The South Shore of Massachusetts is known for one peculiar culinary creation, the bar pizza. Of course with its proximity to the sea, all things fish are also on the menu, but the bar pizza is the region’s specialty. On my first introduction to the dish, I thought it was just a small-sized pizza, a fine side dish of sorts, but had not understood the true majesty of it. After a few varied slices, I was hooked and decided to investigate. What are the best places for bar pizza and craft beer on the South Shore?
Bar Pizza
The bar pizza part is easy. Either a restaurant makes it or they don’t. Growing up in Connecticut, we had delicious New Haven-style pizza a la Pepe’s Pizza, many mostly non-descript Greek pizzas and then typical large slices of Italian style pizza. The issues that came into play with this article were geography and beer. Recently, I finished my final edits for my upcoming title, A History Lover’s Guide to the South Shore. Here I had the same issue, what is the South Shore? As far as bar pizza goes, some of the most heralded are Cape Cod Cafe in Brockton and The Lynwood in Randolph. To me, these towns are not in the South Shore. Just as in the book, I left them out of contention for this article. My definition of the South Shore ranges from Quincy in the north to Plymouth in the South and out west to Abington and Carver.
Craft Beer
The second issue is the beer. At most bar pizza joints, the expectation is of a pitcher of Bud accompanying the bar pizza in a dimly lit establishment. Being a bit of a beer aficionado, I would truly rather have a glass of water to a Bud. What constitutes a “good” beer though? It is also personal taste, and honestly, if you enjoy a Bud, so be it, then that’s a good beer. For this piece, I nixed the “good” and focused on the craft. If an establishment poured Harpoon, Long Trail, or some other craft beverage, then it fit the bill.
The five restaurants featured here are in no particular order and all are within the South Shore geography, all serve craft beer, and all represent the best in bar pizza. I hope you’re hungry because here are five recommendations for bar pizza and craft beer on the South Shore. For fairness, each pizza was included based on the quality of their cheese pizza, although some entries talk about specialty pizzas that were also tried.
Poopsie’s – Pembroke, MA
For the last nine years, I have driven past Poopsie’s on Route 139 in Pembroke every day to and from work. I’ve known its reputation in the bar pizza circles, but for me, it checked off no boxes. It’s on a busy street in a characterless strip mall. Once I had a taste for bar pizza though, I knew I had to stop.
One day after work it finally happened. Poopsie’s is the kind of place that ALL the locals know and go to. Although it’s technically located in Pembroke, it sits on the Marshfield town line and is a popular eatery for those in the seaside town. It’s also the kind of place where getting a table in the evening, especially during the weekend, is difficult since it is always packed. Poopsie’s is dark inside with wooden chairs placed around wooden tables, packed close together. It’s definitely like entering the 1980s; all that is missing is the cigarette smoke!
I wasn’t here for the atmosphere, I needed the pizza. I ordered two pizzas, both cheese, one extra crispy. For the beer, it was a Harpoon IPA. I have always found that a beer such as the Harpoon IPA is a great pizza-eating accompaniment. The pizza was superb. Extra crispy was recommended to me and I have not looked back. Adding the crisp crust to the cheese and sauce mixture is just perfect. Poopsie’s pizza did not disappoint; I understand why there is such a brouhaha around it. I easily consumed a full pizza. It’s a must for bar pizza and craft beer on the South Shore.
West End Grill – Kingston, MA
While most bar pizza establishments aren’t known for decor or design, West End Grill bucks the trend. Only opened last year in a stand-alone restaurant space near a shopping plaza in Kingston, this is the only spot on the list that uses tablecloths! I was skeptical to see how this would compare to the rest given the different aesthetic. It’s certainly more of an upscale restaurant but still family-friendly. The beer menu was much more extensive than most bar pizza places. I opted for the Fiddlehead IPA. I ordered a cheese pizza and a pizza with grilled chicken and banana peppers. Both were outstanding, but the cheese was up there with Poopsie’s as one of the best. Add the Fiddlehead and other great beer choices such as Mayflower and Castle Island and West End Grill certainly makes the list for the best bar pizza and craft beer on the South Shore.
Cabby Shack – Plymouth, MA
This was an unusual one. I’d been to Cabby Shack numerous times for their seafood and amazing view. The restaurant is known for its palm trees and outstandingly thick and delicious clam chowder. Located on the Plymouth Town Wharf, sitting on one of the upper decks of the restaurant it’s like being in an infinity pool. All you see out in front of you is the ocean. Rumor around town though was that of all things, Cabby Shack’s bar pizza was just as good as the seafood.
I went off to Cabby Shack for a guy’s night with my friend Adam and his son and my older son, Danny. Danny loves pizza. Given that bar pizza is a great size for kids (a bar pizza is about the size of a typical small), Cabby Shack was the perfect spot for us. We’d split the cheese pizza and I’d grab a lobster roll and chowder to boot! I was skeptical that Cabby Shack would be one of the best places for bar pizza and craft beer on the South Shore since I knew seafood was their forte. At first bite though, I was proven wrong. The pizza stood the test! It had a good crunch with scrumptious cheese and sauce. For the beer, I opted for Long Trail’s Limbo IPA which is always a satisfying choice.
Damien’s – Hanson, MA
I lived in Rockland, MA for three years before moving to Plymouth. While in Rockland, I often passed by Damien’s Pub in nearby Hanson on Route 58. It looked like a typical roadhouse. Never would I guess that only a few years later I’d be back to see if it was worthy enough to be included on this list.
After parking in the lot, the first sign I saw posted a ban on colors being worn, as in motorcycle gang colors. This is when it crossed my mind that maybe I shouldn’t be here with the kids or at all? Upon entering though, there were plenty of families with children, and it had more of a family-restaurant atmosphere, but one where everyone knew each other. Basically, Damien’s is a reformed biker bar turned townie family restaurant/pub.
I’ve heard many glorious things about Damien’s pizza. We ordered two pizzas: a cheese (of course) and a BLT pizza. That last one sounded odd, lettuce on a pizza? But boy was it good! For the beer, I chose Castle Island’s Keeper. Just like the others, including Harpoon’s IPA and Wormtown’s Be Hoppy, they are craft IPAs that simply go well with pizza. Both pizzas were ordered extra crispy and both were tremendous! The cheese had the crunch to be expected and the BLT was truly amazing. This pizza was a ton of lettuce with tomatoes and bacon on top of a bar pizza. It doesn’t sound like it works, but it does and then some!
Black Raspberry Pub – Plymouth, MA
For my birthday, my wife asked me what I wanted to do. Easy: bar pizza and a beer. Since we were arriving back in Plymouth from Connecticut that day, I wanted to stay local. I’d been to Black Raspberry Pub once years earlier while waiting for our table at Roo Bar in the same Cordage Park complex.
I am getting to be a pro at this. I ordered my beer–Wormtown’s Be Hoppy–and two extra crispy pizzas, one cheese and one ridiculous-sounding one, this time the Greek salad pizza. Again, a pizza that shouldn’t work. The beer was spot on, and the crispiness of both pizzas was delish. The Greek salad pizza, just as the BLT pizza from Damien’s was spectacular! A mix of lettuce, olives, and feta all heaped onto a bar pizza. Even my wife who doesn’t like olives agreed it was really good.
The Black Raspberry Pub is located in Cordage Park, a repurposed factory and was quite busy for a Thursday at lunchtime. There is a nice mix of the bar crowd and the family-lunch crowd.
I recommend these five South Shore establishments if you are looking to grab a bar pizza or two along with a solid craft beer. I enjoyed the “research” for this article so much that I’m looking to expand my range to nix the geography and the beer part to see where else it will take me.
What are your favorite spots for bar pizza?
