Penguin Pizza — Restaurant in Boston

Penguin is not the place for you if: you're in a hurry; you're looking to do shots; you're unwilling to smell like delicious, delicious pizza for the rest of the night.

Service is incredibly friendly and knowledgable, but don't expect things to be quick. If you're ordering a full pizza, try the Blanco (ask for it extra crispy, and with a stupid amount of garlic); slices are a quarter-pie, so order accordingly. Classic (pepperoni) is my go-to slice. Small salads aren't on the menu, but you can order a small mixed green or caesar to counter the slice of Classic you just wolfed down.

Penguin is small, often packed and the temperature can vary pretty widely. Plan for it to be warm due to the open kitchen, but if you're by the door in the winter you might end up staying in your coat.

Monday nights are wing nights, and the only nights they won't take reservations. Unless you're there for the wings, and early, it's not worth waiting in the cold to get in. Trivia on Saturdays is competitive, and the prizes are worth it - don't wait until start time to get there, or you won't have a seat.

The beer selection is enormous, but they don't carry everything all the time, so don't be shocked if what you order isn't around; they'll be happy to recommend something similar.

I'm a big fan of this place, but I've been coming here a long time - it's not for everyone, or for every occasion, but it's my favorite pizza in the city, the beer selection is terrific and the atmosphere is comfortable and laid back. It's easy to...

Ordered pizza online via Foodler. The online form lets you put toppings on half the pizza, but it makes you pay for the whole topping. So we called and they said it should only charge half. But even over the phone, they couldn't figure it out in their order system and wouldn't let us do it because they couldn't find a manager. Really? No creativity available there to solve the problem. So we went back to Foodler. Ordered a couple pies and specified in the order notes that one particular pie shouldn't have cheese (vegan). Pizza came with cheese. So we called back and they said that the Foodler order notes get cut off and they know about that problem. Well, do they ever plan to solve it? Perhaps they should just call everyone who orders through Foodler to make sure. Or just stop using Foodler. So they came with another pie about 45 minutes later... not too bad. But then they asked for the other pizza back -- they said that people have been taking advantage of this to get free pizzas. Taking advantage? This was their mistake and they already admitted to it! What can they even do with that pizza other than have their staff eat it? I'm not even sure that's legal. Worse, they asked for a tip on the second delivery. Nonsense. We told them to take that up with their manager. We're not about to tip twice a their mistake. No attention to the customer. As a result, I'm no longer a customer.

And finally, a tip to the chefs: Cut the stems out of your...

I normally don’t write reviews, but this experience was so unprofessional that I feel obligated to share.

I ordered a chicken parmesan sub and what came out was completely inedible – the chicken was burnt black, not just overcooked but charred to a crisp. I politely flagged the waitress, who sent it back to the kitchen. By the time the corrected dish came out, I had already been waiting about 40 minutes since placing my order.

The food itself was disappointing, but what truly shocked me was the service afterward. When the check came, I left a zero tip (understandably, given the circumstances). As I left, both the waitress and another server actually chased me outside to confront me about it. They asked why I tipped zero, and when I explained, they had the audacity to ask for my name. As I turned to walk away, one of them shouted at me to “never come back.”

I’ve dined at plenty of restaurants in Boston and I’ve never been treated so disrespectfully. Mistakes happen in kitchens, but the lack of accountability, the aggressive behavior, and the sheer unprofessionalism of the staff made this one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had.

I will absolutely take their advice and never return — and I’d strongly caution others to think twice before...