Serving since
1971
55 years in Cambridge
Armando's Pizza & Subs
- Go here for
- Thin-crust pizza · Sicilian pizza · Subs
- Why go
- A cash-only West Cambridge pizza and sub shop, run by Armando Paolo's family since he opened it in 1971.
- Local character
- Neighborhood regulars. A West Cambridge neighborhood shop. Boston's Hidden Restaurants describes locals from police officers to professors, many known by name.
- Good to know
- Cash only. No credit or debit cards.Outside the center: about 4 miles from downtown Boston.
Armando Paolo opened the Huron Avenue shop in 1971. He had earlier owned a pizza place near Central Square, which isn't counted here.
Why it matters
Armando Paolo came to the US from Italy at 14. After owning a pizza place near Central Square, he opened his own shop on Huron Avenue in 1971. According to the Globe, business grew from several pizzas a day at first to more than 200 a day by the early 2000s. In 2010 the Cambridge City Council named the intersection up the street Armando Paolo Square.
Paolo died in 2016, when the Globe named his daughter Rina Bonavita as owner. Cambridge Day reported in 2024 that his grandson Michael Bonavita runs it. The shop makes thin-crust and Sicilian pizza, plus subs, and takes cash only.
The story
Details
- Address
- 163 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Neighborhood
- West Cambridge, Cambridge
- Ownership
- Family-owned
- Status
- Open · verified Sep 2026
OldScore
A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.
| Age | 15 | / 35 |
|---|---|---|
| Continuity | 20 | / 20 |
| Local significance | 10 | / 20 |
| Local food culture | 5 | / 15 |
| Independence | — | / 10 |
| OldScore | Not yet scored |
"—" means unknown. We don't publish a total until every part is verified.
Local character: Neighborhood regulars. A West Cambridge neighborhood shop. Boston's Hidden Restaurants describes locals from police officers to professors, many known by name. This is separate from OldScore: a place can be popular with visitors and still belong here.
More like this
Sources
- Armando's Pizza & Subs (official site) Address, Current status
- Cambridge Office for Tourism, "Armando's Pizza" Founding year, Address, Ownership, What to order
- The Boston Globe, "Armando Paolo, 81; made pizzas, memories at Cambridge shop" (Sept 27, 2016) History, Ownership
- Cambridge Day, "Veggie omelette sub at Armando's" (Sept 5, 2024) Founding year, Ownership, What to order
- Boston's Hidden Restaurants, "Armando's Pizza" What to order