Today I will review La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria, which is considered by many to have the best Philadelphia pizza. My overall response was a green light which means go try their food. I highly recommend their pizza and will elaborate below on my reasoning why.
La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria is located at 636 South Street, Philadelphia, PA. Established in 1994, La Fourno (translates to oven in Italian) has become a very popular and trendy pizza place. They are known also for their various Italian foods that they serve including the following: Veal Parmigiana, Fresh Pasta Dishes, Daily Fish Specials, Home Made Soups & Salads, Gnocci Gorgonzola, Lobster Ravioli, Al's Mom's famous Linguini & Meatballs, Chicken Valdostana, Farinatta Bread, Penne alla Vodka, Grilled Calamari & Tiger Shrimp, Stuffed New Zealand Mussels, and Artichoke Romano.
I have to say that I am very impressed with the ambience here. La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria is a very small, yet cozy, restaurant. There is some form of European appeal all in the convenience of the most popular street in Philadelphia, South Street. There are all types of people that eat here including locals and tourists.
I was very impressed also with the respect that was given to me from the minute I walked in the door. The waiter and the manager (owner?) greeted me with welcoming arms and were very polite and hospitable. This is rather unusual for a Philadelphia pizza place, which usually has the indifferent approach: I don’t care if you eat here or not. The waiter was also consistent the whole time with his manners. La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria is a small business run by two owners. With this kind of size, an Italian restaurant such as this can focus on the customer more.
The main attribute of this place, which has helped contribute to its popularity, is its wood burning brick oven. This pizza oven greets you at the door so you can actually watch your pizza being made. That may have helped with their CitySearch Best Pizza award for 2004-2009 amongst many other awards. Well, they can add another award to their list: Voted one of the BEST Philadelphia Pizzas Award by Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog. Let me elaborate.
La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria’s pizza was excellent. As usual, I ordered a standard Neapolitan Margherita pizza. I order the same pizza for all reviews for consistency plus it is the true original pizza.
The crust was not black at all (this may be considered a negative). It should have been cooked a little longer but it still was very good. The crust also was very soft and not crackly like the pizza at Slice.
The sauce was very basic tomato (deep red) sauce. There wasn’t much spice to it, which is the style preferred by many. I like a little more spice to it but I was content.
The mozzarella was fresh and equally mixed with the sauce. This is the way I like my Margherita pizzas: not too much sauce and not too much cheese.
The basil leaves were sprinkled evenly throughout the pizza. By the way, the pizza size was a 10 inch personal pizza (a good sized portion). Even though the crust was thin it is still very fulling when combined with a salad and an appetizer.
The thing that I didn’t like is that I originally ordered a Margherita pizza and an American pizza came out. When I questioned the waiter he said that this is the way they serve Margherita pizzas there (rather strange). If you want a true Margherita pizza then you need to specify exactly what you want or an American pizza (cheese on top and all over the sauce) will become your meal.
The waiter did correct the order for me and was very polite in his approach to bringing me out a new true Margherita pizza. This is the reason why I give them two thumbs up for excellent service.
Aside from the Margherita pizza confusion, when the real pizza came out it was really tasty. I validate all of the positive reviews this place has received. La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria has the total package: a great atmosphere, great pizza, great Italian food, a full bar, warm staff, all on a hip street in Philadelphia.
I hope that you have enjoyed my review from the Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog on La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria!
Did the owner pay you to write this? La Fourno (it's supposed to be Il Forno. La Fourno means nothing in Italian). The place smells like a filthy kitchen most times when it doesn't smell like cleaning chemicals. I've seen the owner(?) argue with staff and customers on a few occasions. One of the owners is over the top with his public rants. The food is sub-standard and not authentic Italian. Go eat there and find out for yourself, people. I don't even give it one star. Hideous!
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