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OTTO Pizza Opens New Store on Commonwealth Ave. In the Heart of Boston University Campus

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A shot of the interior at the new OTTO Pizza shop, located at 888 Commonwealth Ave. (in the heart of the Boston University campus) looking in toward the kitchen.

If you follow us on Twitter, you may have already heard the news: OTTO Pizza just opened a new store — our fifth overall, and the third in the Boston metro market — on Commonwealth Ave, right in the heart of the Boston University campus.

@BostonTweet tweeted a great shot of the new space, but it’s something that you really should check out in person.

The new shop, a beautiful space at 888 Commonwealth Ave., emerged in a location that used to be occupied by The Upper Crust. Of course, it’s been completely reimagined by OTTO Pizza owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen and the vibe now is thoroughly OTTO Pizza, through and through: clean lines, an open kitchen and an understated elegance create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere where you can either linger in casual conversation with a few friends over a whole pie or two, or grab some slices to go quickstyle if you’re in a hurry.

The new OTTO PIzza shop at 888 Commonwealth Ave. seats about 50 people and features the full range of pizzas that are available at each of the other OTTO Pizza locations, including our signature pie, The Masher (Mashed Potato, Bacon and Scallion), recently named by the Food Network Magazine as one of the Fifty Best Pizzas in the United States. We also feature a great selection of vegetarian pies for our friends who don’t eat meat and we’ll have at least eight different varieties available by the slice at any one time, with at least three vegetarian offerings among those eight.

An OTTO Pizza patron enjoys a slice at our newest location at 888 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston.

And if you’re so inclined, you can also enjoy a pint of your favorite beer to go with your slice – we’ve got seven craft beers on tap at 888 Comm Ave. — or select a glass of wine from our carefully selected wine list.

 

UPDATE: As our beer & wine license is still pending, you can’t enjoy a pint or a glass of wine … yet. As soon as we’ve gotten the licenses, we’ll open the taps and pop the cork. It shouldn’t be too much longer. Stay tuned.

The best part is, the new OTTO Pizza at 888 Comm Ave. is open now! We rolled out a “soft” opening on Saturday, Aug. 25, after making sure that the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed on all the necessary permits. With the proper paperwork in hand, we opened the doors at 11:30 a.m., and word of mouth has been building a steadily growing clientele since then.

If you want to check out the new shop for yourself, you’ll find it open from 11:30 a.m. to midnight from Sunday through Thursday each week, and from 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Or you can call ahead by dialing (617) 232-0447.

And while we don’t offer delivery from the new, 888 Commonwealth Ave. location yet, take heart! We’re working on it, and we hope to have delivery service up and running there soon. We’ll put the word out here as soon as delivery is available, so stay tuned to the OTTO blog, or follow us on Twitter (@otto_pizza) for the latest updates on all things OTTO.

Peace … out.

Win An OTTO Pizza Hat Just Like the Ones Worn by the Folks Behind the Counter!

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Here’s your chance to win an official OTTO Pizza hat, just like the ones worn by the folks who work there!

If you’ve been to OTTO Pizza, or had OTTO Pizza delivered to you, you’ve probably seen them — those sylish, white hats that the kitchen and delivery staff wear. Here’s your chance to get one for yourself!

To snag one, all you’ve got to do is visit our Facebook page, click on the “OTTO Hat Contest” link and fill  out the form by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 1, 2012. We’ll select a winner at random from among the entries on Monday, July 2, and the lucky entrant should be sporting that new cap by the weekend!

These are great hats, featuring the OTTO Pizza logo embroidered in black thread on the front of a 100-percent cotton, pure white cap, and until now the only way to get one has been to work at OTTO Pizza — which is a possibility. We’re always looking for good help.

But if you’ve got a job, or are otherwise occupied in that respect, this is your best bet to get an OTTO Pizza hat. We’ve got no plans to offer them for sale. So get on over to our Facebook page and enter! You can’t win if ya don’t play.

OTTO Pizza’s Deering Little League Girls Softball Team Closes Out Season

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OTTO Pizza coach Brian Carleton serves up some pizza to the members of the Deering Little League OTTO Pizza Girls AA Softball Team as they celebrate the close of their successful season with some pizza at OTTO Pizza’s Munjoy Hill location last night.

This year, OTTO Pizza sponsored a girls softball team in the AA Division of Portland’s Deering Little League. The girls, all seven and eight years old, wrapped up their season last night with a game at the Hall School field, whereupon the entire team adjourned to OTTO Pizza’s East End location on Munjoy Hill for a celebratory pizza party.

In addition to the pizzas, the girls enjoyed a special cake commemorating their season and tore into two packs of Topps 2012 baseball cards, supplied by Assistant Coach Danny Terroni.

It was a great year, and the best part of it was watching all of the girls improve as players as the season progressed. It was a real treat to watch them learn how to play the game and then put those skills to use on the diamond in the games each week.

The members of OTTO Pizza’s Deering Little League AA Girls Softball team gather for a team photo at the beginning of the season.

Coach Brian Carleton did a great job teaching the girls how to hit, how to field and how to make accurate throws, and every game was well-attended by the players’ parents, friends and family.

“We had a great year because we had great kids and all the parents were involved, too,” Coach Brian said. “That makes a big, big difference.”

We’re proud of the girls, not just those who played on the OTTO Pizza team, but of all of ’em who played in the league this year. It was an honor to be able to be a part of it all and we’re looking forward to being involved again next year.

 

A member of the OTTO Pizza AA Girls Softball Team in Portland’s Deering Little League drives a solid hit up the middle as her teammates look on.

What do the Maine High School Basketball State Champs Have in Common with OTTO Pizza?

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OTTO Pizza co-owners Mike Keon (L) and Anthony Allen (C) receive kudos from Portland Mayor Michael Brennan Monday evening at City Hall in Portland, Maine.

A lot more than you’d think.

F’rinstance, all of ’em are from Portland. For those of you who somehow didn’t see the news, Portland’s Deering High School boys basketball and McCauley High School girls basketball teams were both the best in the state this year — and OTTO Pizza is arguably the best pizza in the state, if not New England.

And all of ’em were at City Hall in Portland, Maine, on Monday night to receive commendations from the members of the City Council and Portland Mayor Michael Brennan; the members of Portland’s championship teams for their outstanding athletic achievement on the court, and OTTO Pizza for supporting the Portland Recreation Department’s after-school program.

And while we certainly didn’t set out seeking such recognition when we became involved with the Rec Department, it was an honor to receive it, nonetheless.

Thank you.

Anthony & Mike

OTTO Pizza to Open in Brookline, Massachusetts

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OTTO Pizza is coming to Coolidge Corner in Brookline, MA.

OTTO Pizza is set to open a new store in the Coolidge Corner neighborhood in Brookline, Massachusetts.

“This is a great location,” OTTO Pizza co-owner Anthony Allen said. “Coolidge Corner is a fantastic neighborhood, and when the location opened up it seemed like a natural fit for us.”

The new shop, which received licensing approvals from the Brookline Board of Selectmen last night, will offer OTTO Pizza’s full menu of interesting and unusual pies, including the signature Mashed Potato, Bacon and Scallion pizza that has drawn national media coverage, as well as special creations featuring seasonal ingredients. The menu will also include several salads and desserts.

Allen said the new store, which will be located at 289 Harvard Ave. in Brookline, will have 60 seats when the build-out is complete and is on schedule to open in May  2012.

“We’re going to provide people with a place to come in, sit down and have an excellent meal without breaking the bank,’ Allen said.

Allen’s partner in OTTO Pizza, co-owner Mike Keon, said the new store will also feature a selection of beer and wine available by the glass.

OTTO Pizza is owned by Allen and Keon, both veteran restaurateurs with decades of experience between them, and currently has four locations: two full service restaurants in Portland, a delivery restaurant that is also in Portland, and a Harvard Square shop in Cambridge, Mass., that offers take-out service. The Brookline, Mass., store represents the fifth OTTO Pizza location.

OTTO Pizza Teams With Portland, Maine’s Rec Dept. to Recognize Outstanding Kids

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Nellie Lennon, a winner of the Kindness and Respect Award at the Hall School, steps up to collect her certificate and OTTO Pizza gift card.

All too often, the kids who get attention are the ones who are causing trouble or acting out in some way, and for the folks who run the after-school programs at Portland’s Recreation and Facilities Department, that didn’t seem right.

The kids who do the right thing, who make the right choices, should get some recognition, too.

So this year, the Rec Department undertook an effort to call out those kids who go above and beyond what’s expected of them to show kindness and generosity to others, be they peers or parents, teachers or counselors.

Corbett Dooley, another Kindness and Respect Award winner at the Hall School, receives his certificate and OTTO Pizza gift card.

Each month, since the beginning of school back in September, the counselors at each program — the city runs after-school programs at each elementary school — selected those kids who really stood out when it came to showing respect and kindness toward others, and this week, the winners got their reward: a special certificate recognizing their achievement and … free pizza from OTTO Pizza! Specifically, a gift card good for a free large pizza of their choice.

The first awards were handed out this evening to the eight winners at the Hall School, where the kids got what they deserved — recognition from their peers and parents, and some free pizza.

Next week, the same thing will happen at Longfellow Elementary school and at the newly opened Ocean Elementary and at the end of the school year, the winners at Portland’s remaining elementary schools will be recognized as well.

OTTO Pizza is proud to work with the Rec Department in this effort. Congratulations to the winners!

 

OTTO Pizza Guys Talk Pizza Delivery in Portland Maine on the Fox Morning Show

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The OTTO Pizza guys, Anthony and Mike, stopped by the Fox Morning Show earlier today with a couple of pies to talk pizza and the new delivery service. If you weren’t up this morning, or perhaps were otherwise engaged and unable to catch the show, you can check it out here.

After the segment, the crew dug in and four pies were gone within about 10 minutes.

OTTO Pizza's Anthony Allen and Mike Keon serve up some fresh hot slices on the Fox Morning Show this morning in Portland, Maine.

It was hard to tell which pie the crew liked better — the Masher (mashed potato, bacon and scallion) or the Roasted Tomato, Ricotta and Fresh Basil.

A good time was had by all, and Mike and Anthony left the studio with a standing invitation to come back anytime.

 

Free Slice Day — For Reals …

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On Monday, Dec. 19, you can grab yourself a slice of OTTO Pizza's award-winning pie for free at the 576 Congress Street, in Portland, Maine, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

You may have heard the vicious, pernicious rumor — or as our Canadian friends to the north might put it, rumour — that Monday, Dec. 19 has been designated as a so-called “Free Slice Day” at OTTO Pizza.

Well, it’s true. All of it. Here’s the deal …

Monday, Dec. 19, is, in fact, Free Slice Day at OTTO Pizza’s shop at 576 Congress Street in Portland, Maine’s Arts District. The store will open at its regular time, 11 a.m., and close at about 1:30 p.m. so the employees can prepare themselves for the mayhem to come.

At 2 p.m., the doors will be thrown open once again, whereupon Free Slice Day will be in full effect.

How does it work? Simple …

From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., anyone who stops in can pick up one free slice of OTTO Pizza’s award-winninng pizza, any variety, on the house. One to a customer, please — we’d like everyone who wants one to get one. OTTO employees who aren’t busily making more pie to keep the pizza flowing will be on hand and passing the hat to benefit local non-profit agencies.

There might even be a few of our new, wicked cool t-shirts available, hot off the press … so get there early.

A Buddhist monk enjoys a slice of OTTO Pizza at the 576 Congress Street shop in Portland, Maine's Arts District.

At 6 p.m., the store will close so OTTO Pizza employees can retire for the evening to enjoy the OTTO Pizza Christmas party, which promises to be a rager of epic proportion … but that’s another story, and by the way, whatever you might have heard about the last OTTO party on Aug. 21, when the segment about OTTO Pizza aired on the Cooking Channel’s “Pizza Out of the Box,” is patently false — you can check the police reports for yourself, if you like …

Anyway, by now you’re probably asking yourself, “Why? Why would they do it? Why would they give away so much of that awesome pizza?”

Well, let’s just call it OTTO Pizza’s way of saying, “Thank you,” to the people of Portland, Maine, for everything they’ve done for OTTO in the 18 months or so since the first shop opened at 576 Congress Street — home of the “Free Slice Day.”

See you there!