The 17 Best Italian, Greek and Bar Style Pizza in the Boston Area
Cheeseburger pizza with ketchup, mustard,
pickles , and ground beef from Spencer's Pizza in Abington MA.(photo
credit: Spencer's Pizza Facebook fan page.
by Eric Hurwitz. Updated 12/19/16.
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The best pizza is the one you like the most.
Objectivity might as well be thrown out the window when it comes to
discussing who makes the best pizza. Unlike most of us, taste buds have
no brain and no form of reasoning.
Most people will agree, however, on the old adage "When pizza is great,
it's great, and when it's bad, it's still pretty good" -- unless anyone
can remember the vendor in the 1980s at Salisbury Beach, MA, slapping
two pieces of bread on American cheese, baking it, and calling it pizza.
Below, we have compiled a list of our favorite pizza restaurants and
take-out storefronts in the Boston area and the rest of eastern
Massachusetts. By no means is it factual, just opinion driven by our
taste buds. The following establishments, however, do have great
reputations in the Boston area (and beyond), as the unofficial
consensus is that they have maintained their high standards:
Italian style pizza
Photo below: Prince Pizzeria, Saugus, MA.
Leo's Pizzeria, Walpole, MA -- I
love pizza places like Leo's that are well-staffed with about 5,000
employees working the counter and kitchen within a 10 sq. ft.
area. It's great to see your pizza being made from scratch as the
cast of thousands try to avoid bumping into each other. The thin-crust,
foldable Italian-style pizzas -- as well as the calzones -- taste as
good as any in the North End of Boston, made that much better by
loading the toppings. Leo's has a small eat-in dining room, but
take-out is the most popular mode here, with lines sometimes going out
the door. 1363 Main St., Route 1A, Walpole, MA. Tel. (508) 660-0141
Santarpio's, East Boston, MA --
Right-out of-the-oven, crisp, soupy pizzas with a beyond-outstanding
tasting tomato sauce that no one else could ever duplicate.
Established as a bakery in 1903 and as a pizzeria in 1933, Santarpio's
is a beloved, no-frills local legend that has maintained it high
standards for making perhaps the best pizza in Massachusetts or New
England, for that matter. 113 Chelsea St, East Boston, MA. Tel. (617)
567-9871
Regina Pizzeria, Boston, MA --
Legendary since its inception in 1926 and still great, the
Italian-style brick oven recipes haven't succumbed to suburban
expansion. Absolutely phenomenal pizza, nothing else to say. 11 1/2
Thacher Street (North End) Boston, MA. Tel. (617) 227-0765
Prince Pizzeria and Bar , Saugus, MA
--- The Prince Restaurant stills stands tall, with the exception of the
"Leaning Tower of Pizza," a humongous structure on top of the
restaurant emulating Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa. Prince has a
festive, family-friendly atmosphere, family owned since 1961, and with
some of the most consistently good pizza in the region. We recommend
the tangy margarita pizza, which isn't on the menu -- just ask when
ordering at the counter. Route 1 Southbound, Saugus, MA. Tel.
781-233-9950
The Chateau , Waltham, MA --
This huge, crowded restaurant with several rooms colored definitely
remembers its more humble beginnings during the Depression era by
continuing to turn out well made Italian-style pizza. The eggplant
topping is excellent. 195 School St., Waltham, MA. Tel. (781) 894-3339.
Bianchi's, Revere Beach, MA --
Thin, crispy, Italian-style pizza with a little grease, a wonderful
tomato sauce, and lots of toppings. Located at Revere Beach, the
walk-up window is open year-round, which means you can eat Bianchi's
pizza by the beach in zero degree weather in February. Better,
yet, enjoy a slice outdoors in the summer or call ahead and take home
this delicious pizza, one of the best in the Boston suburbs! 322 Revere
Beach Blvd. Revere, MA. Tel. (781) 284-9472
Greek
style pizza
Photo: New London Style Pizza, Concord MA.
New London Style Pizza, Concord, MA
-- New London's Greek style pizza is addictive. It's greasy without
being too greasy and has a most compatible marriage of flavorful
cheese,tomato, ample toppings and thick crust. It's a fact that people
eat New London pizza really fast because they don't want to spend a
second not tasting the memorable pizza. The best combination is hamburg
and green pepper. New London has a small, clean dining room overlooking
the attractive Concord Depot train station. On a side note, we once saw
historian Doris Kearns Goodwin take out some pizza from New London.
Maybe New London's legendary pizzas will make its way into one of her
history books. 71 Thoreau Street, Concord, MA 01742, Tel. (978)
369-7053.
Jimmy's Pizzeria, Walpole, MA
-- Great Greek-style pizza, including some amazing gourmet versions,
highlight this spotless, friendly, appealing small restaurant in
pleasant East Walpole. There's always a smile, quick service and steady
business. The circular dining room with nice overhead lights and big
windows offer a nice alternative to the typical house of pizza setting.
4 East St., Walpole. Tel. (508) 660-6700.
Bar
pizza
Photo: Victory Lane, Millis MA.
There's no specific definition for a bar pizza, but they are usually
small, have a crispy, thin crust and served in a restaurant with a bar
-- or just a bar, period. Here are some of the best bar pizzas I've
tasted in the Boston area:
Venus Cafe, Whitman, MA -- This
landmark south of Boston restaurant and bar with no windows and a brick
exterior sometimes either overcooks or under cooks its pizza, but no
matter what version, the Venus turns out some of the best bar pizza
south of Boston. The Venus special is especially popular with its
linguica, hot pepper and hamburg toppings. The Venus is essentially a
dive but the service is almost always friendly, and there are plenty of
families enjoying pizza in the dining room. The Venus has been in
business since 1964! 47 South Ave., Whitman MA. Tel. (781)447-0494
Nashoba Club Restaurant, Ayer MA
-- The Nashoba Club looks like some place you'd find on a lonesome
Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York road, but thank goodness it is
closer to home in Ayer! This classic restaurant/bar with a rustic touch
has been in business since 1950 and prides itself on serving homemade
pizza. It's hard to classify the pizza as strictly bar pizza, but the
bottom line is that the taste is fresh and flavorful. Many go
with the Nashoba Special with onions, green peppers, pepperoni and
hamburg. Another popular pizza is the Pork U Pie with sweet sausage,
bacon, kielbasa, ham, hot sausage and pepperoni. Pizza isn't the only
game in town at the Nashoba, however, as they serve outstanding
burgers, a Swiss chili hot dog wrap, homemade soups and haddock
specials on Fridays and Saturdays. 14 Central Ave., Ayer MA. Tel. (978)
772-2736
Lynwood Cafe, Randolph, MA
-- The Lynwood has been around since 1949 and is generally
regarded as having the best bar pizza in the Boston area. This
neighborhood bar features some incredibly tasty bar pizza that is based
on a family recipe and fresh ingredients -- no canned foods here. All
you need to taste a truly phenomenal pizza is the cheese or pepperoni,
but offbeat choices like the Bean Special with Boston baked beans,
onions and salami seem to have its own cult following, too. 320 Center
St., Randolph MA. Tel. (781) 963-3100
Town Spa Pizza, Stoughton, MA
-- Families, Keno, old men with pot bellies and high school varsity
team jackets, and terrific thin Italian style, bar pizza with a
slightly oily but addictive taste in this large south of Boston
restaurant. 1119 Washington St, Stoughton, MA. Tel. 781-344-2030
The Venice, Norwood, MA -- This
unassuming traditional Italian-American restaurant in working class
South Norwood serves some amazing bar-style pizza. Whether dining in
the slightly worn dining room or the no frills neighborhood bar in the
back, you can't go wrong with the thin, crispy pizza here with some
outstanding homemade sauce and a unique blend of cheeses. 1086
Washington St., Norwood MA. Tel. (781) 255-7447
Pleasant Cafe, Roslindale, MA
-- A combination of Italian and bar-style pizza with an appealing
slightly greasy taste, the Pleasant Cafe always hits the spot, and the
atmosphere is refreshingly old school with its neon sign out
front and booths and wood paneling inside. The Pleasant Cafe is
certainly time-tested with roots going back to 1920! 4515 Washington
St., Roslinedale MA. Tel. (617) 323-2111
Spencer's Pizza, Abington, MA
-- Further proof that the south of Boston region has the best bar
pizza, Spencer's Pizza might look rather plain but the pizza certainly
isn't. Looking like something out of a food magazine, the bar style
pizzas have a taste that almost forces one to not take a break while
eating -- it's that addictive. Never one to skimp on toppings,
Spencer's pepperoni is a true work of art and some of the creative
versions truly have legendary status -- like the Shepherd's Pie, baked
stuffed potato, taco, and shrimp and bacon pizzas. Or how about a
cheeseburger pizza with ketchup, mustard, pickles , and ground beef?
Yum! 123 Centre Ave., Abington MA. Tel. (781) 871-2823
Cape Cod Cafe Pizza, Brockton MA
-- Cape Cod Cafe Pizza turns out one of the most consistently great bar
pizzas south of Boston. Pizza, a Greek salad and cheap beer is the way
to go here for many at this informal bar/restaurant. The business has
been around since 1947, and I have been told that the pizza tastes the
same as it did back in the old days -- that's a good thing as many
locals consider this the "go-to" destination for bar pizza, south of
Boston. The "Famous Bar Pizza" -- plain cheese and tomato -- is
perfectly seasoned with an appealing crust somewhere between thick and
thin. Many love the Locanico (Greek sausage) and the Meat Eater with
pepperoni, hamburg, sausage, ham, linguica, and salami over meat sauce
and topped with cheese. 979 Main St., Brockton MA. Tel. (508) 583-9420
Victory Lane, Millis, MA --
Victory Lane offers great homemade Italian/bar-style pizza at low
prices. A hidden restaurant in the best sense (because very few people
know about Millis off Route 109), Victory Lane has a racing car theme
decor and plenty of locals that come here regularly for pizza, as well
as burgers, steak tips, pasta, and drinks at this cozy, welcoming
watering hole. 32 Exchange St., Millis MA. Tel. (508) 376-2595
VisitingNewEngland readers Kerri and Jack also have a suggestion for a
great bar pizza, south of Boston... "Poopsie's in Pembroke, MA, has the
absolute best, most mouthwatering bar-style pizza around! The
casual atmosphere is family-friendly, and the place gets packed on the
weekends and most weeknights. The crust is crisp and crunchy, and
the cheese is always hot and gooey. The sauce is like no other --
not too spicy, not too sweet, but a perfect flavorful blend.
Everyone on the South Shore knows about and raves about this pizza
joint! There really is no comparison." 243 Chruch St., Pembroke
MA. Tel. (781) 826-5282
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