OTTO Birthday Fest: 3 Days of Music, Love & Pizza

Hard to believe it’s been nearly 14 years since we opened the doors on a tiny little slice shop on Congress Street in Portland, ME. It’s been a wild ride, but none of it could have been possible without you. We truly have the best customers any business could ask for. Thank you for supporting us over the years.

To celebrate, we want to invite you to three events this June (our birthday month). We sure would love to see you.

June 4 – OTTO’s Birthday Bash on the Esplanade (Boston)
Join us from 1-4pm at Night Shift Esplanade, located right along the Charles River in Boston, MA. We’ll be descending upon the scenic Night Shift beer garden with FREE PIZZA (50 pizzas, while it lasts!) and some giveaways. Beer, pizza, and the Esplanade — what’s not to love?
No admission — open to the public. Rain date June 18.
For more information and directions, click here.

June 11 – Resurgam Music and Arts Festival Presented by OTTO (Portland)
Come celebrate Portland’s music, arts, and youth at the second annual Resurgam Festival at the Ocean Gateway and surrounding areas. We are thrilled to be the headline sponsor for this year’s event. Stop by one of our booths for slices, games, and giveaways! The festival will feature over 50 performers on 5 stages and will showcase Portland’s creativity and youth. The event will run from 11am-6pm and is FREE and open to the public!
For more information, click here.

June 20 — OTTO 14th Birthday Party (All OTTO Locations in ME, NH, and MA)
Swing by any of our locations where we’ll be serving $1.40 slices* all day long.
We’ll have some giveaways as well, while they last!

*Limit 2 slices per customer.

Thanks again for 14 great years! We couldn’t do it without you.

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.

Feeding the Frontline has hit $100K!

At OTTO, giving back to our communities has always been a priority. In the past year, we’ve begun two ongoing programs: our monthly specials donations, in which we’ve partnered with Cooking Matters in MA and FEED Kids in ME to donate $1 from every monthly special pizza sold, and Feeding the Frontline, where we’ve turned customer contributions into countless deliveries, feeding thousands of healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.

We are so excited to announce that, as of this month, we’ve reached $100,000 in donations to our Feeding the Frontline program! We’re so grateful to our incredible customers for making this initiative so successful. Both Feeding the Frontline and our monthly donations program would not be possible without your support. We can also say firsthand how appreciative the frontline workers we’ve delivered to have been to benefit from this program.

Because of your generous donations, we’ve been able to make deliveries to over 75 healthcare facilities in Maine and Massachusetts, including:

  • Maine Medical Center
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Tufts Medical Center
  • Maine General Hospital
  • Mercy Hospital
  • Boston Medical Center
  • Fenway Health
  • Beverly Hospital
  • Mid Coast Hospital
  • Mount Auburn Hospital
  • Emerson Hospital

Although we have reached an amazing milestone, we’re not out of the woods yet. If you’re able, please consider making a donation with your next order, so we may continue to support our healthcare heroes and fuel them through their shifts as they work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.

Tips for Kids: OTTO’s Southie, South End, and Beverly locations to donate tips to local children’s organizations

As part of the ongoing Tips For Kids initiative, OTTO’s Southie and South End locations have selected The Tierney Learning Center to be the recipient of all customer tips from September 1, 2021 through November 30, 2021. (OTTO’s new Beverly location will be announcing their recipient in the coming days.)

Located in the heart of Old Colony in South Boston, The Tierney Learning Center serves youth and families living in affordable housing communities by providing a safe, caring, and welcoming environment with an array of programming geared towards improving the wellbeing of individuals and families in the community.

We owe a ton of thanks to our Southie, South End, and Beverly staff and the generosity of our customers for making these donations possible. We know that, now more than ever, charities and community organizations need additional support to continue offering the services they provide.




OTTO South End is now open!

We are pleased to announce that our new South End location is officially open!

Conveniently located at the corner of Harrison and Washington (345 Harrison Ave.), across from The Ink Block and Whole Foods, and easily accessible from the Red, Orange, and Silver Lines, this new location will provide the busy South End neighborhood easy access to enjoy one of the best pizzas in the USA (Food Network).

Along with traditional takeout service, OTTO South End features a slice counter, indoor and outdoor seating, and catering services. This location will also feature our 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 by grabbing their order from one of our heated mobile pickup stations.

OTTO South End will be OTTO’s 10th location in Massachusetts, and 17th overall. We are looking forward to being a part of the vibrant South End community.

In addition to our ongoing partnership with Cooking Matters MA to combat food insecurity, the OTTO South End location will also be participating in the Tips For Kids initiative started at our Southie location, where each tip will support children’s organizations in the community.

Come by, enjoy a slice and say hello. We can’t wait to serve you!

Open daily from 11am-12am.  Entrance is on Washington St., between Loyal Companion and Chase Bank.

Get Your Pizza Faster with the New and Improved OTTO App

If you already use the OTTO App, you’ve probably noticed things look a bit different lately. If you’ve never used it before – you’re in luck. We’ve improved our app for an all around better customer experience so you can get your favorite pizzas faster and easier than ever.

  • Easier and faster ordering! Select your go-to OTTO location and it will be saved as “My Store”. Re-order your favorites by using your order history for quick and easy ordering.
  • Track your order using our improved order tracking.
  • Join OTTO rewards! Already a member? You can check your points status and redeem earned coupons directly through the app.
  • Buy and send gift cards, or store an existing gift card to use on your next order.
  • On the road? Find the OTTO nearest you using our store locator.

Watch the short video below to see our new app in action.

Back-To-School OTTO Gift Card Giveaway

Whether you’re learning from home or headed back into the classroom, back-to-school is probably looking a little different this year. We’re here to help make that transition easier. We’re kicking off the fall with a Back-To-School OTTO Quiz & Gift Card Giveaway!

Anyone who participates on Instagram will be entered to win a $100 OTTO gift card. Here’s how to enter:

  1. Follow OTTOPORTLAND on Instagram (if you already follow us, skip to step 2!)
  2. Answer any of the quiz questions in our stories or posts
  3. Tag a friend in the comments

The more questions you answer (and it’s okay if you answer incorrectly), the higher your chance of winning the gift card. Plus, learn a few fun OTTO facts along the way! The winner will be annouced on 9/17/2020.

OTTO Partners with FEED KIDS and Cooking Matters to combat food insecurity

At OTTO, we strongly believe in investing in our communities, and are proud to support a variety of causes and local organizations. Since we opened our doors in 2009, we’ve worked with over 500 organizations – from hosting fundraisers, to sponsoring teams, and handing out pizza to 5k participants – giving back is an important part of what we do.

As OTTO continues to grow and expand into new communities, we are continuously redefining the ways in which we give back. It is important that we are intentional and impactful with our reach, and that we’re able to align our core values with our giving. As a restaurant, one issue that is extremely important to us is food insecurity. We believe that no child should ever go hungry, and that families, schools, and communities should have the tools and resources to combat food insecurity. We’ve recently partnered with organizations in Maine and Massachusetts which aim to do just that – end child hunger in our communities, and provide families with the resources to connect them to healthy and affordable food options. Starting March 1, OTTO will be donating $1 from every monthly special pizza sold to FEED KIDS in Maine, and to Cooking Matters in Massachusetts.

Full Plates, Full Potential – FEED Kids

Full Plates, Full Potential is an organization dedicated to ending child hunger in Maine. “[Their] work focuses on increasing participation in school breakfast, after school meals, and summer meal programs.” We are proud to say that we are now one of their FEED KIDS Partners, and will be donating $1 of every monthly special pizza sold in Maine to Full Plates, Full Potential.

Cooking Matters MA

Cooking Matters is a campaign developed by Share Our Strength; a nonprofit that aims to end poverty and hunger. More specifically, Cooking Matters aims to end childhood hunger by “inspiring families to make healthy, affordable food choices. [Their] programs teach parents and caregivers with limited food budgets to shop for and cook healthy meals.” Cooking Matters helps connect low-income families with the tools and resources to prepare healthy food on a budget. OTTO will donate $1 of every monthly special pizza sold in Massachusetts to Cooking Matters.

Follow us to learn more about how we will be working with these two organizations to help end child hunger in our communities.

OTTO wins ‘Best Pizza – Gourmet’ in Boston A-List Awards

VotingPlatformLogoWe were thrilled and humbled to learn today that OTTO was voted ‘Best Pizza’ in the ‘Gourmet’ category of the 2017 Boston A-List Awards, presented by WGBH. In addition to this honor, we placed third in the ‘Best Pizza – Slices’ category.

As an independent pizzeria born in Portland, ME just eight years ago, it means a lot to feel the Boston love. It’s been a short 6 years since we opened our shop in Harvard Square (our Coolidge Corner and BU locations opened within the next 12-18 months), and we are have enjoyed every minute of it. The people who make up these vibrant and engaged communities inspire us every single day.

With half of our shops, and half of our employees, rooted in Massachusetts, it truly is our other home. We love these communities, and we are so grateful that they seem to like us back.

Thank you, Boston!

DSC_5634

Celebrating New England Craft Beer

DSC_5600
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.
dsc_5752-1.jpg
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.

2016-09-22 12.21.42

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