Where to find the best pizza in Boston right now (2023)

Whether you want tender Neapolitan crusts or thick Sicilian slices, we know where to find the perfect cake.

We don't care what your New York friends have to say:Boston is now a great pizza town. In addition to a handful of veterans still tossing delicious dough, the city has also spawned a new wave of artisan pastry chefs who play with tradition, coming up with their own pizza-style permutations and filling us with gourmet toppings. From Sicilian to Neapolitan, South Shore bar pizzas to Detroit-style pies, here are some of the best.

area four

Thank you Obama When No. 44 had lunch at chef and partner Jeff Pond's Kendall Square Restaurant in 2015, the place needed little publicity. After all, it was their established reputation for incredible wood-fired pies that initially drew the then-Commander-in-Chief. (If you're curious, she had the mushroom fontina pizza and also a "carnivore" pie with sausage, soppressata, and bacon to go.) But we appreciate anything that gives the place deserved attention, as it's such an important and early entry into the Better Pizza movement in the Boston area. It still gets our vote as one of the best.

500 Tech Square, Cambridge, 617-758-4444,areafour.com.

Pizzeria Armando

Every small town once had a place like Armando's, tucked away in a residential area of ​​Cambridge: the bright orange booths and wood-panelled walls adorned with photos of local minor-league teams look straight out of the '80s. -Childhood memories (and/or an episode ofStrange things). Nostalgia aside, few of these pizzerias actually werethis is incredibly good.Armando's, on the other hand, is a decades-old no-frills spot that kills it when it comes to New York-style discs, hands down. Meanwhile, the wonderfully fluffy dough of the Sicilian squares is even better than you remember.

163 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, 617-354-8275.

Avenue kitchen + bar

When it comes to pizza, people can get very obsessed with "style." NY! Neapolitan! Chicago! Sicilian! Everyone has a favourite. However, until recently, Detroit-style pizza did not have a presence in the Boston area. That's starting to change, and Avenue is one of the few restaurants to offer it. Here, pies with sliced ​​meatballs, grilled chipotle chicken, or braised short ribs capture the crisp-edgy excellence that is characteristic of Motor City-rooted 'za, traditionally prepared with cheese first and sauce second on square steel. and deep. Pans

158 Boston Avenue, Somerville, 617-764-0879,avenidasomerville.com.

Pizza on the Boardwalk

If you want something to eat while walking along the water, the first thing you can think of is fried seafood, and for thatwe got you covered here. However, a slice of pizza is also the perfect bite on the boardwalk, and this Quincy spot, right next to a water park on Marina Bay, is worth the stroll. You'll find giant slices of cake from the Frattaroli family, the clan behind a long-standing string of North End restaurants, all crispy so they won't fall over on your stroll. There are also a few nods to the seaside location: sea salt, for example, gives the batter that extra something, plus you'll find toppings like Cape Cod mussels and locally sourced lobster.

332 Victory Road, Marina Bay, Quincy, 617-315-4099,boardwalkpizzamb.com.

beer fork

Okay, speaking of Boston's slavish devotion to pizza "styles,"we're not really about this life. Of course there are purists, but the prevailing wisdom here is rather: take what pleases you from different approaches, leave the rest and focus primarily on making really tasty pizza. (That seems like a solid maxim.) Brewer's Fork, for example, has been a local favorite since it opened in 2015, thanks to wood-fired pies that don't come close to any style, though their rustic, artisanal qualities do match the style. the brick and granite surround of the restaurant. They're simply amazing, topped with fodder mushrooms, roasted honeynut squash and more, and washed down with a superb selection of local beers.

Calle Moulton 7, Charlestown, 617-337-5703,brewersfork.com.

Hello pizza and pasta

Hello Goodbye! When you came on the scene about five years ago, little did we know that one of the best pizzerias in the Boston area would be found in Chelsea, a city that generally doesn't have a ton of restaurants to appeal to The other side. Side of the Tobin Bridge. (Call out the good oldie NewBridge Cafe, though.) And yet here we are, lured by the promise of incredible wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas like salsiccia loaded with homemade fennel sausage and cherry peppers. , as well as an outstanding round with prosciutto, refined with port wine and fig jam.

Williams St. 59, Chelsea, 617-286-9346,ciaopizzaandpasta.com.

copa

Wood-fired pizzas (and a cute corner patio) have long been legendary at this South End enoteca, where perfectly browned wood-fired crusts are further enhanced by celebrity chef Jamie's charcuterie skills.Bissonnette – Think toppings like lamb sausage and spices. , dry-ripened salami.

253 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, 617-391-0902,coppaboston.com.

Doppelnull

Bostonfinally has a long-awaited locationfrom the Michelin-starred vegan pizzeria Double Zero. It comes from chef Matthew Kenney, a big name in the plant-based food movement with restaurants across the country. Named for Italy's gold-standard flour and born in New York's East Village, Double Zero offers gourmet pastries alongside bottles of biodynamic wines, and all wood-fired Neapolitan dishes are prepared without meat or dairy. Try the Pizza Bianca, which is filled with nutty cheeses like macadamia ricotta, cashew mozzarella, and almond parmesan, along with peperoncini and rapin.

163 Newbury Street, Boston, 857-256-1370,matthewkenneycuisine.com/doble-cero-boston.

dragon pizza

In our 2019 Best of Boston issue, we focused on onea long carbohydrate odysseyto find the number one editing suite in town, and finally led us to this location in Davis Square. Still a newcomer to the scene, Dragon Pizza is taking the game by storm, elevating the neighborhood's pizzeria sensibilities with the deft touch of established chefs: it was created by Charlie Redd of the late Redd's in Rozzie, Redd alumnus Antonio Reyes and Keenan Langlois, whose resume has included Sinclair and Publico. Browse the decorative collection of retro audio cassettes while you wait for your piece to warm up; We like the pie with spicy maple syrup bacon and the ricotta pizza with homemade red wine and garlic sausage.

233 Elm Street, Somerville, 617-764-5026,dragonpizzasomerville.com.

Ernestos Pizza

Ernesto's is a North End icon that lives up to its famous representative. It's also a solid bet for Tony Soprano-level appetites: individual slices are a quarter of a pie, and those rounds only come in an "extra large" 18-inch size, by the way. There's also a fairly wide range of options, with two dozen varieties covering buffalo chicken, eggplant parmigiana, and Hawaiian-inspired toppings. Ernesto's has also grown as a business and recently added a stylish new location on Somerville's Assembly Row.Eat food!

69 Salem Street, Boston, 617-523-1373; 641 Montagereihe, Somerville, 617-764-4194,ernestosnorthend.com.

Umberto-Galerie

You'd think Boston's North End, with its plethora of Italian restaurants, would be the epicenter of the city's pizza scene. You would be... well, right. There's probably more cake per capita here than anywhere else, but that also makes it harder to find the really good slices among the drab, sodden impostors. Umberto's offers belong firmly in the first category. The understated bar-restaurant has an unassuming, cafeteria-like vibe, and its limited menu specializes in Sicilian-style seats. Whether tossed on paper plates or tied with string in take-home boxes, they're in a word amazing, even earning the institution a special America's Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation.

289 Calle Hannover, Boston, 617-227-5709,facebook.com.

hot box

Important Fact: The "slime" emoji was actually invented for the sole purpose of texting your friends about Hot Box, a eatery at Bow Market, a food court, and shops in Somerville. Hot Box has a playful concept, serving just two regional staples from the North Shore (roast beef sandwiches) and South Shore (bar pizzas). The bar pizzas, in case you missed them, are super-crispy, wafer-thin pies topped with charred cheese that oozes to the brim. And the Hot Box offers a handful of flavorful options, including our favorite: the roni, topped with premium pepperoni and feta.

1 Bow Market Way, Somerville, 617-284-9600,eathotbox.com.

Lincoln Tavern and Restaurant

If we could only make one suggestion that would make your life so much better: take some time to work on your tan in Southie's M Street or Carson Beach and bring a box of Lincoln's Pizza with you. The neighborhood favorite offers its beloved wood-fired pies, a dinner staple, alongside its weekday and weekend brunch options, so they're sure to stay warm in the midday heat. Our favorites? The round with sweet fennel sausage and pickled cherry peppers always brightens up our day, as does the pumpkin pizza with bacon, caramelized onions and rosemary oil.

425 West Broadway, ab Boston, 617-765-8636,lincolnsouthboston.com.

Preparation for the night shift

Do you hear the? It's the sound of every eyeglass dropped in Boston's North End, aka "Little Italy," after giving ours to a popular brewery in the neighboring West Endlatest Best of Boston award for pizza. No sermons dads: we're just super impressed with Night Shift's new addition of Detroit-style pizzas (including, unusually, some plain white pies with no tomato sauce). Developed with veterinarians at the now-closed legendary Eastern Standard restaurant in Kenmore Square, the dough recipe is a true example of regional diversity. Plus, you don't have to stop anywhere else to choose the perfect beer to go with it.

Pastoral

If Neapolitan pizza is your thing, let the imported wood-fired oven, made from the rocks and sand of Mount Vesuvius, warm you at this Fort Point hangout. When the Pastoral opened in 2014, chef and owner Todd Winer became only the second person in Massachusetts to receive official certification.Pizzeroby the US branch of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, a trade organization that controls the naming of Neapolitan pizzas based on specific ingredients and cooking styles. It definitely takes some skill to properly remove those soft, thin crusts that are made to bend, and Winer has that in spades. Don't sleep on their equally excellent roman slices, which are thick, fluffy, and focaccia-esque. And Winer is also responsible for New York-style pies at Venice Pizza in Dorchester, a neighborhood landmark that he had closed for decadesjust reopenedwith his brother Joshua.

Kongressstraße 345, Boston, 617-345-0005,pastoralfortpoint.com.

prairie fire

Technique-based versions of rustic American wood-fire cooking have been a hallmark of the Prairie Fire menu since opening in 2017. Accompanied, of course, by a quartet of excellent pizzas, including the outstanding fennel and sausage, which comes out of the oven with the perfect char for its ricotta, fennel and red onion-covered crust. Behind the Brookline spot is a pretty impressive chef: Executive Chef Andrew Iacono is a graduate of legendary Chicago's Alinea.

242 Harvard Street, Brookline, 617-396-8199,praderafirebrookline.com.

Queens Pizzeria

It never fails to convince us that every outpost of this regional pizza chain lives up to the standard set by the first North End location, established in 1926. It will also never convince us to compare that with said original, which still has a surplus. Charm: an old-school interior with framed photos of celebrities slicing, flexible brick-oven pizzas that never fail, and those unique triangular boxes big enough to take home individual slices, they are so damnLindo.Regina, you are still our queen.

11 1/2 Calle Thacher, Boston, 617-227-0765,reginapizzeria.com.

by Santarpio

Another long-standing local legend, Santarpio's is famous for a number of reasons. Number one, of course, is the pizza itself: the pies are nicely charred and built up by putting the toppings first (which, well, doesn't make them the best anymore).toppings), followed by the cheese, then the sauce. Does it sound a bit backwards? Sure, but let Santarpio be the opposite: after all, the often-salty service is another hallmark of the original (and cash-only) East Boston location.

111 Chelsea St., East Boston, 617-567-9871; 71 Newbury Street, Peabody, 978-535-1811,www.santarpiospizza.com.

Stoked Wood Fired Pizza Co.

It takes a lot of ingenuity to start a wood-fired pizza business from a food truck. Luckily, Stoked's pizza-delivering co-founder Scott Riebling comes from a rock 'n' roll background: he's the original bassist for Boston band Letters to Cleo, as well as a record producer. Hence the energy required to drive a 3,800-pound wood-fired oven across town and produce delicious, crunchy batters topped with nouveau side dishes like chili honey and the Impossible Burger. Although the truck is currently in hibernation, Stoked opened a full-service restaurant in Brookline in 2016, as well as a Cambridge.

1632 Beacon Street, Brookline, 617-879-0707; 1161 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-945-0989,stokedpizzaco.com.

T&B-Pizzeria

What do you get when a chef with experience in haute cuisine decides to put their passion and talent into pizza? Hungry. you gethungry.Because Tim Wiechmann brings plenty of finesse to his newly opened full-service restaurant on Union Square, where the wood-fired oven produces personal-size cakes with slightly wacky sides like pistachio bologna and rum-soaked pineapple. Wiechmann does not rush: the dough for his Neapolitan and Roman-style pizzas benefits from a long fermentation time. T&B also gets bonus points for its strong cocktail program.

251 Washington Street, Somerville, 617-764-4054,tbpizza.com.