In the past, working in Brigham Circle meant brown-bagging it for lunch. That’s because after only a week of eating out, you’d have run through all the so-so options in the area. But no longer: a new crop of restaurants has opened there, and Penguin Pizza is leading the way in style and substance.

The restaurant’s modern décor couldn’t be further from the pleather booths and checkerboard linoleum tiles that are the hallmark of so many pizza joints. Instead, think exposed brick, an open kitchen, and orange lights hanging from long wires above a bar. If their warm brogues are any indication, members of the friendly staff hail from Ireland — but the idea for Penguin Pizza comes from just down the street, where the owners used to run the now-defunct Pig’s Pizza. The new locale offers many advantages, including a larger seating area that comfortably accommodates 10 tables of two to six people, bar seating, and two tables tucked into a small nook in the side of the room.

Penguin Pizza, like Pig’s before it, serves a very-thin-crust pizza with both familiar topping choices (vegetables, sausage, salami, etc.) and more-gourmet options (caramelized onions, capers, and clams, among others). Penguin also serves specialty pizza. The seasonal ($10.50 medium/$13.65 large) comes smothered in roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, sage, and leeks, and offers a nice combination of creamy and sweet. A smattering of non-pizza entrées, including pasta, salads, and soups, is also on the menu.

Penguin Pizza, located at 735 Huntington Avenue, in Boston, is open daily, from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Call (617) 277-9200.