23-05-2025
At Gary's Pizza, pies with a fine-dining pedigree
The backstory:
Columbus Hospitality Group opened the French-Mediterranean Mistral in 1997, and followed it with Italian, steakhouse, and high-end seafood concepts. South End bistro Bar Lyon closed at the end of 2021; Gary's is located on the same Washington Street stretch. The month-old pizzeria is tiny and takeout-only, but its chefs come from the hospitality group's other restaurants. So who's Gary? That's the middle name of both owners chef Jamie Mammano and Paul Roiff.
Chief culinary officer Mitchell Randall at Gary's Pizza.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
What to eat:
The pizza is the centerpiece. It's Roman-style, made in a long pan, featuring an airy, crisp crust that's golden on the bottom. The rectangular slices look like Sicilian, but the texture is a little lighter. In addition to the classic margherita, with tomato sauce, cheese, and basil, there are toppings such as pepperoni, asparagus and salt-cured egg yolk, prosciutto with figs and arugula, and soppressata with Jimmy Nardello peppers and hot honey (my favorite, if I had to pick). The pizza is good, and the slices are filling: Augment one or two with a Caesar salad with lush dressing, croutons, and lemon, and you're all set for dinner.
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Long, rectangular Roman-style pizza has a crisp, airy crust.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
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There are sandwiches, too — prosciutto and mozzarella with oven-cured tomatoes and pistachio pesto, a meatball sub (but make the meatballs wagyu). The breads are house-made, and you can order ciabatta, focaccia, and Parker House rolls, with or without chickpea spread. (You may recognize some of the breads from Mooo…. or Ostra.) For dessert, try a salty-sweet chocolate chip cookie, Mallomar-inspired chocolates, or a pint of rich, nutty pistachio gelato. You can also order chips and salsa from Mammano-owned, Brockton-based Mi Niña.
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A prosciutto and mozzarella sandwich on house-made focaccia.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
What to drink:
In addition to the usual soft drinks, there are sodas from Something & Nothing in flavors such as cucumber and hibiscus-rose, Italian sodas, and La Colombe canned lattes.
The takeaway:
Gary's Pizza pours many of its high-end restaurant group's existing capabilities into a tiny takeout spot. It sounds like a smart move for them, and it is for us. It's very hard to go wrong with pizza, breads, and desserts made by top-notch chefs. As Mammano says by phone, 'Everybody loves pizza.'
1744 Washington St., South End, Boston, 617-858-0101,
. Pizza $5-$7 per slice, $35-$49 per pie; sandwiches $14-$17; salads $12-$16; desserts $3-$14.
Cinnamon gelato is among the dessert offerings at Gary's Pizza.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
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