Reviews

Gayot - The Guide to the Good Life: 2026 Best Pizza Restaurants in Boston Area is Antico Forno.

Antico Forno named #1 Best Pizza in Boston for 2026 by Gayot.

The wood-burning oven is the focal point of this casual North End spot. Every dish, be it pizza, pasta or meat, is cooked in the beehive brick oven. Thin-crust crispy pizzas include the Napoletana topped with tangy plum tomato sauce, aromatic oregano and roasted garlic. Fusilli al tegamino, brick oven baked fusilli with sautéed eggplant, zucchini and roasted peppers topped with goat cheese and basil, is one of our favorite dishes. Smoky pastas with rich, soft cheeses like mascarpone and ricotta are equally memorable, while simple secondi such as pan-seared veal scaloppini and wood-grilled swordfish are standouts. Homemade cannolis and tiramisu top off the experience. Wines by the glass and sangría are available, and the signature cocktails are fun and fruity, including the lemonsecco and chocolate martini. While the quality here bespeaks upscale cuisine, the prices are more in line with casual red sauce fare, presenting a serious bang for your buck.

Yelp has unveiled its 2024 list of the Top 100 Pizza Places in Massachusetts, and Antico Forno has risen to the occasion, landing a prestigious spot among the top 100. This recognition isn't just a coincidence – it's a testament to Antico Forno's dedication to crafting exceptional pizzas.

Yelp's selection process goes beyond just the number of reviews. They consider the overall volume of reviews and, most importantly, the number of glowing five-star ratings from discerning members of the Yelp Elite Squad – reviewers known for their in-depth and trustworthy opinions. This double seal of approval from both casual diners and seasoned pizza connoisseurs speaks volumes about the quality Antico Forno brings to the table (or, should we say, plate?).

Yelp's recognition is a well-deserved badge of honor for Antico Forno. Whether you're a die-hard pizza traditionalist or a curious adventurer looking for new flavor experiences, Antico Forno is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving another slice (or two).

Antico Forno is billed as "The Most Authentic Italian Restaurant," and we're hard pressed to argue. This mainstay in Boston's North End manages a cozy mom-and-pop atmosphere with world-class traditional cuisine. Entrees like Saltimbocca di Pollo and Linguine al Frutti di Mare hearken back to the old country, but Antico Forno is best known for its brick-oven pizzas piled high with house-made Italian sausages and mozzarella.

"No gimmicks, no kitsch", just traditional Neapolitan pizzas from a wood-fired brick oven and other "spot-on" Southern Italian fare set apart this "well-priced" North End stalwart; the "lively", "loud" space is an "everyday destination", so "get there early" or "plan for a wait."

Awarded: food&drink digital - 2011

Best North End Restaurant, Neighborhood: Antico Forno

Dining at a lively North End restaurant doesn't have to mean slurping spaghetti in tight quarters. In fact, Antico Forno is spacious enough to accommodate a weeknight impulse visit, family in tow. The thin-crusted pizzas from the brick oven are divine (our favorite is topped with artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and white truffle oil), as are hearty pasta dishes like linguine baked in parchment with tomato sauce and a generous serving of shellfish.

10BEST Says (#8 Boston Family Friendly) Best Value

Traditional Italian baked in a brick oven sets this Italian restaurant apart. Serving a selection of pastas, entrees and pizzas all cooked to perfection in their famous brick oven at reasonable prices, Antico Forno is a good value. Kid friendly (although lacking a children's menu), Antico Forno serves even the littlest one sin style. Serving some of the best pies around, Antico Forno carries a large selection of toppings to help you make your pizza a balanced meal. One pizza could easily feed a few people, but stopping with the pizza would be a crime. But Antico Forno is more than a North End family pizza joint, it's a experience win Italian dining. Offering customer favorite like baked gnocchi and parmagiana di vitello you'll enjoy every bite of your main course.

Family Friendly, Best of Boston's North End: Traditional Italian baked in a brick oven make this kid friendly, North End pizzeria a favorite. Serving some of the best pies around, Antico Forno carries a large selection of toppings to help you make your pizza a balanced meal. One pizza could easily feed a few people, but stopping with the pizza would be a crime. Antico Forno also offers an excellent selection of baked pasta dishes and tasty appetizers. Most meals are under $20 and are big enough to share. The casual setting of this inviting neighborhood trattoria provides a truly authentic Neapolitan experience. And you'll be able to get your fix of Italian red specialties that could move your Italian Grandma to the second best "gravy" you've had.

Fodor's Choice

Many of the menu choices here come from the eponymous wood-burning brick oven, which turns out surprisingly delicate pizzas simply topped with tomato and fresh buffalo mozzarella. Though its pizzas receive top billing, Antico excels at a variety of Italian country dishes. Don't overlook the hearty baked dishes and handmade pastas; the specialty, gnocchi, is rich and creamy but light. The joint is cramped and noisy, but also homey and comfortable—which means that your meal will resemble a raucous dinner with an adopted Italian family.

CBS News: Boston's Best Brick Oven Pizzas

Boston has countless restaurants throughout town featuring everyone's favorite treat, pizza. But the best pizza spots in Boston use brick ovens since they create the best quality pies you could ask for. By using these ovens, they are able to heat the pizzas in just minutes to high temperatures. You get evenly-cooked, browned, thin-crisp crust on the outside with a chewy texture on the inside. Plus the sauce is warmed, the cheese is melted and the toppings are cooked to perfection. Whether you like to keep it simple with a cheese pizza or go all out with veggies and meats, the following spots will not disappoint.

Also featuring brick-oven pizza in the North End is Antico Forno. The menu offers plenty of baked pasta dishes, but the pizzas are also a favorite. Antico serves delicious authentic Neapolitan pizza for $12.50 with fresh plum tomato sauce, aromatic oregano and roasted garlic, sans cheese, or go for a classic with the Margherita made from fresh housemade mozzarella, plum tomato sauce and fresh basil for just $13. But there is something to be said about the Carciofi E Porcini pizza where Antico takes artichoke hearts, imported Italian porcini mushrooms, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes, finishing the pizza off with a touch of white truffle oil, or the Vesuvio with mozzarella, roasted peppers, ricotta cheese, cherry tomatoes and fresh sliced prosciutto.

The Boston Globe

A well-prepared selection of rustic dishes: brick-oven pizzas, roasted vegetables, entrees in terra cotta pots, and good bread and olives. Good place for a date and a bottle of red.