🍕 The Best Pizza in Massachusetts (In No Particular Order)

These 7 pizza spots are not ranked best to worst—each one offers a unique and exceptional experience worth trying!

1. Joanie’s Pizza (Chelmsford, MA)

Location: 83 Parkhurst Rd #5, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Website: joanieschelmsford.com
Instagram: @joaniespizza

Style & Why It’s Great:
'Not good, not great, spectacular! - David Portnoy famously loved this pizza and gave it a score of 8.4 which really doesn't even do it justice. The locals knew long before that this is a great place if you're looking for some crispy pizza. Joanie’s serves classic New York–style thin crust pizza with crispy edges and a chewy center. Signature pies like “The Truth” with eggplant parm, ricotta, caramelized onions, and hot honey have earned local legend status. Reviewers love the perfect balance of char, cheese, and sauce. And for any of the haters that say it's 'burnt', I'll give you some free education. When a dough is properly fermented (which by the way is the only way to develop good flavor and texture), the dough will develop a balance of extensibility and strength. The yeast produces gas that's trapped in gluten bubbles in the dough. When the pizza goes into the oven, the yeast activates even further producing a final burst of gasses which cause the dough to rise. The stretched out gas pockets are therefore less dense than areas without gas pockets. Thus the areas with these pockets will char earlier than the surrounding un-expanded areas. Having a leopard pattern of char indicates that the dough was well fermented.

2. Ciao Pizza & Pasta (Chelsea, MA)

Location: 59 Williams St, Chelsea, MA 02150
Website: ciaopizzaandpasta.com
Socials: Facebook

Style & Why It’s Great:
Ciao brings authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizza to Chelsea. The crust is light and bubbly with that perfect leopard char. Toppings are fresh, simple, and inspired by traditional Italian flavor profiles. Their margherita is especially iconic.

3. Volo Craft Pizza (Swampscott, MA)

Location: 152 Humphrey St, Swampscott, MA 01907
Website: volopizzeria.com
Instagram: @volopizza

Style & Why It’s Great:
Volo is known for its certified Detroit-style pizza—thick, airy crusts with crispy cheese edges, and generous toppings. They also offer great NY-style slices. If you love square pizza with that caramelized edge, this place is a must-try.

4. Tree House Brewing Pizza (Tewksbury, MA)

Location: 1880 Main St, Tewksbury, MA 01876
Website: treehousebrew.com/pizza
Social: Tree House Instagram

Style & Why It’s Great:
Known for beer, but don’t sleep on the pizza. Their pies are a New Haven–meets–New York style, with perfectly balanced dough—crisp base, puffy edges. The simplicity of their cheese and pepperoni pies allows the dough and sauce to shine.

5. Lynwood Cafe (Randolph, MA)

Location: 320 Center St, Randolph, MA 02368
Website: Lynwood Cafe Site

Style & Why It’s Great:
A South Shore legend! Lynwood serves up bar pizza—a 10" pan-style with thin, crisp, buttery crusts and sweet tomato sauce. It’s greasy in all the right ways. Try the “Bean Special” for a local favorite you won’t find anywhere else.

6. Kelsen Brewing Pizza (Londonderry, NH)

Location: 44 Nashua Rd, Londonderry, NH 03053
Website: kelsenbrewing.com
Instagram: @kelsenbrewing

Style & Why It’s Great:
Just over the border, Kelsen’s pizza pairs perfectly with their beer. Their hand-tossed pizzas feature adventurous toppings like hamburger, pickles, and chips. It's experimental, but balanced. Fans say the crust and creativity make it worth the trip.

7. Phoenix Rising Pizza (Lowell, MA)

Location: Formerly 500 Pawtucket St, Lowell, MA (Closed)
Website: phoenixrising.pizza
Instagram: @phoenixrisingpizzalowell

Style & Why It’s Great:
This beloved family-operated mobile wood-fired pizza truck delivered fresh Neapolitan pies at breweries and weddings. With high-heat ovens and bubbling cheese pulls, it became a cult favorite in the Lowell area before closing.

🔥 Why We Didn’t Rank Them

Each of these pizza joints brings something special to the table—whether it's Detroit crunch, bar pizza charm, or blistered Neapolitan crusts. This post isn’t about declaring one “best”—it’s a celebration of Massachusetts’ diverse and amazing pizza scene.

📍 Summary Table

Want more pizza guides like this? Let me know what region or style you want covered next!