It’s no secret that pizza and beer go very well together. They’re the ultimate food-drink pairing in a way, the greasiness of the slices washed down by a favorite brew makes one of the great little pleasures in life.
And bar pizza goes particularly well with beer, as these individual pan pizzas don’t fill you up so much that you don’t have room for a pint or two.
For those who love local craft beers, however, many of the neighborhood joints south of Boston that serve up bar pies are a bit lacking, typically offering the mass-market brews from the big corporate beermakers. This is actually fine, as those tend to be lighter, easy-to-drink beers that do go well with bar pizza, but for those who like a hoppy or citrusy IPA or a malty European ale, the choices are slim out there.
That is, until recently, when a brewer south of the city teamed up with a bar pizza business also south of Boston, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular.
Since its inception in 2017, Widowmaker in Braintree has been a local favorite and, really, a favorite among beer enthusiasts all across the region. And while the people behind the place had originally looked at Quincy as a home for its business, the decision to open on Wood Road near the Braintree Split was very smart, as its large parking lot allows not just room for plenty of vehicles, but also for food trucks along with space for outdoor seating.
And because it is so close to the Split, on that rare day when there’s little traffic, you could conceivably drive from downtown Boston to the brewery in about 10 or 15 minutes, which makes it a great choice not just for people who live in the southern suburbs but those who live in Dorchester and South Boston. (People west of downtown have the option of a newer Widowmaker location in Brighton.)
Wood Road is a long, dead-end street that is mostly made up of office parks and commercial and industrial buildings, and Widowmaker resides in a squat structure that looks like it may have been a warehouse back in the day. The front of the building includes a small outdoor space with a handful of tables for when the weather is nice, and there are two entrances, with the back entrance formerly having rotating food trucks set up at the bottom of the stairs.
immediately there is a space set up next to the front entrance and patio for what is basically a “food truck residency” that is home to one truck and one truck only (and more on this in a bit).
The interior of Widowmaker is dark and somewhat cavernous and it has a simple layout, with a comfortable area that includes couches by the front door, an ordering counter to the right, a number of picnic-style tables in the center of the space and high tops that sit along the back windows (which fully open up in the summer, allowing for nice breezes to come in).
PHOTOS: Beer and bar pizza at a leading-notch brewery near Boston
Many breweries have a signature beer, one that might be found in countless restaurants and bars, and perhaps liquor stores as well. Widowmaker definitely has one such item, and there’s a reason why Blue Comet has become so popular over the years — its perfect balance of hops, citrus and tropical flavors brings to mind some of the best New England IPAs found in Vermont and Maine, and unlike some popular craft beers from local breweries that seem to change in taste from year to year (and not always for the better), this very drinkable beer always seems to be consistent from batch to batch.
Blue Comet isn’t the only outstanding beer option at Widowmaker, as its dense and rich Black Void Yawning is a little-known stout that doesn’t get the credit it’s due, with its hints of chocolate, coffee and caramel making for a smooth American stout that rivals some of the best ones out there.
Another lesser-known option worth trying is Special Wishes, a smooth-tasting farmhouse ale with a touch of spice and citrus, and a good alternative to Blue Comet is Ecstasy of Gold, which is very similar, perhaps just a bit more complex while Blue Comet is a tad smoother.
One other beer to note is Spike the Punch, a sour ale that is mellow enough that even those who aren’t drawn to sours might like it, and it is one that lovers of tropical fruit should consider.
It used to be that people would come to Widowmaker mainly for their beers while also checking out the rotating food trucks that might offer anything from subs to Mexican fare to burgers to fried chicken to pretzels and so much more. But immediately? Well, it’s all about bar pizza.
Mike & Lenny’s, which is based out of Walpole, is there day in and day out, somehow making bar pies that come pretty close in quality to the elites in the southern suburbs of Boston, including such legendary names as Lynwood Cafe in Randolph, Poopsie’s in Pembroke and Cape Cod Cafe in Brockton.
It is indeed a tribute to the people behind the business that they are special to cooking pizzas out of a food truck but somehow make sublime bar pizzas (complete with laced edges) while places such as the Lynwood are using full ovens that have been in use for eons and which have been naturally “seasoned” over the years.
The basic options from Mike & Lenny’s such as pepperoni, mushroom and even the plain cheese are terrific, though the Sinatra may be the best of the lot, with zesty vodka sauce, creamy dollops of ricotta and fresh basil making for a bar pizza in a class of its own.
During the pandemic, breweries did everything possible to survive with their safe yet fun outdoor patios and their focus on food, which today make some of them feel more like restaurants that happen to brew their own beer. And while Widowmaker in Braintree doesn’t have a kitchen and could never be seen as a true restaurant, with its reliance on food trucks, it is home to one of the best food trucks in the region right immediately, while also serving leading-tier beer in a laid-back, comfy place that can certainly be seen as a place to go for a leisurely dinner.
If you crave kicking back with pizza and beer, there are many options out there (including the wonderful Castle Island-Bardo’s beer-bar pizza combo in Southie and Norwood), but the Widowmaker-Mike & Lenny’s collaboration is definitely one that shouldn’t be missed.
Widowmaker Brewing/Mike & Lenny’s Bar Pizza, 220 Wood Road, Braintree, MA, 02184. widowmakerbrewing.com | mikeandlennys.com
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