Many months ago, a friend mentioned that Matthew’s Pizzeria has the best pizza in Baltimore. I was recently in the city for a race. It turned out to be around the corner from Matthew’s. This provided the perfect opportunity to check it out.

Opening in 1943, Matthews Pizzeria is the oldest pizzeria in Baltimore. Founded by immigrant Matthew Cacciolo, the pizza parlor has become a Baltimore institution. I don’t know how long Cacciolo owned the place, but I get the impression it was decades. Current owner Damion DeSantis bought the place in 2021. And his parents operated the restaurant during the 80s and 90s! In between, Chris Maler owned it for 25 years. Chris is responsible for one of the most popular items on the menu, the Crab Pie. Other than that, little has changed over the years. The succession of owners seem to not want to change what makes the place special.

The Menu

With 6 Original Pizzas and 17 Specialty Pizzas, there is a wide choice of pizzas. Original Pizzas are largely sauce and/or cheese pies with different combinations of cheeses ( mozzarella and/or reggianito). Some notable Specialty Pizzas are: Buffalo Chicken, Popeye & Olive Oil (no sauce spinach and cheese), and The Greektown (spinach, feta, and black olives). You can also make your own at $2 or $3 per topping.

In addition to pizza, Matthews has a variety of Appetizers, Salads, Subs, and Pasta. Appetizers include Caprese Toast, Bruschetta, and Meatballs. Salads include, Garden, Antipasto, Greek, and Caesars. I’m told the salads are quite large and are big enough for a meal. Subs include Meatball, Italian Cold Cut, and Chicken Breast Parmesan. Pasta is Spaghetti with sauce and (optionally) a choice of meat.

Our Meal

I asked our waitress what their most popular pizzas were. She indicated that the 3 Cheese Pie and the Crab Pie are two of the most popular. I decided to go with the Crab Pie, since it is practically their signature dish. My companion went with the Margherita (sic), which is his go to pizza.

All their pizzas are pan pizzas. The crust in these is very different from a brick oven pizza. It is denser and has more oil, without being greasy. This is different from what I am used to, but I liked the crispness of the crust. The Crab Pie tasted like a crab cake, just in the shape of a pizza. It is served with Old Bay Seasoning, the traditional seasoning of Maryland crabs. While the pizza is fine without it, the Old Bay spiced it up and made for a tastier pie.

The Margherita is a classic pizza: fresh basil, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. All the ingredients were very fresh, making for a great pie. Of the two, the Margherita was my favorite, because it is more like a traditional pizza.

Dessert

Matthew’s has a small dessert menu consisting of Cannoli, Cheescake, and Limoncello Cake. The Cannoli is from Vaccaro’s (another Baltimore institution, it is an Italian dessert place in Little Italy), and the cheesecake is from New Jersey. The waitress did not know who made the Limoncello, but indicated that it was her favorite. So that is what I ordered.

It was every bit as good as she said it was. The cake was moist with a spongy texture, while the frosting was smooth and creamy. It had a distinct lemon flavor but without being overbearing or bitter. A great cake!

Atmosphere

Matthew’s Pizza is situated in a town house on Eastern Avenue, not too far from Patterson Park. It has a downstairs bar, but we ate in the upstairs eating area. Longer than it is wide, it is not a big space but there are about a dozen tables. The ambience is quite casual. There were other people eating in, but most the business was from a steady stream of customers picking up orders. We were there at 8:30 PM, so it might be more crowded at dinner time.

We were immediately seated and promptly given menus. The waitress returned not long after to take our orders. After asking her for recommendations, I needed more time to decide. It took a bit for her to return, as she was busy with other customers. Because of the cooking style, pizzas take 25 minutes to cook. There are signs on the door warning people of this, so it was not a surprise. Throughout the evening, our waitress regularly checked in with us to see if we needed anything.

A nice family restaurant with friendly service and good food, I can see why Matthew’s Pizzeria has lasted 80 years.