Pizza in Cambridge

            With all the ramen shops and other culinary trends sweeping our city, at times it seems hard to find good pizza at a decent price. These are a few of my favorites, as well as some that simply hold nostalgic value for me. The list is by no means exhaustive; I’m sure there are some good places I remain ignorant of, and far too many have closed their doors in the last ten years. But here you go: just sprinkle some red pepper flakes and you won’t go wrong.

The Best

Armando’s (Huron Ave, near corner of Concord)

When in Rome,

do as the Romans;

when in West Cambridge:

eat at Armando’s!

            If you have never eaten at Armando’s; if you have never had pizza in Cambridge, or the Boston area generally; if you have never had pizza before, do yourself a favor and hop on the 78 bus from Harvard Station and tell the driver to let you off at Armando’s.

            Just make sure you have cash – you won’t need much though. Prices may have gone up ever so slightly in the last 5 years; but if you factor in Cantabriflation, it’s a better deal than ever!

            Seriously, what else is there to say that hasn’t already been covered in the local press? This is hands-down the best pizza in Cambridge, and the prices are unbelievably reasonable. Even if you only have your debit card, the $2.00 fee at the ATM across the street will hardly make a dent in what you’ll save compared to any place of remotely close quality around here. If only they would open a second location elsewhere in Cambridge for those of us not so fortunate as to get out there enough. But honestly, I could see New Yorkers or even Italians coming out here for the amazing food and great hospitality at this cozy gem of a pizzeria!

Pinnochio’s (Harvard Square)

            The only other place in Cambridge serving up quality Italian-style pizza worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Armando’s is Pinnochio’s in Harvard Square. In fact, their pizza is fantastic; it’s just not such a bargain and the place gets packed, all of which is understandable given that it’s Harvard Square and the food is really good. You will see photographs of celebrities on the wall who used to frequent the place when they lived or studied in Cambridge. They are not posing for the camera to keep atop the trends; they still come back for the food.

            Aside from the basic pizza pies which are second only to Armando’s, you will find a variety of Sicilian slices to choose from round the clock (they’re open pretty late) as well as my favorite steak and cheese sub anywhere, with thinly sliced succulent shaved stake and perfectly melted provolone instead of that American-cheese crap. It can be dangerous: when I worked in Harvard, I came in for my sub one day and the boss greeted me with,

                        “So, what, one of these a day keeps the doctor away?”

The Rest

Greek-Style

            Let no man say that the Greek pizza house is inferior; that greasy, pan-Hellenic aroma is so indelibly a part of my memory of childhood, it is still the height of bliss for me on a perfect Cantabrigian Summer’s day.

ABC (Mass Ave)

            Anyone who has spent any time living and/or working around Central Square, on a tight budget, who is not taken in with the fads of vegan, gluten-free, paleo etc. must surely have been to ABC. It can get crowded at lunch time but the delicious, crispy slices, quick and cheap, are more than worth it. Call ahead if you want a sub or, my favorite, the chicken fingers – absolute perfection, especially if you ask for a side of marinara sauce (far better than ketchup, in my opinion; my kids would disagree.)

Cambridge House of Pizza (North Cambridge)

            Some say that “happy childhood” is just a myth – a shame for them; for me it was very real, and this place was as close to Heaven on Earth as my mind could then conceive. Back in the 90’s they had arcade machines – I spent many hours playing Street Fighter II, but the owner’s son could always play longer as his father gave him endless quarters!

            Now he is running the place, and the arcades are gone, but the food and the wonderful smell remain the same, even as this charming part of Cambridge finally succumbs to the same gentrification that pervades the rest of the city. Like ABC, this isn’t diet food, although they do have salads. Come here for cheese pizza, chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks – but the Greek Pizza with feta and tomatoes is incredible, and when I was a vegetarian I lived off their veggie subs, better than most places make, with oil & vinegar and Provolone cheese.

Harvard House (Mass Ave, between Harvard and Porter)

            This is an underappreciated part of Cambridge. There used to be more pizza places around (3 Aces, which used to be nearby, is gone, and up Mass Ave in Porter Square, Pizzeria Uno is long gone – currently a Target) but the Half Shell and Harvard House are still serving good food to regular people every day. I will never forget the time in high school when I went to Harvard House with a friend, ordered us a large cheese pizza, and was so eager to eat it I consumed my half as soon as they took it out of the oven, severely burning the roof of my mouth. It hurt for days but was completely worth it.

Modern “Hipster” Pizza

            The new pizza is very different from the traditional family-run Italian and Greek places. The quality of the ingredients is often very high, and some of their pies are incredibly creative. The staff are often young people and turnover is more frequent, so a lot depends on the staff to make your experience either great or mediocre.

All-Star Pizza Bar (Inman Square)

            I love the people that work here. If you are in the neighborhood and need a quick lunch, definitely grab a slice or two. The cheese and pepperoni are quite good, more-or-less that old Boston Italian-style. Every day they also have three other slice options, one vegetarian, one “funky” with meat, and now a daily vegan slice as well. I always peek through the window to see what the daily slices are; it’s not always up my alley but when it is it’s superb.

            The options increase if you want a whole pie; not only do they have a range of vegetarian or meaty pizzas, this is one of the few places to get some interesting vegan pizzas (made with Daiya shreds) for those who avoid dairy. Again, not my thing, but those I have tried were surprisingly good. Don’t forget if you order a pie for dinner to go two doors down to Inman Square Wine and Spirits for a six-pack.

Otto (Harvard Square)

            For dairy eaters, Otto offers even more options on slices than All-Star. Their name is Italian for “8”, signifying the eight slices a pizza is usually cut into, but also the eight different choices they always have available for slices or whole pies. I used to eat here every day when I worked close by, and I was sad when they stopped making the mushroom and cauliflower pizza—it was so good, and completely unique—although its replacement was good too. But someone told me recently that it’s back on the menu again.

Honorable Mention

Angelo’s (Broadway across from the Main Library)

           

            Make no mistake, this isn’t “fine dining”. But they have been feeding CRLS students for decades. Back when I went to Rindge about 20 years ago, we weren’t even allowed to go to Angelo’s during school hours—you’d have to go to Mass House on Cambridge Street (now Mona Lisa’s, not bad but not worth writing about either) and wait in line your whole lunch break just to get a slice of the greasiest yellow half-way-between Greek and Italian pizza I’ve ever had, but definitely filling and worth it, although you’d be late to class and receive detention, for no fault of your own.

            As for Armando’s, we would sometimes sneak in for very-basic Italian-style slices and, more importantly, cheese fries—an aluminum foil pan filled with crisp-yet-soggy French fries covered in a blob of artery-clogging melted cheese. The best! Just squirt some ketchup on and go meet back with your friends.

            Nowadays the kids are allowed to go, and it will be packed at lunchtime with these normal working-class students, mostly African American, whose parents don’t give them $20 a day for coffee and sandwiches at Darwin’s which used to be a Laundromat and, although I love Darwin’s, I never would have gone there for lunch in high school. But Angelo’s is for the students; I don’t even think they’re open on the weekends. But “Lou” is still running the place, and if you see him, tell him, “Robo Cop sent me!”

            He’ll understand.

-G.T. Evans