, thanks to onions and other spices. Like the chesse pastizz, the dough was the best part. 7/10.
I wanted to get qassatat, another unique Maltan pastry pie, but they were sold out. So, I got another multi-layered pastry: sfogliatella. It’s not Maltese but close enough since it hails from Sicily, Italy. Nannu’s Pastizzi churns out various sweet pastries, so I was interested to try at least one.
This sfogliatella had a lemon ricotta filling. It was yet another example of Nannu’s Pastizzi strength in working with multi-layered dough. The pastry was supple and broad. A pity that it was hidden by a liberal dose of icing sugar.
There was just enough lemon to assert itself without being acidic. The dough wasn’t as good as the pastizzi. It was too dense for me. The filling was better than the pastizzi though. Maybe they should consider experimenting with different flavours for their pastizzi? 6.5/10.
I visited during breakfast hours so there weren’t any meals available. If you come during lunch time, they would have rotating specials. If you are lucky, you might even get rabbit dishes, which are Maltese favourites.
They also have a decent range of sweet pastries like cookies and tarts. After all, this is a café.
There is also a small grocery section with Maltese imports. The most interesting section is the freezer filled with frozen pastizzi, qassatat, and ravioli that you can bring home to bake.
The place
Pre-COVID-19, this was a homey place to have a quick meal. It had the vibe of a family-run cafe. Maltese memorabilia were scattered around: a map of Malta, child-size medieval armour, and other oddities.
The patio opens up to the car park. While lacking in ambience, it is as spacious as the interior seating.
The only downside to the place is the location. It’s in a desolate suburb on the western edge of Mississauga. Meadowvale GO station is a few minutes walk away for public transit riders. For car riders, the 401 highway exit is also minutes away.
Verdict
Crispy, pretty pastizzis. Best ones in the Greater Toronto Area. 7/10.
Practical information
- Name
- Nannu’s Pastizzi
- Rating
- 7/10
- Recommended dishes
- Cheese pastizzi
- Prices
- Cheese or meat pastizz: $2.26 ($2.00 excluding tax)
Sfogliatella: $2.83 ($2.50 excluding tax) - Address
- 6981 Millcreek Drive, Unit 1, Mississauga
- Hours
- Tuesday to Sunday 0900h – 1500h
- Date of visit
- December 2019, October 2020