Windsor, Ontario food guide: Windsor-style pizza, Italian, Middle Eastern and Greek food

Windsor is Canada's southernmost city of any size, a border city on the Detroit River, with a car-making history and a food scene shaped by waves of immigration. It rarely appears on national food lists, and that is a reason to go. Its best-known dish is a pizza that exists in few other places, and its Italian, Middle Eastern and Greek restaurants have served the city for generations.

What is Windsor-style pizza?

Windsor-style pizza is a regional style. It is a pizza with a medium-thick crust dusted with cornmeal, a generous layer of shredded mozzarella, and a sauce and toppings that often include mushrooms and pepperoni. A popular cheese is made nearby. The style is generally credited to one local pizzeria, though other Windsor restaurants also claim to have invented it. A good way to try it is to order a plain pie with cheese and pepperoni or mushrooms and compare two or three places.

When you compare, notice three things: how thick the crust is under the cornmeal, how far the cheese reaches towards the edge, and how the sauce tastes beside the toppings. Order the same pie at each place so the comparison is fair, and ask about sizes before you order, since a pie that suits two people can be too much for one. Check each restaurant's hours before you go, because they change.

What is the Italian food heritage?

Windsor has a long-established Italian community. Look for family-run restaurants serving pasta, veal, pizza and homemade sauces, along with bakeries and delis. Many of these are in the older neighbourhoods. Dishes and menus have changed over generations, so check current hours and menus.

Is there Middle Eastern food in Windsor?

Yes, Windsor has a strong Middle Eastern presence. Lebanese, Syrian and Iraqi communities, many with roots across the river in the Detroit area, have supported bakeries, shawarma shops and late-night grills for decades. Look for shawarma, kebab, falafel, mezze and freshly baked flatbreads.

What about Greek and other cuisines?

Greek diners and souvlaki restaurants are part of the older Windsor landscape. Windsor is also home to Portuguese, Polish, Asian, Caribbean and Latin American communities, so the range of independent restaurants is wider than the city's size suggests.

Where should you eat in Windsor?

• Erie Street East (Little Italy): Italian restaurants, cafés and bakeries.
• Ottawa Street: a street of independent restaurants and shops, with a community feel.
• Downtown Windsor and the riverfront: restaurants and pubs, with views of the Detroit skyline across the river.
• Walkerville: a historic neighbourhood with a distillery heritage, cafés and restaurants.
• Wyandotte Street West: Middle Eastern restaurants and bakeries.

Is the Windsor Farmers' Market worth visiting?

Windsor has a downtown market with produce, baking and prepared food. Hours and days change, so check the city's page. Essex County, around Windsor, is a major farming region with greenhouses, tomatoes, peppers, corn and wineries, particularly around Kingsville and Amherstburg on the Lake Erie shore.

What about the border?

Windsor and Detroit are connected by a bridge and a tunnel. If you plan to cross, carry the correct identification and check wait times. Meal prices in Canada are before tax and are quoted in Canadian dollars. Ontario adds 13 percent HST, and a tip of 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax amount is normal at a table with a server.

When is the best time to visit?

Summer, for riverfront patios and the farm stands of Essex County, and autumn, for harvest and wine. The city is quieter in winter, but restaurants stay open.

What should you order in Windsor?

Order a pizza to share and compare it with the style you know. Add a plate of pasta at an Italian restaurant, a shawarma or a mixed grill at a Middle Eastern place, and something from a bakery. Many Windsor restaurants have long-serving staff who will tell you what the kitchen does best, so ask.

How do you plan a day in Windsor?

A simple plan is a bakery breakfast in one of the older neighbourhoods or in Walkerville, a walk along the riverfront with the Detroit skyline in view, lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant, an afternoon at a farm stand or winery in Essex County, and pizza for dinner. Allow time for driving, since the attractions are spread across the county.

Is Windsor good for families and groups?

Yes. Pizzerias and Italian restaurants are used to families and large tables, and many have booths and big menus. Book ahead for groups on weekends and during hockey or festival events.

For the rest of the province, start at the Food in Ontario page.

How do you compare Windsor-style pizza slice by slice?

Windsor pizza has its own style, so it rewards a side-by-side tasting. In the Mosey app, rate each pie by name and write what you noticed, such as the cheese, the sauce and the crust, then add the Pizza tag. Rating places that share a tag earns a badge for that kind of food, which gives a weekend of slices a purpose.

Make a list called Windsor pizza crawl and send the invite link to your fellow taster. Tag them under "Who were you with?" and they can add their own rating of the same pie, so the argument has notes behind it.

More guides to read next:

• Where to eat in Niagara Falls, Ontario: how to avoid the tourist traps (2026)
• Afternoon tea in Victoria, BC: how it works, when to book and what to expect
• Coquitlam, Port Moody and the Tri-Cities: where to eat east of Vancouver

More in the Canadian food guides and the ranked lists of places.

Before you cross back over the river, open the Mosey app and rate the pizza you liked best.