clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A small, thin-crust pepperoni pizza has cheese almost to the charred edge. It sits on white paper on a round aluminum tray.
A pepperoni pizza at Town Spa in Stoughton.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Where to Eat South Shore-Style Bar Pizza

Great examples of the regional specialty can be found around southeastern Massachusetts and beyond

View as Map
A pepperoni pizza at Town Spa in Stoughton.
| Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

There is nothing quite like South Shore bar pizza. The buttery, cracker-thin crust. The cheese — usually a mix of cheddar and mozzarella — that stretches all the way to the outer reaches of the dough and touches the pan as it cooks inside a deck oven to form a crispy, lacy edge. What used to be served in South Shore bars as a means to inspire more drinking has, over many decades, transformed into the main event. Everyone has their favorite spot, and like with any other regionally specific food, apocryphal origin stories abound. It doesn’t matter who invented bar pizza, though — it just matters that it exists.

Here are 12 great spots to try bar pizza on the South Shore and beyond. (Before getting angry that several non-South Shore restaurants are listed first, please note that the map is organized from north to south, not ranked. That said, those northern restaurants do offer solid renditions of the style, meriting their inclusion here.)

This map was originally published on October 21, 2021; it is updated periodically, and the date of the most recent update appears above.

Read More

For Pizza

Copy Link

For Pizza, a Medford Square newcomer, offers what it describes as its own twist on South Shore pizza. It hits similar notes, but it’s a bit larger (12 inches instead of the usual 10) and has quite a thin crust (but not cracker-like) — “we believe that huge old school crust is a waste of taste,” declares the team. Still, there’s enough crust to get that classic lacy edge. Vegan options are available. A portion of For Pizza’s profits support local community groups.

Overhead view of a pepperoni pizza on black and white checkered paper in a pizza box. The pizza has a charred edge with crust barely visible.
Pepperoni pizza at For Pizza.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Hot Box

Copy Link

Hot Box debuted in late 2018. This Bow Market purveyor — which also serves North Shore-style roast beef sandwiches — features an homage to the wildly popular pickle pizza at Town Spa in Stoughton (more on that below), only its version is also topped with hots.

A South Shore-style pepperoni bar pizza, studded with pieces of feta, sits in a cardboard pizza box. The pizza has a charred edge.
Pepperoni pizza from Hot Box in Somerville.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bardo's Pizza at Castle Island Brewing

Copy Link

Norwood’s Castle Island Brewing expanded to South Boston in late 2021, and it has a South Shore-style bar pizzeria onsite called Bardo’s, from the family that until recently ran the decades-old Randolph event space Lombardo’s (you’ve seen the giant chandelier from the road.) Bardo’s features a few fancy pies alongside its standard topping options, like the “happy camper” — pesto, fresh mozzarella, kale, roasted red peppers, and parmesan. There’s also a gluten-free cauliflower crust available.

A South Shore-style bar pizza sits atop a wooden table, accompanied by a mug of beer
Bardo’s pizza at Castle Island Brewing.
Reagan Byrne/Bardo’s

Hoey's Pizza

Copy Link

Hoey’s is tucked inside the American Veterans Post in Randolph and features a number of excellent bar pies, including specialties such as the Irish pie (bacon and potatoes) and a version topped with baked beans.

Lynwood Cafe

Copy Link

There are plenty of South Shore bar pizza acolytes who’d tell you that Lynwood, which dates back to 1949, is the cream of the crop. It would be hard to argue with those people. It’s a great place to drink a beer and an even better place to eat a hamburger and onion pizza. Planning to travel? Lynwood offers half-baked pizzas to freeze and finish cooking elsewhere. Cash only.

Town Spa

Copy Link

Like Lynwood, Town Spa has its fair share of enthusiastic followers. Its most iconic pizza is topped with pickles. (It sounds weird; it is a little weird; it is also delicious.) Locals will tell you to dip your pizza in the restaurant’s popular honey mustard. Town Spa also offers mail-order pizza, which is a nice treat for anyone who’s moved away from the South Shore.

Two South Shore-style bar pizzas with thin, charred crusts sit on round aluminum trays on old-school paper placements covered with ads.
Pepperoni and cheese pizzas at Town Spa in Stoughton.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Poopsie's

Copy Link

Stop laughing at the name. Stop it! A Pembroke gem, Poopsie’s opened in the 1970s and has been turning out some of the best bar pies on the South Shore ever since. Note: These babies have almost cracker-thin crusts, even more than the other pizzas on this map.

Overhead view of four small, thin-crust bar-style pizzas with pepperoni and other toppings on an aluminum counter in a restaurant kitchen.
Several Poopsie’s pizzas.
Poopsie’s

O'Toole's Pub

Copy Link

Nothing says pizza like an Irish pub, am I right? The lacy, crunchy, cheesy edge is an exemplar of the genre. Pastrami and pickle is the play at O’Toole’s.

A charred cheese pizza sits on red-and-white checkered paper on a wooden restaurant table.
Cheese pizza at O’Toole’s Pub in Whitman.
O’Toole’s Pub

Venus Cafe

Copy Link

Established in the mid-1960s, Venus is a heavyweight of the genre. Get the mushroom.

Cape Cod Cafe

Copy Link

Cape Cod Cafe, established way back in 1939, claims to be the original South Shore bar pizzeria. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t — either way, it makes exceptional bar pizza, and that’s all that matters. It has four locations now, and you can probably find its pizza in the freezer of your nearest grocery store. Hit the original location in Brockton, though.

J’s Flying Pizza

Copy Link

J’s has been serving bar pizza in Bridgewater since the 1970s. Its specialty pizzas include a taco pizza that feels like a perfect match for burnt cheese and a crispy thin crust.

Smitty's Pub & Pizza

Copy Link

Another Irish Pub, another very solid spot for South Shore bar pizza.

For Pizza

For Pizza, a Medford Square newcomer, offers what it describes as its own twist on South Shore pizza. It hits similar notes, but it’s a bit larger (12 inches instead of the usual 10) and has quite a thin crust (but not cracker-like) — “we believe that huge old school crust is a waste of taste,” declares the team. Still, there’s enough crust to get that classic lacy edge. Vegan options are available. A portion of For Pizza’s profits support local community groups.

Overhead view of a pepperoni pizza on black and white checkered paper in a pizza box. The pizza has a charred edge with crust barely visible.
Pepperoni pizza at For Pizza.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Hot Box

Hot Box debuted in late 2018. This Bow Market purveyor — which also serves North Shore-style roast beef sandwiches — features an homage to the wildly popular pickle pizza at Town Spa in Stoughton (more on that below), only its version is also topped with hots.

A South Shore-style pepperoni bar pizza, studded with pieces of feta, sits in a cardboard pizza box. The pizza has a charred edge.
Pepperoni pizza from Hot Box in Somerville.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Bardo's Pizza at Castle Island Brewing

Norwood’s Castle Island Brewing expanded to South Boston in late 2021, and it has a South Shore-style bar pizzeria onsite called Bardo’s, from the family that until recently ran the decades-old Randolph event space Lombardo’s (you’ve seen the giant chandelier from the road.) Bardo’s features a few fancy pies alongside its standard topping options, like the “happy camper” — pesto, fresh mozzarella, kale, roasted red peppers, and parmesan. There’s also a gluten-free cauliflower crust available.

A South Shore-style bar pizza sits atop a wooden table, accompanied by a mug of beer
Bardo’s pizza at Castle Island Brewing.
Reagan Byrne/Bardo’s

Hoey's Pizza

Hoey’s is tucked inside the American Veterans Post in Randolph and features a number of excellent bar pies, including specialties such as the Irish pie (bacon and potatoes) and a version topped with baked beans.

Lynwood Cafe

There are plenty of South Shore bar pizza acolytes who’d tell you that Lynwood, which dates back to 1949, is the cream of the crop. It would be hard to argue with those people. It’s a great place to drink a beer and an even better place to eat a hamburger and onion pizza. Planning to travel? Lynwood offers half-baked pizzas to freeze and finish cooking elsewhere. Cash only.

Town Spa

Like Lynwood, Town Spa has its fair share of enthusiastic followers. Its most iconic pizza is topped with pickles. (It sounds weird; it is a little weird; it is also delicious.) Locals will tell you to dip your pizza in the restaurant’s popular honey mustard. Town Spa also offers mail-order pizza, which is a nice treat for anyone who’s moved away from the South Shore.

Two South Shore-style bar pizzas with thin, charred crusts sit on round aluminum trays on old-school paper placements covered with ads.
Pepperoni and cheese pizzas at Town Spa in Stoughton.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Poopsie's

Stop laughing at the name. Stop it! A Pembroke gem, Poopsie’s opened in the 1970s and has been turning out some of the best bar pies on the South Shore ever since. Note: These babies have almost cracker-thin crusts, even more than the other pizzas on this map.

Overhead view of four small, thin-crust bar-style pizzas with pepperoni and other toppings on an aluminum counter in a restaurant kitchen.
Several Poopsie’s pizzas.
Poopsie’s

O'Toole's Pub

Nothing says pizza like an Irish pub, am I right? The lacy, crunchy, cheesy edge is an exemplar of the genre. Pastrami and pickle is the play at O’Toole’s.

A charred cheese pizza sits on red-and-white checkered paper on a wooden restaurant table.
Cheese pizza at O’Toole’s Pub in Whitman.
O’Toole’s Pub

Venus Cafe

Established in the mid-1960s, Venus is a heavyweight of the genre. Get the mushroom.

Cape Cod Cafe

Cape Cod Cafe, established way back in 1939, claims to be the original South Shore bar pizzeria. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t — either way, it makes exceptional bar pizza, and that’s all that matters. It has four locations now, and you can probably find its pizza in the freezer of your nearest grocery store. Hit the original location in Brockton, though.

J’s Flying Pizza

J’s has been serving bar pizza in Bridgewater since the 1970s. Its specialty pizzas include a taco pizza that feels like a perfect match for burnt cheese and a crispy thin crust.

Smitty's Pub & Pizza

Another Irish Pub, another very solid spot for South Shore bar pizza.

Related Maps