Pizzeria Regina named best in Boston

By John Lynds

On Monday, during the final taping of the Food Network’s new show ‘Food Feuds’ the network named Pizzeria Regina, the pizzeria that started in the North End and grew to 15 restaurants comprised of 13 fast-service, high-volume pizzerias under the Regina name, best pizza in Boston.

The Food Network said it judged each pizzeria’s offering under three categories; crust, sauce, cheese. Regina won for crust. Santarpio’s won for sauce and there was a tie on the cheese. The final decision came from the show’s host Michael Symon who named Regina the winner of the Food Feud.

While some on the other side of the tunnel complained that Regina’s has become a corporation with Italian ‘theme like’ restaurants complete with memorabilia and photographs depicting 1940s and 1950s scenes in Boston’s North End and large tables to encourage family-style dining and that Santarpio’s does not need to create a carnival atmosphere inside the famed pizzeria because the pictures on the walls here are of the family and the restaurant during the 1940s and 1950s, Regina still reigned king (or should we say queen?).

For host Symon, there was something about the crust’s airy center and crispy outside, the sweet sauce and special blend of cheeses that made his decision that everyone in the North End could live with.

However, while Regina may be named winner there will always be the rivalry, the heated discussions on the streets of Eastie and the North End that will never end and local magazines and food shows diplomatically naming Santarpio’s best pizza one year the Regina the next.

But while Regina’s Vice President of Operations, Anthony Buccieri may have took the trophy Monday we in Boston knows the rivalry will continue and the war for best pizza in Boston will rage on.