Thanks, I was. Street parking is a challenge though unless you go at an off time. Would you agree ?
yes, absolutely.
Anything new here? I am getting Boston pizza fatigue and it’s not helped by the death and decline of a few favorites. The Just Crust in Harvard Square (one of the converted Upper Crust locations) originally closed for renovations, but now it’s just closed for good. This was a go to spot for take out, so definitely a big loss. I was previously a big supporter of Area 4, but am disappointed to report that the pizza itself has been downhill on our last few visits to the original Kendall location; undercooked and soggy in the middle.
Picco was excellent as usual recently, however the waits there can be outrageous.
I am overdue for a visit to the NE Regina, but with all the Celtics and B’s games this time of year, you’ve gotta pick your spots.
I had a few Sicilian slices from Pinocchio’s recently. I had forgotten how good those are.
I did visit Bianchi’s based on this thread and loved it.
There is plenty of good to OK pizza in Boston, but there is room for more top notch pie IMO.
A bit out of town, but relevant to this board; we were in Providence last week and had a satisfying visit to Caserta. While not usually the kind of pizza I prefer, it was quite satisfying. Also, a visit to Frank and John’s in East Greenwich was incredibly satisfying.
The pizza at A4 (Boston) we had over the last week is still the best for us in Boston (and beyond). We also like that the new location has more (and better) appetizers than their Kendall location. I work 2 min walk from the Kendall location but would always go to their Boston location for their pizza.
Good to know about the Boston location. Have you tried brunch at either? I’m just wondering how they compare.
I’m a fan of Stoked Pizza in Brookline(Washington Sq)
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indian style pizza at veggie crust on somerville ave in somerville
I am really not a brunch person and haven’t tried it
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I think I feel about Boston pizza the way you do–it’s kind of like the dim sum scene, where there are plenty of places that are fine but seemingly few that aim a little higher.
Caserta’s is a cool place; used to go there when I lived in Attleboro. I almost always just get the wimpy skimpy, though! Never made it to Frank and John’s.
Also glad you dug Bianchi’s–love that place.
Did go to Max and Leo’s in Newton on Saturday–loved the dough and the fact that they do the pizzas well done. Crust was great and the pie has a good amount of cheese. The sauce seemed to lack a bit of sweetness, though, which I thought was a minor flaw though it had good tomato/garlic flavor. The gf wanted a topping so we got half eggplant–I preferred the straight cheese side, myself. Pretty good, though not necessarily worth going out of your way for. Luckily it was just a few minutes away from where I get my taxes done!
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Not new, but if you’re looking for not-soggy thin crust (assumption based on pining for Just Crust), Cambridge 1 makes crispy thin, almost cracker-like crust and might be a refreshing change of pace for “pizza fatigue” as they’re certainly nowhere near the center of that bell curve. They grill their pizzas over an open fire; with heat solely from below, the crust cooks first and toppings only get up to warm. Crust cooking first should mean sogginess is rare. On the flip side, merely-warm toppings means they’ll never have a sea of molten cheese on top (well, or occasionally any melted cheese), but they know that and don’t aspire to such a pie - cheese and tomatoes are treated as discrete flavor elements rather than a ubiquitous soup.
If you need new-new around here, you might have to wait for &pizza’s yet-unscheduled opening in the center of Harvard Square, but call me a skeptic that that will be an improvement to the local pizza scene.
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We tried Stoked Pizza for the first time last week - quite underwhelming appetizers (ahi poke and cauliflower bites pretty horrible, spring salad decent). Pizzas were not bad, not great - the cheeseburger pizza with their secret sauce was reminiscent of In’n’Out burger animal style and the better of the two we had and mushroom and onion pizza was surprisingly bland. Not sure what style they are going after - it is close to Neapolitan but to overcooked and the dough is missing the typical flavor from that style. Overall if you stick to the pizza nothing to go out of the way but worth revisiting
Very sorry you didn’t have a better experience. I guess I just like the place plus they have a nice beer selection and make pretty good cocktails. I’m more of a margherita pizza kind of guy…
An old thread, but I’ll toss in my 2 cents.
Pepe’s is worth a visit, but order carefully. Though they claim to have invented the clam pie, we find it underwhelming. Add bacon and it becomes too salty. The simple tomato pie is the standout.
Legal Harborside occasionally offers an excellent clam pie. And they also sometimes offer a pretty good knockoff of Wolfgang Puck’s original Spago smoked salmon pizza.
We also are fans of Babbo.
For a memorable take on Margherita make the drive to Al Forno in Providence.
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I find their pies a bit salty in general, and agree that the plain cheese is best there. We’ll grab Pepe’s if in the area though.
Max and uni, what size do you order at Pepe’s? We ordered a large takeout shortly after they opened and ordered a large plain cheese. Being cut in so many small pieces makes it a little hard to eat and very wet. We haven’t bothered to go back. I wonder if we’d have more luck ordering some mediums.
I generally order larges wherever I go, so I can’t speak to the smaller sizes. I have never had takeout from Pepe’s, but could definitely see it getting soggy., particularly with toppings.
One thing I will say is that their service is incredible. One time one of our pies came out a bit over done (in the waiter’s opinion). I told him it was fine and we like char. They brought a new pie anyway even though we were already eating the old one and took it off the bill all together.
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Thanks. Wow, that is service! I think it’s time to revisit.
I know a lot of people like to order margherita pizza to judge a place. but for us it is (together with plain cheese one) the most boring choice and we never order it
What do we order then?
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We usually order a cheese/margherita from a new place to let the purity of the sauce, cheese and dough shine through. Salt, fermentation and tang from the cheese are easier for us to perceive with a simple pie.
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