OTTO South End to donate 100% of tips between Dec 1 through Mar 31 to Franciscan Children’s

As part of the ongoing Tips For Kids initiative, OTTO’s South End location has selected Franciscan Children’s to be the recipient of all customer tips from December 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.

Since 1949, Franciscan Children’s has served children and adolescents with complex medical, mental health, and special educational needs. Located in Brighton, Massachusetts, Franciscan Children’s is an integral part of Boston’s health care system. They are the only pediatric post-acute facility in New England, and often tackle the challenges that others can’t or won’t.  These critical needs are met by people who are committed to excellence, innovation, and family support… so that children can reach their fullest potential and live their best life. 

We owe a ton of thanks to our Southie staff and the generosity of our customers for making these donations possible. We know that, now more than ever, a helping hand goes a long way. Whether customers place orders online, via phone, or in-house, every tip will be put to work supporting the mission of Franciscan Children’s.

OTTO South Boston opens Monday, March 2nd

OTTO’s new South Boston location will have its grand opening on Monday, March 2nd.  

Located at 416 W Broadway in the vibrant South Boston neighborhood, this brand new location will be the first OTTO to feature a “mobile pickup” option, allowing customers to order any menu item (including single slices, whole pies, salads, apps, desserts, and beverages) and skip the wait entirely.  

Nestled just behind Caffe Nero and across from Lincoln Tavern and Restaurant, this location will provide South Bostonians quick and convenient access to the “Best Pizza by the Slice” (Yankee Magazine) and one of “The Greatest Pizzas in the USA” (Food Network).

In addition to takeout service, OTTO Southie will feature a slice counter, indoor seating, and catering services. OTTO looks forward to becoming a part of the growing, vibrant South Boston neighborhood, and working with local community organizations as part of our ongoing ‘Good Food, Good Causes’ fundraising program. 

OTTO Southie is OTTO’s eighth outpost in Massachusetts (coming on the heels of OTTO’s first airport location, at Boston Logan International), and 15th location overall. 

Open Sunday through Thursday from 11am-12am and Friday-Saturday from 11am-1am.  Entrance is on F Street, directly behind Caffe Nero, and across the street from Loco Taqueria and Oyster Bar. 

Celebrating New England Craft Beer

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While our main gig at OTTO is crafting an array of delicious pizzas, we also like to celebrate the range of local craft beers we have on tap from breweries across New England. From an Austin Street Patina to a Lamplighter Lucid Nonsense, we’re always seeking out the best local beers to pair up with our pies and slices.

Overwhelmingly we’re serving beers from breweries in the two states we call home – Maine and Massachusetts. Our New England offerings come from as far north as Atlantic Brewing in Bar Harbor and as far south as Stratford, CT, the home of Two Roads Brewing Company. Our Massachusetts beers come from as far west as Big Elm Brewing in the Berkshires to as far east as Cisco Brewers on Nantucket.
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AND, just last year our hometown of Portland was recently named America’s Craft Beer Capital! While the city’s population is smaller than all of the other cities on the list with only about 66,000 people, there’s an average of 25.5 microbreweries per 100,000 inhabitants! Yep, Portlanders like their beer. Each year, droves of beer lovers trek to Maine just to check out the 60+ breweries across the state.

Here at OTTO we also have a bi-annual collaboration going with Rising Tide, our not too far away neighbors in the East Bayside neighborhood of Portland. Each year, we brew two beers with Rising Tide –  Oscar Tango Tango Oscar, our spring collab (coming right up!) and Autohelm, which is released in the late fall. The two beers are available exclusively at OTTO locations and in the Rising Tide tasting room. Our employees enjoy working together with the Rising Tide crew each year to brew these fan favorites.

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Back in the fall, we opened our newest location in Portland (250 Read Street) with our most taps yet – TWELVE. The majority of these taps serve up local Maine beers, but we always offer a few options for those wanting to grab some brews from a bit farther afield like Jack’s Abby and Lord Hobo.

Since we opened our first location in 2009 in downtown Portland, we have enjoyed ‘growing up’ alongside the craft beer scene and supporting our local brewers. We’re proud to be currently serving beer from over 20 New England breweries and cider makers! These local breweries make it easy for the love match between beer & pizza to continue…forever.

MAINE
Allagash – Portland
Atlantic – Bar Harbor
Austin Street – Portland
Banded Horn – Biddeford
Bissell Brothers – Portland
Foundation – Portland
Funky Bow – Lyman
Lone Pine – Portland
Oxbow – Newcastle
Peak Organic – Portland
Rising Tide – Portland
Urban Farm Fermentory – Portland

MASSACHUSETTS
Bantam Cider – Somerville
Big Elm – Sheffield
Castle Island – Norwood
Downeast Cider – East Boston
Ipswich Ale Brewery – Ipswich
Jack’s Abby – Framingham
Lamplighter – Cambridge
Lord Hobo – Woburn
Night Shift – Everett

CONNECTICUT
Two Roads – Stratford

Kids Eat Free on Wednesdays!

kidseatfree-01Are you down and out with cabin fever this winter? Get yourself out of the house and bring the kids along with you!

Buy any large pizza and get a FREE 8″ kids cheese pizza! We’ll be offering this for a limited time at all of our full-service dine in restaurants. Head over to any of the following OTTO locations for a night out with the family:

576 Congress St., Portland
225 Congress St., Portland
250 Read St., Portland
159 Cottage Rd., South Portland
367 Main St., Yarmouth
779 Portland Rd., Saco

Treat yourself (and your wallet) and satisfy that mid-week pizza craving. Because we know you really don’t want to cook tonight.

*the following restrictions apply: Full service dine-in only; one free kids cheese pizza per check; kids 12 & under

Beer and Wine Now Flowing at OTTO’s BU Location

Starting today, guests at OTTO’s 888 Commonwealth Avenue location will have a broad spectrum of craft brews to drink along with their pizza, as well as a generous selection of wines.

While OTTO guests have never had a lack of beverage choices – we serve our own birch beer, root beer, lemonade, and tea – diners have been patiently awaiting this day.

The bar is equipped with six taps of craft brew, with the choices partly dictated by guest recommendations.

Our inaugural draft selections include:otto_beer
OTTO Ale (by Magic Hat)
Geary’s London Porter
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale
Lionshead Pilsner
Oskar Blues Old Chubb
Harpoon Winter Warmer

Available in bottle:
Lagunitas IPA
Brooklyn Lager
Magic Hat Circus Boy

Available in 12 oz. can:
Wachusett Green Monsta
Cisco Whale’s Tale Pale Ale
Abita Purple Haze

Available in 16 oz. can:
Lionshead
Sixpoint Sweet Action Cream Ale

The initial wine list will feature the following:
14 Hands Merlot
Haras Cabernet Sauvignon
Handcraft Pinot Noir
Indaba Sauvignon Blanc
Four Vines Naked Chardonnay

So, if our our award-winning pizza wasn’t reason enough, you now have 19 more excellent reasons to visit OTTO’s 888 Comm Ave location.

Boston Startup School Sings OTTO’s Praises

On Friday, November 30, OTTO provided lunch for 70 at the Boston Startup School, a “six-week program designed to transform recent college grads into high-impact hires for startup companies” (Boston Globe).

If there’s one cause OTTO believes in, it’s education. While we have supported many educational causes in the past, including elementary reading incentive programs and after-school initiatives, this is the first time we have donated to a group of tech-savvy startup-bound professionals.

OTTO recognizes that early education provides the foundation for life-long learning and development. By the same token, we believe in supporting regional programs which help strengthen the economy and create jobs for the next generation of young professionals.

We were thrilled to be a part of the day at Boston Startup School. And by the looks of our Twitter feed, they thought the day was alright, too.

  1. kmcdizzle
    Today the @BOStartupSchool sales team got us @OTTO_Pizza donated for lunch, which means it was the BEST DAY EVER! #ricottatomyface
  2. ryanmdonnelly
    Thanks to @Otto_Pizza for providing @BOStartupSchool lunch. If you haven’t tried their pies, you’re missing out. Run, don’t walk.
  3. LucyRosie
    So appreciative of @otto_pizza for feeding @BOStartupSchool! The fresh tomato/basil tastes like love.
  4. erikagord
    @OTTO_Pizza YUM! I just ate pizza with ricotta & sweet potato & cranberries… deliciously creative! Great lunch today @BOStartupschool
  5. taste_of_mind
    @otto_pizza bacon and apple on a pizza?? You are gods in my eyes. Thanks for feeding us @BOStartupSchool
  6. onwithsean
    We’ve had a lot of pizza this week at @BOStartupSchool and @OTTO_Pizza is by far THE BEST! #LearnToDo
  7. carolynheard
    Ricotta, sweet potato, craisin pizza? #yesplease @Otto_Pizza thanks for supplying today’s lunch for #Boston #Startup School !!
  8. kathyasi
    I’m dying over how good @Otto_pizza is, honestly some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. Thanks so much for providing the #noms to BSS!
  9. adamsigel
    Deeeelicious slices from @Otto_Pizza today! Thanks so much for feeding our stomaches so we can keep feeding our minds. #LearnToDo
  10. twedmid
    Thank you @Otto_Pizza for the first excellent pizza I’ve had in Boston! Super creative and tasty!
  11. LucyRosie
    So appreciative of @otto_pizza for feeding @BOStartupSchool! The fresh tomato/basil tastes like love.

Hot Stove Report: OTTO Provides Catering To Red Sox Twice In Two Weeks

red sox ottoThe season may have come and gone with little fanfare, but The Red Sox organization never stops working. (They call it the Hot Stove season for a reason.)

Today OTTO will be serving up a delicious array of 18 large pies to Baseball Operations at Fenway Park. Now, we all know the Sox are a quality organization, and this marks their second OTTO catering order in two weeks. It doesn’t take a statistician to make an inference here.

We’ve often said that OTTO is brain food, so if the stats-crunchers help assemble a comeback team for the 2013 season, OTTO will be happy to take some credit.

If you’d like OTTO to cater your next event, call our catering manager at (207) 807-6426 in Portland or (617) 947-8517 in Boston.

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.

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 Pizza Serves up 2,200 Free Slices at New BU Location

To mark the opening of the new Boston University location, OTTO Pizza gave away 2,200 slices of their award-winning pizza on Monday between 2pm and 6pm.
OTTO Pizza Free Slice Day

(And they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch.)

It was a smashing success any way you slice it. (Sorry, that was irresistible, like the pizza.)

Here are the stats:

  • Number of slices served: 2,200
  • Number of pizzas served: 367 (six slices per pie)
  • Slices per hour: 550
  • Slices per minute: 9 (one slice every 7 seconds)

OTTO employees worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone who descended upon the 888 Commonwealth Avenue location was given the opportunity to give OTTO a try.

Otto Pizza Free Slice Day in BostonCo-owner Anthony Allen said that the shop’s ovens were continuously to capacity during the four hour stretch to meet the demand.

“We’re really proud of our employees, who did a great job under extraordinary conditions yesterday, and we had a great time meeting all the people who came through the door,” Allen said. “It was an amazing experience.”

If you were at the event, feel free to check all the photos at our Facebook page. Be sure to tag yourself or your friends.

Don’t forget that in approximately 30 days the BU location will be serving beer & wine. (Don’t count on a free beer day, though.)