Shannon Brandano displays
her signature pizza at Brandano’s
located at 21 Everett Ave.
Since May, Brandano’s has operated as a seasonal destination on Revere Beach Parkway, offering ice cream and slush to its patrons through October.
Owner Shannon (Antle) Brandano, a former Chelsea resident, has expanded her business significantly. The menu now features pizza alongside specialty cakes, tiramisu, and homemade cannolis, ravioli, and manicotti.
The addition of pizza has proven transformative, drawing numerous new customers to Brandano’s, which now operates throughout the entire year.
“My pizza is special because it took me two months to get it right,” said Brandano, who maintains a law practice in addition to running the store.
According to Brandano, her signature pizza recipe incorporates “an Italian peel tomato, a fine milled dough, and three different cheeses, always with fresh basil, and thin crust”.
“I grew up cooking. I come from an Italian background and I grew up making my own dough and learning from my mother how to make pasta, homemade slush, and cheesecake, you name it. Family was very important and we always got together for big meals.”
Individual pizza slices cost $2, while a classic whole cheese pizza sells for $9.99. Brandano’s offers promotional pricing: a single whole pizza for $7.99 or two whole pizzas for $14.99. The establishment also provides delivery.
“We’re not your typical pizza store,” Brandano noted. “We’re the familiar corner store where you can come in and get the homemade slush and pizza.”
A UMass/Lowell graduate with degrees in Political Science and Criminal Justice, Brandano earned her law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law and operates a legal practice in Malden.
Her husband, Michael, serves as co-owner and has been instrumental in supporting the business, Brandano explained.
The response to her fresh basil pizza has exceeded expectations, according to Brandano. “It’s been unbelievable – people are saying to me, ‘Nobody makes pizza like this,’ or ‘It tastes just like the pizza I had back in the day.’ “I had a customer from Naples, Italy come in here and he said it tastes like it was from home. That’s when I knew we had something really special going on here.”