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!

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OTTO Expanding Sustainable Delivery in Cambridge

IMG_0436If you’ve spent any time in Harvard Square, chances are you’ve seen an OTTO delivery bike. We’ve been delivering via bike for a year or so, but if you haven’t seen us out and about, you’ll be seeing more of us in the coming weeks and months as we ramp up our sustainable delivery operation at our 1432 Massachusetts Avenue location.

Currently, OTTO employs four bikers who make approximately 100-125 deliveries per week. In February, we’ve biked nearly 500 miles, saving approximately 25-30 gallons of gas, and reducing the number of vehicles that clog the streets of Cambridge at any given hour.

We have recently tripled our bike fleet to 3 delivery cycles, and have plans to double this in the coming months, in addition to expanding our delivery radius in Cambridge.  To do so, we’ll be looking for 12-15 new part-time delivery cyclists.

If you’re a bicycle enthusiast who is interested in joining the OTTO team, we’re looking for you. Send a brief introduction and/or resume to employmentma@ottoportland.com.

See you on the road!

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The 1st OTTO Oscars! Submit your OTTO-themed Movie Poster and Win $100 Worth of Pizza Delivered to your Door on Oscar Night

It’s that time of year again – Oscar season! In honor of the 88th Academy Awards, we inviteTheShining you to post your own versions of OTTO-themed movie posters on our Facebook timeline and WIN!

Submit your movie poster by Thursday, February 25th. On Friday, February 26th we will choose the three best entries and award the following prizes:

1st place: A pizza party of $100 worth of pizza delivered to your home on Oscar Night* OR a $100 gift card & an OTTO T-shirt
2nd place: $50 OTTO gift card & an OTTO T-shirt
3rd place: $25 OTTO gift card & an OTTO T-shirt

A couple of rules to follow:

  1. You must incorporate one or both of the following: A photo of OTTO pizza AND/ORSpottolight the word ‘OTTO’ (Otto’s or Otto’s Pizza will not be accepted)
  2. Please use an existing film poster for your entry (see the Facebook gallery for examples)

Entries may be posted on our Facebook timeline or emailed to contactus@ottoportland.com. Winners will be contacted via Facebook or email on 2/26.

OTTO reserves the right to remove and/or disqualify entries that are not suitable for all ages, or which are otherwise not aligned with OTTO’s good taste.

We will add the very best entries to our ‘OTTO Oscars’ Facebook gallery, and elsewhere.

Get to it and good luck!

*The address must be within delivery range of one our locations in Maine or Massachusetts to qualify for an Oscar Night delivery

 

28 Pizza-Themed Gifs That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

1. Put a ring on it
beyonce

2. Chicken riding a pizza-eating kitten rug. Duh.
cat

3. Laser-eyed space kitten is adorbs
catlazers

4. Liz Lemon, seductress
30rock

5. Walter, that’s a perfectly good pizza.
breakingbad

6. Tobias Funke, space cowboy
cowboy

7. Zac hearts pizza
highschool

8. Homer hearts pizza
homer

9. Even monsters heart pizza
iheartpizza

10. The Blueprint is pizza
jayz

11. J-Law hearts pizza
jlaw

12. JT *really* hearts pizza
justin

13. Bobby can’t wait for pizza
koth

14. Smells like pizza
kurt

15. Nine lives
mario

16. Mary Kate (or is it Ashley?) hearts pizza
marykate

17. When is it *not* pizza time?
pizzatime

18. Cinder(mozza)rella
princess

19. The Ramones heart pizza
ramones

20. Rigby scores pizza
reg

21. So hot. (And Ryan Gosling’s not bad either)ryan

22. One thing Congress can agree on
schoolhouse

23. Zoinks!
scoob

24. Jerry hearts pizza
seinfeld

25. Sims pizza dance
sims

26. Stanley wins
stanley

27. Tim and Eric heart pizza
timeric

28. Liz Lemon gets it done
tina

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

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.

Play Mini-Golf to Beat Cancer at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston Tonight

Gillian Hurwitz, who is helping to organize a mini-golf tournament to benefit the Jimmy Fund, stops by the OTTO Pizza shop in Brookline, MA, to pick up a contribution to the event: a $100 gift card and an OTTO Pizza hat – prizes you can win if you attend the event tonight at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

If you’re looking for something to do tonight in the Boston, might we suggest you drop by Longwood area and take part in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s Mini-Golf Tournament to benefit the Jimmy Fund?

There’s a $20 admission, and all the money goes directly to the Jimmy Fund, which supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. You couldn’t think of a more worthy cause.

Beyond the obvious mini-golf action, you can win fabulous prizes, donated by area restaurants and merchants. OTTO Pizza’s kicked in a $100 gift card and an OTTO Pizza hat. Georgetown Cupcake, JP Licks, Boston Boxing, The Liberty Hotel, Paris Creperie, The Isabella Gardner Museum, Life Alive and Flour Bakery have also contributed merchandise that will be given away in a raffle.

Here’s the deal: the event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Dana Farber Institute, located at 420 Brookline Ave. in Boston’s Longwood district.

See you there.

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.