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Yum, yum, YUM.
I came here with my BFF and as a vegan, ordered a veggie pizza no cheese. Who needs cheese?? There were plenty of delicious veggies, and plenty of $3 Bass on draft. My new favorite.
Holy sweet jesus, The View strikes again!
Last week I my brother was home, so Riverview was mandatory. Got take out, took it back to our parents house, and I devastated that pie. It never saw me coming. I got the kielbasa and meatball, extra sauce. One thing I had noticed before, the meatballs were a little smaller than they used to be. Not this time, they were large and plentiful. The pizza was loaded with that tasty sauce.
I could go for one or three right now. For reals. If you're reading this and haven't been there yet, what the eff is stopping you?
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Master-pizzas is right.
Not entirely sure how this got the one star rating from some poor, confused…
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THE BEST PIZZA ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. I may have just dug my own grave since sometimes I wait for an hour for one of their delicous, I can eat one alone, pizza. Small bar style pizza. I may have to wait longer after more discover this place. Cheap eats, with no frills.
I grew up in Ipswich and Riverview is the first place I hit when I get home. As any local knows, the place is always packed, so consider take out and call ahead. The pie is delicious, but even better for breakfast the next day.. so get 2.
Finally went there on a Friday night around 6-ish and the first thing you notice is the smell of baking pizza dough wafting down the street. The second thing you notice is that the place looks like a VFW Moose Lodge or someone's house. Might be a little easy to miss for some.
It was mobbed with both to-go people waiting around and those waiting for tables. So we had a couple beers while waiting at the tiny bar which was standing room only. Nice beer selection by the way - I had a Sierra while expecting only Bud, Miller, etc...
So the place has its charm. It felt a little like being at Uncle Earl's lake house up in Maine...the type of place you can't figure out which post -WWII decade you're in, but that's cool. A lot of wood paneling and a jukebox - not sure if it works.
So we finally get seated and have some pies ordered up. One pepperoni and one plain done up old-way. We finally get them served after a longer-than-you'd-like wait and unfortunately, they were served far from piping-hot. But we were starved so we dug in and they were indeed tasty, not too greasy, and the thin crust was awesome in the way that simple homemade goodness can only provide. The old way pizza was fun and I like the way the tomato sauce (on top of the cheese) took on a little carmelization which added a nice flavor.
If you are hungry then maybe 2 pizzas per person works best as they are on the small side (we're talking both diameter and thickness). You can also change up your orders with some 50/50 topping selections. They put a lot of effort into pricing out their menu with split-topping choices as it nearly takes over their menu. I guess split-toppings are serious business for them Ipswichers! :)
Next time I will check it out on a weeknight and forgo the endless Little League banquet that seems to be going on during the weekends. But it is definitely a place you want to visit...and go with an empty stomach and a craving for beer. Out of all the beer and pizza places I've been this is the best. Their pizza is made for a beer pairing like no other...and I think it is all because of that damn good crust.
Your expectations don't what hit 'em. It's an old school feel that you can't make up with Pizza you've never quite had before.
"Pizza and a beer" was likely born here for many North Shore residents. I've been going since I could chew solids.
The waitresses are all retired school teachers but the wait never retires. Get there expecting a few minutes before you sit. Or order by phone for pick up.
In one word: classic.
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Been going here just about all of my life. Parents went on high school dates here. It's a north shore classic.
It is simple thin sliced pizza that won't put a hole in your pocket.
North Shore classic is right. This used to be a big outing for us up until I was in high school. Admittedly I haven't been there in ages but I have great memories. The place was always packed, a little old school, nice, thin crust pizza. My brother sent me a message recently rubbing in the fact that he had 4 riverview pizzas that week. Lucky!
I've been eating pizza here since I was eight years old. This place is a local institution, and great in so many ways. First, all they serve is pizza- no salads, subs, etc., so be ready to eat pizza, period.
The parking lot is tiny, and the place is often crowded, but thankfully, street parking is allowed.
The decor reminds me of my parents' basement the way we decorated it when we were ten years old- pine paneled walls with a few Budweiser mirrors and such that were probably acquired with skee-ball tickets at a fair. It's a loud, family-friendly, working-class kind of place. Most of the pizza slingers are grizzled but nice older ladies.
Onto the pizza. Riverview is one of only two places I have ever gotten New England style pizza (the other being my elementary school). The difference: cheddar is substituted for the mozzarella. It works- nothing has quite the flavor of browned cheddar, and it makes their pizza stand out from other places. The sauce is tangy, and the crust is thin and crispy and slightly oily on the outside, as it should be. It's pretty rare to find a pizza place in which none of the elements (crust, sauce, and cheese) disappoints, which must be why I sometimes find myself driving 30 minutes out of my way for a pie, with other options (like The Upper Crust) within walking distance.
Generally, the wait for pizza is long, with a truly bittersweet ending. The famished eater is finally presented with a delicious, aromatic pizza, usually served at a tepid 400 degrees F. When it finally comes, try to resist the temptation to dig right into it or risk third degree burns to your mouth. Do sadistic mothers like to teach their children the virtues of patience by coming here?
Pizzas are small (1 per person is about right for a modest eater). I've enjoyed the meatball and salami, but plain old cheese is the best. I love spicy food, so I know that sounds boring and lame, but it really is good- try it.
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Fantastic pizza. Great combination of thin, crispy crust, good sauce (not too sweet like some), and a flavorful mix of cheeses. Friendly service when we picked up our food, and although we had to walk a couple of blocks, it was no trouble to park on the street temporarily. Not sure I'd eat there, because I'm not into crowds, but I'd definitely take out from here again. The only thing to keep in mind is that this place does not open until 4pm, so plan accordingly.
Simple good pizza. Limited toping choices and limited drink selection. Don't let the deter you. This place is a gem. Excellent pizza and service with a smile. Plan ahead, Riverview is a popular hotspot for good pie.
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yummy cheap pizzas. cheap beers or coolers. a jukebox.
what can be better than that?
i love how it hasn't been updated since like 1980 and how if you go at 5:00 dinner, its full of old people and babies.
it's pretty much in a random area with nothing else cool around it in a residentail part of ipswich, but i think the out-of-the-way-ness of adds to the riverview experience.
I'm surprised to be the first to write a review for this place! I ate here for the first time last night and I will definitely be back. Their pizza is killer. Each pie is $5-7 depending on the toppings you choose. You have your choice of bar or booth. The waitresses are friendly, and the cocktails come fast. This is exactly what I look for in a pizza place--good food, good drinks, cheap prices. They open at 4 most days, so it's definitely a dinner joint.
The pizza is somewhat small. The crust is chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside. The sauce is really tasty--a basic marinara with a liberal amount of herbs spread on top. I got the mushroom pizza, and they were generous with the toppings. Yum! Just make sure you bring cash--no credit or debit cards accepted.
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If this place were a person, it would be an S&M master. I swear. You walk in and you can smell the pizza everywhere around you. Makes sense, aside from soda and alcohol, pizza is the only thing they serve here. If you're lucky you're seated right away, and that's when the torture, the teasing, the taunting, all begins. You wait patiently to place your order. The poor harried waitress swings by hurriedly and briskly takes your order. Your drinks will come rather swiftly but your pizzas... oh those beloved pizzas, they shall take a while. It wouldn't be so difficult to wait if it wasn't for that glorious smell that seems to surround you. You start to eye your fellow patrons with envy as tables around you receive their pizzas. At some point you consider snatching a pie from the table next to you but you somehow manage to contain yourself. You go up and put some money int he jukebox to try to pass the time and then it happens. You see the waitress coming out of the kitchen with your pizzas and you practically skip gleefully back to your table. But once again they tease you because the pizza is piping hot from their ovens and you have to wait once again. Or do you? Because at this point the smell and the proximity of your pie are driving you mad with desire. The hell with it, you're gonna bite right in and to hell with third degree burns. After all, what's pleasure without a little pain, right? At least that's the way it goes in this joint. Go here, you won't be able to resist.
P.S. Not open on Mondays! All other days they open at 4pm
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I've been to this place. Twice. And while I love the casual, small-town atmosphere, the pizza really needs some improvement. Really. While I don't mind the sauce nor the amount of the cheese, the crust feels like cardboard; the texture is just reprehensible. I'd be willing to give it another shot, especially since I enjoy the casual decor so much. But as of those last two visits, no dice. I do hope to be writing a better review in the future!
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I have been coming here since I was an infant, in fact, my mom has been coming here since high school, that was 47 years ago. I judge all other pizza places on the planet by the Riverview standard. There is simply nothing better in the pizza genre than a combination special, extra heavy on all ingredients, with salami as a base, but be careful because that salami is hidden under everything else & with their super thin crust, it gets hotter than your dashboard,sitting in traffic on 128, in mid July....I burn my mouth every single time, but still seem to forget this with the arrivial of a fresh pie....
AWESOME Pizza. We eat here regularly, but it's not always consistent. Sometimes it'll be under or overcooked, and sometimes you'll get more cheese or sauce than other times. It is never bad though, just not always the same. There is almost always an awful wait, and if you call ahead you can pretty much add 15 minutes to however long they say it will take. The pizza is very good though, and their sauce is out of this world. The prices are VERY reasonable, almost too reasonable, $5 for a pizza that is almost too much for one person, but definitely not enough for two people.
Ipswich, MA
Category: Pubs
The places I visit when I'm up visiting my…
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