Regina Pizzeria Boston style thin-crust brick-oven cheese and pepperoni pizzas on metal trays in a cozy North End pizzeria.

Regina Pizzeria Boston: North End Brick-Oven Pizza Since 1926

by

Regina Pizzeria Boston has been baking thin-crust, brick-oven pies at 11½ Thacher Street in the North End since 1926, and the original location still works the way it always has: a short, almost all-pizza menu, a small dining room and, on most nights, a line on the sidewalk. Here is what to know about the menu, prices, hours and history before you go.

A North End pizzeria with nearly 100 years of history

According to the North End Historical Society’s Tom Damigella, quoted by Boston.com, Regina appears to be the oldest Italian restaurant in the neighborhood. It was founded on Thacher Street by Luigi D’Auria. Regina’s executive chef Mark Murphy told the Phantom Gourmet that the building was a bakery as far back as 1888 before it became a pizzeria in 1926.

The restaurant’s longtime owners came from across the street. PMQ Pizza Magazine reports that the founding family bought wine, beer, tomatoes and cheese from a grocery run by John Polcari Sr., and that the Polcaris bought the pizzeria themselves in the early 1940s. They started with only a handful of toppings: cheese, mushroom, peppers, onions and anchovies. Pepperoni did not arrive until the 1950s. A second Regina did not open until 1975, and the company has since grown into a regional chain whose sites include Faneuil Hall and South Station, but the Thacher Street shop is still billed as “The Original.”

A company spokesperson, Stuart Thompson, told Boston.com that the small room has changed little and still uses the German oven installed when it opened. PMQ notes that the family has updated some things over the decades, including converting the ovens from coal to gas and adding air conditioning.

Regina Pizzeria menu highlights

Do not expect appetizers, salads or sandwiches at the North End location. The menu is built around pizza in two sizes, 10-inch and 16-inch, on what Regina describes as a 100-year-old dough recipe made with a natural yeast that is aged and proofed. The house sauce is described on the menu as light and “spicy-sweet.”

  • Cheese pizza: the benchmark pie, Regina dough with the original sauce and mozzarella.
  • Pepperoni pizza: the other longtime bestseller, finished with sliced pepperoni.
  • The Giambotta: the menu calls it “our finest creation,” loaded with pepperoni, Regina sausage, salami, mushrooms, peppers, onions, fresh basil and mozzarella, with anchovies on request.
  • St. Anthony’s: a white pizza with Regina’s sausage, roasted onions and peppers, sausage links, Parmesan, mozzarella, basil and garlic sauce.
  • Seasonal pie: the official site currently lists a limited-time Calabrian chili sausage pizza with ricotta, garlic sauce and caramelized onion.

Other specialty pies include Margherita, Quattro Formaggio, Melanzane with house-made eggplant, chicken Parmesan and a meat lovers pizza. Builders can start with a plain cheese pie and choose from traditional toppings such as sausage, mushrooms, hot cherry peppers and anchovies, or gourmet toppings like grilled chicken and Canadian bacon.

Prices at the North End original

On the current North End dine-in menu posted on Regina’s website, a cheese pizza costs $12.50 for a 10-inch and $17.50 for a 16-inch. Pepperoni runs $15.75 and $22. Most specialty pies, including the Giambotta and St. Anthony’s, are $18 and $28. Each extra traditional topping adds $3.25 to a small or $4.50 to a large, and gourmet toppings add $4 or $5.

Draft beer, including Sam Adams, Harpoon IPA and Peroni, is $6.50 to $7.50 for 16 ounces, with pitchers from $23 to $25. There is also a short list of wines, canned cocktails and Italian cordials. Credit cards are accepted, and the menu says an 18% gratuity is added automatically for parties of six or more. Prices can change, so check the menu before you go.

Atmosphere and the line on Thacher Street

The Thacher Street location is small and casual, tucked into a narrow side street a short walk from Hanover Street. Thompson told Boston.com that because there is typically a line outside, the restaurant tries to keep the operation “as simple and authentic as possible.” That simplicity is the point for many visitors: the room feels closer to an old neighborhood pizza parlor than a modern restaurant.

If you are planning a full evening in the neighborhood, Regina pairs easily with a more formal dinner nearby, such as Mamma Maria on North Square. Pizza fans comparing Boston’s old-school shops should also read our guide to Santarpio’s Pizza in East Boston, another long-running family pizzeria with its own devoted following. For more on how the neighborhood itself is changing, see our report on the North End Cross Street gateway debate.

Hours, address and practical information

  • Address: 11½ Thacher Street, Boston, MA 02113
  • Phone: 617-227-0765
  • Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the restaurant’s location page
  • Price range: about $12.50 to $28.25 per pizza
  • Options: dine-in, takeout, online ordering, catering, gift cards, and delivery through DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats

The closest MBTA stop is Haymarket on the Orange and Green lines, a short walk across the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Arriving at opening time or mid-afternoon on a weekday is the simplest way to avoid the longest wait. Tell your server about any food allergies before ordering, as the menu requests.

Sources