Posted by Erin Zimmer, November 18, 2008 at 7:00 AM
Where's the best pizza in Boston? Jacqueline of the Leather District Gourmet says she's found it at Emma’s, ordering a hot sausage, caramelized onion, and kalamata olive pie. It's her favorite in the Kendall Square part of Cambridge.
I have pretty limited pizza experience in the Boston area so I really can't speak to the best (especially in the pie only restaurant sense). That said, I actually really like Pizzeria Reggina. Additionally, my favorite New York Style, by the slice place is Pino's on Commonwealth Ave. right near Cleveland Circle.
I'm not too sure about Emma's. It's good, but the crust is just too crisp. It's less pizza, more cracker snack. Picco and Regina are my two favorites. But then there are a lot of other good ones, including Emma's. I do agree that Pino's is good (but I kind of prefer Presto, and they're on Beacon, not Commonwealth).
I was once in the North End on Hanover on a Saturday morning around 10am and people were lined up outside a bakery/cafe waiting for them to open so they could buy some pizza to go that was similar to Sicilian style. We got on line and tried it. It was very good. It was on the same side of Hanover as The Daily Catch. I don't think it was Modern Pastry. Is anyone familiar with the place?
Boston is my hometown...and I have to say that the best pizza ever can be found either at Pizzeria Regina's or at Santarpio's!!!! Santarpio's has a crispy wood fired crust and is topped with Pastene tomatoes and wonderful cheese...and definitely don't miss the grilled homemade sausages and peppers they serve there as well, or the grilled pork, as a starter. It's simply heaven on a plate. Pizzeria Regina's is a wonderful pizza place, too...the crust to sauce to cheese ratio is perfect -- and it just tastes soooooo good. I've been in living in Atlanta now for 5 years, and every time I go home to Boston these are the two places I make sure I hit.
I vote for Armando's, on Huron Ave in Cambridge. New York-style, old fashioned neighborhood joint that reminds me of the pizza places I grew up with on Staten Island. I love Emma's too, but a different kind of place...
I lived down the street from Armando's for years and years newyorker! We'd get off the bus and have our afternoon slice there. There was also an Emma's on Huron Ave, a bit further down. I actually liked her pizza even better. But I still stick by my original picks of Santarpio's and Pizzaria Regina's. God, I miss home.
Emma's is fine, some interesting toppings, but I agree, it is a cracker-style crust, thus not a superlative pie.
Boston is still waiting for that, but in the meantime, Regina's in the North End, ordered well-done, is the best we've got. Santarpio's is good, as is Picco in the South End. In Cambridge, Armandos is pretty damn good NY street style, while Gran Gusto makes a mean old school Neapolitan.
aside from the obvious choices of Pizzeria Regina and Santarpio's, I'm a big fan of Haymarket Pizza. The chewy crust, sweet sace, perfect cheese and super low prices more than make up for the fact that you're standing up and eating off a board in well... Haymarket. It's at least ten times better than anything you can find at Quincy Market and just as good as any pizza from the North End.
Emmas is not good. I was there 3 weeks ago and very excited because I had heard many good things, but as mentioned above, it was very crackery, floury and brittle. The crust did not have flavor. The painted pizza peel decor was really cool though!
As for the timeless Cleveland Circle debate of Pino VS Presto, I side with Presto. I have been known to say that if you were to fold a Presto pizza and allow the grease to drip into a container, you could fill 5 to 8 shot glasses with this juice. I would then take said 5 to 8 shots of pizza grease awesomeness.
Ohhhhhhhh I forgot about Picco until I followed that link up there. its really tasty there. and some damn good ice cream too. And is Scoozi still good on Newbury? I haven't been in a few years. Man I miss Boston. Good thing I have a plane ticket that says 11/25 BDA to BOS.
I've spent more time exploring the Boston pizza scene than the city probably deserves, and I wouldn't put Emma's in my top 5. Probably not even in my top 10. The crust is flat-out lousy. For me, that's an inexcusable sin in pizza making.
The best, I think, is Reggina's. Santarpio's is also outstanding, and definitely not your standard pizza. There are a whole bunch of places like Presto and The Upper Crust where you can good, though not great, pie. Picco's is similar, though a step above in quality. Pino's is wonderful stuff--the fiance was working a couple of blocks there for a while, and so we met for lunch a couple of times a week over their pizza.
I got so sick from food at Santarpios I could never bring myself to go back. Picco is really good, as I mentioned in my post - after raving about Emma's and Cambridge1, I'd actually put Picco right up there, too.
Any NY'ers missing Boston: here's a tip. There's a new bus that doesn't spontaneously combust and whose drivers actually appear to be legal and responsible (not that I want to disparage all the hard working non documented folks). The Bolt Bus is new joint venture btw Greyhound and Peter Pan. Only does online ressies so as to keep costs down. They are on par with the Chinese fire bomb buses but are wi-fi, clean, new, and the staff who board and drive are helpful. It's a Bah-gain as we say around these parts.
Regina's is good too but after they got exposed for groping and harassing female employees, I just nah...
@gaffer Great job. Thanks. I spotted that place on Google Maps' Streetview, but wasn't sure that was it because of the "Rotiseria" designation on their sign. However, based on the description you found, that is absolutely it. Now I wanna go back and get some of those squares. And stay long enough to stuff my face at my favorite restaurant anywhere, www.dailycatch.com . Anyone who has the opportunity should go. It is by far the best Sicilian seafood I've ever had. Including my grandmothers. The fried calamari is unparalleled. And I love the way they serve you their pasta dishes right in the frying pan. Especially the sauteed calamari over black (squid ink) linguini. And where else are you gonna find calamari meatballs? Sorry for the detour from all things pizza, but I couldn't help it. And thanks again, gaffer.
You are very welcome
I used to live in Boston
I ate at Galleria Umberto a few times.
The calzone was good
Regina and Santarpio are very good and probably the best
I prefer Santarpio's. Nice and informal, the pizza is very good plus they have lamb, beef and sausage skewers grilled on an open charcoal fire right by the bar. Served with bread and a pickled hot cherry pepper. This would probably violate the fire code but they got grandfathered in.
Santarpios is easier than Regina to park at especially on the weekend
I understand why you like the Daily Catch so much
I only ate there a few times at their restaurant on Northern Avenue which may no longer be there. Loved the fried calamari. Others at the table got the classic puttanesca with the ink. I think the pasta was ink black too
Mike's Pastry on Hanover St (roughly across from Daily Catch) is very good for baba rum (my favorite Italian pastry, first one I ever had was in Little Italy NYC) and cannoli
I haven't been to Boston for more than a decade so all of the above might be a bit different today
Keep the home fires burning in your backyard pizza oven!
my vote is for the Fung Wah to NYC. Worst slice in NY>best slice in Boston. Ok, I am a bit biased. In Kendall Emma's is definitely tops... I also respect Upper Crust for doing their own thing, rather than trying to replicate an NYC style slice. Its really tasty there.
That's so funny you used google street view to try and figure out where you missed eating at last time (Galleria Umberto)
But if on foot in the North End I would eat pizza at Regina. That's their original restaurant and the best irregardless of the suburban and other Reginas they have opened since
@gaffer The street view thing comes in very handy. Although it does seem funny when at first, it makes perfect sense when you think about it. I now need to plan a trip up there. Perhaps around Christmas when my son gets home from school. I better make it a long one. There's a lot to check out. I've been to the Northern Avenue location (The Fish Piers, right?). The food was the same, but the atmosphere couldn't compare. And you couldn't walk across the street to Mike's for some excellent sfogliatelle and espresso. I'll be sure to check out the North End version of Regina's, thanks. As far as my home fires go, I got another tasting scheduled this Saturday. This one will be better than last week's because I'm gonna use some high priced white birch from Estonia to make sure I get the oven hot enough and not full of partially burnt wood charcoal. Time to find a new wood supplier.
Absolutely it makes sense to use google street view. I just chuckle at the ability of the internet to show you such a thing. I show a people a google maps satellite view of their house and that gets them excited. Now we even have street views of many locations in the USA
-- Yeah Fish Pier is out on Northern Avenue
-- Mikes is always good. Sfogliatelle...just looked that up on wikipedia
-- White birch from Estonia sounds exotic
-- Your friends better bring some good wine for you pizza tastings!
Santarpio's lost me at "lots of cornmeal". I'll still try it but my expectations will be low.
@gaffer White birch from Estonia is suprisingly abundant in New Jersey. Every A&P Supermarket has bags of it stacked up outside in the fall and winter. It's expensive to buy that way, but convenient. And I know it's the best wood to burn because uber pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri burns it at UPN. He don't cut no corners.
Paulie Gee -- don't let the cornmeal scare you. It's VERY GOOD pizza. You will not be disappointed. Get the sausage with the cherry pepper, too, as a treat before your pizza. You will not regret it.
OK Julie. The all caps think has raised my expectations. I might have to book a second night. I've got a lot of ground to cover. Umbertos, Regina's, Santarpio, The Daily Catch and Mike's. Plus since it'll be Christmas I gotta track down the chick I saw on a Giada and Mario Christmas special who makes holiday ravioli one at a time and boils them in a saute pan.
@airstrikemike - definitely try 'em out. I think Canestaro's is a nice joint, I like the pies. It's real close to Fenway Park, so I'm surprised that no one said anything about the place. I guess a lot of folks want to hit the Cask and Flagon before the game.
OK, I realize this post is a bit late, but I came across this blog after having done a google search in my quest for a really good slice of pizza. I live in cambridge now, and used to live in the North End. I like Regina's alot, but I honestly can't say I love it. For sicilian, I do love Galleria Umbertos. And actually my favorite pie in the North End was Il Pannini Express. Very New York-esque. I also love their Cambridge location. I also like Cinderella in Central Square, though they do have a tendency to overcook their pizza. It is great when it is not overooked however.
Emma's crust is all wrong, it is wafer thin and too much like a cracker for my liking. I have given up on finding a good slice of Italian pizza in Boston. I have found most of the establishments in the North End to be tourist traps, and the remainder outside of that area are Greek owned and better suited towards diner food than authentic pizza.
Pizza Oggi, now in Cambridge, has some consistently great pizza. Great crusts, usually sprinkled with poppy seeds or whatever else is hanging around, and hight quality toppings. www.oggigourmet.com
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37 Comments:
I have pretty limited pizza experience in the Boston area so I really can't speak to the best (especially in the pie only restaurant sense). That said, I actually really like Pizzeria Reggina. Additionally, my favorite New York Style, by the slice place is Pino's on Commonwealth Ave. right near Cleveland Circle.
itshissong at 7:46AM on 11/18/08
I like pizzaria uno in kenmore, close to fenway, chicago style and leines on tap. What could be better?
nhfoodie at 9:02AM on 11/18/08
I'm not too sure about Emma's. It's good, but the crust is just too crisp. It's less pizza, more cracker snack. Picco and Regina are my two favorites. But then there are a lot of other good ones, including Emma's. I do agree that Pino's is good (but I kind of prefer Presto, and they're on Beacon, not Commonwealth).
airstrikemike at 9:37AM on 11/18/08
I was once in the North End on Hanover on a Saturday morning around 10am and people were lined up outside a bakery/cafe waiting for them to open so they could buy some pizza to go that was similar to Sicilian style. We got on line and tried it. It was very good. It was on the same side of Hanover as The Daily Catch. I don't think it was Modern Pastry. Is anyone familiar with the place?
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 9:53AM on 11/18/08
Boston is my hometown...and I have to say that the best pizza ever can be found either at Pizzeria Regina's or at Santarpio's!!!! Santarpio's has a crispy wood fired crust and is topped with Pastene tomatoes and wonderful cheese...and definitely don't miss the grilled homemade sausages and peppers they serve there as well, or the grilled pork, as a starter. It's simply heaven on a plate. Pizzeria Regina's is a wonderful pizza place, too...the crust to sauce to cheese ratio is perfect -- and it just tastes soooooo good. I've been in living in Atlanta now for 5 years, and every time I go home to Boston these are the two places I make sure I hit.
juliebugsmama at 10:03AM on 11/18/08
I vote for Armando's, on Huron Ave in Cambridge. New York-style, old fashioned neighborhood joint that reminds me of the pizza places I grew up with on Staten Island. I love Emma's too, but a different kind of place...
newyorker at 10:20AM on 11/18/08
I lived down the street from Armando's for years and years newyorker! We'd get off the bus and have our afternoon slice there. There was also an Emma's on Huron Ave, a bit further down. I actually liked her pizza even better. But I still stick by my original picks of Santarpio's and Pizzaria Regina's. God, I miss home.
juliebugsmama at 10:31AM on 11/18/08
I've never had Santarpio's, but have heard good things...but because of this, I'm squarely sitting on the Pizzeria Reggina's side.
DustinM at 11:56AM on 11/18/08
Emma's is fine, some interesting toppings, but I agree, it is a cracker-style crust, thus not a superlative pie.
Boston is still waiting for that, but in the meantime, Regina's in the North End, ordered well-done, is the best we've got. Santarpio's is good, as is Picco in the South End. In Cambridge, Armandos is pretty damn good NY street style, while Gran Gusto makes a mean old school Neapolitan.
dikaryon at 1:12PM on 11/18/08
aside from the obvious choices of Pizzeria Regina and Santarpio's, I'm a big fan of Haymarket Pizza. The chewy crust, sweet sace, perfect cheese and super low prices more than make up for the fact that you're standing up and eating off a board in well... Haymarket. It's at least ten times better than anything you can find at Quincy Market and just as good as any pizza from the North End.
chrisf at 1:14PM on 11/18/08
I find it humorous that despite you all loving Reggina's, nobody knows how to even correctly spell it! Come on guys!
DustinM at 2:13PM on 11/18/08
Emmas is not good. I was there 3 weeks ago and very excited because I had heard many good things, but as mentioned above, it was very crackery, floury and brittle. The crust did not have flavor. The painted pizza peel decor was really cool though!
As for the timeless Cleveland Circle debate of Pino VS Presto, I side with Presto. I have been known to say that if you were to fold a Presto pizza and allow the grease to drip into a container, you could fill 5 to 8 shot glasses with this juice. I would then take said 5 to 8 shots of pizza grease awesomeness.
And who said Uno's earlier? REALLLLY?
franklindelanobluth at 3:00PM on 11/18/08
Ohhhhhhhh I forgot about Picco until I followed that link up there. its really tasty there. and some damn good ice cream too. And is Scoozi still good on Newbury? I haven't been in a few years. Man I miss Boston. Good thing I have a plane ticket that says 11/25 BDA to BOS.
franklindelanobluth at 3:04PM on 11/18/08
@franklindelanobluth - can I climb into your luggage????
@DustinM - Reggina's. Regina's. All I know is I didn't need to know how to spell it to eat it. And eat it I did!
juliebugsmama at 3:27PM on 11/18/08
I've spent more time exploring the Boston pizza scene than the city probably deserves, and I wouldn't put Emma's in my top 5. Probably not even in my top 10. The crust is flat-out lousy. For me, that's an inexcusable sin in pizza making.
The best, I think, is Reggina's. Santarpio's is also outstanding, and definitely not your standard pizza. There are a whole bunch of places like Presto and The Upper Crust where you can good, though not great, pie. Picco's is similar, though a step above in quality. Pino's is wonderful stuff--the fiance was working a couple of blocks there for a while, and so we met for lunch a couple of times a week over their pizza.
Emma's, though? No thanks.
TCShillingford at 6:02PM on 11/18/08
I got so sick from food at Santarpios I could never bring myself to go back. Picco is really good, as I mentioned in my post - after raving about Emma's and Cambridge1, I'd actually put Picco right up there, too.
Any NY'ers missing Boston: here's a tip. There's a new bus that doesn't spontaneously combust and whose drivers actually appear to be legal and responsible (not that I want to disparage all the hard working non documented folks). The Bolt Bus is new joint venture btw Greyhound and Peter Pan. Only does online ressies so as to keep costs down. They are on par with the Chinese fire bomb buses but are wi-fi, clean, new, and the staff who board and drive are helpful. It's a Bah-gain as we say around these parts.
Regina's is good too but after they got exposed for groping and harassing female employees, I just nah...
jacquelinec at 12:14AM on 11/19/08
Pauili G --->>
http://www.hiddenboston.com/GalleriaUmberto.html
I think this is the place you want
gaffer at 3:02AM on 11/19/08
@gaffer Great job. Thanks. I spotted that place on Google Maps' Streetview, but wasn't sure that was it because of the "Rotiseria" designation on their sign. However, based on the description you found, that is absolutely it. Now I wanna go back and get some of those squares. And stay long enough to stuff my face at my favorite restaurant anywhere, www.dailycatch.com . Anyone who has the opportunity should go. It is by far the best Sicilian seafood I've ever had. Including my grandmothers. The fried calamari is unparalleled. And I love the way they serve you their pasta dishes right in the frying pan. Especially the sauteed calamari over black (squid ink) linguini. And where else are you gonna find calamari meatballs? Sorry for the detour from all things pizza, but I couldn't help it. And thanks again, gaffer.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 9:20AM on 11/19/08
Ha, a most excellent point Julie...and now I really want some Regggggina's! :)
DustinM at 11:52AM on 11/19/08
@DustinM - Uhh... There's only one "g." -> http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/
airstrikemike at 1:09PM on 11/19/08
Pauli G--->>>
You are very welcome
I used to live in Boston
I ate at Galleria Umberto a few times.
The calzone was good
Regina and Santarpio are very good and probably the best
I prefer Santarpio's. Nice and informal, the pizza is very good plus they have lamb, beef and sausage skewers grilled on an open charcoal fire right by the bar. Served with bread and a pickled hot cherry pepper. This would probably violate the fire code but they got grandfathered in.
Santarpios is easier than Regina to park at especially on the weekend
I understand why you like the Daily Catch so much
I only ate there a few times at their restaurant on Northern Avenue which may no longer be there. Loved the fried calamari. Others at the table got the classic puttanesca with the ink. I think the pasta was ink black too
Mike's Pastry on Hanover St (roughly across from Daily Catch) is very good for baba rum (my favorite Italian pastry, first one I ever had was in Little Italy NYC) and cannoli
I haven't been to Boston for more than a decade so all of the above might be a bit different today
Keep the home fires burning in your backyard pizza oven!
gaffer
gaffer at 5:07PM on 11/19/08
my vote is for the Fung Wah to NYC. Worst slice in NY>best slice in Boston. Ok, I am a bit biased. In Kendall Emma's is definitely tops... I also respect Upper Crust for doing their own thing, rather than trying to replicate an NYC style slice. Its really tasty there.
fozziebayer at 5:13PM on 11/19/08
Pauli G--->>>
That's so funny you used google street view to try and figure out where you missed eating at last time (Galleria Umberto)
But if on foot in the North End I would eat pizza at Regina. That's their original restaurant and the best irregardless of the suburban and other Reginas they have opened since
gaffer at 5:16PM on 11/19/08
@gaffer The street view thing comes in very handy. Although it does seem funny when at first, it makes perfect sense when you think about it. I now need to plan a trip up there. Perhaps around Christmas when my son gets home from school. I better make it a long one. There's a lot to check out. I've been to the Northern Avenue location (The Fish Piers, right?). The food was the same, but the atmosphere couldn't compare. And you couldn't walk across the street to Mike's for some excellent sfogliatelle and espresso. I'll be sure to check out the North End version of Regina's, thanks. As far as my home fires go, I got another tasting scheduled this Saturday. This one will be better than last week's because I'm gonna use some high priced white birch from Estonia to make sure I get the oven hot enough and not full of partially burnt wood charcoal. Time to find a new wood supplier.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 7:10PM on 11/19/08
Pauli G--->>
Absolutely it makes sense to use google street view. I just chuckle at the ability of the internet to show you such a thing. I show a people a google maps satellite view of their house and that gets them excited. Now we even have street views of many locations in the USA
-- Yeah Fish Pier is out on Northern Avenue
-- Mikes is always good. Sfogliatelle...just looked that up on wikipedia
-- White birch from Estonia sounds exotic
-- Your friends better bring some good wine for you pizza tastings!
Cheers,
gaffer
gaffer at 8:57PM on 11/19/08
Santarpio's Pizza Versus Pizzeria Regina
http://www.hiddenboston.com/blogentries/santarpios-vs-regina-5605.html
gaffer at 3:00AM on 11/20/08
Santarpio's lost me at "lots of cornmeal". I'll still try it but my expectations will be low.
@gaffer White birch from Estonia is suprisingly abundant in New Jersey. Every A&P Supermarket has bags of it stacked up outside in the fall and winter. It's expensive to buy that way, but convenient. And I know it's the best wood to burn because uber pizzaiolo Anthony Mangieri burns it at UPN. He don't cut no corners.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 10:53AM on 11/20/08
Paulie Gee -- don't let the cornmeal scare you. It's VERY GOOD pizza. You will not be disappointed. Get the sausage with the cherry pepper, too, as a treat before your pizza. You will not regret it.
juliebugsmama at 1:26PM on 11/20/08
What about Canestaro's nearby Fenway Park? Or DaCoopa's in east Boston? I'm surprised those haven't been mentioned.
DC Caps at 5:22PM on 11/20/08
OK Julie. The all caps think has raised my expectations. I might have to book a second night. I've got a lot of ground to cover. Umbertos, Regina's, Santarpio, The Daily Catch and Mike's. Plus since it'll be Christmas I gotta track down the chick I saw on a Giada and Mario Christmas special who makes holiday ravioli one at a time and boils them in a saute pan.
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 10:03PM on 11/20/08
Here's the show. Well worth watching if they repeat it this year. Lot's of Brooklyn stuff too:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-specials/an-italian-christmas-with-mario-and-giada/index.html
Here's more info on the ravioli:
http://www.foodieobsessed.com/2007/12/13/italian-christmas-ravioli/
Ciao,
Paulie Gee
pauliegee at 11:33PM on 11/20/08
@DC Caps - Canestaro's and DaCoopa's are 2 of my top 3 to-try places I still haven't gotten around to visiting yet.
airstrikemike at 2:26PM on 11/21/08
@airstrikemike - definitely try 'em out. I think Canestaro's is a nice joint, I like the pies. It's real close to Fenway Park, so I'm surprised that no one said anything about the place. I guess a lot of folks want to hit the Cask and Flagon before the game.
http://www.canestaros.com/index.html
DC Caps at 4:55PM on 11/25/08
OK, I realize this post is a bit late, but I came across this blog after having done a google search in my quest for a really good slice of pizza. I live in cambridge now, and used to live in the North End. I like Regina's alot, but I honestly can't say I love it. For sicilian, I do love Galleria Umbertos. And actually my favorite pie in the North End was Il Pannini Express. Very New York-esque. I also love their Cambridge location. I also like Cinderella in Central Square, though they do have a tendency to overcook their pizza. It is great when it is not overooked however.
NYPizzaLoverinBoston at 11:03AM on 12/25/08
Emma's crust is all wrong, it is wafer thin and too much like a cracker for my liking. I have given up on finding a good slice of Italian pizza in Boston. I have found most of the establishments in the North End to be tourist traps, and the remainder outside of that area are Greek owned and better suited towards diner food than authentic pizza.
Kismetized at 3:41PM on 01/09/09
I have a few favorites:
1, Bianchi's Pizza on Revere Beach.
2. Santarpio's in East Boston
3. Brown Jug in Chelsea
4. Little Italy in Beverly
mirage41b at 6:48PM on 04/19/09
Pizza Oggi, now in Cambridge, has some consistently great pizza. Great crusts, usually sprinkled with poppy seeds or whatever else is hanging around, and hight quality toppings. www.oggigourmet.com
gregoryswil at 3:28PM on 04/21/09