Pinnochio’s Pizza, nestled in a cozy corner of Harvard Square, has been the lifeblood of Harvard students since 1966. Last week, Joe’s Pizza, an NYC transplant, opened up in a prime central location at 3 Brattle Street. Now, Harvard undergraduates everywhere ask the question, Noch’s or Joe’s? So we decided, as a lactose-intolerant first-year and a pizza-loving sophomore, to answer the question the best way we knew how—with a blind taste test. The result? Maybe Joe’s for the slices, but definitely Pinnochio’s for the aesthetic.
We asked some Harvard students for their take on the new dilemma. Tessa Campolattaro ’27, a newbie to the square who’d eaten at Pinocchio’s thrice and Joe’s exactly once, proclaimed her love for Joe’s, explaining that “Pinocchio’s has, like, a better atmosphere but the Joe’s food is significantly better.” Isabel Smail ’27 slightly disagreed with her friend, choosing Pinocchio’s as the better option. In her words, “I think it has a great culture. And the food is just the side hustle. You go for the vibes.”
Ryan Oliver Green ’27, despite being a first-year from Canada, also had a lot to say about the “new kid on the block,” declaring that Joe’s “will never be Pinocchio’s, really. Honestly, Pinocchio’s is just so well established here in the square… You got the boys in the back, you know, they feel like family… they feel like home, you know. And Joe’s will just never have that.”
Despite many student’s claims about Joe’s lack of history, however, the original NYC location is a cultural icon, founded in 1975 and appearing in Grand Theft Auto and two Sam Raimi movies. Furthermore, it turns out that the name “Joe’s Pizza” is not new to the square as many may think. Indeed, Pinnochio’s and an establishment by the name of “Joe’s Pizza” were once rivals according to an article published by the Harvard Crimson in 1974. Even then, Joe’s, with one location on Linden Street and another on Plympton, was, according to the Crimson, the pizza of choice for thin-slice lovers. Noch’s, however, has always been for those who prefer thicker, doughier bites or even subs or salads.
It’s unclear why the original Cambridge Joe’s Pizza shut down, although this new Joe’s Pizza is unlikely to be related. What is clear is that Joe’s Pizza NYC, owned and operated by the Pozzuoli family, is no stranger to trademark infringement or pizza shops claiming the same name. According to New York City District Court records, Famous Joe’s Pizza, Inc. filed injunctions in 2015 and 2017 against Little Joe Pizza, Inc. and Famous Joe’s Pizza of the Village, Inc., respectively, forcing them to change their names and logos. When asked to shed light on their cultural history and the new store opening, Joe Pozzuoli Jr., owner of Joe’s Pizza NYC, declined to comment, explaining that they are “still ironing out a few kinks” and that “there’s nothing [he] can really address at the moment.”
On the other hand, the significant impact of Pinnochio’s on campus culture is undeniable. It is a meeting place for friends and family and the go-to spot for satisfying students’ 1am cravings. Through the years it has earned the affectionate nickname of “Noch’s.” Tourists and visiting summer school students alike walk along JFK or Winthrop to experience the thick-crust square pizza mentioned in the popular television show Suits. Their excitement peaks at the sight of the shop’s walls—plastered with images of Noch’s staff and celebrities such as Harvard alumnus Mark Zuckerberg. Funnily enough, Joe’s has a photo of Jesse Eisenberg, who portrayed Zuckerberg in The Social Network, on its wall.
A large part of Pinnochio’s appeal is its late hours. Any hungry Harvard student can get their cheesy fix from 11am to 2am (except on Sundays). Joe’s, like a true competitor, boasts earlier morning hours and even later night owl hours with a bold 10am to 3am on weekends.
While Pinocchio’s prides itself on its Sicilian thick-crust pizza, Joe’s advertises sleek New York-style slices. Luckily for us, Pinocchio’s also makes thin-crust pies and Joe’s dabbles in Sicilian. In order to remain as impartial as possible, we did a blind taste test of cheese pizza, rating both types (thick and thin crust) from their respective restaurants in three different categories; Texture (cheese and crust), Flavor (sauce and oily-ness), and X-Factor (how well it satisfied our calcium-deprived urges). And, because we know that pizza is best devoured after a night out on the town, we did this test at midnight after an evening of festivities.
Pinnochio’s Sicilian:
Mia: 7/10. Doughy texture and a yeastier flavor. A quote from the moment: “It tastes like the type of pizza that will leave me bloated.”
Adedoyin: 8/10. Texture is a bit moist, but the amount/stringiness of the cheese is appropriate. Definitely the type of pizza that will leave you full.
Joe’s Sicilian:
Mia: 6.5/10. Crunchy texture, but an unfortunate flavor. Extremely mediocre X-factor.
Adedoyin: 9.7/10. There was an audible crunch which made the texture extra satisfying. The cheese has a better, more natural taste than its competitor’s. I could finish this and feel full, but not miserably weighed down by grease.
Pinnochio’s Thin:
Mia: 9/10. Excellent flavor and a great chewy texture—the type of pizza that’s crave-worthy.
Adedoyin: 8.3/10. The flavor was excellent. Unfortunately, the crust’s texture was more doughy than crisp. Not too greasy.
Joe’s Thin:
Mia: 9.5/10. It’s a lovely pizza, if slightly on the crunchy side. The fresh tomato adds to the luxurious mouth feel.
Adedoyin: 9/10. This one lacks the crisp crust that I loved in the first pizza I tried. The flavor of the cheese does not stand out compared to other pizzas that we’ve tried so far. However, the sauce has a noticeably more refined taste.
Our final decisions after removing the blindfolds:
Mia: Thin crust is the best crust. Joe’s beat Pinnochio’s in the blind by a half-point, but I ended up finishing off Pinnochio’s slice, not Joe’s. Perhaps that speaks for itself.
Adedoyin: Not much has changed since the stereotypes of Joe’s and Nochs’ rivalries in the seventies. If you prefer thin crust, Joe’s is king. For thick crust, stick with Noch’s. Either place is perfect in terms of having the right ambiance for a friendly gathering. When deciding between the two you may want to consider what comes after dinner. A night out at Noch’s may lead to getting gelato for dessert at Amorino’s next door. After Joe’s, you may take a short walk to J.P. Licks on Mass Ave. or Ben and Jerry’s on JFK.
Taking culture, taste, and overall restaurant aesthetic into account, these authors are proud to declare Pinocchio’s the winner, at least for the time being. Joe’s may be poised to become a new cultural hub, but for now, Noch’s stays victorious as the go-to late-night pizza joint.
Mia Tavares ’27 (miatavares@college.harvard.edu) sacrificed her body (and her bathroom) for the Independent. Adedoyin Adebayo ’26 (aadebayo@college.harvard.edu) prefers pepperoni to any other flavor.