Hyper-regional pizza styles are a source of local pride

Culture, Media, General Culture, Chains, General Discussions
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South Shore of Massachusetts has something called a “bar pizza”. Not well known outside of this particular area of MA, although there are a couple of pizza places on the North Shore that offer it. But the best known are from Town Spa Pizza in Stoughton, Poopsies in Pembroke, and the Lynwood Cafe in Randolph.

10" pie, cooked in a 1"x10" straight-sided pan, can be shared or eaten by yourself. Crunchy but flaky thin crust because of the butter/oil on the bottom of the crust (it sort of fries the dough on the bottom), basic toppings (although some places are branching out to different toppings), and topped with cheddar, sometimes with added mozz.

I’ve not had it, but they always get rave reviews.

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63

We have bar pies in Manhattan, but they’re just regular single serving pizzas. Served in bars.

64

I’m sure there’s a scallion pancake pizza somewhere.

Here we go.

Then I found this.

I think Char Siu could be better on a Hawaiian pizza than bacon or ham.

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65

And here, proving my point, is a quote from your first link:

I will stand steadfast by the rule that ALL pizzas (save for dessert ones) need a cheese of some sort on, or it’s just not a pizza…

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66

Uh-oh. No Neapolitan marinara for YOU! :joy:

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67

I don’t really agree with that myself! Plenty of Neapolitan pizzas joints near me skip the cheese on some pizzas.

The flatbread (which could be 3 mm thick or 3 inches thick, and containing complex carb part, are what makes pizza pizza for me. I still haven’t tried cauliflower crust pizza. I’m glad it exists for other people, but I’m not keen to order it.

68

Not to mention all of the Indian pizzerias out here in the Bay Area.

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69

We have a lot in urban parts of Canada, too!

I’ve tried a chain called Red Swan that’s pretty good.

My first experience with a hybrid Indian pizza was at a chain restaurant in Calgary in 2002. It was a tandoori chicken pizza with a raita drizzle and some mozzarella, at a restaurant called Joey Tomato back then, which is now a chain across Canada called Joey. I was wowed by that tandoori pizza when I was 28. :smiley: I guess it’s sort of at the Cheesecake Factory level for Canadian chains.f

70

Sounds a bit like the Chicago tavern-style, also originally served as a bar snack to keep people ordering more beer! https://www.bonappetit.com/story/real-chicago-pizza-tavern-style

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71

Windsor, Ontario style.

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72

That looks great! Except that the crust seems to be too thick for me.

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73

I can get behind that style. A frozen pizza we used to get had diced pepperoni in addition to regular sliced. Pepperoni in every bite was nice

I might have to give that a try when we next make pizza

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74

A little background on sfincione:

https://www.seriouseats.com/scotts-pizza-chronicles-sicilian-pizza-vs-pizza-in-sicily

courtesy of the current topic Sicilian spring 2025

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75

we’ve barely begun to chart the vast styles of pizza. Didn’t Shakespeares write: “There are more pizzas in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your wood-fired oven”

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76

I wasn’t aware of that quote! My favorite historic comment about pizza is from Abe Lincoln.
“Those who would deny pizza to others deserve it not for themselves!”

I truly admire President Lincoln, but Abe was an Illinois man and I hear he liked deep dish better than Neapolitan Style. So there is that aspect of him that most of us tend to try to forget…

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