Although it’s located on eclectic Bromfield Street in Downtown Crossing, Pizzeria Rico is firmly grounded in East Boston, playing salt-of-the-earth Italian yin to the more nouveau yang of Silvertone across the street. Originally founded as Sandwich World, the eatery underwent a makeover and became Pizzeria Rico in 1992. It features 1500 square feet of space for plenty of seating (a welcome exception to most downtown lunch spots), and a classic red-and-white-painted brick interior to complement its traditional Italian menu — although the de rigueur Rockefeller and sports prints go largely unnoticed by the harried, 30-minute-lunch crowd.

They do eat well here, however briefly. The large eggplant-parmigiana sub ($5.25) employs the secret of light breading, which enhances the flavor of the eggplant. And as at most pizzerias, you can’t go wrong with the pizza. The Veggie Delight ($13.95/large) scores with crisp broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms (fresh, not canned), and mozzarella that doesn’t overwhelm the other ingredients, including the crispy, well-cooked crust. Unlike J. Knoxville and crew, Pizzeria Rico encourages you to try this at home with its Bake-at-Home pizza kit ($5.99). You get a shopping bag filled with all the necessary ingredients for a 16-inch pie: homemade dough, sauce, and mozzarella cheese (extra toppings are $1.50 apiece). Bake for 15 minutes, and voilà! — you can re-create the Rico experience in the comfort of your own home.

And what’s an Italian restaurant without a hearty Thanksgiving dinner? Rico features daily dinner specials, with Thursday’s "Thanksgiving Dinner" by far the most popular among homesick suits. For $6.95, it’s not hard to see why. The light and dark turkey is surprisingly tender, with gravy that adds moisture to the standard bread-and-sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and corn. Yes, it inspires real gratitude.

Pizzeria Rico, located at 32 Bromfield Street, in Boston, is open Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, until 4 p.m. Call (617) 423-RICO.