Regina Pizzeria on Thacher Street has been turning out brick-oven pizzas in the North End since 1926, and it is the original location — not one of the dozen suburban offshoots that copied the name later. The dining room is small, cramped, and noisy; the brick oven at the back is the same one that has been running for nearly a century.
The pizzas are thin-crust, crisp at the edges, smoky from the wood. The classic margherita is the test; the white pizza with garlic and ricotta is a local favourite. Cash is appreciated; the wait can be an hour on weekend nights, with no reservations taken.
The other North End locations — Faneuil Hall, the Logan Airport branch — are convenient but not the same. For the original experience, walk to the Thacher Street one.