Rina's Pizzeria & Cafe

Rina's Pizzeria & Cafe Restaurant Review:

Not your average to-go shop, Rina's Pizzeria & Cafe offers a true taste of authentic Italian home-cooked meals. After all, executive chef Gus La Rocca arrives here in the early morning hours and starts cooking the daily dishes. Everything is prepared fresh and made to order. An enormous pizza oven takes center stage, churning out addictive Italian pies like the simply prepared margherita made with spicy pomodoro sauce, fresh basil and mozzarella, and the Genovese (garlic, pesto and prosciutto). Meatballs are made with whipped ricotta and feature the adjacent restaurant's (Strega) famous red sauce. Order up a warm chicken Parmigiana panino built with fresh mozzarella; an Italiano stuffed with mortadella, salami, cappicola and provolone; or a vegetarian calzone filled with grilled vegetables. Grab a seat at one of the few tables that line the wall of this cozy little North End spot. Before you leave, be sure to check out the day's desserts. We are hooked on chef La Rocca's sweet ricotta cake.