Kittery, Maine, often celebrated for its impressive array of outlet stores, holds a delightful secret beyond retail therapy: a thriving food scene. Venturing beyond Wallingford Square and up Route 1, you’ll encounter When Pigs Fly Pizzeria, a culinary gem that has expanded its reputation far beyond its renowned freshly baked bread, a staple in many New England supermarkets. My recent visit unveiled a restaurant that’s much more than just a pizzeria, showcasing the incredible talent and vision of its team.
The restaurant, housed in a distinctive dark grey building, welcomes guests with a spacious front porch. To the left, a company store entices visitors with the aroma of freshly baked bread and a selection of condiments. To the right, the inviting entrance to the restaurant beckons.
Stepping inside, you’ll find Chef Rob Martin at the helm of the kitchen, bringing a wealth of culinary expertise and passion. While his impressive resume, including stints at Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia and No. 9 Park in Boston, speaks volumes, experiencing his food firsthand is truly revealing. Chef Martin recounted his diverse culinary journey, including a unique experience cooking for a research team in Antarctica for several seasons. However, he emphasizes the formative years spent in Milan, Italy, as the most impactful. “I learned so much about food and also about how to give a great dining experience. It’s about much more than cooking,” he explained.
These invaluable experiences are undeniably reflected in his work at When Pigs Fly. Martin has skillfully evolved the restaurant’s menu, broadening its offerings from a primarily pizzeria focus to a more comprehensive dining experience. While pizza remains central, the menu now boasts exceptional salads, inventive sandwiches (naturally, on their signature bread), elevated pub classics, and enticing entrée specials. “But pizza absolutely drives the business,” Martin confirms. The star of the show is their traditional Naples-style pizza, expertly baked for a mere six minutes in a wood-fired oven. The dough, crafted just down the street at the When Pigs Fly bakery, is a testament to authenticity. “It’s not Americanized at all,” Martin emphasizes. “It’s a thin, sourdough crust, not overloaded with cheese, and the sauce isn’t sweet.” His commitment to authenticity was validated when two diners from Naples themselves declared it truly authentic. Emerging hot from the oven, each pizza is a visual masterpiece. The outer crust, delightfully chewy, boasts a subtle, smoky char that is utterly irresistible. What truly distinguishes this pizza is the creative and thoughtful combinations of toppings. Chef Martin’s personal favorite, the Medjool date and soppressata pizza, is a harmonious blend of sweet and savory, perfectly enhanced by a drizzle of hot honey – an ingredient so compelling I now want to incorporate it into everything. Fortunately, this hot honey is readily available for purchase in the adjacent When Pigs Fly store. We also sampled the special Autumn Pizza, a seasonal delight featuring a medley of squash, hearty bacon, creamy goat cheese, crispy fried kale, sweet apples, fragrant garlic, and that signature hot honey. “It’s fall in New England, on a pizza,” Chef Martin aptly described. Impressively, he noted, “Everything but the goat cheese comes from no more than 60 miles from here,” highlighting the restaurant’s dedication to local sourcing.
Since joining When Pigs Fly two and a half years ago, Chef Martin has championed seasonality and local ingredients, further enriching the menu. The kale salad with roasted beets, a prime example, is almost entirely sourced from local farms, with the exception of the Marcona almonds adding a delightful crunch. The delicate, lightly fried sunchokes on top and the lemon-thyme vinaigrette provide perfect complementary flavors. Demonstrating a commitment to whole-animal utilization and local partnerships, Martin occasionally sources whole pigs from Breezy Hill Farm, owned by the father of the restaurant’s previous chef. He expertly butchers them in-house, utilizing the meat in diverse preparations, from flavorful capicola to succulent porchetta, and even in a popular pork schnitzel special accompanied by an apple cider Dijon sauce and creamy mashed potatoes. “Specials keep things interesting,” he observes. “It helps the newer cooks learn, too.” The portions are generously sized, encouraging sharing and convivial dining. Looking around the restaurant, the presence of several long, communal tables reinforces this ethos. “This is a community-oriented place,” Martin explains. “We encourage sharing, relaxing, talking over a meal. That’s what restaurants are for.”
Dessert at When Pigs Fly is also designed for sharing and indulgence. The ice cream sandwich, a decadent creation featuring a large chocolate toffee cookie filled with s’mores ice cream, is a must-try. The pumpkin cheesecake, served in a Mason jar and topped with a crackly bruléed sugar crust, is another dessert generous enough to satisfy multiple sweet cravings.
Beyond the exceptional food, When Pigs Fly boasts an impressive beverage program, with beer being a major draw. Co-owner Ron Siegel curates a diverse beer selection, featuring 20 taps offering both global and local brews, including Kittery’s own Tributary Brewing Company. The beer list evolves seasonally, with fall highlighting IPAs and farmhouse-style ales, while winter brings a focus on stouts and porters. For wine lovers, eight wines are available on tap by the glass, half-liter, and liter. The red sangria I sampled was refreshingly not overly sweet, making it a delightful accompaniment to pizza. The cocktails are equally noteworthy, often incorporating house-made infusions to create unique and flavorful drinks, such as the Blackberry Gin Fizz.
“We’re making improvements as we go,” Martin reflects. “I’m super proud of (owners) Ron and Andrew Siegel. They got things moving in the right direction, working 20-hour days when the place first started. Now they’ve been able to step back. It was nice to be handed the keys and continue to make it work.”
When Pigs Fly Pizzeria | 460 U.S. Route 1 | Kittery | 207.438.7036 | whenpigsflypizzeria.com
