Boston Is One Of The Top Bakery Cities In The Country

In New England, seafood restaurants and authentic Italian food in the North End immediately pop to mind when thinking about local cuisine. Add Boston bakeries to that list now, as Food and Wine recently published the top cities in the country to get delicious baked goods; we came in at number 5.

Their feature emphasized how the pandemic led to an increase in people working on their baking skills all over America. As a result, many new bakeries popped up in major markets, as passion-projects turned into well-established businesses.

"After the world slowly crawled back to normal, many turned their hobby into a full-time business, transforming the food scenes in small and big cities across the nation by opening bakeries, markets, and coffee shops," Food and Wine said.

This ranking comes from a panel of experts who may have been fortunate enough to indulge in the sweetest spots in all major metros. As a result, cities from coast to coast are applauded for their 2024 baking skills. Furthermore, citizens of these major metros seem to really be buying into specialized baked goods.

Coming in right behind Chicago, Boston ranked as the fifth best bakery city in the country according to Food and Wine. "It's not news to anyone that you can find some of the best Portuguese breads and pastries on this side of the Atlantic in Boston, but the bakery scene is expanding to even further corners of the world," they explained.

The crafty kitchen news for New England gets even better. Ranking sixth, right behind Boston was Portland, Maine. In a city filled with independent small businesses and creative restaurants like Plot Twist pretzels.

Last year, Eater:Boston detailed the most essential bakeries in Boston that you have to try. Here, everything from chocolate mousse to Persian flatbreads were recognized.

Flour Bakery and Café has been in business for over 20 years now with a mission "to make the world a sweeter place through warm smiles, gooey sticky buns, and irresistible BLTs," they say. Now, they have three locations, including one in Cambridge.

Although I have tried many items on the "Morning Pick-Me-Up" section of the menu, there is one item that I add into my order regardless of what I order. Even if it's a simple iced coffee, at the register I will always say, "and a chocolate chip cookie, please."

These cookies use a triple-chocolate blend and are always served soft and fresh. In my humble opinion, the Flour chocolate chip cookie is reason enough to make Boston a top city for bakeries in the country.

I'm a guy who moved from New Jersey to Boston; growing up, Sicilian pizza was pretty easily available. I incorrectly assumed that all Americans enjoyed this kind of pizza selection. However, when I moved to Boston, I realized that it's much harder to find that delicacy here. But there are also a few unique places that are cooking up Sicilian pizza in Massachusetts.

As an expert on Sicilian, I will tell you that it has to be prepared properly in order for it to be worth the calories. Here, I will detail three establishments where you can find great Sicilian pizza in Massachusetts. Sure, you may have to travel a bit, but these places are worth your time.

Before we cut into this delicious style of pie, let’s define our terms. Traditional Sicilian pizza is cut into square or rectangular-shaped slices. The crust is thicker and crunchy. Though this pizza is obviously heavier, it still can be topped with your favorite pizza add-ons. A sprinkle of oregano is a subtle but often important finishing.

Though strip pizza in Rhode Island is similar, one significant difference with Sicilian is that it is not baked on a focaccia style dough. In fact, Palermo Pizza NJ defines what distinguishes Sicilian Pizza and what makes it different from regular pizza. “The dough rises differently with this kind of crust because more oil is used in the recipe as opposed to a regular pizza crust recipe,” they said, when describing how this is made in a rectangular pan.

In Massachusetts, the three locations that are serving up great Sicilian Pizza are quite different from each other, but have this menu item in common. One of them happens to be a favorite of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Tucked into a quaint New England, Harvard Square street, Pinocchio's is where you need to go if you want Sicilian pizza of all varieties. It's also where you will see Mark Zuckerberg's photo all over the wall. This was the go-to spot for Zuck while he was attending Harvard. In fact, it's a place he still makes sure to stop into when in town. As for the pizza, there are 20 different toppings you can find atop the hot Sicilian pies. These pies come in a 9-slice or 15-slice size option. The 15-slice pie comes in two boxes and can feed up to nine people. During the school months, Pinocchio's stays open until 2 am on weekends.

At 289 Hanover Street in the North End of Boston, Umberto's can be easy to miss. However, once you recognize their old-school sign, you know you are in for a treat. They are old-school: it is a cash-only establishment where the large trays of piping hot Sicilian pies are continuously served. Typically, it's cheese only, but you will not be disappointed as no other flavor is needed. The single line usually reaches the door, but it moves quickly. It also gives you time to decide which arancini (their famous rice ball) you'd like to add to your order.

Leone's Pizza and Sub has been family-owned and operated since 1954. They are located right on Broadway and open seven days per week, from 8 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Their Sicilian pizza is the standard menu option here. It is available by the slice, in a half tray or full tray. The whole tray also comes in two boxes (16 slice) and costs $40. Their Sicilian pies also come in a tomato basil option and a spinach and garlic. Leone's sub menu contains over 30 options. This includes a fried meatball sub.

Right in the heart of Cleveland Circle, Pino's is a fan-favorite of Boston College students. Though the crust is a perfect combination of pillow and crunch, the secret here is actually in the sauce. Pino's describes it as "delicious, garlicky tomato sauce with in-house seasoning, cooked on a pan." $20 gets you nine Sicilian slices at Pino's. If you want to add variety to your order, they also have alfredo pies, white pies, and buffalo chicken. Like Pinocchio's, Pino's stays open until the early morning hours on the weekend to help accommodate the college crowd.