OTTO’s Portland Expansion at 574 Congress Street Is Now Open For Dining!

OTTO 574 Congress StreetOTTO is pleased to announce that our new expansion to our 574 Congress Street slice shop is now open for dining.

While remodling of the former Wild Burrito storefront was underway this year, curious Portlanders peeked in as they strolled past, wondering what exactly was being done. After taking in the repurposed mahogany, subway tiles, and minimalist lighting, It didn’t take folks too long to realize that OTTO was simply becoming more symmetrical.

In April 2010, the original OTTO slice shop opened a sister shop, Enzo, directly next door. While Enzo had its own storefront entry, internally she and OTTO were conjoined. Enzo provided OTTO with much needed seating, and more importantly, an intimate bar setting with an array of fine wines and craft beer.

In the spirit of OTTO and Enzo, the 574 Congress expansion maintains the same cozy, minimalist aesthetic, while adding enough dining space (approximately 40 seats) to accomodate families and large parties, and a spacious, gorgeous bar perfect for dining, unwinding after work, or meeting up with friends and family.2012-11-28_18-38-09_999

The 574 Congress location not only expands OTTO’s capacity, it expands its menu. Guests will notice an expanded wine list, six additional taps of delicious craft brews, as well as OTTO’s signature salads and desserts.

Hours are 11:30am to 11pm Sunday through Thursday and 11:30am to 12am Friday and Saturday.

Come by. We’d love to see you.

OTTO’s Getting Bigger: A Sneak Peek Of Our 574 Congress Street Extension

You may have heard the news. If you’ve been to our 576 Congress Street, Portland location, you’ve certainly seen (and heard) some commotion.

It’s no secret that OTTO quickly outgrew it’s small digs at 576 Congress, even after the the addition of sister-shop ENZO at 576-A. Rest assured, Portland OTTO enthusiasts (and employees), you will soon have plenty of wiggle-room.

The expansion into 574 Congress (formerly Wild Burrito) will add 50 seats, an additional bar, and six more taps of your favorite craft brews.

While the opening is imminent, we are refraining from declaring an opening date. OTTO does nothing half-assed.

In the meantime, please enjoy the sneak peek of the new room. She’s a beauty.

Stay tuned. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we have a confirmed opening date.

Who is Elliott Brood? And Why Should You Care?

Elliott Brood is on tour and playing a bunch of shows in the northeast before heading over to Europe.

Music is an important ingredient at OTTO Pizza – we listen to it all the time. We listen to music while we’re setting up shop in the morning; it’s playing during the day when we’re taking care of our customers, and we crank it up at night while we’re cleaning up the shop to do it all over again the next day.

Some of the folks who work at OTTO Pizza are musicians themselves, and there are a ton of local bands that we love as well, but every once in a while, a band comes along that really grabs us and maybe we go a little crazy.

Elliott Brood is such a band. These guys are amazing. But don’t take our word for it. Check ’em out for yourself.

And apparently, Elliott Brood is on tour right now, which is great. Anybody else really like Elliott Brood? Why don’t you drop us a line at ottopizza668@gmail.com?

The Best Lines From OTTO Pizza Online Customer Reviews

One of the greatest things about the internet is the ability to cut through the crap and read actual first-hand comments about the food you’re thinking about eating. We can think of many times we’ve dodged a potential bullet by checking Yelp!, UrbanSpoon, etc., and learned first-hand about awful culinary experiences.

Here at OTTO, where we strive to always provide our customers with uniquely delicious pizza, a clean and cozy atmosphere, and great service, we make a point to monitor our online reviews. We’re pleased to report that they are overwhelmingly positive.

Some of these reviews are so great, that it seems criminal to not showcase them elsewhere.

Here are some snippets from the many wonderful online reviews of the OTTO experience:

From Steff, at UrbanSpoon (there is no best line — the whole thing is tremendous):

Dear Boyfriend,

I think you know this, but I’m having a love affair. With Otto’s. Oh, I know the three of us (you, me, and Otto’s) have had many randez-vous (sometimes multiple times a night), but you should know that when I leave your place . . . I stop for a quickie at Otto’s. When we’re kissing . . . I wish your beard had Otto’s crumbs in it. While you seasonally change your facial hair . . . they hourly change their options. They please me in a deep, thrilling way that no other man . . . or pizza joint . . . ever has. When I feel like I need to be loved safely and reliably, it’s their tomato-basil pizza that comforts me. When I desire that earthy, gritty kind of affection, I turn to their mushroom-cauliflower pizza. When I’m craving something a little more daring, a little more exotic and sexy, I have the white bean, roasted tomato, herb, and red flake (which is a mouthful . . . if you know what I mean). Yes, sometimes you are the more consistent lover; and, Otto’s has the tendency of teasing me so (oh, butternut-squash-cranberry, why can’t you always be there for me like I want to be for you?!). But it’s a small sin when their huge, heaping triangles of love are so reasonably priced. With their prices, it’s like they’re telling me: “from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish ’till death do us part, I hereby pledge you my faithfulness.”

I do, too, Ottos. I do, too.

Oh, boyfriend, it was only a matter of time before you realized with them it’s never forced. It’s never fake. It’s always the real deal: they are one of the best mouthgasm’s I have.

Please don’t be jealous,

Steff

From Rachel at Yelp!:

The ricotta, butternut & cranberry slice at Otto is merely a flatbread mechanism used to transport holiday cheer to my mouth, and that’s not pizza. That’s revolutionary. A $3.50 hit of “Thanksgiving essence” is now available during all seasons, forever.

From Sharkey at UrbanSpoon:

Just to be able to walk down Congress and grab a slice makes living here even sweeter. I love seeing smiley, happy faces walking the street, noshing on a slice from Otto’s. Best advertising there is!

From Matt at Yelp!:

When we get the call that there’s a meteor headed for Earth, many people will choose to be with family I’m sure.

I’ll be at Ottos Brookline (maybe I’ll invite the family along).

From Emily at Yelp!:

I need to find this Otto and have a talk with him. Who is he? What makes him tick? Most importantly, how did he become so awesome at making delicious slices of pizza?

From Christine at Yelp!:

I live in the North End of Boston and I am considering going to Harvard Square in the snow to get a slice. Its THAT GOOD.

Having a Party? A Meeting? Just Plain Hungry? Try OTTO’s ‘Buy 10 Get 1 Free’ Deal!

Otto To Go - Buy 10 Pizzas, Get 1 Free!Pizza has always been a communal food. It’s the first thing we think of when we need food for a baseball team, a birthday party, or a business meeting.

The problem is that most pizza out there is pretty interchangeable. And boring.

Enter OTTO. Imagine the look on the faces of your guests when you serve up a stack of our signature pies: Pulled pork and mango. Eggplant, ricotta and basil. Apple, bacon, and red onion. Mashed Potato, Bacon and Scallion.

If you order 10 OTTO pizzas, we throw one in for free. Pretty simple. The hardest thing is deciding which of our mouth-watering combinations to choose.

All you need to do is call in to your local OTTO Pizza location and tell them you want in on the ‘Buy 10 get 1 free’ deal.

And yes, in Portland, we will deliver at no charge (stay tuned for OTTO To Go at our Boston locations).

And don’t forget. OTTO also does catering. Whether it’s a gameday party, a business meeting, or a campus event, OTTO has you covered.

A Baker’s Dozen: 13 Mouth-Watering OTTO Pizza Instagram Pics

Nothing makes us happier than knowing our customers love our pizza. While we love your praise when you’re in the shop, we also know that a picture’s worth a thousand words.

When our customers tweet or post pictures of our pizza (or our signature sodas and salads), we know they don’t just love it, they want others to love it too.

Here are 13 of our favorite OTTO shares on Instagram. Try not to drool on the keyboard, please.

1. From italianinboston:
otto pizza

2. From stretchandmayo:
otto pizza

3. From adewomol:
otto pizza

4. From constantlyconstance:
otto pizza

5. From just_me__just_em:
otto pizza

6. From shnrl:
otto pizza

7. From truestorycory:
otto pizza

8. From craigalansmalls:
otto pizza

9. From dibbee:
otto pizza

10. From bostontweet:
otto pizza

11. From mschafer87:
otto pizza

12. Also from from mschafer87:
otto pizza

13. And once again, mschafer87 (you really love us, don’t you?):
otto pizza

OTTO TO GO: Pizza Delivery Available in the Portland Area

Why order delivery from the big chains, when OTTO Pizza will come to you?OTTO Pizza delivers!

Now, of course we love to see you. Your smiling face brightens our day. But we also know there are times when it’s hard to get out of the house, or you just don’t feel like getting out of your pajamas.

If you live in the Portland area, you can order any of our deliciously different pizzas by phone or fax. Whether you’re in the East End, the West End, downtown, the Arts District, Old Port, or Munjoy Hill, OTTO will ensure your pizza is delivered hot and fresh from our oven.

Delivery times may vary, depending on volume, but you can expect to have our custom-topped gourmet pies within 30-45 minutes. Some of the big chains can’t even do that.

It’s OTTO-Matic. For the people.

Ready for Our Closeup: OTTO Pizza’s Gonna Be on TV!

We’re gonna be on TV! The Phantom Gourmet is going to run a segment on OTTO Pizza this Saturday at 11 a.m. on myTV38.

Regular readers of the OTTO Blog may recall that a few months ago, a crew from the Phantom Gourmet stopped by to see first-hand how the OTTO PIzza magic happens.

For those of you who don’t live in the Boston area, the Phantom Gourmet is a legendary television show that consistently features the best the Boston food scene has to offer. It airs on myTV38 on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. You can catch the show in Maine now, too, on WPME-TV on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Earlier this summer, the Phantom Gourmet crew spent an afternoon at the OTTO Pizza shop in Coolidge Corner, talking with co-owners Anthony Allen and Mike Keon and shooting footage that will give their viewers an up-close and personal take on the backstory behind our award-winning pies.

Catch the Phantom Gourmet – and the segment about OTTO Pizza – on Saturday and Sunday morning at 11 a.m on myTV38.

They took a good look at one of our most popular slices: The Masher, which features mashed Maine potatoes, bacon and scallions, learned about a couple of other OTTO Pizza specialties, including the Pulled Pork & Mango and the Butternut Squash, Ricotta and Cranberry, and it was great hanging out with them, too.

We can’t wait to see what airs.

You can catch our segment this Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

WooHoo! It’s National Cheese Pizza Day!

OTTO Pizza owners Anthony Allen and Mike Keon show the hosts at Fox’s “Good Morning Maine” how they make their award-winning cheese pizza. Sept. 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day. To see the full video of the spot, click on the link in the post.

Yep, that’s right! Today, Sept. 5, 2012, is National Cheese Pizza Day.

How it became National Cheese Pizza Day in America is something of a debate. There’s no Presidential or Congressional proclamation declaring National Cheese Pizza Day, if the historians are to be believed, but it seems to have evolved by virtue of widespread common belief. If everyone believes Sept. 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day, then ipso facto, Sept. 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day.

So in honor of National Cheese Pizza Day, we put together a few fun facts:

  • Americans eat 350 slices of pizza per second.
  • The average American eats 23 pounds of pizza each year.
  • 93 percent of Americans eat at least one slice of pizza each month.

In celebration of National Cheese Pizza Day, OTTO Pizza owners Mike Keon and Anthony Allen paid a visit to Good Day Maine, the Fox Network morning show in Portland, Maine, to show everyone exactly how OTTO Pizza makes a cheese pizza, which serves as the foundation for many of the OTTO Pizza flavor combinations.

Watch Mike and Anthony work their magic.

And you can bet we’ll be checking in with one of our favorite bloggers later today to see how she marks the special occasion.

Let Us Know What You Think Of The New OTTO Pizza Shop On Commonwealth Ave. in Boston

The new OTTO Pizza shop at 888 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston hasn’t been open for a week yet, but we want to know what you think. If you’ve got a minute or two, leave a review on Yelp! We’d be forever thankful. Here’s the link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/otto-pizza-brookline-2

By now, you’ve probably heard that there’s a new OTTO Pizza shop in Boston, located at 888 Commonwealth Ave., near the center of the Boston University Campus.

The new shop’s gotten some great coverage from local media, including Boston Eater and the Brookline Patch.com, and the word of mouth is building, but now we want to know what you think of the new OTTO Pizza location.

If you’ve been to the new shop, and you’ve got a moment and Yelp! account, we’d be forever grateful if you would tell us what you thought of the new shop at 888 Comm Ave.

Here’s the link. Let us know how we’re doing. If there’s something that can be improved, let us know so we can fix it … and if there’s something that was truly awesome, we’d like to know that too, so we can hand out kudos to our staffers who are doing a great job.

Some shops would try and game the system, by either paying for good reviews or getting employees to write some, but at OTTO Pizza, that’s not how we roll. Everything you read on Yelp! about OTTO Pizza was written by actual customers. No shills.

Your input is what counts, and it’s you we want to hear from … so come on, tell us how we’re doing. We can take it.