Toronto vs. Montreal: Who has the best cheap gnocchi?

Toronto and Montreal are home to some of Canada’s best cheap eats.

However, when it comes to a recent craze in the new Mirvish Village district — a $5 gnocchi spot that opened overnight — it’s worth noting that a sleepy little store in Montreal first popularized the idea.

Now, both cities are amazing, and sure, both have some pretty staunch opinions about the other, but in the spirit of fair play, this story will relish the similarities of these two locations, while praising their differences — and we can save any dust-ups about who is better once hockey season starts.

Via Gnocchi

[Not the worst neighbour to have at Via Gnocchi in Toronto’s Mirvish Village] 

For starters, it warrants mentioning that Toronto is an exponentially more expensive city than Montreal, with average rents for one-bedroom apartments hovering around $800 to $1,000 more than those of our Québécois neighbours.

So, naturally, when Via Gnocchi popped up in the new Mirvish Village development in Toronto’s neighbourhood of The Annex, people were floored, as the notion of a $5 anything hasn’t existed in Toronto since the era of flip phones.

Based on Via Norte’s social media presence, this little pasta widow is a hit.

With their current schedule, noon-ish to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends, the location has been buckling under so much demand that it had to shut down early these past weeks, citing that they have been running out of sauce.

According to a recent social media post, Via Gnocchi has now locked in to the city’s demand for likely the cheapest eats downtown, and has stated that they will “make enough sauce to feed the whole city.” A tall order for some, but it appears that the powers that be have already begun their expansion just in time for autumn.

However, we could not just monitor the situation; we had to go down there and try it for ourselves.

[It’s hot, fresh, tasty and only five bucks, something that Toronto hasn’t seen in a while] 

Upon arriving at Via Gnocchi, it is obvious the location is future-proofed on Bloor and Bathurst’s towering new development scheme (Mirvish Village); however, unlike other businesses relegated to the new Tokyo-style alleyway of small-scale storefronts, this one is in prime real estate and is visible to pedestrians and traffic alike.

As for the food, when you come to Via Gnocchi, there is only one thing on the menu: fresh gnocchi paired with a homemade sauce and a little bit of parm sprinkled on top.

In terms of what you get, what else is there to say? Fresh gnocchi with housemade sauce and (upon request) Calabrian chilli — it is a knockout. Perfect for the upcoming autumn and winter, where, logistically, a big cup of hot, tasty carbs will keep Toronto moving well into the new year.

However, how does it compare to its predecessor?

Drogheria Fine

[The tranquil (and often busy) service window at Drogheria Fine in Montreal’s neighbourhood of Mile End]

The launch point of the entire idea of cheap gnocchi in Canada, Drogheria Fine in Montreal’s Mile End has been serving $5 cups of gnocchi for well over a decade.

However, unlike Toronto’s Via Gnocchi, which functions as a starchy oasis in the industrial hellscape that is the Mirvish Village development, Drogheria Fine is a service window attached to a storefront that specializes in selling pasta sauces to Montreal.

So, if anything, the $5 price tag here is more emblematic of a less expensive city, with a focus on courting passersby to sample something that may pique their interest down the line, leading them to walk away with a few jars of homemade sauce.

Now, as for the vibe, there is sadly no splitting hairs when it comes to the difference between Bloor and Bathurst and the neighbourhood of Mile End, home to the iconic rival shops St-Viateur Bagel and Fairmount Bagel — the closest Toronto comparison here would be the Trinity-Bellwoods area.

Even though this location excels at making numerous types of sauces — whose aroma you can chase through the neighbourhood trees — Drogheria Fine, much like its Toronto counterpart, makes one dish, with one sauce, with a bit of parm and some chilli.

[Drogheria Fine’s decade-long run at selling $5 gnocchi in Montreal is not slowing down]

In this fact-finding mission, yourcitywithIN travelled to Montreal to see what all the fuss was about.

As for how it is, let’s say that, with 10 years of experience in the game, Drogheria Fine knows exactly what it is doing. The melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi is paired with a sauce perfected over years and, unlike its Anglo contemporary, offers fresh chilli flakes on top instead of heat worked into the sauce.

Needless to say, it is simply divine.

Verdict

All right then, so, here comes the moment of truth — who is better?

Well, really, in this tale of two gnocchis, it’s not that simple. One is a new kid on the block, giving a cash-strapped city an affordable lunch and late-night eats, and the other is an institution built for the pace of an area full of families and other businesses.

In short, considering the margin of error for gnocchi, a good sauce, and some heat is petit, we can look at these locations for what they are: two dynamite spaces giving their communities (whether noisy or tranquil) something that everyone needs, which is a good lunch for the change in your pocket.

Given that airtight approach, and that lightning has now struck twice with this concept in two cities, it would come as no surprise if more cities in Canada follow suit.