New England dining >>> Papa Gino's Dining Review

Papa Gino's - A Great Italian-Style Pizza and American Business Success Story

by Eric H.

Back when I was temporarily bereft of any brain power, Papa Gino's was to be avoided at all costs. I was influenced for a short time by "cool" people who liked overpriced pretentious coffee houses where you could talk about intellectual things that you knew absolutely nothing about.

Coming to my senses after a month of this requisite college phoniness, I returned to my roots of being smarter about life. So, when I was looking for a good pizza, I returned to frequenting Papa Gino's. This long- time New England-based restaurant chain had always served great Italian-style pizza featuring loads of toppings, a terrific vine-ripened, tangy tomato sauce, a mouthwatering multi-cheese blend and the correct mix of spices. I thought, why not enjoy Papa Gino's instead of trying to be someone else?

There's actually a lot to like about Papa Gino's, in addition to its pizza and excellent pasta, salad and sub selections. Papa Gino's is a great American business story, starting in 1961 with one storefront in East Boston, MA. Papa Gino's (initially called Piece O' Pizza) indeed had humble, modest origins, but now has more than 170 restaurants throughout New England in some very convenient locations (including indoor and strip malls). It's a great American business story -- that is, turning out a quality local product and eventually finding its recipe for success in expansion to the point of being a household name in New England.

The managers work their tails off, trying to please the customer and keep the staff focused on taking orders and providing quick service. The restaurants are clean, small yet pleasant and colorful in design, and full of great sauce and dough aromas. Papa Gino's is also strongly committed to local fund raising programs and other community involvement, making them well-respected in many towns and cities throughout New England. Papa Gino's is now partnered with D'Angelo's, another long-time well-known New England chain that turns out high quality grilled sandwiches.

For awhile, a friend and I would go to Papa Gino's at the Middlesex Mall in Burlington, MA., once or twice a week. It was a proud return to my roots of eating hearty food and talking about baseball and politics rather than, say, the significance of the Emily Dickinson homestead in Amherst, MA.

It's funny how no one really talks about Papa Gino's, but everyone seems to goes there. Papa Gino's is always busy as evidenced by families, business people and yes... plenty of cool people. Their presence sort of reminds me of the "Howard Stern theory": those who like Howard Stern listen to him an hour, those who don't listen two hours. I think the same applies to Papa Gino's: the crowds suggest that people love the traditional Italian pizza no matter what they say in their state of "coolness."

So, I eventually graduated from spouting the virtues of the Emily Dickinson homestead to doing fun things like eating at Papa Gino's. Now, that's true poetry in the quest for enjoying life!

Visit Papa Gino's Web Site for more information.

Related article: The best Italian and Greek-style pizzas in Massachusetts and slightly beyond