No bar and grill, this. MAST’ (www.mastboston.com) at 45 Province Street in Boston’s quickly re-flourishing Downtown Crossing entitles itself as a restaurant and “drinkery.” And whether you look around the comfily swanky multi-leveled venue or at the broadsheet menu, you will easily see how this name came to be.

Taking its name and inspiration from the seafaring ways of Boston and Italy (the name is actually Italian for “master,” but works well the other way too), the space offers reminders of both, with its floor-to-ceiling prints of famous structures from the Boot and its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking those of the Hub.

Before you can gaze out the windows or at the impressive art, however, your eyes will be captured by the pizza bar at the top of the stairs. Backed by a Neapolitan futbol scarf draped over tubs of Nutella (more on that later, but yes, your mouth SHOULD be watering!), the marble slab becomes the canvas for native Italian pizzaiolo Fabio De Angelis to work his doughy magic, combining the freshest ingredients with generations of tradition to make a pie that is as beautiful going into the wood-fired oven as it is coming out. Among the most popular preparations are the simply spectacular Margherita (San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, basil, olive oil), the Prosciutto e’ Rughetta (cherry tomato, Prsociutto di Parma, fior de latte, shaved Parmagiano Reggiano, garlic) and the eponymous O’MAST (San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, Seranno DOC, crème di ricotta). However, from eggplant to pumpkin cream to zucchini, there are enough options to please any pizza lover or to encourage diners to find a new favorite every time they return (which they surely will!).

If pizza is not your thing or if you simply want to try some of MAST’s other options (all of which are well worth examining), there is an abundanza from which to choose. Recalling the combined heritage of the restaurant’s homeland and home base, MAST’ offers a raw barfull of daily-caught oysters and an intriguing menu of Neapolitan street foods that includes Cartoicio Napolitano (potato cake, fried polenta, fried dough balls), Arancini Siciliano (beef, peas, mozzarella), and Cartoicio di Mare (smelts, shrimp, calamari). There is also a daily zuppa that contends with the oil and vinegar plate as being worthy of dipping the homemade rustic bread that accompanies every meal. Salad-wise, MAST’ lingers more around the native nation, offering Caesar, Caprese, and Mediterranean without a hint of Boston lettuce. Other appetizing appetizers include such “small” plates as the self-curated antipasti (in two sizes- the three-piece piccolo and the half-dozened grande), the pound of organic duck wings, fried calamari, grilled octopus, burrata with fig marmalade, King Oyster mushrooms in black truffle sauce, and an entire raft of bruschetta, topped with everything from tomato and basil to exotic mushrooms and sausage.

Even if antipasti is not for you, the pasta menu is sure to tempt. From a lasagna made with braised Angus beef and pork to a signature braise boar ragu over pappardelle and a homemade spaghetti with heirloom garlic , each item is made with as much love and care as the pizza and, if you are hungry, make for great accompaniments.

For those who want a quicker bite, the MAST’ menu of Panini and burgers is sure to fit the bill. Form prosciutto to organic turkey breat to grass-fed ribeye to MAST’s take on eggplant parm (which surely puts your local sub shop to shame), the chefs can put as much flavor between slices of bread as they can on a 10” sphere of soft and crispy masterpiece. While the wagyu beef MAST’ will surely have you massaging your own belly when you are done, the chefs go so far as to lay claim to “the World’s Greatest Burger” by enhancing this enchanting edible with a fried egg, smoked bacon, heirloom tomato, bibb lettuce, and mayo. Delizioso!

While the food is impressive, as the title implies (and perhaps implores), a visit to MAST’ is not complete without something in a glass. Whether you choose something from the slate board advertising the bartender’s daily picks, from the Bellini bar, the draft beer and cider set, the inter-continental craft beer selection of the wide wine selection, MAST’ has something for every taste and to complement every taste option they offer. Even if you are on lunch or just not in the mood to get bubbly, their selection of non-alcoholic options, such as imported fruit sodas and real sugar Coke or their Fruit Spritz (fresh-pressed juices agave syrup, soda water) and NA-groni (Stappj butter, cranberry and grapefruit juice, orange zest) will make sure that nobody is left out of the fizzy fun!

Speaking of fun, as much as the drinks are part of the experience, and as much as every bite of the food is satisfying, diners should be sure to save room for what is quickly making MAST’ a great place to stop after theatre or anytime you want a special treat. While their Tiramisu is authentic and amazing, the Nutella pizza (please stop drooling on the keyboard!) is a feast for the senses, especially those who are lucky enough to sit at the pizza bar and watch it come into being. With its honey-buttered crust, sweet mascarpone cream cheese, walnuts and strawberries, it is a taste sensation that will surely send your buds (i.e., taste and friends) into bliss!

While the coffered ceiling, giant windows, and comfy chairs and two eat/drink-at bars give guests a lot to take in and plenty of vantage points from which to do so, MAST’s also offers a secluded spot to host events or just get away from it all. If you want to escape the hubbub of the Hub, the downstairs lounge offers plenty of cozy corners in which to canoodle or cocktail. Speaking of cocktails, in addition to the “drinkery’s” curated collections, MAST’ bottle keep members can keep their faves in lounge-level lockers and have them presented on demand with the mixer of their choice. In an effort to make the MAST’ experience even more cordial, bottle keepers can grant access to friends and colleagues so they too can enjoy the height of hospitality whenever they wish.

So whether you seek authentic Italian fare or a fun spot to eat, drink and be merry, MAST’ offers masterful cooking combined with an underground spot that rises high in Boston’s developing skyline like an ship’s spar cutting through the fog of foodie fakery.