Best of Boston

1986 Best Pizza

DePasquale Brothers

<p>Pizza is a serious business. Just ask Phil DePasquale, 70, who’s been a professional pizza maker since he was 11. The same Phil DePasquale who’s owned DePasquale Brothers Pizza, on Main Street in Medford, since 1939. The same Phil DePasquale who, in ninth grade, passed up an art scholarship because he “preferred to spend his time making pizzas.” The same Phil DePasquale who insists that “the best chefs are the little old ladies from southern Italy,” and whose granddaughter, Lindsay, has been making her own pizzas since the age of 3. The same Phil DePasquale who first introduced pizza to the European, in 1937, and to Suffolk Downs, in 1938. And the same Phil DePasquale whose devotees—Frank Sinatra among them—swear that his pies are the finest of all.</p> <p>We tend to agree with Ol’ Blue Eyes. The prime ingredients: grated mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, oregano, basil, and garlic. The secret: “Once you think you’ve added enough garlic, you add more.” The result: pizza that’s chewy, cheesy, flavorful, and undeniably worth the drive to Medford.</p>