What's the vibe:

Getting lost in the PATH isn't something we'd wish on our worst enemies – but now there's something well worth venturing underground for at lunchtime. The second Fabbrica location just opened at 66 Wellington Street W., bringing classic Italian fare, both hot and cold, to lunch-seekers in the financial district.

Fabbrica is conveniently located inside the TD Centre, right next to the PATH entrance on the north side of Wellington. There's plenty of seating outside, so if you arrive just before or after the noon lunchtime rush, grabbing a seat shouldn't be a problem. Diners can choose from the hot table, which serves up pasta dishes, meatballs, grilled chicken, stew and similar options daily. Or select salad, crostini and legumes from the colourful antipasto station. These are sold by weight, so take what you need – or pick up a prepackaged lunch from the fridge for ease.

What to drink:

Fabbrica isn't licensed, so you won't be able to imbibe on your lunch break. It does, however, have a nice selection of Italian pop and soft drinks, including Lemoncoco, a lemon and coconut canned beverage, and Brio, a citrus soda made with blended cane sugar.

What to eat:

The pizza at Fabbrica was painstakingly created after months of research went into figuring out what makes the perfect dough. Unlike their North York location, which cooks its pizza at a higher heat, Fabbrica downtown uses a different grind of flour for a Roman style, focaccia-esque base that is refrigerated for up to 72 hours and grows up to three times in size.

Cliff notes: the pizza (made on-site) has more protein and plenty of holes for a chewy crust with some bite. We thoroughly recommend the porchetta pizza (roasted in-house), which is dressed with mustard-truffle sauce and garlic rapini. Alternatively, try the porchetta in a sandwich.

Pasta is another must-try at Fabbrica. Order the shrimp tagliatelle; a generous-sized portion filled with broccoli and bacon. Plus, if you enjoy your trip to Fabbrica, you can pick up a frozen dinner or jarred pasta sauce from their fridge section to enjoy later.

Fabbrica is open Monday-Friday, 11 am to 7 pm.

Lunch for two: about $40

66 Wellington St W., no phone, fabbrica.mcewangroup.ca