Joe’s Pizza, a newcomer to the Boston pizza game, recently opened its doors this September. Joe’s is located at the busy intersection between Brattle Street and JFK street where Milkbar used to be, feeding off the energy of Harvard Square. However, Joe’s roots trace back to Greenwich Village, New York, where the original location resides. It opened in 1975 by Italian immigrant Joe Pozzouli who still owns and operates the original location to this day. After having a singular location for a long time, the company finally expanded, launching locations all around Manhattan, the other boroughs, even Michigan, and now Boston.
Now let’s talk about the slice itself. No matter when you visit Joe’s, it is almost always guaranteed to have a line. However, they do have quick service and will not keep you waiting long. Once you grab your slice, which will run you $4.00 for a cheese and $5.00+ if you want toppings, you can take a seat and enjoy it. The ratio of sauce to cheese is on point, with just the right amount of both in every bite. The crust is really soft and chewy, but along with this comes a fatal flaw. The slices are too thin—when we got our slices, it was hard to eat without folding. This is a common complaint of Joe’s Pizza and drops the rating by a decent amount. Our overall rating is an 8.1/10. We will talk more about our rating system in the next issue.
Another popular pizza place in Cambridge is Angelo’s—though crowded during the lunch hours of CRLS, it’s the go-to place for students, offering cheap $3.00 slices of cheese pizza aside from the busy lines during lunch periods. Angelo’s is the perfect place for quick appetizing slices of pizza, which is an easy alternative to the school lunches. Its hours are shorter than Joe’s and are from 10:30 – 9:00 on weekdays. Even with the hustle and bustle of students, the employees are always very kind and happy to help. If you haven’t been to Angelo’s already, it’s worth it to stop by.
If a student were to decide between Joe’s and Angelo’s, Angelo’s has a better value and a larger slice compared to Joe’s. We believe Angelo’s is more of a lunch slice of pizza due to its location and the size of the slice, while Joe’s is the better option for an afternoon or dinner slice of pizza. Overall, both pizza places are excellent options, and it always comes down to personal preference. Naturally, we mean no disrespect toward either place and are grateful for both of them being around. We welcome Joe’s Pizza with open arms and will never refuse a slice from them. If you have any pizza places you would like us to review, please submit it to our email: [email protected].
This article also appears in our November 2023 print edition.
