Blaze Pizza Opens by Emerson Today

It’s opening day for the third Massachusetts location of California-based Blaze Pizza, a fast-casual pizza chain that counts Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball star LeBron James among its investors. The new location is at CityPlace at 123 Stuart St., near Emerson College., and while it’s officially open as of today, the big celebration is this Wednesday, December 21, when customers who arrive between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. can get a free pizza if they follow Blaze on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Rumblings of Massachusetts locations for Blaze Pizza began back when the chain first debuted in California in 2012, and a couple years later, it was reported that there could eventually be around 15 locations in the Boston area. The first finally opened in June 2016 in East Cambridge (1 Canal Park), followed by one at The Viridian apartment building by Fenway Park (1282 Boylston St.) in September. The newest Boston Blaze has seating for 52 and follows the chain’s Chipotle-style format, where customers pick toppings for their personal-sized pizza as they move down an assembly line. The thin-crust pizzas cook in about three minutes. Gluten-free dough and vegan cheese are available. The menu also includes salads and a few desserts, including “s’more pies.”

Blaze CityPlace is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Next on Blaze’s Massachusetts docket: a Burlington location at 91 Middlesex Turnpike.

•All Blaze Pizza Coverage on Eater [EBOS]