Are you a fan of Bronzetti's Pizza in Framingham? It has reopened in new location

FRAMINGHAM — Fans of Bronzetti's Pizza and Kitchen once again have a place to get their slice of heaven.

Offering a brand of pizza that has roots in the city dating back to 1939, Bronzetti's was last seen at Fun and Games on Route 9. It left that spot during the COVID-19 shutdown, but now it's back up and running in a new location — inside the South Framingham Fraternal Order of Eagles lodge at 55 Park St.

The eatery reopened in its new location in late January to much fanfare for supporters who have followed it over the years. Bronzetti's has been housed in various spots within the city since its founding in 2008, including having its own restaurant on Route 9. Its pizza was last offered inside Fun and Games, the arcade center, but stopped serving during the pandemic.

Bronzetti's was still searching for a new home in 2022 when it was able to find one inside the Order of Eagles building.

"These guys were looking to do something fantastic with the kitchen," said owner Robert "Bubba" Bronzetti Jr., in reference to the Eagles. "They had the resources and put the hours in to bring everything up to code. They put in $40,000 in renovations to get things up and running."

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Bronzetti's signature dish is a square pizza that is thin, crisp and easy to eat. The flavor and style will likely remind longtime Framingham residents of the Union House Restaurant, a Waverly Street hotspot from 1939 until it closed in 2002. The similarity is not a coincidence, Bronzetti said.

"The pizza originated at the Union House, owned by the Ottaviani family, who are cousins of mine, and that is where the most popular pizza anywhere in Framingham was," Bronzetti said. "It's the same recipe. Growing up, I did not like pizza. The only pizza I would eat is from the Union House. I've used it as the foundation for my business, and we've grown into more Italian dinners and American cuisine as time has gone by."

Bronzetti has been supported in the efforts to reopen by his girlfriend, Melissa Hanna; his sister, Sharon Bronzetti; and family friends Bill Phillips and Manny Lage, all of whom don aprons in the back of the restaurant to make the new spot work.

"I've always had the will to have a great and successful restaurant and I've been blessed with a great following," Bronzetti said. "A lot of support, everyone staying around me with my family and friends, it's really been a blessing to have them follow me as long as they have."

Restaurant sparks local interest in Order of Eagles

The Fraternal Order of Eagles is a social club with international reach that was founded in 1898, claiming nearly 800,000 members in the United States and Canada and spread across 1,500 local orders.

"We are a fraternal organization; people helping people is our motto," said Job Lemieux, president of the South Framingham Fraternal Order of Eagles. "Our main goal is to make money for charity, that is what we are all about. We are a members-only organization."

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Lemieux said his club gives away thousands of dollars annually to local charities.

"Last year, we managed to get a $5,000 grant from the national organization," he said. "We gave it to Jeff's Place over here in Framingham, which is a nonprofit bereavement center that provides a place where kids can grieve if they've lost a loved one."

The South Framingham Eagles chapter had utilized other restaurants in the past, but Lemieux said it was vacant coming out of COVID-19. That was when the Eagles were introduced to Bronzetti's, which was looking for a new home. The restaurant now offers sit-down and take-out options, serving its classic Italian and American cuisine to members and the public.

'Needed to reopen our kitchen'

"Coming out of COVID, we definitely found a need to reopen our kitchen for our members, and that is where we found Bubba," Lemieux said. "Our kitchen before, it was operational but it was nothing like what Bubba has brought in. With Bubba's following, in came new members, we've added about 150 new members since Bronzetti's opened, which is incredible."

Bronzetti said that while the restaurant is open to the public, the aim is to also help bring new members join the Eagles, where they can take advantage of a number of services in addition to enjoying his food.

"There are a lot of advantages of being a member," Bronzetti said. "You've got a pool hall, you've got dart boards, video games, access to a function facility that can hold up to 250 people. If you are a member you can get those rooms for any reason."