Santarpio’s Pizza | Boston, MA

Storefront

Close to the airport, in an East Boston neighborhood, Santarpio’s Pizza definitely has the feel of well established local joint – thick accents and all.  The reason Santarpio’s has been in business since 1903 is that they are widely considered to make some of the best pizza in Boston.  In fact, they are a multiple time winner of Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston award for traditional pizza, and they have been inducted into the Boston Hall of Fame.  Santarpio’s Pizza is popular enough that they have a second location in Peabody, Massachusetts.  This location offers parking that the Easton Boston location does not, but I doubt it has the same authentic feel and can’t promise the accents will be as thick there. 

Inside

The inside of Santarpio’s in East Boston has a fair amount of seating and pictures of celebrities dining there decorate the walls.  Their menu simply consists of pizza and a few barbeque options, plus beer and wine.  They offer carryout for pizza only and do not deliver.  If you are staying by the airport, it may be an easier walk than drive, especially since they don’t have parking.  Be sure to hit up an ATM if necessary before visiting Santarpio’s in East Boston though, because they only accept cold hard cash. 

Sausage and Pepperoni

Santarpio’s pizzas are 14 inches, and our group ordered a couple; one sausage and pepperoni and one meat lovers (which is essentially is just sausage and pepperoni plus ground beef).  The nicely seasoned sauce may have been my favorite part, and they are generous with its layering above the cheese.  The perfectly browned cheese was also very good, and the meats were flavorful, especially the somewhat spicy homemade sausage.  My only complaint would be that the crust was a little too charred and crunchy along the edges for my liking.  I think this may have just been because our pizzas were left in for too long though, and not necessarily the way Santarpio’s always cooks their pizzas.  All said, I would be happy to return to Santarpio’s Pizza during another visit to Boston, and I would likely just ask that the crust doesn’t get too well done.

Meat Lovers

What I Ate: Sausage and Pepperoni + Meat Lovers
Rating: 8.0/10

Santarpio’s Pizza
111 Chelsea Street
East Boston, MA 02128
(617)567-9871
SantarpiosPizza.com