I don't care if they have short-order stores in random malls, making people scoff at their legitimacy; the original Regina's is my favorite pizza in Boston. Truly. It's hand-tossed and wood-fired and fabulous. If you visited us for any amount of time, there's a really good chance we took you there. It's in a much-too-small corner building in the North End, and if you don't go early for lunch or dinner (or you accidentally plan to go on a night that the Bruins or Celtics have a home game...TD Gardens is just a few blocks away), you will wait in a long line that wraps around the building. Because people love it. Rain or shine. Heat or freezing. (We've done both, by the way.) All of the servers are so Boston. The accents, the mannerisms, everything (which means that they might say something in a way that offends a good Southerner, but let it roll off your back; it's just the Boston coming out of them. It's not personal. Oh, and they love babies.). I absolutely love it. It was a priority stop during both of our 2015 visits, even with all of the things we had on our agendas. We've tried a lot of different pizzas at Regina's, but the margherita is my all-time favorite. If you like cheese and basil, you will never be sorry that you ordered it.
In case you're ever in Boston and want to eat Regina's, take the green line to North Station (or the orange line to Haymarket, although the walk is a little farther), walk a few blocks (like, two) over to Thacher Street, and then follow the pizza smells. Also, you should know that the women's bathroom is ridiculously small. Just a tip from me to you. When you finish eating, walk a few more blocks over to Hanover Street and swing by Mike's Pastry for cannoli. Be sure to take cash to Mike's; it's all they accept. Bless. I recommend the Florentine cannoli. Be still my heart. After you get your cannoli, continue walking down Hanover Street to the left and a) you'll burn off some of the calories ingested and b) you'll come to the Old North Church and Paul Revere monument. Tours run regularly at the church, and there's an adorable little gift shop to peruse if you get there when it's not tour time. From there, you can follow the Freedom Trail path over to Paul Revere's house. You have to pay to go in and tour, but if you're cheap...I mean, frugal...there's a quaint seating area right outside the house where you can eat your cannoli, people watch, and enjoy the architecture. There. I just mapped out a fantastic little mini-tour of the North End for you.
If you go left out of Mike's, you can follow the crowds (and traffic) back toward downtown, which will take you to Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, and the Old State building. It's a bit more walking than if you head to the Old North Church, but there's still plenty of great things to see.
You're welcome for the tips. :)
Oh, Regina's. You have my heart.
On our very first visit in 2012 with Karl and Karen. Karl was interning with the Romney campaign, and Karen had come for a visit.
Us across the table from K and K. After dinner, we went to TD Gardens to watch the Celtics play. (Thus, I was wearing green. Go, Celts!)
We took family MANY times. Many.
Claire loved it, and they loved her, too!
Sights you see when you head back toward downtown. The customs building (the clocktower) is one of my favorites in Boston.
And a few blocks (well, a few more than a few) further past the above shot, is the Old State House. This was also the site of the Boston Massacre. And the State Street T stop from the blue and orange lines.
Look how happy we are eating our Regina's!
Being the West Wing fans that we are, we were pumped that Rob Lowe had eaten there and loved it, too.
The outside of Paul Revere's house. Probably 5 or 6 (city) blocks from Regina's.
If you're in Boston, give Regina's a try. I recommend getting there at 11 for lunch. Or being willing to eat at the bar (pizza by the slice). All the other activities I mentioned are just icing on the pizza (forgive the mixed metaphor).
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