Village Fare Pizza: One-Stop Picnic Shop in Brookline

This review originally published July 21, 2011 at The Brookline Patch

Margherita Pizza

It’s summer, which means I’m constantly on the lookout for picnic-ready bites nearby. Depending on my mood, that might mean pizza, subs, salads, wings, or wraps. (And ice cream—that’s the one non-negotiable item.)

It’s convenient, then, that Village Fare Pizza in Brookline has all of that, and more. The food is mostly your standard diner-style grub, but it’s certainly picnic-worthy, and the price is right.

Village Fare isn’t really the kind of place you want to spend much time in—the hard plastic booths and TV blasting "Days of Our Lives" on near-full volume make for a less-than-welcoming setting—but the takeout options are endless. The pizza is noteworthy: not too greasy, with choice toppings piled high onto a crust that’s crispy but rather floury and tasteless. Our Chicken Pesto Supreme ($9.99 for small) was satisfying; though we couldn't taste the pesto at all, the pizza was loaded with chicken, roasted sweet red pepper, and onion.  The Margherita ($9.99 for small) isn't the traditional combo of tomato, mozzarella, and basil, but instead spinach, tomato, ham, and mozzarella over a base of garlic and olive oil. Unexpected, yes, but certainly delicious.

Chicken Pesto Supreme

Sub sandwiches range from the straightforward to the more intriguing: ham and egg, chicken teriyaki, and BBQ bacon burger. Our Italian sub ($5.25 for small) was stuffed with good-quality meats and cheese, and dressed with a pleasantly spicy vinaigrette. A meatball sub ($5.25 for small) was a standard affair, tasty and with just the right amount of sauce.

Gyro Plate

Other choices for your picnic are wraps like the grilled chicken Caesar ($6.15) and the steak and cheese ($6.35), or salads like the Greek salad ($6.25).  Chicken wings ($5.99 for 8) are easily packed in a picnic basket, and here they're nicely crisped and spicy.

Dinner plates arrive with oversalted fries and a fairly fresh green salad crowned with a few vegetables and feta cheese. The Gyro Plate ($8.25), featuring previously-frozen gyro meat is slathered with a mild Tzatziki yogurt sauce and wrapped into a soft pita, along with anemic tomatoes and shredded lettuce, is not the Village Fare’s best work. Dinners are mostly safe and kid-friendly options, like chicken fingers ($8.95), lasagna ($7.75), and a cheeseburger ($6.95).

What’s a picnic without dessert? There’s a standing freezer full of my requisite ice cream treats ($1.75), as well as packaged cookies, brownies, whoopee pies, and squares of baklava ($1.75 each).  Sneak a few into your basket, and don’t forget the Frisbee.

Village Fare Pizza is open Monday through Thursday 10am-10pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-11pm, and Sunday noon-10pm.  387 Washington Street, Brookline. MBTA: Green Line (D) to Brookline Village.