OCTOBER 2021

Pizza in Natick, Ranked

Anthony Bilis-Gruson

It has to be said that if you are ever craving a pizza, Natick is not the worst place to be. For a town of its size, Natick is home to a diverse range of pizza places, some good, some bad. Today I will rank what I see as the 10 main pizza locations in the wonderful town of Natick. 

Stay Away: 

7-Eleven -  Does much need to be said about 7-Eleven pizza? 7-Eleven is a convenience store and pizza does not belong in a convenience store. The pizza is soft and mushy; it’s reheated,  tastes like cardboard, and sits in a 7-Eleven all day. Stay away from 7-Eleven pizza unless you enjoy being in the bathroom for long periods of time, or if someone is offering it to you for free.  

Wouldn’t recommend: 

Sbarro - Somehow the only place that serves pizza in the Natick Mall food court... I would recommend staying away from Sbarro’s. Sbarro gets the advantage over 7-Eleven only because it is not a convenience store. Sold by the slice, Sbarro pizza does have the advantages of being cheap and having fast service, but that is where the positives end. This is essentially fast food pizza, but there is absolutely nothing special about it. It’s usually either too hot or too cold, and with all of the other fast food alternatives in the Natick Mall food court, I just wouldn’t recommend buying a slice at Sbarro’s, unless all of the other lines in the food court are too long and you are really hungry. 

Natick High School Pizza - Being the only free option on the list, Natick High School pizza could not be bottom tier. However, it is not far from it, as the line to get pizza is usually at least 50 people deep, and the pizza just doesn't make up for the wait. Each slice is different in size and shape, making you question exactly what you are eating. The pizza dough is usually hard and crunchy, and the cheese is usually falling off of the slice by the second bite. However, we do appreciate the love that goes into making these pizza slices from the NHS lunch ladies, and that is what keeps it in this tier, along with the occasional one day a month when NHS pizza is the best you’ve ever had. 

Bill’s Pizza - Greasy, Greasy, Greasy. I am not sure how or why Bill’s makes their pizza so greasy, but you better grab extra napkins if you ever eat there. It has the advantage of being a small business, which adds to the feel of the restaurant, and the pizza overall is not bad, but it is not that great either. The cheese is always burning hot and always falling off the slice. It is also one of the more expensive locations on this list, charging about $14 for a large cheese. There are just so many better options in Natick, even downtown, that I just can’t recommend Bill’s as the place to get your pizza. 

Brooklyn New York Pizza -  I have to be honest, I have never once in my life eaten at this pizza place. Has anyone? Has anyone ever known this place existed? I sure didn’t. Located in West Natick right next to the train station, this has to be the most irrelevant pizza place in Natick. I have never heard anyone even mention the existence of this place and that cannot be a good sign. With a name like Brooklyn New York Pizza, I would have high expectations, but its lack of notoriety really puts me off, and it has to go in the “wouldn’t recommend'' tier for me. 

Meh: 

Liberty’s - Liberty’s has its upsides. The staff are friendly; it has plenty of seating; it’s affordable; and its crust is solid. It also has the nostalgia effect from walking there after every half day in middle school. However, its sauce is a huge negative. The pizza sauce is way too sweet, and it brings the otherwise pretty good pizza down a whole tier. Their sauce is different and easily recognizable compared to the other sauces on this list, and you would think that would be a good thing. When you taste the sauce, you realize it is not a good thing. Other than the sauce, the quality of the cheese really is not the best and the restaurant is located in a run-down strip mall, not to mention that Liberty’s closed their ice cream shop in the same location, leaving Liberty’s pizza in the meh tier. 

California Pizza Kitchen - Putting CPK into a tier was a tough decision to make. It is by far the biggest restaurant on this list, with locations all around the country and many different items other than pizza on their menu. However, seeing as pizza is literally in their name, you would hope that the quality of their product would be higher. Their pizza is by far the most expensive on this list, with their cheese pizza coming in at $17. For that price and the fact that CPK is a sit-down restaurant, you would hope that the pizza would be a home run. The pizza is more of an infield single. CPK has the least amount of negatives and positives, it’s kind of just there. You rarely have a bad pizza at CPK, but you also never leave thinking, “man, that was a good pizza.” They have many different kinds of pizza and their crust is alright, but for such a big restaurant, we should all expect better.  

Pretty Good: 

George’s Pizza - We are getting down to the big boys now, as we analyze the top three. This means that even if one is better than the other, all of the places left are good, and I would recommend all three. We start with George’s. George’s pizza is quality, and I really enjoy their thick crust that, done incorrectly, could really diminish the taste of the pizza. I think, however, that George’s finds a good balance in their crust-to-pizza ratio. Some negatives are that their hours are pretty bad: it seems like they are never open, and there are only like two tables in the entire restaurant. Nonetheless, their cheese doesn't fall off the pizza like in other restaurants and they have a great location, being downtown next to Honey Farms and the Common. They are a small business and always friendly. To add another bonus, I genuinely believe that their garlic bread was sent down from God. 

Comella’s - I think everyone likes Comella’s. I’ve rarely heard of someone who dislikes Comella’s, and that is because they always make good pizza. It is cheaper than most places, and you are never left dissatisfied with a pizza from there. If I'm being truthful, I don’t have much to say about Comella’s because there is little variety when going there. You know that you will be eating an above average pizza, and that reliability is what pushes Comella’s so high in this tier list. They also have an amazing tiramisu and pretty good wings as well. Solid. 

The Best: 

Pizza by Rocco’s - We’ve finally made it to the champion, the best pizza Natick has to offer in my opinion: Pizza by Rocco’s. Rocco’s pizza feels homemade; it feels like my grandmother made it; it feels like it was made with love. Their crust is perfect—not too thick, not too thin, not too bready—just perfect. Their dough is delicious and their cheese is never too hot or sliding off the pizza. They aren’t super expensive and their pizza honestly just hits different. They have a huge variety of pizzas, with their buffalo chicken ranch being my favorite. Rocco’s turning that pizza into the Vanni Pizza really shows me what kind of an establishment they are. They are connected to the community and for me they are the best.  

Please remember that pizza is subjective and that this is only my opinion on the subject. Thank you for taking the time to read my tier list.