Oath Pizza has opened in Linden Square in the prominent corner space formerly occupied by Roosters, which moved to a storefront facing Roche Bros. Two years in the planning and execution, Oath owner and Wellesley resident Bill Ebben is excited about the reception the fast-casual restaurant has enjoyed. The place has been slammed with customers eager to try out Oath’s artisanal-style pizzas. Although it’s been a challenge at times to keep up with the orders, Ebben says his team has picked up the pace of the assembly-line system and is getting pizzas to customers more quickly by the day.
The brand started out in a small small space on Nantucket in 2015, and the Wellesley store is Oath’s 11th full-fledged restaurant. “We’re grateful for the warm welcome we’ve received,” Ebben said, “and we’re incredible happy to to bring a little piece of Nantucket here to Wellesley.”
We stopped in with friends a couple days into Oath Pizza’s June 5 opening and found a clean, bright space with decorative maritime accents and restful blue walls, a nod to the brand’s original island home. There’s seating for 15 indoor and 12 outdoors.
Oath offers nine specialty pizzas, or you can build your own from a choice of three different crusts (thick, thin, or chickpea); a selection of cheeses; tomato, pesto, or garlic oil sauce; several proteins (including a meatless option); about a dozen veggie toppings; and garnishes such as sriracha, balsamic vinegar, and crushed red pepper. Prices range from $8.25 for a personal-size cheese pizza to $29 for a large build-your-own pizza with lots of toppings. No by-the-slice options here. The smallest serving is the personal size, which is half of a large pizza.
We tried out a thin-crust Muffled Trushroom (hard to say, fun to eat), topped with house-made truffle sauce, a mozzarella blend, mushrooms, ricotta, and grana padano cheese. Watching the process was interesting. First, a team member grabs one of the hand-stretched crusts from a neatly stacked pile. From there, the pizza gets passed down the line for its toppings, then the product is popped into an industrial electric oven. About two minutes later, it’s pizza time. The whole process from ordering to order up can go as quickly as five minutes. Ebbens is confident they’ll get there very soon.
As for taste, we loved it. The crusts, made at an off-site bakery and delivered fresh daily, are grilled and seared in avocado oil, giving them a distinctive, wholesome flavor. There was a good ratio of mushrooms to cheese on the Muffled Trushroom, and an overall earthy taste to this particular option. A craft-your-own option of pesto sauce, mozzarella and grilled chicken also won high marks, not least for its tomato-free nature. As my tomato-allergic co-editor can tell you, going out for pizza hasn’t been the same go-to option for our family as for some others. We found that many pizza places over the years couldn’t fathom the concept of a red-sauce free pie. At some point we kind of stopped trying.
Here’s the thing about Oath. If you’re vegan, they’ve got you. Gluten-free, no problem. Tomato allergy, so what? Vegetarian—please—what do you take them for? The brand has been built on attention to consumer dietary demands and restrictions, and rolling out the welcome mat for as many diners as possible.
Other menu items include salads—Caesar; Greek; and a build-your own option, as well as cheesy garlic breadsticks, and for dessert a chocolate chunk cookie pizza; brownies; or marshmallow bars. There’s a kid’s menu, too. A drinks case includes bottled water, sodas, and other selections. A self-serve kiosk is up and running if you’d rather not place your order at the register.
Oath Pizza has four other Massachusetts locations—in Cambridge, Chestnut Hill, Nantucket, and Somerville.
RESTAURANT: Oath Pizza
ADDRESS: Linden Square, Wellesley
