Our experience at Short & Main was abysmal. The manager was at the root of all the problems. It started when we got to the restaurant 15 minutes ahead of our reservation. He pushed us towards the bar and we ordered drinks. After our 7:45 reservation came and went, a dish of almonds appeared where we were standing with our cocktails. We never ordered these, as I am allergic to tree nuts. We just pushed them to the side and thought nothing of it. When we eventually sat at a table for dinner, we ordered drinks, oysters, and two pizzas. One pizza has cheese and the other pizza (the Rosso) is only sprinkled with Parmesan, and is commonly known in Italy as a pizza senza formaggio. After waiting over 40 minutes for our food after being sat late, only the cheese pizza arrived. We waited over 20 minutes and talked to our waiter and kitchen multiple times to see what was going on with the other pizza. Apparently the pizza chef kept burning the cheese free pizza, an item on their menu that he is apparently not able to make. Finally the pizza was made, and the manager delivered it to the table next to us. They asked why they were given a pizza without cheese, and we had to walk over to the table to grab it. Our waiter came over and asked if everything turned out, and we shared we were disappointed the manager gave the pizza to the wrong table. He told us he had nothing to do with that and was embarrassed. After we started eating, our waiter came back to tell us the pizza and the almonds were comped. We had never ordered the almonds, and shared that we were surprised we would have been charged for something we never ordered and shared my allergies. He said it was the best his manager allowed him to do. Not once did the manager come by to apologize for delivering the pizza to the wrong table or for messing up our order or for making our experience so poor. To be "comped" something we didn't order as an apology for our table wait was absurd. Terrible experience, mediocre food, incompetent manager. Would not recommend. read more

Short & Main - Receipt of "free almonds" - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

The NYT giving Short & Main "one of the best pizza places in America" does the NYT's a disservice. They make good pizza but I can think of at least 10 places in MA that do better pizza without charging the prices they do. Right off the bat, the prices alone make Short & Main a tough place to recommend. $14 for two meatballs and a slice of bread, $17 for a cocktail, $13 for a mocktail, and $23 for the base Ricardo pizza - plus another $6 for a tiny portion of sausage- felt steep. If pizza is meant to be the star of the restaurant, it should be unforgettable. Instead, it was just... fine. It's hard for me to hone in on the special qualities of any of the food because frankly there wasn't any. Perfectly serviceable, but nowhere near worth the markup. read more

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made a reservation for late dinner on a Saturday night when we arrive. The restaurant was half empty, but lots of tables filled up throughout the night. The dining area is dimly romantically lit. They have a nice bar area for a solo dining experience or for waiting before being seated. I love to have the menu highlighted local oyster Farms, and even listed the farmers for all of their offerings. We started our meal with an order of bread, salad, oysters, and meatballs, and chose the Ricardo pizza for our main course. Dinner concluded with the Basque cheesecake with lemon curd and an espresso. Definitively should have opted for the tiramisu. The oysters were fresh and briney, a highlight of our meal, being so close to the ocean. The rest of the meal was just OK. The Basque cheesecake was a bit bland and probably could not stand by itself, but the lemon curd and they Maldon salt flakes elevated the entire dish. We enjoyed ourselves for dinner and would definitely come again when we're in town next. read more

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Food was spectacular. Wines, apps, oysters pizza were all exceptional. Only thing is when they run their Thursday night, chicken special, they take the tuna tart in their seafood entrée off of the menu :( Otherwise, it's excellent read more

We had a terrific meal at Short and Main last week. We were a party of six, including two kids and got a 5 pm reservation. They were great about the kids: we ordered for them just as we sat down and they brought their food quickly. The wine list is great, the pintxos and crudo were unbelievably good. There was a fine basque wine to go with them. The 2 year old inhaled the meatball. The pizzas were delicious. It was our last night of vacation and well worth it. Thanks for the server for patience. read more

Short & Main - Pinxos - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

This entire place was great. Great cocktails, great oysters, great pizza, great atmosphere, and great service

Had to try the "best pizza in the country" by NYTs. Like all things highly rated, at first you wonder, what's the big deal. It subtle the crust is thin and delicious without wanting to win the day. I think great pizza is nearly all about the dough. The sauce was super simple which let the tomatoes come through. Same with the cheese - again subtle but delicious. So, if you want big flavors there are certainly tons of pizza shops in the area less expensive. If you want a bargain, this ain't it. But if you like to slow down and really taste your food. I think you'll be rewarded here. Service: friendly, attentive Ambiance: low lit, quiet the night I was there read more

A must-try in Gloucester! We made a reservation for a Friday night at 8pm and the restaurant was still very much bustling even during the later hours. The business I think definitely led to some slower service, but the staff (servers, hostess) were doing their absolute best to make sure everyone was happy. The inside is cozy with an exposed brick oven kitchen, red tile floors, and a chic bar. We ordered the house bread with olive oil - yum! The olive oil was drizzled over the bread and I think it could be a better dish if the oil was just served in a small bowl for dipping like how most places do it. Then we got the meatballs - wowowow. The red sauce is SO GOOD. Super tomatoey and fresh, a little sweet. Just so flavorful. The meatballs were regular sized, which was appreciated as some places do meatball apps that are like baseballs and way too filling. We enjoyed eating up all the sauce from the plate using our bread :) Then came the pizza. Fab! We had the Bert, a red pizza with that delicious tomato sauce, and the Funghi, a white pizza with a variety of exciting mushrooms on top. I think we preferred the Bert just because that red sauce is so amazing but both were really good. We took home leftovers and enjoyed them immensely the next day. Would definitely come back next time we are visiting Gloucester! read more

Short & Main - The funghi pizza (left) and the bert pizza (right) - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

We stopped in recently on a chilly night. The restaurant is cozy, and the staff welcoming. We split the Louis Primo pizza (tomato, house sausage, red onion, chili flake, mozzarella, basil), delicious! We had a couple of tasty Mexican beers, and finished with apple cake and maple whipped cream. A fabulous meal! The place was quite busy and everyone seemed to be loving their their meals. We will certainly be back! read more

Wick cute place. A little tight inside and they had live music which made it a tad loud, but the music was good and enjoyable. The service was decent. The food was very good. We had the meatballs to start which were excellent. Very hot when they arrived at the table, cooked through, and the red sauce was something of note. Both pizzas were great. We will definitely be coming back. read more

Short & Main - Jersey Girl - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

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The pizza was, of course, incredible. My sibling and I wanted to try this place after reading the NYT article about great pizza in the US. We got really lucky and were able to be seated about 5 minutes after walking in even without a reservation, which was super lucky. We watched a lot of bigger groups (4+) get turned away so I would recommend securing one before coming!! Our server was friendly and helpful, and she helped us pick out an appy and drinks. We got the marinated olives, the BOGO oysters, the Ricardo pizza, and Basque cheesecake. Amazing thin crust and tasty but not overpowering sauce, delicious toppings, genuinely the best oyster i've ever had, a dense, rich, decadent cheesecake, and simple yet delicious olives. Please secure yourself a reservation and try this place!!! read more

Short & Main - Basque Cheesecake - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

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There is a lot of great tuna available right now in Gloucester,, but hands-down Short & Main has the best preparation of seared tuna of any of the restaurants on Cape Ann. It is wonderful to know that this little restaurant has a chef who is putting out entrées that are as good or better than any of the other restaurants in town. The food is fresh and thoughtfully prepared. I know that we will be dining here regularly! . read more

I'm impressed. Great oysters and chicory Caesar salad. Pizzas were excellent - Neapolitan thin curst, but not the fluffy puffy crust from Italy. (Which is fine). Nice interior, great ingredients, great service. I'll come back. read more

The rigatoni ragu was precooked, then left in a bowl to reheat in the water quickly. It was over and mushy and misshapen. The ragu was tasty. None of that mattered, and I will now be (more) pretentious... It was a superlative pizza. Downright u-dough-pian. We had the funghi and the aglio. The funghi was the culmination of some poor perfectionist's trials to finally figure out it needed lemon zest. You were right. We added sausage to the the aglio, which complimented the best ricotta I've ever had. Both were delicious. We will back. read more

Short & Main - Funghi - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

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As I sat down to make this reservation after reading the NYT article mentioning this Gloucester establishment, I was beginning to have high expectations considering I'd have to make the hour drive just to try their pizza, but it was a risk I was willing to take. Pulling in to park near the restaurant, the first thing visible to us was one of the employees chopping wood in the back for their wood fired oven and a line around the corner before they opened. From there I had the inkling that this place was really legit. When they seated us our waiter was incredibly polite and helpful as he gave us his recommendations for pizzas to try. After viewing the menu it was time to order for our table of 3. To start, we ordered a dozen oysters (2 of each oyster offered) which came out cold, fresh, and incredibly delicious. The cocktail sauce accompanying the oysters was an excellent way to elevate the oysters as well. Now for pizza: we ordered the margherita, the ricardo, the funghi, and the louis primo. The pizzas themselves are pretty small so three to four is a good amount especially if your looking to try multiple pizzas. The margherita was very good but compared to the other pizzas the most basic. The freshness of the basil and the sauce elevated the margherita but at the end of the day it was the most simple. The louis primo was a step up with the cheese and sausage and a hint to heat with the peppers and onions and another must have. The ricardo similarly was delicious and the soppressata brought the whole pizza together. While all the pizzas thus far were incredible, the funghi pizza was the bell of the ball. The white pizza with mushrooms, cheese, onion, and a hint of lemon was the showstopper of all showstoppers. I appreciated that they didn't just cut up big mushrooms but instead used smaller mushrooms. The hint of lemon added acidity and zest that truly tied this pizza together. If there is one pizza that has to be ordered it is no doubt the funghi pizza. All in all I think the NYT absolutely nailed this review and frankly it's a shame Massachusetts doesn't have the Michelin Guide because believe me this place deserves more than its flowers, it deserves a star. When you have an italian like my father tell the waiter that this is the best pizza he's had in this country then you know its the real deal. I thought the oyster and pizza combo would be odd but it works so well that now I can't think of pizza without it. The locally sourced produce that they mention on the menu from the local farms adds an additional level of freshness that it hard to beat. I believe that this place might not only have the best pizza in the state but that it's WELL WORTH the drive from wherever you are. read more

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Tip: You get half off oysters during the oyster happy hour, which means you get them for $2 each between 5pm-6pm everyday. Not $1. I loved this place, nice little cozy set up on the Main St. It's expensive, no doubt. Their bar is impressive, nice collection. The Oysters were fresh. The menu is very European. I would have loved to try the bread or pizza here, but I didn't have enough time to wait. As this is downtown Gloucester, you will have to find the parking space. I don't think the restaurant has one. The restroom is on the second floor. The staff is polite and friendly. Would love to go back some day! read more

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Terrific place! Not just for pizza: their raw bar, entrees, and salads are also all great. Among the very best Gloucester restaurants. I'm a local and have eaten here many times. Love to sit at the oyster bar and watch the crew at work. The clam pizza just rotated back on the menu, and it is fantastic! The Louis Prima (spicy sausage) is another favorite, but they are all excellent, and things come and go, so it never gets boring. read more

Short & Main - Clam pizza ("New Haven") - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

We were very excited to try this place, since two of the owners met while cooking at one of our favorite restaurants in the country, Chez Panisse, Alice Waters' famous farm-to-table spot in Berkeley, CA, and came recommended by Eater 38. We came in for happy hour, and got an assortment of oysters, which were really good. Some of the entrees were a bit better than others, but overall, a really enjoyable meal, great service, and cool, hip setting. read more

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First time for my family. Great ambience. The food is excellent. We had pizza and the flavor from each distinct pizza was excellent. Very fresh ingredients. Very family friendly as well. Highly recommend. read more

My favorite restaurant in Gloucester! I'm always happy with the oysters, fish carpaccio (never had it this good!), roasted chicken and whatever version of beet salad they've created for the day. This is true farm to table and the menu and dish variations reflect that. Last week the herbed chicken was cooked perfectly and accompanied by, I think, a potato-parsnip mash topped generously with a chopped toasted almond or hazelnut riff on a "salsa di noci". Amazing. I will admit there are occasionally dishes that miss the mark including wood fired pizzas that are over-toasted but that doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for a place that puts out fresh and creative food day after day for a fair price. Lastly, the bartenders are excellent, enthusiastic and creative - so sitting at the bar can be fun. Try it! Then try it again! read more

Amazing, always need to come back here when I go home to MA. The fact that this restaurant is both a raw bar and Neapolitan style pizza is really just heaven. Why aren't all restaurants doing this? I always get a marg pizza with a billion oysters, whatever they recommend, and a bottle of whatever their lightest white is. The aesthetic of the restaurant is really cute and simple - a very trendy little place tucked away in downtown Gloucester. Love love love! read more

Short & Main - Oysters - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

I arrived in town after a cross country flight and after checking the reviews walked down the main street. Although known for pizza, these folks also have a few other things on the menu. As I walked by, this place looked inviting and the folks seated inside seemed to be all smiles. I was pleased to see that they were requiring vaccination for inside dining. Although they were moderately busy on a Friday evening, they welcomed me as a single diner. They had a nice selection of beer and wine and a number of interesting variations on standard cocktails. I really enjoyed the rye based riff on the classic Martinez. The menu has oysters and other raw seafood, appetizers with a Mediterranean emphasis, salads, a couple of pasta dishes, and of course pizza. As a fan of West coast oysters I always like to take advantage of the opportunity to have some of the east coast varieties. The two oysters I had were perfectly fresh, nicely presented, and quite delicious. Dining alone I didn't want to tackle a pizza on my own (though many of their combinations were VERY tempting) so I had the charcuterie appetizer as my main. Housemade chicken liver and country pates, mostarda, mustard, and hot crostini. The dish provided nice contrasts of smooth and chunky, crispy, tangy, and sharp. The olive oil cake made a not too sweet dessert course. Presented with a sizable dollop of whipped cream and a smear of lemon curd it would be perfect to share with a date. Well worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

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Beautiful restaurant with great atmosphere. Pizzas smelled great and looked even better. Dollar oysters (5-6 and 9-10pm daily) were fresh but very poorly shucked. My husband's drink was delicious. Citrusy and boozy, very tasty. My gin and soda was flat and weak. If we go back I'll get one of their signature drinks. Reservations recommended. read more

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Obviously a lot of buzz given the NYT feature. But the pizza was legit; front of house was a little rude, but waitstaff was friendly.

We went for oysters yesterday- had not been there in over a year The oysters were fair, the pizzas were not as good as before The dough was bland, middle of the pizza under cooked and crust almost burnt. The bill was over $200.00 We were very disappointed read more

This place rocks. Beautiful oysters with a great selection. Drinks spot on. Service attentive. Thin crust Italian-style pizza (not for splitting) which if you're into this kind of pizza - which you should be - they nail it. Cute rustic interior. Perfect PERFECT lighting. Owners at the door and in the kitchen and it shows. Top tier! read more

Short & Main - Pizza Ricardo - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

Gave this restaurant a second chance New Owners I was told. the pizza was still soggy in the middle, ask them to make it crispy. Did not occur. the appetizers were common not WOW. Service push drinks on the patrons,, The Ambiance needed a remodel, looked same dingy atmosphere as 2 years ago. Don't recommend this restaurant, Pizza is very overpriced, I will stick with Pepe's read more

Their chicken parmigiana is exquisite.Usually badly prepared elsewhere and best avoided.Crunchy and moist at the sa

Good food, friendly and knowledgeable staff, albeit portions on the small size. The ambience is s very pleasant too. The fried chicken night is well worth going to and the oysters stand out as well. read more

Absolutely the best pizza on Cape Ann. After returning from Italy we have been on a quest to find pizza cooked the real Italian way. This is it. Thin crispy delicious crust, real buffalo mozzarella cheese - great read more

I was on a business trip to Boston and got invited to join a couple of friends for super at Gloucester, MA. First stop was the Market Restaurant but my flight to Logan was late and I didn't get there until 6:15pm. This spot is so popular that I was not able to squeeze with my friends already there. Besides, they were already on their desert. I heard the seared tuna appetizer was really great. There was a lobster pasta dish that they also raved about. So we decided to do some oysters at the sister restaurant Short & Main to make my trip worthwhile. By the time we sit down, it was close to 8 pm. Apparently, there was dollar oyster at 9 pm. A plan emerged. We decided to get some appetizer and a pizza to stretch the hour and then go for the dollar oysters. We wanted to try the meatballs as they were supposed to be awesome. However, a wedding party upstairs took all of them! We ordered the salted, spiced almonds, some olives, beets salad and tomato salads. For the pizza, we went for the buffula mozzarella pie with extra sausage and an egg. The salads were okay, fresh as one would expect but nothing special. The pizza at $22 plus $5 for the sausage and $3 for the egg did not live up to expectation (my). The pie was soft, lacked the crispness that I would look for in a wood fired oven. It was burned on the top, a telltale sign that the pizza maker misjudged. There were barely noticeable sausages. So is a $30 personal sized pizza a good value? We then ordered 4 dozens of oysters. Those were really fresh but only one type - wellfleet. There was no horseradish, no tobasco. Nonetheless, everyone enjoyed the oysters. read more

Last summer we were raving fans and sent many to Short & Main. No longer. Last summer we overcame our distaste of having to pay full price of an entree for a plate of pasta with butter for our young child, and did so willingly. And the Campanelle was such a hit we returned again and again. The pizza was fine and the day boat cod out of this world. This year they summarily refused to serve pasta with butter for a child. Very distressing. Especially as we had promised to go out for her "favorite pasta" on our first night of vacation. The white pizza was low on flavor. Our pizza was ok. Tuna tartare was ok at best and smaller than at other Gloucester restaurants. The arugula salad was not much. Very unpleasant experience and not child friendly attitude at all. read more

Reservation at 5pm. Given menus and water, then ignored for twenty-five minutes while every other table and patron were served drinks and appetizers. We were very polite and one of the first groups to sit down, but others arriving after us were served immediately. It became extremely uncomfortable as if we did something wrong. We were prepared to spend well over $100, maybe closer to $ 200 with appetizers, drinks, and entrees. I'm not sure why we were treated this way. I will let my Gloucester area friends know about our experience, too. Shameful treatment of a polite group who didn't deserve to be ignored. ZERO stars. read more

Place is incredible and the staff are extremely patient and accommodating. They really go above and beyond with their service and the food is excellent. One of the top spots if you're in Gloucester. Great ambiance as well. read more

We have dined 1/2 dozen times at Short & Main, and have always found it exceptional. Last night was our first time doing so post the NYT article. Ironically, it was disappointing. The wine and the fish entree we wanted were both unavailable. The bottle they suggested instead wasn't chilled (Sav Blanc), and the bruschetta was 3 small stale pieces of bread with average toppings. things picked up significantly with excellent oysters and salads, but quickly deteriorated with the pasta and pizza. The pizza was average and the pasta was just plain bad. My Cavatelli with local zucchini and squash had two meager pieces of zucchini and no squash. (They took it off the bill) The pasta was very overcooked and the sauce was bland and gluey. The rigatoni was likewise over cooked, and the sausage was minimal. Brunch at the less hyped Oak & Ember was much better. read more

Great specialty pizzas. Very attentive service for our group of 8 people at two tables.

The pizza here is so good. You can eat an entire pizza yourself without batting an eye. The crust is thin but the edges are nice and thick and chewy. It has a nice charcoaly flavor from their brick oven. I love the ambience. Its nice and dark and simple inside- happy to not have to look at bad restaurant art TBH- as an artist- I notice badly done art and decor and it can ruin a place for me! The food is all organic and locally sourced. If you dont care about that stuff you might find it overpriced and pretentious. Our waitress was sweet and kind of quiet- dressed in her own outfit- no uniform- with an apron, plain makeup and hair. The aesthetic here is more Northern California or Brooklyn than Gloucester. I like how the servers are not overly solicitous or overly harried. Im so happy to have this place in my town. Please give them business because they really make great food and drinks but when you do, realize its a special experience and unlike what youd expect in a tourist town like Gloucester. Go here if you appreciate Nepolitan style pizza because it rivals any NYC establishment. read more

The best caesar salad -- ever. Such a treat! Meatballs were excellent. The to go drink we had was thoughtfully packaged for the current to-go covid craziness. We have looked inside in the past, and found it dark and bland relative to the decor, hence, never stopped. Then learned that the owners are they same owners as the prior Market, so we went with vigor! We are heading back next wkend for more! read more

Super hipster vibe. Pizza taste like burnt cardboard that's overly priced. They make an alright cocktail.

We were seeing a show in Rockport in January and many of those restaurants are closed for the season so we stumbled upon Short & Main. I am so glad we did! The service was great and the atmosphere was warm, romantic and cozy! It's dark inside so if that bothers you then... you are warned. But use your iPhone flashlight and you'll be just fine. The menu is small but everything we ordered was so fresh and delicious. My favorite was the classic margarita pizza. It's not very large so depending on your appetite you might want to order more than one (if you are sharing!). The cocktails were SO good. Overall, worth every penny because the quality was perfect. We parked on the street not sure if they have their own parking lot. I suggest making a reservation! read more

Short & Main - Margarita pizza - Pizza Near Me - Gloucester, Massachusetts

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