Doc's Pizza, Frasca Variety on Elm Street in Lawrence MA
Does anybody remember Doc’s Pizza on Elm (?) Street in Lawrence, MA? It was in the old Italian Neighborhood between Lawrence and Jackson Streets. Man that place was good!
When my friends and I were teenagers and got our drivers licenses we would head down to Lawrence from Salem, NH every chance we had. Of course they had pizza and it was great, but they also made Italian spinach pie, meat pies and lamb pies. The spinach pies where made on a large tray and cut into squares. They where fantastic.
The lamb pies where also incredible – little triangles stuffed with lamb, pine nuts, spices and who knows what else. So good! You had to be careful with the lambs, however, because sometimes you would take a bite and a big drop of oil would come squirting out. I ruined a couple of shirts at Doc’s, but it was worth it.
Doc's Pizza Storefront in Lawrence, MA
I’m not exactly sure when Doc’s went out of business but it was sometime in the mid ’70s. I think the family running it just decided to close instead of moving when the neighborhood started going down hill. My friends and I were totally bummed. One guy I know bought a tray of spinach pie to freeze only to lose them when his freezer broke.
I took these photos during some of our last trips to Lawrence for spinach pies. As a young kid I lived right down the street on Erving Avenue in a tenement my Grandfather owned, but the neighborhood was much nicer way back then. Eventually the whole neighborhood was leveled as part of urban renewal. But I will always remember Doc’s Pizza, Pettoruto’s Market, Frasca Variety, The Union of Italy Grand Club and of course my old tenement on Erving Avenue where I grew up.
My friend Al leaving Doc's Pizza with a plate full
My old tenement on Erving Avenue in Lawrence, MA
Pettoruto's Market on Oak Street in Lawrence, MA
Toilers Club on Oak St in Lawrence, MA
Union of Italy Grand Club on Short Street in Lawrence, MA
UPDATE: Much feedback has been received stating Doc’s Pizza was on ELM Street (instead of OAK street). It is difficult to tell from existing Google Maps, but the consensus is Elm Street. As such, the title of this post and other references have been updated. If you have better imagery or a map that depicts the exact street address, please let us know!
