South Shore Bar Pizza has been a staple of southeastern Massachusetts for decades, but through the power of social media, it’s become all the rage these days. Yet as popular as the pizza has become, one Brockton restaurant found a way to kick it up to another level by combining pizza with hamburger, but not in the way you’d normally expect.

For the uninitiated, South Shore Bar Pizza does have some specific requirements to be able to boast that moniker, but I’ll put it simply: it has a thin, buttery crust that’s more like cracker than bread, and the cheese blend is predominantly cheddar. It’s a different taste than a regular pizza, and it’s not for everyone – but those that do like it often become fanatical about it.

My son Adam and I have been traveling around the region, attempting to visit all the spots that people claim have the best version of South Shore Bar Pizza. My personal favorite is the one I grew up on, Lynwood Café in Randolph (the bean special!) while Adam had Charlie’s Place in Wareham ranked No. 1. Again, we’ve only just begun this quest in earnest, but those are the leaders in the clubhouse so far.

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Yet in all 44 of my South Shore Bar Pizza-eating years, I had never visited the OG, the place where this type of pie was invented: Cape Cod Café in Brockton. I'd tried the frozen version sold in the supermarket, but I'd never made the trek to the place where it all started.

Adam and I stopped in on a recent Monday evening with the intention of ordering what we’d been ordering at places like Lynwood, Charlie’s, and another of the perennial favorites, Town Spa in Stoughton. That would be a pizza each – they’re 10-inch pies, perfect for one person – and an appetizer.

Tim Weisberg/Townsquare Media
Tim Weisberg/Townsquare Media
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I stuck with the plan and ordered a cheese pizza and a Greek salad, but something on the menu caught Adam’s attention right away: the Ando. It’s described on the menu as a burger “topped with American cheese in between two mini cheese pizzas.”

I’m not a religious man, but that sounds like something they’d serve up every day in heaven.

When it arrived, it looked every bit as good as it sounded. Adam shared a bit with me and I have to say, the pizza-burger combo is something that should be more of a thing, especially at places that serve South Shore Bar Pizza. We told you last week about the hamburger-hot dog combo at Mooyah in Tiverton, so who knows what interesting burger combos there are out there?

If you know of any, let us know by emailing me tim@wbsm.com or let us know in the App Chat on our app. Meanwhile, keep scrolling to check out some of the best of the best when it comes to SSBP, but grab a napkin in case you start drooling.

The Best of South Shore Bar Pizza

There's pizza, and then there's South Shore Bar Pizza. Birthed in Brockton (and to this writer, perfected in Randolph – Lynwood Café is the true G.O.A.T.), it must meet certain qualifications to be considered "SSBP," which include: it's a 10-inch pie; it has a thin, cracker-like crust with minimal "flop;" the cheese is a blend that features more cheddar than mozzarella; and bonus points if you take it home between two carboard-type plates wrapped in flat brown paper bag. They also usually come with "laced" or "burnt" edges (terminology depends on where you are ordering), which is when the sauce and cheese are extended all the way to the edge of the pan, creating a crispy, flavorful coating to the crust. We reached out to the hugely popular South Shore Bar Pizza Social Club Facebook group to ask the experts to share the best of the best (in no particular order).

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