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Angela's: A Coal-Oven Pizzeria in Massachusetts

Posted by Adam Kuban, February 20, 2008 at 10:45 AM

I am a devoted slice eater and pizza worshiper from Providence, Rhode Island. I am writing to you from the state of Esprito Santo in Brazil.

Before I left for my trip, I had the pleasure of dining at Angela's Coal Fired Pizza in Saugus, Massachusetts (actually, immediately before leaving from JFK, I stopped at L&B Spumoni Gardens, Nathan's, and Di Fara within a two-hour period). Angela's opened in November, I believe. As far as I know, it's the closest coal oven to my Providence home. It may be the only one in Massachusetts as well.

Slice's Nationwide Coal-Oven Pizza Map »

Angela's is a modern coal oven pizzeria worthy of my respect. Its menu states "Our pizza is cooked well done," making its purpose obvious. My fellow pizza fiends and I ordered a traditional (read: Margherita) and a Melanzana. We also ordered the coal-fired wings, which I won't get into here, but they were amazing.

The element of Angela's which stands out the most is its amazingly springy light crust with abundant charring. It's hard to recall ever experiencing a pizza with such a springy crust. The tomato and basil on the pie was very fresh and flavorful, as it should be.

The biggest downside of this place—no fresh mozzarella by default. The menu threw me off here. Under "Specialty Pies," Angela's does list a sauceless fresh mozzarella pie, however. I am guessing that it may offer fresh mozzaerlla on the traditional if requested—so I will be returning to find out. Since I'm in South America for two months, that will have to wait.

In the meantime, I'll be trying some pizzerias here in Brazil and next month in Argentina. It appears that Brazilians like to put ketchup and mayonnaise on everything, including pizza. I did try some pizza (ordered by native friends) that had corn, ham, and tomato. Interesting combination, but the crust was at the level of U.S. chains—disheartening to say the least. I did find what appears to be a wood-fired pizzeria in the city of Vitoria, which seems to be closed during the day when I've walked by. There is a lot of interesting food down here, and I plan on eating as much of it as possible. As far as Buenos Aires goes, I have high expectations based on the Italian population; so far I've read good things about pizza there.

—Jon

Dear Jon,
Thanks for the intel on Angela's. I'll add it to the Nationwide Coal-Oven Pizza Map here on Slice. Great to see another coal oven join the ranks.

Keep in touch about the pizza you find in South America. The ketchup-and-mayo thing doesn't surprise me, as I've seen pictures of ketchup and mustard on Brazilian pizza before [shudder].

And when you get back to Angela's again, feel free to report on any new intel you gather!

Hasta la pizza,
Adam

Angela's Coal Fired Pizza

Address: 880 Broadway, Rt 1, Saugus MA, 01906
Phone: 781-941-2625
Website: angelascfp.com
Hours: Sun.–Wed., 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thurs.–Sat., 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

3 Comments | Tags: Angela's Coal Fired Pizza, Brazil, Coal-Oven, Dear Slice, Foreign Pizza, Massachusetts, Saugus