July 30th, 2016
Boston, MA
Pizzeria Regina may be the most famous pizzeria in Boston. It has been a North End staple since 1926, and their brick oven pizza has been made by three generations. Even if you haven’t been to the restaurant in the North End, you may have had their slices in Faneuil Hall, Foxwood’s Resort and Casino, a local Boston-area mall, or at a Red Sox game at Fenway, where they are the “official pizza of the Boston Red Sox” .
Our first taste of Regina was actually at Faneuil Hall, back in college. We didn’t even realize back then that there was an actual restaurant, but we would get a slice every time we went into the city. Toppings are a bit limited at the to-go locations, but the cheese slice was very good.
A few years later, we were back in the city and decided to go to the original Regina Pizzeria with our friend Dave. It was a Friday night, there was a line, and by the time we got our pizza, we were starving. We don’t remember much about that pizza besides it tasting good.
We were glad to be able to go back to Regina as part of the 101 Best Pizzas journey. This time, we went with our friend’s parents, Frank and Mary, who were kindly letting us stay in their North End apartment for the night. We arrived early, prepared for the Saturday night lines. Luckily, we didn’t have too much of a wait, and we ordered three pizzas: a margherita (shown in the picture), a spinach and broccoli, and a white pie with sausage, onions, and peppers.
Regina Pizza stands out because they still use their original oven from 1888. They also specially can their tomatoes and buy their cheese in bulk for the restaurant only. They say that the recipe is the same for all of their locations, but we’d agree with the majority of reviewers that the pizza at the original location in the North End tastes different. If the recipe and ingredients really are exactly the same, it must be that original oven that gives it the unique taste.
The crust is crispy like a NY-style crust. The sauce is on the sweet side, and we loved the slices of tomato on the margherita and the abundance of cut fresh basil. The other pies were a bit heavy on the cheese, so we were glad to have some vegetables to balance them out.
While we bet that there are a good number of locals that come to Regina, most of the clientele seems to be tourists. We probably wouldn’t want to wait in the lines every night either, especially with so many other amazing restaurants in the North End. That being said, though, this is one of the best pizzas in Boston. And you really have to go to the original location to say that you’ve had the pizza – the slices at Faneuil Hall are good, but they really aren’t the same.
To visit:
Regina Pizza
11 1/2 Thacher Street
Boston, MA 02113
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