Spruce Head Pizza

I won’t retreat on the quality of the pizza-it’s still the best in Maine. It’s what Jersey pies ought to be. You need to be warned, however, that since they’ve merged with an Italian restaurant from Rockland things have gotten pretty chaotic at dinner-​time.
They are trying to be too many things to too many people. They can’t seem to walk and chew gum at the same time. Don’t try order a pizza at 6 PM which is just about the time you’d want to have one because at that time they’ve switched to a sit-​down restaurant and will turn you away if you want a pizza.
The place just isn’t big enough and the staff not large enough to do both sit-​down and carry-​out. I’ve not had table service there. It may be good, but I don’t think they should sacrifice their incomparable pizza for sit-​down service.
They can be brusque and even arbitarary on the phone and do wierd things like limit the number of pizzas you can order. I’m not talking about order of a dozen but as few as three.
I continue to wish them good luck. Together with McLoons Lobster shack, they’ve made little Spruce Head a culinary detination. I just hope they can get a little bit unwound.

We have eaten at the other Conte’s locations and were fans. We arrived at 6:45 last night, over an hour before the 8:00 closing, and were unapologetically and perfunctorily dismissed by the server who told us that they were out of fish. John Conte was cooking feverishly and mumbling to himself, obviously about cooking for our foursome as we were the only people waiting, «I can’t. I can’t.» Apparently, «out of fish» was a euphamism for, «John Conte does not feel like cooking any more tonight.» Conte’s cooking has been wonderful in the past and most likely still is; however, no food justifies subjecting one’s self to being mistreated, think Soup Nazi. Conte’s persona of being «a character» and his «people either get it or they don’t» mantra [I think i got it in the past] do not excuse rudeness.
PS: No pizza from late August to Memorial Day.

Wife and I went to check out John Conte 1894. His food his awesome. I actually would’ve liked to try the pizza here too, but I just didn’t have enough room left in my belly! Only thing they really should consider if they keep Conte in here is to get the full sink they need for cleaning dishes and take care of the few flies I saw wandering about the place. The flies are actually the only reason I dropped a star off here — they really BUG me. haha

Ok so this place opens late closes early so i guess the catch is limited mind you this is in a Lobster Man town. I showed up at 4 no pizza for 30 minutes okay i said all the drive for squat i don’t think so. In the meantime salad and two pastas shrimp n scallops garlic oil. Zuppa de pesce lobster calamari clams shrimp n marinara bread sticks. White pizza came last but the Grande cheese made the difference on this ny/​nj style pie. And on top of the delay a half order of zuppa with a half lobster well who does that??? The sauces and the crust on this pie were great. Well boys and girls my seafood pilgrimage to new England ended here. I am fascinated by the amount and quality of crustaceans on hand here in Maine.

Wow! Best pizza ever! I grew up eating NY style and this is it, who knew?! Will definitely go back! Very homey & simple with huge portions, paper plates, and cozy seating. A general store converted into a mini NY pizza shop… YUMMY!

Wife son and I had their pizza tonight. We did a build your own pizza. The pizza was very good NY style. The staff was super friendly as well. They gave our son complimentary pasta and the family garlic bread. There were several other couples/​families there with a fair amount of locals. I don’t think their name is out there as much with the tourists (us).
Glad we took a chance on this place. We prefer the off the beaten path spots. Some people mentioned they have been closed when they arrived and that the pizza can take 45 minutes. Our pizza was only 20 but they had an order 6 pizzas go in and I heard them quote that it could be 45 minutes. Honesty is the best policy with that stuff and call ahead if you are in a rush.
Would recommend for good pizza. Didn’t try any of the seafood.

Best pizza outside of NY/​NJ. Now combined with Conte’s Seafood from Rockland, which makes the place only better. The best of surf and turf. They were also primarily take out but this year with expanded menu and waitstaff they have already kicked off the year with a much more lively atmosphere and an eat-​in wine menu.
Some of the reviews have mentioned long waits, which will be better now that there is a larger staff, but since it can be a bit of a drive depending on where you’re coming from, I would still recommend calling ahead for big takeout orders. Everything is made from scratch and to order, meaning the quality is really unparalleled for the area, but a pizza can take a half hour or more. It’s worth the wait, but if you’ve got starving little ones, it’s always best to check!

My husband and I just drove WAY out of the way only to find this place closed. No pizza for us :(

I heard great things about this place. Drove 30 minutes only to be told
«we ran out of pizza sauce we are closing early»… Huh?
We ask well can we still order a white sauce lobster pizza? Clerk say let me ask the owner… Who I might ad is standing 3 feet away within ear shot of our conversation. She asks and he says «ugggggh it will be a while like 45 minutes» (yeah he actually sighed) It was 6:30 pm on a Weds and I wanted to order a $ 26 pizza because he ran out of basic red sauce… for pizza. in a pizza place! I decided then that I was putting to much of a imposition on this business and would get my Pizza fix at another place in Thomaston. The pizza might be as good as the other reviewers claim, I don’t know… I do know that the owners attitude was pretty bad and this business didn’t deserve my patronage.

The owner is funkalicious !

We recently spent a week in Spruce Head and were craving pizza one rainy night. Apparently, everyone else in town had the same good idea; the pizza maker was slammed and told us there’d be a 45 minute wait on any order. He wasn’t very friendly and came across a bit cranky, but I attribute that to him being super busy. I must say it really hit the spot and was well worth the wait. The pizza was delicious! Very tasty authentic NJ/​NY-​style pizza.

we summer in Spruce Head, winter in Ct. The land of famous Pepe pizza.
this is wonderful, best outside of Ct.
it is something I look forward to when we get up here.

Full disclosure: I know the owner/​pizzaiolo. Still, this is VERY good pizza, the likes of which you do not find in these parts. Just look at the oven they are baked in. A brick-​lined number that I’ll bet is the only one of its type in the state. Bill (the owner) is serious about pizza, and his place deserves a try by anybody who appreciates a good slice. Va bene!!!

What an oasis in the land of lobster – in a small village mainly inhabited by lobstermen: a top class – by any criteria – New Jersey-​style pizza parlor. Any area should be happy to host such an outpost.
The main attraction: thin crunchy crust, showing the character and complexity that allowing the dough to condition itself and let the yeast sleep in the cold. The best pizza cheese brand around (Grande from Wisconsin) with a sauce made from canned Italian (Marzano) tomatoes. (Though the sauce had a bit too much sugar to my taste; the «best» NY/​NJ pies’sauce have no sugar! some of those even put the cheese on the bottom and put crushed tomatoes on top.). Excellent toppings, too
All in all a shockingly good pizza for the lobster coast. A fun experience. I’ll look forward to going back next time I’m in Maine. And they say they even deliver to nearby towns.
An Italian «hero» we had was also top flight.
Great bang for the buck pulls it all together. This late-​in-​life pizzaiolo has been studying his Jersey pizza roots well says this native of the land of Springsteen. Keep it up; prove it all night!

Awesome pizza — best outside of NYC. I had the pepperoni — next time it’ll be the amazing looking meatball, onion and cheese. If you visit, make sure to talk with the owner, Bill. You’ll enjoy stimulating conversation over a great slice.

Amazing pizza in an unlikely spot about 15 minutes south of Rockland. I lived on little Spruce Head Island for the summer, where there is nothing but summer homes and a few lobster wharfs. .. and the best pizza outside NY/​Phila/​NJ. It’s definitely better than any pizza I’ve been able to find when living in big cities like LA, Houston or NOLA. Friendly owners and wifi too — so save a lobster, eat a pizza!

Great pizza. Had the Hoboken… best pizza outside of Little Italy