What makes a bar pizza a bar pizza?
South Shore Bar Pizza is unlike any other pizza you’ve had before. This area of Massachusetts is known for its small pizza “cafe’s”. Here’s what makes them different..
For starters, these pizzas are cooked in a well seasoned 10″ pan, like this one. A flaky buttery crust pushed all the way to the edges sits beneath a crushed tomato sauce. Topped with cheddar cheese and just about anything else you’d like to throw on top (like french fries, buffalo chicken, pickles or mozzarella sticks) you are in for a world of deliciousness. Bar pizza pairs perfectly with an ice cold beer.
The crust is not like your typical NY style pizza, it is not chewy or too thick. Bar pizza crust has oil and butter in it, this makes it slightly crunchy and highly addictive.
The bars these pizzas come from usually have some sort of wood paneling on the inside, most haven’t updated since the 70’s and their take-out pizzas come in a brown bag with thick fiberm molded paper plates. It’s hard to find anything even remotely close to this style of pizza anywhere outside of the South Shore or Massachusetts
World Famous Bar Pizza
Cape Cod Cafe, Lynwood Cafe, Town Spa, Poopsies and Venus are just a few of the larger more well known establishments in the area. They all have a slightly different flavor profile, crust texture and cheese mix. But they are all the same size, 10″. There is always plenty of debate over who is best. They’re all good in their own way. A lot of it comes down to nostalgia and consistency when people choose a favorite. These places have been making the exact same pie’s for over 40 years now.
National Facebook Groups
The South Shore Bar Pizza Social Club and South Shore Bar Style Pizza facebook groups are a great place to share reviews and pictures of your favorite bar pizzzas.
Making Bar Pizza at Home
There’s two ways to do this. Some bars are making their own frozen pizzas available at local grocery stores or for online order. Emma’s, Cape Cod Cafe, Shoe City Tavern and Town Spa seem to be the most prominant.
Or you can make your own! Here is my step by step guide on how to make an awesome bar pizza from the comfort of your own home.
I’m so happy to have found this site. I grew up in the South Shorah who was lucky to have tried both the Lynwood and Poopsies pizzah. I had no idea that bah pizzah was regional to the So. Shore. I thought everyone had bah pizzah. I can’t wait to try your recipe. I went to the Lynwood weekly (mushroom was my jam). Thank you!
The first bar pizza I ever had, approximately 50 years ago, was in Roslindale at the Pleasant Cafe. This was no where near the south shore, lol, but was still delicious.