Love bar pizza? Here's a truly great hidden gem

These days, it seems, everyone is talking about South Shore-style bar pizza, that unique type of pizza found in countless drinking spots south of Boston.

The heart of bar pizza country tends to be in a little strip of communities not too far south of the city (like Easton, Stoughton, Brockton, Randolph, Whitman, Hanson, Abington and Weymouth), and most famous places for bar pizza are ones found there, with Randolph’s Lynwood Cafe and Brockton’s Cape Cod Cafe two of the obvious names.

But there are some excellent spots for bar pie lie further south, all the way down to the South Coast and Cape Cod., which makes some wonder about lesser-known spots that meet — or possibly even surpass — the greatness of these places.

What makes finding the best of the best so tough is that everyone seems to have an opinion when it comes to bar pie, so researching websites and social media (including the venerable South Shore Bar Pizza Social Club Facebook page, which has more than 65,000 members as of this writing) is highly recommended.

By the way, some of the “rules” for good bar pizza from its fanatics can be rather curious. Some say that the pizza should be placed in bags rather than boxes, and that some of the best versions don’t actually come from restaurants at all, but rather from social clubs, veterans’ halls (Hoey’s at the AMVETs in Randolph is a great example of this), and in one case, even a private home: J’s Flying Pizza, which is made in someone’s garage in a residential neighborhood in Bridgewater.

When it comes to lesser-known restaurants and watering holes that offer outstanding bar pizza, a few names come to mind: O’Toole’s in Whitman, the Next Page Cafe in Weymouth, Poopsie’s in Pembroke and a nearly completely unknown place tucked away in a working-class Taunton neighborhood called Smitty’s Pub & Pizza.

Smitty’s is one of those spots you may hear about from hardcore bar pizza aficionados, but very few others. It checks off all the boxes for a classic bar pizza joint, as it’s in a residential area off the beaten path, it looks rough around the edges from the outside (though looks can be deceiving — it’s a pretty mellow place) and the interior has everything you want in an old-school spot: wood-paneled walls, a dark interior due to a lack of windows, sports on TV, Keno, a few high-tops and some bar seating, food served on red and white checkered paper and, well, you get the picture.

Indeed, this is a place that would probably be equally comfortable in the far northern reaches of New Hampshire or in the vast wilderness of the Adirondack region of New York, a classic roadhouse that is only 30 miles from Boston but which feels a world away.

For those who are unfamiliar with bar pizza, it’s quite a bit different from most other pizza styles, maybe being closest to Greek pizza. Both are cooked in pans, tend to have rich and zesty sauce, make use of cheddar cheese and have a stiff crust with a bit of a crunch, though that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

Bar pizzas, for instance, are small — so small that it’s easy to eat one on your own, and maybe even more than one if you’re hungry enough. Also, some versions (like that of the Lynwood) have a particularly dense and heavy crust that’s almost like shortbread, and one of the signature features of the crust of good bar pies is its laced or burnt edges, which comes from tomato sauce and cheese at the very edge of the crust being caramelized, giving an added boost in flavor.

Some may say that such a pizza looks “overcooked,” but those who order it this way (and those places that do it this way automatically) know otherwise.

Not all dining and drinking spots that serve bar pizza make their pies in that traditional way, but Smitty’s pretty much aces it in nearly every way, combining the creamy and bright flavors of the cheddar cheese with the zestiness of the sauce and the biscuit-like consistency of the crust in a pie that rivals just about anything out there; the laced edges here are as good as they come.

PHOTOS: Bar Pizza at Smitty's Pub in Taunton

And this being Taunton, which is in a section of the state that is heavily Portuguese, the toppings go beyond your typical mushroom, pepperoni, black olives and hamburg, and include chopped chourico and ground linguica, the latter of which is nothing short of spectacular, adding a smoky, spicy, garlicky taste to the pizza.

By the way, for those who would rather opt for something other than bar pizza, Smitty’s also offers such options as housemade potato chips, wings, tenders, burgers and calzones, while drinks tend to lean toward mass-market beers, mixed drinks and spirits.

Eastern Massachusetts has a number of local foods that may be a bit tougher to find outside of the region, including roast beef sandwiches ordered three-way (mayo, cheese, sauce), steak tips and, of course, bar pizza. Lovers of these foods are constantly on the lookout for hidden gems — and when it comes to bar pizza, Smitty’s Pub is among the most hidden and the best, making it a place well worth seeking out.

Smitty's Pub & Pizza, 445 Bay St, Taunton, MA, 02780. instagram.com/smittyspubandpizza