Davis Square Is Living the Pizza Dream

Somerville’s options for decadent pizza continue to grow in the Davis Square neighborhood, first with the recent addition of Dragon Pizza on Elm Street and now with the arrival of the long-awaited Mortadella Head at 20 College Ave. (the former Deli-icious space). The latter comes to the neighborhood from the team behind Boston Burger Company, and as expected, the menu carries the same theme of extravagance as its burger-based sibling.

Mortadella Head opened on Wednesday, October 10, when it introduced its menu of thick-cut rectangular and thinner-crust Roman-style pizzas, meaty sandwiches, and chicken wings. With an overall Italian and Italian-American theme, the menu begins with appetizers that include mozzarella sticks, meatballs, eggplant involtini, fried calamari, and a charcuterie board called “Meat Sweats,” which is chock full of prosciutto, salami, mortadella, cheese, and pickles.

Mortadella Head/Facebook

There are numerous sauce options for the boneless or bone-in chicken wings, not to mention a handful of french fry options that could be meals in and of themselves, with toppings like chicken cutlets, marinara, and cheese or roasted turkey, fried stuffing, corn, mozzarella, gravy, cranberry sauce, and garlic aioli (the latter appropriately dubbed “Mayflower Fries”).

As for the main event, the pizza, Mortadella Head specializes in square pizzas with a thick crust, sized 14 or 18 inches, or served Roman-style. There are pre-set options, like the O.G. (tomato sauce, pecorino, and basil) and the Tropic Thunder (tomato sauce, pineapple, pickled red onion, pickled jalapeño, fior de latte, mozzarella, salsa verde, and sesame seeds). Customers can also build their own pizzas, choosing from an overwhelming list of toppings to add to the standard mozzarella base.

Beyond pizza, Mortadella Head has salads, pasta dishes, and a large selection of sandwiches, many of which are just as outlandishly topped as its pizzas. The Pig & Fig keeps it on the simpler side with prosciutto and poached pear with fig jam, while the Pastrami XXX has a fried egg and french fries atop the meat. There’s even a sandwich full of an assortment of vegetables and topped with vodka sauce and cheese.

The restaurant seats 20 inside, and it offers takeout and delivery as well.

Mortadella Head is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

• Mortadella Head [EBOS]
• Mortadella Head [Official Site]