Originally opened across the street from this current location in 2004, owner Massimino Andretta purchased this current property in 2012 & opened this new spot in 2019, naming it Massimino’s Ristorante instead of Pizzeria. Their other Italian fare might be terrific; but unfortunately, their pizza is subpar, below average, thick, doughy & flavorless Connecticut football pizza. Super soft & somewhat undercooked, the dough possesses ever-so-mild crisp & firmness with a slightly sturdier undercarriage than I anticipated. In the absence of char, the dough has a boringly bland flavor, definitely in need of more time in the oven to improve the overall texture. Big, doughy & pillowy, the crust has just a smidge of crunch & the same dull taste as the body of the dough. As evidenced by the pic of the pie, the cheese is a molten lava mess, sliding & sloshing around the surface. Soaked in grease, the shredded mozzarella blend has an oozy & sloppy consistency, yielding a substantially salty flavor, emanating from the excessive oil. Perhaps an issue of cheaper quality mozz or not having enough time to settle, cool & congeal, the unappealing aesthetics of the pie may be a result of both. Hardly detectable & barely visible, the sauce is watery & extremely subdued, clearly overpowered by the heavy grease flow. With a very light smattering of tomato flavor, the sauce has no zing or zip, lacking sweetness & heartiness, leaving the flavor of the pie flat. I hate to destroy the product of people who obviously work very hard to make it, but this pizza is an overall abomination with equally substandard taste & texture to go along with less than stellar ingredients & poor execution. I truly hope their other Italian dishes are delicious; but as for their pizza, there’s a lot of room for improvement.
