Blaze Pizza Opens in Cambridge

Blaze Pizza. / Photo provided.

When Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner endorsed Blaze Pizza back in 2012 alongside LeBron James, it seemed clear that the build-your-own pizza chain would expand to the Boston area at some point. Now four years later, Blaze Pizza is finally slated to open its first Massachusetts location in Cambridge on Thursday, June 2. And its offering free pizza to celebrate.

The restaurant’s Cambridge site will be located near the Cambridgeside Galleria and the Lechmere MBTA station. Executive chef Bradford Kent’s menu offers thin-crust, custom pizzas with more 36 toppings to mix-and-match, such as crumbled meatballs, arugula, applewood bacon, and ovalini mozzarella.

It also serves a few specialty pizzas, like the Art Lover, which comes topped with artichokes, chopped garlic, ricotta, and mozzarella; and Red Vine, a vegetarian pie with cherry tomatoes and basil. If you’re not feeling pizza, the shop also entrée-size salads, like antipasto, or beet and goat cheese; s’more pies, and drinks, like blood orange lemonade, and beer and wine.

But you want free pizza. To get that deal, follow Blaze Pizza on social media, and then on Friday, June 3, visit its inaugural Cambridge location between 11 a.m.-10 p.m. to craft your own pizza for free.

Once your pizza is crafted, free or otherwise, it’s popped in the oven and ready to eat in 180 seconds. The majority of the restaurant’s offerings are also free of artificial flavors and preservatives, and the pizzeria also has gluten-free dough and vegan cheeses on hand.

“Blaze is redefining the way people think about and eat pizza, and I’m proud to be a part of this game-changing brand,” Sox co-owner Werner, said in a press release.

The pizza chain isn’t stopping at Cambridge. Blaze plans to open two more Boston restaurants later this summer, one on Boylston Street in Fenway, and one near Boston Common at 123 Stuart St. The Cambridge location will have about 50 seats inside, with an additional outdoor patio. Blaze Pizza is also setting up a fundraising program that will give 20 percent of event proceeds to local organizations, like schools and sports clubs.

Blaze Pizza, 1 Canal Park, Cambridge, blazepizza.com.