Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog

Joey Vento Tribute | A Philadelphia Cheese Steak Legend

2011-09-26T11:23:00.001-04:00

This post is dedicated to Joey Vento, owner and founder of Geno's Steaks. Joey Vento, a legend in the cheese steak world, has recently passed away. Please post any comments or stories that you may have of this very generous man, one who has given so much to Philadelphia. Also, please be respectful within your posts.

Little Caesars Pizza

2010-05-07T19:10:00.000-04:00

Here is some updated info from our friends at Little Caesars Pizza:

LITTLE CAESARS® PIZZA TEAMS WITH PEPSICO AND COLUMBIA PICTURES’ “THE KARATE KID” TO KICK OFF “YOUR TICKET TO KICK IT” NATIONAL PROMOTION

DETROIT – Little Caesars Pizza, PepsiCo, and Columbia Pictures today announced “Your Ticket to Kick It,” a national scratch-off game promotion, in anticipation of the release of Columbia Pictures’ The Karate Kid. This promotion includes national marketing components and offers Little Caesars customers across the country a chance to win a year of movie tickets, pizza, and Pepsi-Cola beverages, among other prizes. The film, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, will be released in theaters everywhere on June 11, 2010.

Philadelphia Pizza Contact Phone Numbers

2010-04-17T20:39:00.004-04:00

The following is Philadelphia pizza contact phone numbers for your convenience. You may want to save this page for future reference. Some numbers may be outdated, if so, just leave a comment and we will update the information. If you would like to see your Philadelphia pizza business on here then comment below and we will update your information. If you would like to see our Best Philadelphia Pizza Reviews please visit our Best Philadelphia Pizza page. After your order pizza from any of these places come back and tell us your opinion.

2nd Street Pizza
(215) 238-8833
3 Brothers Pizza & Pasta
(215) 426-7170
5666ingo's Best Pizza
(215) 426-4440
60th Street Pizza
(215) 724-5990
64 Express Pizza
(215) 476-4211
A & K Pizzeria
(215) 386-2200
Academy Pizza
(215) 732-6607
Accu Pizza I
(215) 474-7150
Adelphia Pizza
(215) 747-0271
Al-Eman
(215) 879-5184
Aladdin's Pizza
(215) 242-1000
Aldo's Pizzarama
(215) 698-8110
Alegro Pizza
(215) 387-3060
Alex's Pizzeria
(215) 483-6126
Alexandria's South Philly Deli
(215) 334-2602
Alexandros' Pizza
(215) 236-0611
Allegro Pizza Of 40 St Inc
(215) 382-8158
Alnur Pizza
(215) 324-1773
Alpha Pizza House
(215) 473-6200
American Steak & Pizza Pie Co
(215) 425-6010
Angela's Pizza
(215) 698-8747
Angelo's Pizza House
(215) 743-9979
Angelos Pizza
(215) 333-6200
Anna's Pizza
(215) 878-9797
Antonio's Pizzeria
(215) 462-2620
Argento's Pizza & Spaghetti
(215) 483-5666
Art Museum Restaurant & Pizza
(215) 765-7250
Atlantic Pizza
(215) 755-6115
Atlas Pizza & Steaks
(215) 748-5098
Bally Pizza
(215) 324-8899
Bally's Pizza II
(215) 224-3233
Baltimore Pizza
(215) 471-6606
Bentoulis Family Pizza
(215) 969-5000
Bentoulis Pizza
(215) 289-3660
Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria
(215) 731-1400
Best English Style Pizza
(215) 426-8907
Bill's Family Pizza
(215) 332-2222
Bobby's 2
(215) 748-6096
Boston Pizza
(215) 333-3100
Boulevard Pizza
(215) 329-2200
Brandywine Pizza
(215) 563-3788
Bravo Pizza & Halal Food Inc
(215) 228-7700
Bravo Pizza
(215) 335-9550
Britts II
(215) 389-2101
Broadway Pizza II
(215) 471-4949
Brother's Pizza House
(215) 924-4474
Buddy's Pizza
(215) 467-4667
Bustleton Square Pizza
(215) 333-1120
By George
(215) 829-9391
Camiel Pizzeria
(215) 425-5250
Cappuccino Pizza
(215) 224-4042
Casa Bella Pizzeria
(215) 426-4088
Casa Di Napoli
(215) 677-5558
Castor Pizza
(215) 533-0900
Cco Pizza
(215) 365-3606
Celebre Pizzeria
(215) 467-3255
Central Pizza
(215) 426-8036
Charlie's Pizzeria
(215) 744-3249
Chester Family Pizza
(215) 727-0441
Chevy's Square Pizza
(215) 288-4949
Chris' Pizza
(215) 386-2344
Chris's Pizza Restaurant
(215) 879-8889
Chuck E Cheese's
(215) 551-4080
Chuck E Cheese's
(215) 677-6301
City Line Pizza & Pasta
(215) 477-1535
City Pizza
(215) 389-5555
City Pizza
(215) 755-8888
City View Pizza
(215) 564-1910
Classic Pizza Shop
(215) 242-3100
Colburn's Deli
(215) 271-9112
College Pizza
(215) 386-6000
Colonial Pizza
(215) 387-7702
Connoisseur Pizza
(215) 537-1819
Corfu Pizza
(215) 924-6570
Cosimo's Pizza
(215) 242-9900
Costa's Pizza & Grill
(215) 969-7737
Crispy Pizza
(215) 629-1212
Crovetti's Pizza & Deli
(215) 551-2102
Crownside Chicken & Pizza
(215) 765-2685
D'Imitri's Italiano
(215) 464-7596
DO Do's Pizzeria
(215) 332-2800
Daniel's Seafood
(215) 549-4774
Dante's Pizza Inferno
(215) 708-5095
Dantonio's Pizza
(215) 482-5858
Deca Pizza
(215) 228-4621
Delancey Street Pizzeria
(215) 471-3330
Designer Outlet
(215) 387-6922
Dino's Pizza Restaurant
(215) 289-6156
Dino's Pizza
(215) 423-0223
Dolce Carini
(215) 567-8892
Domino's Pizza
(215) 386-2600
Domino's Pizza
(215) 427-3000
Domino's Pizza
(215) 457-5000
Domino's Pizza
(215) 465-5500
Domino's Pizza
(215) 557-0940
Domino's Pizza
(215) 592-8534
Don Corleones
(215) 333-0456
Donberto's
(215) 533-7777
Dough Boy Pizza
(215) 743-1131
Dragon Pizza
(215) 928-1213
Dugout Pizza
(215) 843-4499
East Side Steaks & Pizza
(215) 218-3278
Ed's Pizza House
(215) 324-7668
Ed's Pizza House
(215) 455-8446
Ed's Pizza House
(215) 849-5588
Ed's Pizza
(215) 424-8750
Eddie's Pizza
(215) 763-8028
Egypt Pizza Restaraunt
(215) 765-2400
El Greco Pizza & Luncheonette
(215) 426-7970
El Greco Pizza
(215) 457-1774
Eleventh Street Pizzeria Co
(215) 413-2405
Ellsworth Pizza
(215) 468-3944
England Pizza
(215) 333-2323
Eppie
(215) 227-7790
Erio Pizza
(215) 533-6446
Ernie's Original Pizza
(215) 745-4131
Fairmount Pizza & Grill
(215) 765-1126
Fame's Famous Pizza
(215) 236-6486
Fame's Famous Pizza
(215) 677-1830
Family Style Pizza
(215) 365-3878
Family Village Pizzeria
(215) 533-7887
Fanti's Pizza
(215) 722-2822
Fat Boy's Pizza Inc
(215) 336-1025
Feltonville Pizza
(215) 329-3070
Fiesta Pizza III
(215) 247-4141
Fiesta Pizza
(215) 386-5455
First England Style Pizza
(215) 332-7345
Fishtown Pizza
(215) 739-6666
Five Star Express Pizzeria
(215) 755-3715
Florida Style Pizza
(215) 755-7946
Four Sons Pizzeria
(215) 425-7100
Four Sons
(215) 634-6888
Four Sons
(215) 739-9595
Franco & Luigi's Pizza/Rstrnt
(215) 755-8900
Franco & Luigi's Pizzeria
(215) 755-5411
Frank's Pizza
(215) 848-6433
Fratelli's Pizza
(215) 335-1300
Friendly's Pizza II
(215) 673-3883
Gaeta's Italian Bakery
(215) 745-2262
Galaxy Pizza
(215) 725-1005
Garden Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 236-6444
Gearo's Pizza & Cafe
(215) 677-2300
Gearo's
(215) 624-9415
Gennaro's Pizza
(215) 545-0209
George's Famous Pizza
(215) 288-7700
George's Girard Family Pizza
(215) 235-1150
George's Original Pizza Shop
(215) 289-0616
George's Pizza
(215) 236-5288
George's Place
(215) 365-5810
Gia's Pizzeria
(215) 462-0922
Gino's Pizza
(215) 338-3360
Gino's Pizzarama
(215) 331-0555
Giovanni's Pizzeria
(215) 842-9480
Gold Star Pizza
(215) 386-5553
Golden Crust Pizza
(215) 848-4400
Goodfellows Pizza & Steaks Inc
(215) 563-7666
Goody's Pizzeria & Grill
(215) 333-3838
Grillo's Pizza Shop
(215) 739-2266
Grillo's Pizza
(215) 424-3700
Gusto Pizza
(215) 546-7200
Halal Pizza
(215) 765-7500
Harbison House Pizza
(215) 537-0500
Harry Pizza
(215) 988-0121
Holiday Pizza
(215) 548-0565
Holme Style Pizza
(215) 673-6868
Home Style Pizza
(215) 739-2900
Honest Abe's Pizza
(215) 843-4747
Hot Spot Pizza
(215) 365-0250
Huerta Pizza
(215) 228-2282
In & Out Express Pizza
(215) 548-8885
International Pizza House
(215) 351-5356
Island Pizza
(215) 336-7333
Italian Express Pizza Rstrnt
(215) 236-9977
J & J South Philly Pizza
(215) 551-1233
J R's Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 569-3905
Jake's Pizza Inc
(215) 587-0447
Jake's Pizza
(215) 627-6200
Jasmine's Pizza
(215) 727-1070
Jean's Pizzeria & Grille
(215) 333-8200
Joe's Pizza 2
(215) 465-7930
Joe-Joe's Pizza & Variety
(215) 462-2723
John's Pizza Express
(215) 227-5611
Josephs Pizza
(215) 722-7000
Juliano's Deli
(215) 333-3332
Kambo's Italian Pizza
(215) 289-9383
Key Food Pizza
(215) 425-7666
King Of Pizza
(215) 228-0612
Kirk's Pizza House & Bar
(215) 849-6711
Kristina Pizza
(215) 739-3277
La Bamba Pizzeria
(215) 425-5422
La Casa Di Lucia
(215) 677-6111
La Pizzeria
(215) 592-7079
La Pizzeria
(215) 745-3500
La Rosa Pizzeria
(215) 271-5246
Lafourno Pizza
(215) 627-9000
Larry's Pizza
(215) 755-9996
Larry's Steaks & Hoagies
(215) 722-2400
Larry's Steaks & Hoagies
(215) 879-1776
Laz's Pizza
(215) 463-7700
Leandro's Pizza House
(215) 533-1935
Lebel Pizza Inc
(215) 473-0900
Lehigh Family Pizza
(215) 228-8710
Lex Pizza
(215) 349-6200
Lincoln Pizza
(215) 248-2233
Little Caesars Pizza
(215) 551-5079
Little Sicily Pizza Of Phila
(215) 467-3000
Little Sicily Pizza
(215) 465-8787
Lombardi's Pizza
(215) 564-5000
Lorenzo & Son Pizza Inc
(215) 627-4110
Lorenzo Pizza
(215) 922-2540
Lucky Corner Pizza
(215) 755-7636
Lucky's Pizza Inc
(215) 473-1300
Luna Sandwich & Pizza Shop
(215) 922-6905
M & M Pizzeria
(215) 288-9211
Maca Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 227-7100
Mad Greek Restaurant & Pizza
(215) 222-2739
Magellan's Pizza Co
(215) 533-1975
Mama Mia
(215) 769-1000
Mama Palma
(215) 735-7357
Manhattan Pizza
(215) 744-9148
Marabello's Pizza
(215) 537-5887
Marciano's Pizza & Grill
(215) 331-1277
Margherita Pizzeria
(215) 922-7053
Mario's Pizza
(215) 248-3232
Mario's Pizza
(215) 424-1212
Maroulis Kalliopi S
(215) 748-3015
Mayfair Pizza
(215) 624-3622
Mazzi Pizza
(215) 726-7551
Mecca Halal Pizza Restaurant
(215) 848-7410
Mega Quality Pizza Restaurant
(215) 969-6440
Merc Brothers Pizzeria
(215) 335-9577
Michael's Pizza
(215) 922-2170
Milanos Pizza
(215) 342-7777
Mimmo's Pizza
(215) 222-3416
Mimmo's Pizza
(215) 227-2888
Mimmo's Pizza
(215) 476-0500
Mina's Pizza Restaurant
(215) 482-7010
Mom's Bake At Home Pizza
(215) 247-7878
Mom's Bake At Home Pizza
(215) 487-2440
Mom's Bake At Home Pizza
(215) 627-6224
Mom's Pizza Inc
(215) 482-1044
Montesini Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 338-3940
Montesini Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 567-1620
Montesini Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 735-7210
Mozzelle Pizza
(215) 844-7040
Mr P Pizza & Pasta Inc
(215) 509-6000
Mr Pizza
(215) 924-5520
Mt Airys Best Inc
(215) 548-6294
Munchy's Pizza & Grill
(215) 338-8440
Mystic Pizza
(215) 951-9500
Napoli Pizzeria
(215) 336-3833
Neighborhood Market II & Pizza
(215) 533-6632
New Avenue Food Stop
(215) 743-7739
New California Style Pizza
(215) 387-8700
New Dennis Pizza
(215) 472-5160
New Dennis Pizza
(215) 726-1700
New England Pizza
(215) 677-5100
New Fairmont Restaurant
(215) 763-1985
New Hope Pizza
(215) 227-4188
New London Pizza
(215) 324-0444
New Pizza Inn
(215) 739-4600
New Pizza Villa
(215) 331-9444
New Station Pizza II
(215) 331-2222
New Station Pizza III
(215) 722-5600
New Station Pizza
(215) 225-1323
New Station Pizza
(215) 637-0888
New World Pizza II
(215) 386-4222
New York New York Pizzeria
(215) 463-6205
Nicetown Pizza Resteraunt
(215) 324-6005
Nicholas Pizza
(215) 673-6844
Nick's Famous Pizza
(215) 842-1006
Nick's Logan Square Pizza
(215) 563-5713
Nono Giuseppe's Pizza
(215) 288-3444
North Side Pizza
(215) 684-3858
Not Just Pizza
(215) 755-5159
Oak Lane Express Pizza
(215) 548-6662
Oasis Pizza
(215) 324-2025
Oasis Pizza
(215) 769-6550
Old City Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 574-9494
Old Country Pizza II
(215) 671-1808
Old Country Pizza
(215) 464-8880
Old English Pizza
(215) 289-3060
Old English Style Pizza
(215) 288-9900
Old English Style Pizza
(215) 549-5888
Old London Pizza
(215) 722-6660
Old London Pizza
(215) 739-9333
Old London Style Pizza
(215) 744-8558
Old London Style Pizza
(215) 831-1484
Old Town Restaurant & Pizza
(215) 731-1911
Olga's Luncheonette Pizzeria
(215) 568-9902
Olympia II Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 592-6574
Omega Pizza & Rstrnt
(215) 985-2989
One Bella Pizza
(215) 722-2442
One Crazy Greek Pizza
(215) 477-5588
One Pound Cheesesteak
(215) 744-2883
Oregan Pizza Express
(215) 465-1650
Original Champion Pizza
(215) 743-1180
Original South Side Pizzaria
(215) 474-0700
Original South Side Pizzaria
(215) 727-0900
Original Village Pizza
(215) 969-6220
Overbrook Pizza Shop
(215) 473-3303
Owl's Nest Pizzeria & Rstrnt
(215) 232-6515
Oxford Pizza
(215) 289-9066
Paese Pizza
(215) 742-5455
Pagano's Pizzeria
(215) 925-7334
Paisano's Brick Oven Pizzeria
(215) 742-3611
Pandora's Lunchbox
(215) 922-2333
Papa Joe's Pizza
(215) 332-3885
Papa John's Pizza
(215) 349-7272
Papa John's Pizza
(215) 483-0400
Papa John's Pizza
(215) 722-5200
Papa John's Pizza
(215) 972-0505
Papa Nick's
(215) 224-8280
Papa's Perfect Pizza
(215) 248-3330
Papp's Pizza
(215) 473-3007
Pappy's Pizza
(215) 878-0334
Paradise Pizza
(215) 271-2004
Pat's Seafood & Pasta House
(215) 632-5550
Paul's Pizza
(215) 545-2571
Paul's Pizza
(215) 732-9131
Paul's Pizza
(215) 925-3536
Penn Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 476-4090
Penny Pack Pizza
(215) 335-9229
Peppi's Pizza & Pasta
(215) 742-0211
Peppi's Pizzeria
(215) 426-0340
Perri's Pizza
(215) 426-1274
Perry's Pizzeria
(215) 333-0665
Pete's Famous Pizza Restaurant
(215) 765-3040
Pete's Famous Pizza
(215) 567-4116
Pete's Pizza II
(215) 727-6666
Pete's Pizza
(215) 365-3775
Pete's Pizza
(215) 747-5555
Pete's Pizza
(215) 877-8888
Philadelphia King Of Pizza
(215) 365-5070
Philadelphia Pizza Point
(215) 722-8050
Philly Style Pizza
(215) 625-9508
Philly's Best
(215) 698-9993
Piccasso's Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 423-2686
Pietro's Coal Oven Pizzeria
(215) 733-0675
Pietro's Coal Oven Pizzeria
(215) 735-8090
Pina's Pizza-Roxborough
(215) 483-5553
Pine Street Pizza
(215) 922-2526
Pizza Bona
(215) 924-5544
Pizza Center
(215) 227-3363
Pizza City
(215) 632-2980
Pizza Depot
(215) 331-4480
Pizza Express
(215) 426-2111
Pizza Fresh
(215) 288-9850
Pizza Fresh
(215) 335-9022
Pizza Gourmet
(215) 289-7700
Pizza House Express
(215) 634-8100
Pizza Hut
(215) 331-0830
Pizza Hut
(215) 333-1700
Pizza Hut
(215) 487-9454
Pizza Hut
(215) 548-6137
Pizza Hut
(215) 568-1978
Pizza Hut
(215) 634-7810
Pizza Hut
(215) 637-4800
Pizza Hut
(215) 742-2145
Pizza Hut
(215) 743-8225
Pizza Hut
(215) 927-7560
Pizza Hut
(215) 937-1777
Pizza King
(215) 533-4949
Pizza La Nova
(215) 333-7220
Pizza Pak II
(215) 765-5305
Pizza Pazza Inc
(215) 844-8800
Pizza Place
(215) 755-9900
Pizza Plaza
(215) 336-0552
Pizza Point
(215) 324-7999
Pizza Roma
(215) 725-6599
Pizza Shack
(215) 463-3455
Pizza Shop
(215) 423-4200
Pizza Shoppe
(215) 744-1818
Pizza Store
(215) 634-8887
Pizza Supreme & Restaurant
(215) 537-8040
Pizza Town Pizzeria Inc
(215) 331-7320
Pizza Villa
(215) 492-1112
Pizza Works
(215) 676-5555
Pizzeria Uno Chicago Bar-Grill
(215) 677-4544
Plaza Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 413-3200
Pomodoro Of Mulberry Street
(215) 413-3434
Powelton Pizza & Deli
(215) 387-1213
Primo Pizza
(215) 426-8885
Prince Pizza II
(215) 744-9885
Prince Pizza
(215) 456-0644
Pronto Uno
(215) 742-3510
Quality Pizza
(215) 332-9088
Quality Pizza
(215) 742-1107
Queen Express Pizza
(215) 242-9600
Quig's Pizza Steaks & Hogie's
(215) 722-6030
Rainbow Pizza
(215) 235-4200
Ralph & Rickey's Pizza
(215) 271-6622
Randazzo Pizza
(215) 546-1566
Rassi Steaks
(215) 334-7777
Renzi's Pizza & Pasta House
(215) 533-1300
Rex Style Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 557-9555
Ridgeway Pizza
(215) 482-9023
Roma's Pizza
(215) 482-9022
Roman's Pizza Pasta House
(215) 482-2323
Rome's Pizzeria
(215) 739-4525
Romeo Pizza
(215) 389-9911
Rose's Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 482-9999
Roula's Pizza
(215) 843-5990
Royal Pizza
(215) 222-1900
Royal Pizza
(215) 676-2626
Russo's Pizza
(215) 551-0244
Rustica
(215) 627-1393
S & A Classic Pizza
(215) 426-6433
Sabria's Pizzeria
(215) 978-6706
Salerno's Pizza & Catering
(215) 745-9992
Salvatore's Pizzeria
(215) 465-1016
Sam's Pizza
(215) 747-5810
Samba Pizza
(215) 727-1877
Sammy's Pizza Restaurant
(215) 744-4252
Santucci Square Pizza II
(215) 288-2900
Santucci Square Pizza
(215) 332-4333
Santucci's Original Square Inc
(215) 533-3256
Santucci's Original Square Inc
(215) 934-5868
Santucci's Square Pizza-Pasta
(215) 281-2900
Sbarro Italian Eatery
(215) 922-6297
Scotto Pizza
(215) 624-4214
Scottos Pizza
(215) 537-1050
Shalom Pizza
(215) 878-1500
Shef's Pizza & Deli
(215) 332-5333
Sicilia Restaurant Inc
(215) 925-6363
Sidewalk Cafe
(215) 885-6665
Sierra Pizza
(215) 464-6222
South Pizza
(215) 592-4715
South Side Pizza
(215) 334-0900
Speedy's Pizza
(215) 824-1313
Spring Pizza & Deli
(215) 382-5250
Star Pizza
(215) 289-1150
Station Pizza
(215) 676-6969
Stavros K Pizza
(215) 474-9658
Stefano's Original
(215) 426-7595
Stelio's Pizza
(215) 427-8171
Stenton Pizza
(215) 424-7272
Stromboli House Pizza
(215) 745-1666
Stromboli House Pizza
(215) 745-4055
Sunrise Pizza
(215) 228-0550
Sunset City Pizza
(215) 755-1212
Superior Pizza Works
(215) 332-6066
T & T Pizza
(215) 477-5312
T J's Pizzeria
(215) 335-0777
Tacconelli's Pizza
(215) 425-4983
Taki's Pizza Steaks & Hoagies
(215) 744-7050
Taliano's
(215) 677-2963
Ted's Pizza Express
(215) 222-3033
Teddys Pizza
(215) 533-3366
Temple Pizza & Restaurant
(215) 223-2270
Thomas Nestoras Pizza
(215) 457-6440
Three Stars Pizza
(215) 879-8100
Tioga Express Pizzeria Inc
(215) 423-1512
Tioga Pizza
(215) 223-3770
Tommaso's Pizza
(215) 467-5651
Toms Corner Grill
(215) 335-3661
Tony A's
(215) 483-3335
Tony's Pizzeria
(215) 427-2090
Tony's Place
(215) 535-9851
Tony's Place
(215) 739-5660
Top Quality Pizza
(215) 725-0660
Top Tomato Pizza Cafe Inc
(215) 592-8242
Torino's Pizza
(215) 455-9620
Torresdale Pizza
(215) 331-1100
Toto's Pizzeria
(215) 848-4550
Tower Style Pizza
(215) 567-3335
Town Hall Pizza
(215) 843-8400
Towne Pizza & Sub Shop Inc
(215) 545-7730
Tri Poni Pizza & Deli Cafe
(215) 222-3900
Tulip Pizza
(215) 426-3700
Two Brothers Pizza
(215) 225-1052
Two Street Pizza
(215) 468-5551
Uncle Tomy's Pizzeria
(215) 271-0250
Uno Chicago Bar & Grill
(215) 592-0400
Valanni Restaurant
(215) 790-9494
Valverde Pizza Co
(215) 568-6633
Vasalo's Pizza
(215) 924-4900
Venice Pizza
(215) 334-1111
Verree Express Pizza
(215) 745-2100
Victoria's Pizzeria
(215) 632-0475
Village Pizza
(215) 222-1397
Villagio Pizza
(215) 333-4414
Vince's Pizzeria
(215) 464-8998
Vincent's Pizza
(215) 879-3510
Wadsworth Pizzeria Inc
(215) 248-0445
West Philly Pizza Plus Chicken
(215) 471-0700
Westside Pizzeria
(215) 472-9200
Wissahickon Wings
(215) 849-1997
Wolf Street Pizza
(215) 271-0080
Wonder Pizza
(215) 329-8922
Wurst House Pizzeria
(215) 386-1450
Wynnfield Pizza
(215) 473-4025
Wyoming Pizza
(215) 457-0220
You Ring We Bring
(215) 533-2424
Zio Pizza
(215) 627-1615

A Mano Neapolitan Trattoria

2010-03-19T13:53:00.003-04:00

We have acquired some new fans over at A Mano in New Jersey. As a courtesy to them, below Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog will present some information about who they are. If you have tried A Mano and would like to share you experiences please do so below.

A Mano, the Ridgewood Neapolitan trattoria and one of only three U.S. restaurants to receive prestigious certifications from both the Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, the recognized authorities of Naples, Italy on traditional Neapolitan Pizza, has added Shrimp, Tilapia, Veal and Chicken entrees to their menu, along with several new appetizer, pasta, pizza and Panini options. “We are a Neapolitan restaurant and with that comes hundreds of years of traditions and classic preparations, which we bring to our patrons,” said Fred Mortati, co-owner of A Mano. “A Mano functions as both a learning center with celebrated Neapolitan chefs visiting year-round bringing with them new specialties and age old traditions. We are a culinary mecca for people who care about the craft of authentic Neapolitan pizza making and authentic Italian food preparation. Our new entrees showcase the high regard Neapolitans have for the best ingredients, bringing them together in simple preparations that allow flavors to shine through. This is simple, delicious food that brings together comfort and delight.”

Shrimp Scampi ($17.99), jumbo shrimp sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, white wine, lemon and garlic, is served over linguine. Tilapia Cartoccio ($19.99) with potatoes, onions, tomato and olives, baked in a foil poach in A Mano’s wood-burning ovens, is finished with extra virgin olive oil. Osso Buco ($24.99), braised in A Mano’s wood burning ovens in a rich onion and mushroom sauce, is served over homemade pappardelle with sautéed squash, carrot and peppers as an accompaniment. Chicken Pizzaiola ($17.99) is boneless chicken breast breaded and oven baked with tomatoes, basil, oregano, sautéed onions and finished with extra virgin olive oil.

The restaurant’s selection of 25 different pizzas, all of which are available with traditional, whole wheat and gluten-free doughs, speak to classic combinations of hand-squeezed San Marzano tomatoes, homemade Mozzarella, flavorful cured meats, delicately sautéed vegetables and a host of flavorful cow and sheep’s milk cheeses. “During his March 6th visit, master pizza chef Antonino Esposito sautéed fresh chopped spinach in butter and incorporated this into pizza dough. The result is a beautifully colored and delicately flavored Spinacci pie ($15.99), complemented when topped with our house made Mozzarella, fresh cherry tomatoes, sea salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This will be offered as a special and available on occasion,” explained Mr. Mortati.

“There’s a beauty to our pizza, which is not always understood by the American palate: classic Neapolitan pizza is considered a slow food. It is eaten with a knife and fork. It’s not food on the go, folded in half and eaten while walking down the street. Our Caputo flour, the world’s best pizza flour which we import in bulk from Italy to make our dough with, has a special flavor all its own and we don’t want to lose that by overcooking it. So our pies (starting at $8.99), like true Neapolitan pizzas, are cooked for under 2 minutes in 1,000 degree ovens, emerging slightly charred around the edges and soft in the middle, so the flour and yeast in them can be savored.”

A Mano also imports a special Caputo pasta flour for use in the preparation of its homemade lasagna sheets, and now papparedelle (wide ribbon) and taggliatelle (thin ribbon) pastas ($12.99). “These pastas are made exactly the way they are in Naples, so the true flavors of flour and eggs are enjoyed when paired with any of our homemade sauces: tomato basil, Bolognese, pesto, alfredo and truffle cream,” added Mr. Mortati.

New appetizer, salad and Panini offerings marry traditional, how-your-grandmother-made-it preparations with new twists, such as elegant grilled artichoke hearts or tender, flash-fried calamari over salad greens ($10.99-$11.99)along with homemade meatball, sausage or Bresaola (cured beef)-filled Panini ($8.99).

About A Mano

A Mano, meaning “by hand,” is focused on presenting the ultimate combination of authentic ingredients, technique, and methods to create an unmatched Neapolitan experience.

A Mano is one of only three U.S. pizza restaurants to receive prestigious certifications from both the Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, the recognized authorities of Naples, Italy on traditional Neapolitan Pizza. The exacting standards are what stand A Mano apart from the rest, from the expertise of the pizzaiolo (the specially-trained pizza chef) to the use of ingredients imported from Naples (from all natural Caputo flour to the San Marzano tomatoes, grown in the foothills of Mt Vesuvio). Add-in fresh mozzarella, made on-site, by hand along with outrageous homemade gelato and desserts, and the true concept of artisan foods are revealed.

Down to the tiles and equipment, from floor to ceiling the restaurant’s makeup is imported from Italy. Its twin domed ovens with round chimneys, hand-built on site by Neapolitan Artisans using stones and volcanic soil imported from Naples, are the centerpiece of the restaurant, stretching to the ceiling of the two-story dining room. The architecture of these wood-fired ovens allows them to reach temperatures of 1,000 degrees, creating beautifully blistering, bubbling pizza in less than two minutes. A Mano has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality and authenticity of the craft of traditional Neapolitan foods, with results that speak mouthwatering volumes in every bite. The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. A Mano is located at 24 Franklin Avenue (at the corner of Chestnut Street), Ridgewood, NJ 07450. For more information, please call 201-493-2000 or visit www.amanopizza.com.

Philadelphia Pizza Delivery Man Dies

2010-01-22T09:53:00.001-05:00

This post is in honor of a Philadelphia pizza delivery man who died on Sunday afternoon in the Southwest section of Philadelphia while being hijacked on the job. 60 year old Jaime “Papi” Orozco was telephoned for a pizza delivery to 20th and Godfrey Avenue. When he arrived he realized that there wasn’t a building there. That is when he was car jacked and robbed. His death didn’t occur until after from a heart attack.

This poor man was just doing his job delivering pizzas when he lost his life. This is a very sad story for the pizza community because it solidifies a fear that many pizza delivery people constantly face. They deliver pizzas knowing that anything could happen to them at any time. Some delivery men and women deliver for something to do but most do it because they need the money. Mr. Orozco was just trying to make ends meet by working long hours delivering pizzas to dangerous locations.

This post serves as a remembrance to Mr. Orozco and his family and all other pizza delivery guys and gals who have fallen victim to a similar situation.

Tacconelli's NJ Best New Jersey Pizza

2009-12-06T11:59:00.006-05:00

Recently, I was going to do a review of the famous Tacconelli’s Pizzeria on East Somerset Street but every time that I try to go there they are booked or something else comes up (like they close down 2 weeks for vacation). Besides, what is a best Philadelphia pizza blog without at least one review of a place that has been generally accepted as the best Philly pizza for some time now? So I thought to myself “aren’t there any other options available?” With a little research I found out that the same family owns a second location in Maple Shade, NJ with the same name. I know this location isn’t in Philly but its origins are so I decided to give it a try.

Tacconelli’s Pizzeria NJ is located at 450 South Lenola Road, Maple Shade, NJ (only about 15-20 minutes outside of Philly towards the Cherry Hill Mall). Their current hours of operation are similar to the original pizzeria: Closed Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday and Saturday open 4-9:30; Thursday and Friday open 11:30-9:30; and Sunday 3-8. There hours of operation are a bit more flexible than the original pizzeria.

Before I begin… Tacconelli’s Pizzeria is extremely popular throughout Philly and a true review would not be worthy unless some background is in order. The following is the story of Tacconelli’s Pizzeria as told by Vince and Doris Tacconelli:

"In 1918, Giovanni Tacconelli traveled from his hometown of Chieti,
Italy to Philadelphia. After a few years working as a laborer, he decided to do
what he'd done in his native land - bake bread. The best and only way to do so,
he said, was to bake it in a brick oven. So, along with a few of his friends, he
built a 20' x 20' brick oven. The bread business went well until the outbreak of
WWII, at which time his sons- all of whom had helped him run the family
business- were drafted into military service. With no one around to help him,
Giovanni had no choice but stop baking bread.

In 1946, with everyone home from the war, Giovanni had a
brainstorm; rather than simply make bread, he decided to use his massive brick
oven to make Old World "tomato pies", a skill his mother had taught him many
years before. A skill that in time he would pass on to his own son, Anthony.

In 1998, after decades of operating an award-winning restaurant,
Anthony and Sylvia's son, Vince and his wife Barbara Tacconelli decided to
retire. They entrusted their business, which by now had become a Philadelphia
institution, to their younger son, Vince, Jr. Vince and his wife Doris would
successfully operate the pizzeria for the next five years, from 1998 - 2002.
In 2003, Vince decided it was time to take Tacconelli's to the next level.
That's when He and Doris opened a second Tacconelli's Pizzeria closer to their
home in Maple Shade, NJ.

Of course, some changes were inevitable. At Tacconelli's - Maple
Shade there is no need to reserve your dough; in fact, walk-ins are welcome. At
Tacconelli's - Maple Shade, we serve three types of salads (with homemade
dressings) and a variety of delectable desserts. And at Tacconelli's - Maple
Shade, we're open for lunch Thursday and Friday.

Some things, though, never change: at Tacconelli's - Maple Shade
you'll find Vince Jr. making the same freshly-baked, award-winning pizzas he
made at Tacconelli's - Philadelphia. The ingredients, and even most of the
cooks, are the same. So it is our commitment to our customers, namely to not
tamper with Giovanni Tacconelli's inimitable recipe for delicious, thin-crust
"tomato pies"."

Tacconelli’s Pizzeria’s New Jersey location actually dominates the original in many categories. First, they are open more hours. Second, the place is much bigger. Third, the brick oven is a gas oven instead of oil burning. This causes them to be able to cook more pizzas as long as they want. Fourth, you don’t need to reserve dough (Absurd). This is caused by the better oven in the new location. Also there are many more employees. Fifth, the menu selection is larger including salads and desserts.

Basically, the second location is operated the way a quality pizzeria should be – like a business. The other location produces a great pizza (we’ll save this for another review) but this is after the many inconveniences that a customer must face. If you have an old brick oven that only makes one pizza at a time but the demand is great then change the damn oven! Simple. That is the business way. Their old oven may have been good 50 years ago but as a business expands there needs to be adjustments made. They should also consider expanding the building too. OK…back to my review of Tacconelli’s Pizzeria in New Jersey.

There are 5 major gourmet thin crust pizzas served by Tacconelli’s Pizzeria NJ: the white pie, the signature pie, the red pie, the tomato pie, and the marinara pie. You can also add other toppings, which include: Onions, Mushrooms, Sweet Peppers, Chopped Tomatoes, Sweet Sausage, Pepperoni, Anchovies, Olives, Spinach, Roasted Peppers, Extra Cheese, Pesto, BBQ Sauce, Fresh Basil (when available). Each pie is about 12 inches round.

I sampled the signature, red, and marinara pie. The crust on all of the pies varied. At minimum, each pie was slightly charred on the tops and bottom (very slight). However, the signature pie’s crust was different. First, the charring was stepped up a notch to medium char. Also, the edge of the crust was sprinkled with extremely tiny charred crust specks. This produced a very tasteful and unique crust (this may be a reason that it is their most popular pizza).

The pizzas were also thin crust but I debate that. I guess what constitutes a thin crust can be interpreted differently depending on the person. For me, thin crust is super thin like Slice or Pizzeria Stella by Stephen Starr. With that style of thin crust, my consumption level can double easily. For example, if I am hungry for 4 slices of regular traditional pizza, I would be able to eat a whole pie that day of thin crust, etc. Tacconelli’s Pizzeria NJ has thin crust that is more filling then the ultra thin crust pizzas served by many others. I could not eat as much here without getting full. The thickness of the pizza is about ½ inch, slightly shy of traditional American style pizza crust. So we can call this thin crust with a very loose definition of thin crust.

Another good quality about this pizza was the foldability. This pizza was able to be folded without cracking. The crust produces a very crispy texture that was still solid enough to not crack and cause a mess (that many bad pizzas do).

Tacconelli’s sauce, in general, is very sweet and tangy. This is a very good quality for me as I believe that it is important to taste the sauce. Many pizzas have a bland sauce that blends in the background but not here. Their sauce makes you crave more. You find yourself searching for the next big sauce spot on the pizza to fill that sauce void. You can almost ask for a side of sauce to go with your pizza (but that wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the ingredients).

The marinara pizza had a slightly different sauce as it was a bit spicier. Their marinara sauce was slightly coated with a base of their sauce. That sauce is cooked to a golden brown and topped with grated Asiago cheese. I enjoyed the marinara pizza sauce but I preferred the original sauce found in their red pie better as the sweet tangy sensation was much more prevalent.

The red pie had about a fifty fifty mix of sauce and cheese. The cheese made this more of a traditional American style pizza. However, that style calls for cheese on top of sauce. That wasn’t exactly the case with their red pie. They put cheese on top of sauce and then a few dashes of sauce on top of the cheese – a hybrid. If you wanted just sauce and no cheese then you could have chosen the tomato pie pizza.

The signature pie did not have any pure sauce on there. It is a white pie, topped with cheese, garlic, spinach, and large chopped tomatoes throughout the pie. The final effect was delicious.

The signature pie was definitely my favorite because of how the crust was done. My only regret is not trying the traditional tomato pie. I think that I may have enjoyed this because I would like to eat their pizza with just the sauce (it was that good).

The service was excellent at Tacconelli’s Pizzeria NJ. For a busy night, the waitress kept checking in on my table to see if I needed anything else.

The price was reasonable for one of the best New Jersey pizza places (if not the best NJ pizza): The plain was $11.50 for the whole pie; $12.25 for the marinara; and $15 for the signature. Three pizzas can easily accommodate 6 people. This makes the price per head extremely cheap for quality gourmet pizza.

I have made a special exception for Tacconelli’s and allowed them to be included amongst other best Philly pizzas because of their history as a true Philadelphian Italian pizzeria and their close proximity to Philly (15 minutes). However, when I start a Best New Jersey Pizza Club, they will be on that list as well. Tacconelli’s Pizzeria NJ welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza

2009-11-28T18:28:00.005-05:00

Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza is located at 2229 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Established in 1996, Mama Palma’s has won many awards from various sources over the past 13 years. Their popularity in Philadelphia has caused them to be recognized as one of the most popular pizza restaurants next to Tacconelli’s and Pizzeria Stella.

Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza has had many mixed reviews over the past few years from its customers. I have explored their reviews from several sources and have found some gruesome stories that if true would cause them to be highly frowned upon in my book. However, from my recent experience there, I have disproved some of these comments. For example, one major topic is the owner’s thuggish appearance and horrible treatment to customers with children. This was not the case that I witnessed. Actually it was the opposite. There were several couples with children in the restaurant while I was there and all were given the highest customer service. The staff was very friendly and seemed to take care of their customers including myself and company.

Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza is located on the corner of 23rd and Spruce in Center City Philadelphia. The restaurant is average in size with about 15 tables. The place is very nice…definitely an upscale restaurant. However, nowhere near as beautiful as Stephen Starr’s Stella (he must have pumped a lot of money in that place).

When you first walk in you are greeted by the cashier and the wood fired oven on the left. The chef makes the pizza right in front of the wood fire burning oven. As you sit at your table you can admire all of the many awards that are framed on the wall for best Philadelphia pizza. On a cold day you can also stare at the fire in the oven as the chef makes the pizza and appreciate that you are in a warm environment. There is something about staring at a contained fire in a cozy atmosphere to make you feel at home (particularly when you know that it is cooking the food that you will be eating).

Let’s talk about their oven. According to Mama Palma’s, their brick oven is imported from Europe. Unlike conventional ovens, theirs can achieve a combination of roasting, baking, and smoking. The intense heat from the hardwood seals in the flavor that creates the many wonderful tastes of their pizza.

As stated, the waitress and waiters were all very nice to their customers. I experienced a very inviting atmosphere. However, one thing that I thought was interesting was the hospitality section on the menu of Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza. It states: “Mama Palma’s likes to treat our customers like family. When we are busy and other families are waiting, we would appreciate it if you could release your table after you have finished and allow us to seat others. La Famiglia Russo.” That was a nice way of putting it to get lost when you are finished. Well... at least they tried to be professional about it. They probably experience a lot of loiters who sit there for hours and order one pizza. This is a fancy place and I understand that they have a big waiting list. This must be the solution that they have come up with after 13 years in business.

Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza Review: First let me recommend ordering a specialty beer to wash down your pizza. While in an Italian restaurant you should drink Italian beer…Peroni of course. There are so many options on their menu that may make your head spin trying to decide on what to order. Although they specialize in pizza, Mama Palma’s also has a nice salad and pasta selection. Some of the gourmet pizzas that they have include: Peking duck, Maryland crab and asparagus, wheat pizza, low fat pizza, seafood, and veggie pizzas.

I ordered a medium 12 inch “pizza de mare” (seafood pizza). This pizza is a combination of fresco and garlic olive oil bases topped with shrimp, clams, and mozzarella. The crust was semi charred and thin. The slices became extraordinarily thin at the bottom so that the crust started to fold backwards automatically. This required the use of two hands. This may be due to the amount of toppings that were placed on the top of the pizza (plenty). The edge of the crust was also slightly charred from the flame and very crispy crunchy. This isn’t exactly the way New York pizza critics like their wood fired pizzas as there was only a very slight charring unlike Stella’s pizzeria which had a bit more char and air bubbles on the edge. Here the edge did not have any air bubbles from the dough and was very thin yet crispy. The 12 inch pie worked well. Someone who is a big eater can easily eat this whole pizza if they were very hungry (such as me).

The seafood pizza did not have any sauce per se but it did have big chunks of tomatoes throughout. There was also a good amount of small shrimp and clam slices. The mozzarella cheese was barely noticeable as the many other flavors in the pizza were the obvious dominant ones. Of particular notice was the olive oil base that made this pie a very messy one to eat. There was enough olive oil on the slices that they will drop off the edges and onto your fingers almost inevitably. This is not the same type of grease that you would experience at an average Joe pizzeria though. It was real olive oil and was only used moderately.

The price of this pizza was very expensive but it is a price that is deserving of true gourmet pizza. The 12 inch pizza was $19.50. This would be a few more dollars than Stella’s Pizzeria. Despite its price, I am very impressed with the overall package delivered by this place. The pizza was excellent. The menu selection of gourmet pizzas was diverse and unique. The atmosphere was very relaxing and comforting. The staff was hospitable. The location is ideal along a quaint street in Center City Philadelphia. The price was a bit high but I believe that you get what you pay for. In this case, the total package justifies the price; hence, there was much value to it.

Mama Palma’s Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

LaScala’s Italian Restaurant Pizza Review

2009-11-19T19:44:00.004-05:00

LaScala’s Italian American Homestyle Restaurant is located at 615 Chestnut, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Established in 2005, LaScala’s is actually the seventh location of Apollo Pizza. This is their only full scale restaurant and is their biggest representation of their company here in Philadelphia. Apollo pizza originated in 1969 with the birth of their family’s pizza recipe. The true history of this company began over 80 years ago when Frank Rocchino and Charles LaScala arrived in Philadelphia from Italy. This new location was named after these relatives to honor them.

LaScala’s Italian Restaurant in Center City Philadelphia is a beautiful place. The details inside there are amazing from the brick walls cleaned and pointed all around to the big bar. They also have giant windows for you to view the Philadelphia Center City passer bys while enjoying your meal. There is also a very big room in the back that I believe is reserved for catering.

The menu at Lascala’s is very diverse. You can order basically any type of Italian food there from pasta to pizza. They are famous for their pizzas though as they have won several awards. Their pizza is gourmet fine dining style pizza. They have many different types of pizza too and you can customize it based off what kind of toppings that you would like.

I ordered one of their specialty pizzas that had clams, bacon, tomato sauce, pepper flakes, and parmesan. Their pies were really good. Their thin crust crust was slightly charred and had a harder crust the closer you went towards the handle of the pie. Actually the edge had a semi irregular shape from the effects of the hardening of the crust.

The sweet tomato sauce had semi large chunks of tomato underneath all of the other toppings. The tomato sauce definitely stood out even though there were plenty of other toppings on there. The top of the pie had thin long slices of parmesan cheese spread throughout the pie. There were small slices of clams mixed well with small bits of bacon on top. The pizza had a nice spicy kick to it as the pepper flakes were used well. The final effect was a very good pizza.

There was one catch – the waitress. My waitress was nice but very airheaded. Her lack of attention to my group’s order caused a bit of a problem. I had order several items for our group and she forgot the main entrée. So everybody waited for about a half hour until finally we asked her for our food and she showed an expression of “I don’t remember you ordering that.” Thus, the meal was incomplete and my group was not happy.

Another problem that I had was when I presented a large dollar bill and asked for change the cents were not given (just the dollars). I don’t want to sound thrifty but a customer deserves to have their full change back not partial. It doesn’t matter if it is a penny. The common courtesy approach would be to ask if they want the small change not simply just to exclude it.

I really am having a hard time putting LaScala’s into the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club because of the bad service. However, there pizza and the atmosphere were really good. The price wasn’t bad either. The pizza only cost $12 and it is the type of gourmet pizza that is worth every penny. So I will give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe they only have one airheaded waitress and hope that next time I will be served a little better.

LaScala’s Italian Restaurant – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

New York Italian Bakery Pizza Review

2009-11-18T15:54:00.003-05:00

Do you recall when I first started this website that I said that I will disclose most of Philly’s secret pizza places? I introduce to you another fine example of what I meant. New York Italian Bakery is located at 2215 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148. Established in 1926, New York Italian Bakery should now be called Philadelphia Italian Bakery as they have become a pure example of a great Philly Italian bakery.

New York Italian Bakery is a buy and go place. They don’t have fancy options like delivery or dine in. Their store is very small scale. Actually there is only a small place to stand when you enter. They also sell a limited variety of Italian bread and they only sell 2 kinds of square pizza: regular tomato pie and white pizza. Despite their limited selection, what they do sell they make it well.

The story behind New York Italian Bakery pizza is that they used to sell it only on Sundays for many, many years up until recent times. Now they sell pizza seven days a week but only the tomato pie. The sell a white pizza but only make it on Fridays. This is their house and their house rules apply.

Let’s talk about their famous pizza that most true Philadelphians know about. It is so basic but so good that words can’t hardly describe it (but I’ll try). The tomato slices cost less than a $1 each. I actually bought 3 for $2.40 (that comes out to 80 cents apiece). The crust is definitely what makes this pizza unique. They make their square pizza in a small thin pan and cut them into many small slices to sell individually. The pan is nice and oiled up before it is put in their brick oven. The crust comes out crunchy with a buttery shining effect. The crust is not too thick compared to other Philly Italian bakeries (about ¾ inch). There isn’t a speck of char (ironic for a placed called New York Italian Bakery) on their pizza crust. Charring their crust is not their style.

New York Italian Bakery puts an extra thin coat of pure Italian tomato sauce on top of their crust. It is almost like they spread it on there the way you would spread butter on toast. In the sauce you can see dark specs of oregano or parsley under the tomato sauce (the sauce spread is that thin). There isn’t any cheese on this pie.

For the value and the taste, New York Italian Bakery is where you will obtain a true Philadelphia pizza experience. The staff is very friendly too. Just be prepared to eat the pizza room temperature unless you can wait 20 minutes for a fresh pan to come out.

New York Italian Bakery – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Carangi Baking Company Square Pizzas

2009-11-18T15:25:00.003-05:00

Carangi Baking Company is located at 2655 South Iseminger Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148 (between 12th and 13th on Oregon Avenue). Carangi's Bakery first opened in 1996 by Lou Carangi on 4th and Brown Streets in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of North Philadelphia. The original Carangi's was just a bakery without the cafe or retail space. In 1998, Lou decided to move the business to the current location.

The slogan of Carangi Baking Company is “The most complete Italian bread bakery in South Philly.” I don’t agree with the “most” part but they certainly have their act together. They sell a wide variety of products including: coffee, cappuccino, espresso, various rolls, bagels, muffins, Jewish bread, breadsticks, dinner rolls, hamburger rolls, pane, Stromboli, and bread crumbs and dough. Oh… and pizza. There were several types of pizza laid out on a small pan upon my visit.

Carangi Baking Company has several pizza choices to select from. They have cheese, tomato, white, wheat, broccoli rabe and roasted peppers, pompei, sausage, spinach and tomato, tomato, roasted peppers, and capers, and white with brochette, long hots, or sautéed peppers and onions.

The slices here are so cheap at $1 for cheese and $1.25 for the rest. The slice is a nice 4-6 inch square slice (give or take). The crust had no signs of char and was about an inch or so thick with a small handle to hold the slices. The crust had a buttery crunchy texture as this pizza was baked in their oven with the pan (the pan was very thin).

I ordered the pepperoni slice. This consisted of 1 giant thin slice of pepperoni on the whole slice. The pizza was served room temperature. This appears to be the trend with Italian bakery pizza in Philadelphia. They don’t warm up the pizza unless you ask them. Otherwise the pizza ranges from cold to room temperature unless you just caught them taking it out of the oven. Even though it is not hot, the pizza still tastes very good.

The pizza had a significant amount of cheese on top. Under the cheese was about a half inch thick sweet tomato sauce. The texture and thickness of the crust allowed for a good portion of toppings to be placed on top.

Overall, the value of Carangi Baking Company’s pizza combined with an award winning taste has put them ahead of the competition. Actually compared to some of the pizzerias that I have visited near City Hall in Center City, there isn’t any competition. Those pizzerias were overpriced and lousy. If you want real Philly Italian pizza then you have to go where the Italians in Philly go. Little Italy, South Philadelphia happens to be one of the most popular of those places.

Carangi Baking Company - welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Villari’s Bakery Pizza Review

2009-11-18T14:43:00.008-05:00

Villari’s Bakery is another perfect example of how you can find great pizza in Philly out of a traditional pizzeria setting. They are located at 2134 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148. Villari’s Bakery has been around since 1970 and continues to be very popular in Little Italy, South Philadelphia. They are a very tiny bakery run by an Italian family. Their operation is very small scale. The man who owns the place, Mr. Villari, serves many roles including baker and cashier. It appears that he only bakes a small amount of product at a time.

Villari’s Bakery is not a sit it or delivery operation. You buy and leave but mostly not without a good conversation, Italian style. The owner is very friendly and is always full of smiles.

Villari’s Bakery only sells bread and pizza (not pastries). The pizza that he sells is very limited in scope. I have only seen 3 types for sale: plain tomato pie square, plain tomato pie round, and white pizza (no cheese) round.

I ordered the tomato pie square and the white pizza. The crust on their pizza is very similar. There aren’t any signs of char just nice soft crust (this is the baker’s touch).

The slices on the square tomato pizza are about 4 by 6 inches (that is a guess considering I didn’t bring my ruler). The tomato sauce is a thin spread of sweet tomato sauce across the top of the crust. It is a thin coat of tomato sauce but yet not too thin (a little similar to New York Italian Bakery). The sauce has an undertone of various spices (possibly oregano and parmesan cheese). There isn’t any cheese on this pizza or any other of Villari’s pizzas either.

The round pizza is a 4-6 inches in diameter personal pizza that has an irregular shape around the edges. The white pizza is very interesting because there isn’t any cheese and yet the pizza tastes really good. In the center of the pizza are small slices of spices mostly chopped garlic pieces. There is also a thin coat of olive oil that is spread on top. The final effect is a really good pizza.

The best part about this pizza is that it only costs about $1.50 for both slices that I ordered. Do you realize how cheap that is in America today? This same pizza if sold in a fancy uptown coffee or pizza shop would range from $3-$5 a slice. Here we have 2 slices for half the price of 1 fancy pizzeria and the taste is so much better and fresher (they are baked fresh everyday).

Villari’s Bakery is another great example of great pizza in Philly that the tourists don’t know much about. Villari’s Bakery – welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Criniti’s Ristorante Italiano Pizza Review

2009-11-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

Criniti’s Ristorante Italiano Cucina Mediterranea Review

Criniti’s Ristorante Italiano Cucina Mediterranea (or Criniti’s Italian Restaurant) is located at 2611 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148 (a few blocks north of the Sports Complex on the corner near Broad and Oregon). Established in 1985 by Benito Criniti, Criniti’s Restaurant is now run by his son Massimo Criniti in a larger converted church just a few steps from its old location.

Criniti’s Italian Restaurant is in a big room with stain glass windows. This building once was a church so there are many extra touches that add character to this restaurant. This particular restaurant is known for many good Italian dishes including their pastas and pizzas. Criniti’s is a great place for a couple to go on a romantic night out for dinner. However, their lunch buffet that was just started this year has been quite a success. For approximately $10 per person you have a wide variety of Italian foods to choose from including chicken parmigiana, meatballs, Italian sausage, roasted peppers, tilapia, eggplant, mussels in red gravy (Italian sauce), soup, salad, and more. Their buffet is excellent and the value brings the meal home. For the price, you know that you are getting a quality traditional Southern Italian home cooked meal for every item on the menu. This is real South Philly Little Italy food owned and operated by Philly Italians that go the extra mile for their customers.

The waitresses and staff at this Italian restaurant are by far superior as their hospitality is very warm and receptive. They may be a little slow but that is because they have to be warm and receptive to all of their customers (so bring your patience as they are nice people).

If you want to have an occasion catered, Criniti’s Italian Restaurant also does catering as well. They have a second floor that is dedicated especially for their catering business.

Let’s get to their pizza. Their pizzas are thin crust American style (cheese on top) served personal size (about 10 inches). If you would like anything other than cheese than you need to make a special order. They can accommodate you with any toppings but you have to let them know exactly what you are looking for. Their thin crust pizza is very basic but it has old world Italian charm built into it. They use a wood fired brick oven to cook their pies. The price is $7.95 for a personal pizza with $1.50 for each extra topping.

The pizza that I ordered was a plain cheese pie. The crust was thin yet not too far from traditional pizza as it had a little weight to it. The pizza crust was foldable, not crackly, and had a nice handle on it to hold the slices. It also did not have any signs of charring yet it was cooked well. The pizza was very cheesy with signs of oregano and/or parsley showing through the cheese. The tomato sauce was sweet but there was a very thin coat below the cheese to make it barely noticeable. The dish that the pizza was served on was not flat but slightly high at the edges (a bowl form). This created an effect of the pizza to be dipping towards the center of the bowl due to the edges being higher than the center of the pie. This wasn’t a problem just an observation.

Overall, I was very impressed with the pizza and the total package at Criniti’s Italian Restaurant. This is the type of gourmet Italian pizza/food restaurant that you can eat as many courses as you need (Italian style) for a reasonable price.

Criniti’s Italian Restaurant – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Lazaro’s Pizzeria | Grill Largest Pizza Pie

2009-11-17T18:09:00.003-05:00

Established in 1999, Lazaro’s Pizzeria and Grill is located at 1743 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146. This place has an interesting set up. There are actually 2 buildings. The first building is where you order and get drinks. If you would like to dine in then you walk outside and through the doors of the building next door. In this building there are several tables to eat and a TV to be entertained with.

Lazaro’s Pizzeria and Grill has very good thin crust pizza, their specialty. The also sell a wide variety of other fast foods like cheese steaks, strombolis, calzones, salads, wraps, Italian subs, wings, cheeseburgers, and club sandwiches.

Lazaro’s Pizzeria and Grill has character. Their pizzas are all thin crust (American style) and they have pizza sizes up to 26 inches in diameter. This is almost as big as Lorenzo’s and Sons pizza on South Street. This would establish them as having one of the largest pizzas in Philly.

They also sell by the slice. I bought a slice of pepperoni pizza for $3. This is generally high for South Philly until you consider the size of their slices. Their slices are thin crust but they are made from much bigger pies (if I had to guess I would say 20 inch pies). The slices were very charred on the bottom so they have an oven flavor. The edge of the crust was very small as well, which gives you more room for the toppings.

There were plenty of pepperoni whole slices on the pie. This may be a reason for the extra layers of oil on top. I think that is their biggest weakness. They need to watch how much oil comes to the top of their pies when they cook with meat toppings like pepperoni. There was a sufficient amount of cheese and a thin layer of tomato sauce on the pie. The size of the slice was so large that you definitely have to fold it to get a better grip. I try not to fold my slices but with Lazaro’s, this is inevitable.

Overall, I like Lazaro’s Pizzeria and Grill as it has value, size, good taste, and character. I would recommend that they watch their oil count on top of their pies. Lazaro’s Pizzeria and Grill – welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Overbrook Pizza Will Smith Best Pizza

2009-11-17T17:43:00.003-05:00

Overbrook Pizza Review - Will Smith Best Philly Pizza

Overbrook Pizza is not your typical Philly pizza joint. Celebrating 30 years in business this year, this little take out only (or delivery) pizzeria was highly recommended by one of the most famous living Philly celebrities, Will Smith. They are located at 2099 North 63rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19151, just a few moments from Will Smith’s high school, Overbrook High.

The staff at Overbrook Pizza was very nice but very busy (so you need to order and cut the small talk). The place was very small so again, just a reminder, there aren’t anywhere to eat unless you don’t mind standing outside and eating. The pizza oven used was also very small right behind the counter.

Will Smith is very friendly with the owners of Overbrook Pizza. He often ate there as a kid growing up in West Philadelphia. This may be the reason that when he comes home to visit his mother every now and then that he stops by to have a bite. Will likes Overbrook Pizza so much that he mentioned the place on an interview at 60 Minutes a few years ago.

Overbrook Pizza is good not only due to their popularity with Will Smith and the Saint Joseph University students but also because their pizza is one of a kind. Although they don’t have a dine-in restaurant, just waiting for your pizza for pickup is an enchanting experience. There are pics of Will and the owners on the wall and Overbrook Pizza’s awards (including World’s Largest Cheese Steak).

Overbrook Pizza makes their pizza in a pan. They are one of a small few in Philly that make pizza this style. I am not sure where they came up with this style of pizza making as the owners appear to be straight from Italy and not Chicago. Those facts become irrelevant once you eat their pizza. I ordered the Veggie pizza for $9. The pizza is a personal size (about 10 inches). They do not sell by the slice so I was forced to buy the whole thing but boy was it worth it. The veggie is made out of several major vegetable toppings including: mushrooms, black olives, broccoli, onions and green peppers.

All of the toppings were fresh and they loaded the small pie with them. The crust was not charred at all but very shiny, crunchy and with a buttery crust appeal as a pan pizza has. This is not a deep dish as the toppings and cheese were on top of the sauce. The cheese was very stringy and the eight small slices made eating very messy (especially considering the weight of the toppings). The sauce was very sweet but with all of the toppings you barely noticed it. The crust was definitely the highlight of the pizza though. Having good pan pizza is a treat in Philly where pan pizza barely exists.

Overbrook Pizza has value, popularity, taste, originality, and voted best pizza by the Philly legend Will Smith. Putting all of these factors together, I say Overbrook Pizza - welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Mama Angelina’s Pizza Restaurant Review

2009-11-14T18:49:00.004-05:00

Mama Angelina’s Pizza Restaurant, located at 1337 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, has been in business for over 30 years. This pizzeria is another typical Center City pizzeria…and that is not a good thing. I don’t know why but Center City Philadelphia has some bad pizzerias. I am not talking about gourmet pizzas but your regular everyday pizza joints. When I say Center City I am excluding Old City, which happens to have some really good pizza places over there (even though it is technically considered Center City). Most of the pizzerias in Center City that are close to City Hall fit my prior description.

Mama Angelina’s Pizza Restaurant is a small little pizzeria near Broad Street and Locust. It appears as if the place hasn’t been modernized in over 25 years. There are only a few places to sit inside but they also deliver if you don’t want to dine in. They have a cheap old small pizza oven across the counter in the small work station for the chef.

I ordered a slice of pepperoni pizza. The pizza was reheated as it was sitting for some time. The pizza was served very quickly. There was a good portion of pepperoni put on top of the cheese (as this is an American style pizza place with cheese on top of the sauce). The pepperoni was cut into very thin slices.

The problem that I had with this pizza is the amount of oil that was bleeding through the pepperoni. The final effect was significant heartburn. I should have padded this down with some napkins as the oil was really out of control. The size of the slice was average size but you can find much bigger slices outside of Center City. The final price was $2.80, which is actually a reasonable price for Center City Philadelphia pizza but not Philly as a whole.

I thought that the service was about average. They didn’t do anything to piss me off like Joe’s Brick Oven Pizza but they didn’t go the extra mile for the customer either. Considering the quality of their pizza, that extra mile could have helped.

I am giving Mama Angelina’s Pizza Restaurant a yellow light (proceed with caution) as they have some areas mentioned above that they need to improve on.

Joe’s Brick Oven Pizza Review

2009-11-14T18:28:00.003-05:00

Joe’s Brick Oven Pizza or Joe’s Pizza is located at 122 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. From my understanding they have been open for many years (I have no idea how they have remained in business with their lack of quality customer service).

Joe’s Pizza is located in a very bustling area of Philadelphia so there is constant foot traffic into their business. They have a very beautiful building that has two floors of seating. There are plenty of tables on both floors so not to worry about finding a place to sit and eat.

Joe’s Pizza claims to have a brick oven but their oven is in no way a pure “brick oven.” It is more of a small high tech metal oven with a fake marble tile façade.

I have many complaints about Joe’s. First, the pizza…it sucks. Just horrible…no other critic can put it any better. The food was sitting there for how long on the counter. After being reheated it still came out bad.

I ordered a broccoli pizza…how can you mess that up (there is no sauce)? There was a good amount of broccoli (not a significant amount) but they definitely weren’t anything called fresh. There wasn’t any sauce on this pie as it was just a broccoli and cheese. The cheese was sitting under the broccoli and was very dry. The crust had zero signs of char. Matter of fact, the pizza was barely warm. The cashier/cook forgot to put my pizza in the oven. That leads me to the service.

The service at Joe’s Pizza was worse than the pizza. For starters, no one behind the counter cracked a smile to me or the thirty other customers the whole time I was there. I felt like the staff was talking down to its customers too with each interaction. Second, I ordered a slice of pizza and had to wait ten minutes before realizing the guy never put my slice in the so called brick oven. The second guy picked up on his mistake and put it in there for like 5 seconds. He gave it to me just barely warm. All this for $3.25 a slice. What a rip off!

What I don’t understand is how can you have such a nice place in one of the busiest areas in Philly and have lousy pizza and service. Where is the passion for your pizza? Pizza is an art and not to be treated with the disrespect that I felt me and every other customer in this joint was given.

Joe’s Pizza is NOT recommended by the Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog!

Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen Review

2009-11-14T17:58:00.003-05:00

Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen is located at 1107 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. This is another typical Center City Philadelphia pizzeria. They have been established now for several years and are open seven days a week.

Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen has a very colorful place and has a nice layout inside. It is not a fancy place the way the name makes it sound but it is not a hole in the wall either. It is a nice laid back yet attractive open space pizzeria/restaurant. They serve a wide variety of foods but pizza is their specialty.

The reason that I say that this is another typical Center City pizzeria is because their pizza was average. I didn’t form a bad impression about the Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen but I wasn’t positively impressed either. The counter pizza that they had also appeared to be sitting there for a long time. This includes the slice of plain cheese that I ordered. They reheated it for me but I felt like I was eating leftovers because the slice didn’t look fresh.

The cashier was polite unlike the other pizza places in Center City that I have recently been to but that is just one element worth considering when looking at the big picture. The slice of the pizza was $2.15, which is actually cheap by Center City standards but not by Philly standards as a whole.

The crust neither was charred one bit nor was it crunchy or crispy. The pizza that I ate was American style with the cheese on top. There was a good amount of cheese but the problem was the slice was too small compared to many other slice shops throughout Philly. The slice was cut from a 14-16 inch pie instead of an 18-20 inch pie. Thus, it was narrower and shorter. The crust at the edge was about 2 inches long before you hit the cheese. I don’t agree that this style of pizza should have an edge like that as it takes away from the space you could be using for more cheese and sauce. The sauce used was your standard bland tomato sauce and spread very thin. There was definitely more cheese used, which made the sauce a very miniscule background flavor.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen into the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club now. But I thought the place was nice, the staff was friendly, and the price was reasonable for Center City Philadelphia. They need to work on their pizza though to stand out from the competitors. For these reasons, I give Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen a yellow light (proceed with caution) for their pizza.

New York Pizza Department Review | NYPD

2009-11-14T17:27:00.006-05:00

New York Pizza Department (NYPD) is located at 140 South 11th Street (11th & Walnut), Philadelphia, PA 19107. NYPD Pizza is family operated and is not affiliated with the pizza franchise with the same name. To me this is your typical Center City Philadelphia pizza, bad to horrible. Center City Philadelphia pizza joints are the reason that Philadelphia has a bad name for pizza (or just isn’t credited with good pizza). The tourists come here, stay in Center City, and then are forced to eat the high end, low quality, convenient to tourist crap they call pizza.

This pizzeria doesn’t come close to representing New York pizza either. Many New York pizza enthusiasts probably would agree. Fortunately, I have been all over New York and come to their defense that this is not New York pizza. New York pizza is much much better. This pizza barely had any char on its crust – that is not New York pizza. New Yorkers will attest that they love a nice black char mark throughout the pie. They also like them crispy, which was not found here.

New York Pizza Department won best of Philly in 2006 and has sparked up some popularity. They are a small little hole in the wall pizzeria with various pictures around for display. There are several small tables to sit or you can pick up your food and go. They also have delivery service available too.

It is not that I have anything against this place but I was just all around not impressed. First, the service was lousy. The cashier/janitor/cook never cracked a smile once. I ordered a slice of reheated counter pizza that looked like it was sitting there since the grand opening of this joint.

The pizza that I ordered was a tomato pizza with no sauce. The pizza was traditional crust served with tomato slices on top. The size was a smaller type of slice as it was cut from about a 16 inch pie instead of an 18 or 20 inch pie. The tomato slices were plentiful on the slice and were thinly cut. The cheese under the tomatoes was an appropriate amount but the pizza was a little stale. Even though I am aware that it was reheated the question was how long was its sitting there before being reheated? All this for $3.25 – so not worth it!

I cannot make a recommendation for NYPD Pizza Department as they do not meet my pizza standards to be considered the Best Philadelphia Pizza.

Soho Pizza Buffalo Chicken Review

2009-11-13T17:27:00.002-05:00

Soho Pizza is located at 218 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Old City). Established over 10 years ago, Soho Pizza is a very narrow pizzeria just a few steps away from several of its competitors. They have a very nice wood burning oven (somehow it manages to fit in this small place). The staff could have been a little friendlier as they greeted me with lack of smiles. This is a sit in pizzeria with several tables along the side wall.

Soho Pizza serves American style pizza and they do sell by the slice. They were very quick in warming up my pizza. The pies that they had on their counter top all looked fresh. The large amount of customers in there would create a high turnover of new counter pizza available. Thus, their popularity helped confirm the freshness of the slice.

I do have to say that I was extremely impressed with the aesthetics of their pizza pies. This is not your typical American style pizza joint. They have a wide variety of pizza options and their pizzas all look very appealing. Whatever the major sauce is that goes on each pie; they created concentric circles on top of the pie with it. The illusion is a very appealing and interesting looking pie. Eat and be entertained at the same time – what a concept!

I ordered a slice of the buffalo ranch chicken pizza for $3.25, a bit pricy. However, I did feel like I got my money worth. The slice is very big and loaded with toppings. There were plenty of chicken slices throughout the slice. There was also a good amount of cheese as well. But the highlight was the ranch dressing that was swirled around the whole pie, which created a good distribution for each slice. The final effect was plenty of taste in the pizza.

The crust was slightly charred with traditional American style thickness (also triangular shaped). Although it didn’t have much char, the crust was still very crispy as you bite into it.

I only ate one type of pizza at Soho but all of the pizzas on their counter looked appetizing, which is a rare quality for a pizzeria. The other thing I like is that they make the pies fresh right in front of you so that you can ensure that their cooking is up to the highest quality standards – your standards. This includes the time that they make the dough until they pull the pie out of the oven.

Soho Pizza – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Pizzicato Italian Pizza Restaurant Review

2009-11-13T16:48:00.003-05:00

Pizzicato is an upscale Italian pizza restaurant located at 248 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Old City – corner of 3rd and Market). Established approximately in 1998, Pizzicato has become a very popular choice for many gourmet pizza goers. They have a beautiful restaurant inside with a very large wood burning oven off to the left when you first walk in the door. The place is semi large and holds about a dozen or so tables. They are very friendly there…actually almost a little too friendly. When I walked in the waitress almost knocked me over trying to say hello.

I ordered the Margherita pizza for $9 as I sat at their table and ate. There are several other options of pizza to choose from also if you desire. I happen to like the Margherita though. This is definitely not a pizzeria where you can walk in and order a slice (they don’t serve by the slice). It is more of a classier restaurant so dress nice. They also have a very nice bar that runs parallel with their wood fired oven. Watching the fire crackle while you eat also makes a more soothing setting.

Back to the Margherita pizza review. The pizza was worth the $9 considering the classy atmosphere that you become absorbed with. The pie was a personal 10 inch pizza with six slices. The crust was thin and crispy but not charred at all. This was a surprise as I would have figured that the crust would have had at least a speck of black considering the nice oven that they have. The mozzarella cheese was spread out over the pizza in various locations. There was a nice ratio of cheese to sauce (about 50/50). The sauce was sweet but not thick. They could have used a tad bit more sauce as there was such a thin coat of it. The basil was in small thin slices spread over top. I prefer to have whole leaves fresh and green and put one on top of each slice. I don’t particularly like small strips but it wasn’t a big deal. It would have been a big deal if the basil wasn’t fresh.

Pizzicato is a nice little pizza restaurant in Old City Philadelphia. Although I don’t believe their pizza can compete with a place like Pizzeria Stella, I do agree that they should be in the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Sarcone’s Bakery Italian Pizza Review

2009-11-13T16:21:00.005-05:00

The following review is a very special review of Sarcone’s Bakery is South Philadelphia. Located at 756-758 South 9th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, Sarcone’s Bakery is one of the most popular old world Italian bakeries in Philadelphia. Established in 1918 by Luigi Sarcone, the bakery is still run by the same family with the same recipe as their Italian ancestor. In 2000, the business was fire bombed but survived and was opened for business the next day. Sarcone’s Bakery does also have a deli that they opened about 10 years ago that is a few doors down.

Sarcone’s Bakery sells all types of breads and desserts but obviously we are discussing them here because of their famous pizzas. Also, if any of you have read our Philly Cheese Steak Blog you may have noticed that Sarcone’s rolls are a very popular choice for many steak shops in Philly. This place is one of the most famous Philadelphia bakeries alongside with its competitors: Cacia’s, Amoroso, and Iannelli’s. Their philosophy on business deserves respect as well. They refuse to expand beyond what they can handle as to be careful not to sacrifice quality. I really like the quote that Luigi Sarcone states “Put too much food in your mouth and you can’t chew.” He was speaking of growing too big such as some of their competitors.

Sarcone’s Bakery sells pizza but their operation is a little different. If you want to try their pizza then you need to get there early (as in no later than about 1 or until they sell their last slice). They are open six days a week except Mondays but the pizza is sold only in the morning/early afternoon and goes fast.

Their pizza is usually cold unless the tray was just made. I happened to eat a cold slice but it is still good (it’s actually room temperature). They have only a few major selections of pizza, which include: tomato or white pie, regular pie, pepperoni pie, and their gourmet pie. I ordered a slice of their gourmet pie for $2. All of their pies are square pies served from a baking tray. The gourmet pie was 95% cheese and no sauce. The slice was topped with slightly hot peppers (mild) that were cut into small sluices. The peppers were not plentiful as there was only a few on each slice. I think that they were used mainly as an accent. I would recommend that they add a little more peppers or something else as there was just too much white on the pizza. There was plenty of space to fill the top of the slice.

Other than the cheese and the peppers the slice was very basic except for one thing. Did you forget that this is one of the best bakeries in Philly? The crust was made out of the brick oven of one of the best bakeries in Philly thus producing awesome crust. The crust was about an inch thick on the square slice. There were no signs of charring but it was extremely crunchy. It was so good that being served room temperature was not a problem (but I am sure that hot is better).

Sarcone’s Bakery has a very friendly family like atmosphere. There aren’t any tables to sit as it is take out only so be prepared to order and keep on moving.

Sarcone’s Bakery is a legend in Philly. It is my honor to welcome them into the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Gianfranco Pizza Rustica Old City Pizza

2009-11-13T15:03:00.003-05:00

Gianfranco Pizza Rustica is a major player in the Philadelphia pizza market with 3 locations throughout the city. Established in 1994, Gianfranco runs their pizzeria like a true business. They are open seven days a week, they have catering services, they deliver, and they have online pizza ordering available. Gianfranco Pizza Rustica’s three locations are: 248 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (Center City); 6 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106 (Old City); and 2124 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145 (South Philly).

Gianfranco Pizza Rustica has won many awards including 7 years Best of Philly Pizza award. They were also featured on our friend JAB’s website, LA Pizza.

Gianfranco Pizza Rustica’s location in Old City is the subject of this review (the same location that LA Pizza went to). The Old City location is very small but still holds several tables for the customers to sit. What I like about this place is the options. They have so many different types of pizza to choose from in addition to a wide sandwich selection.

You can order almost any kind of pizza here. If they don’t have it on their menu they appear to have the type of operation that will try to accommodate you by making a personalized pizza for you. They have all kinds of interesting pizzas besides your normal pie, including: taco pizza, Mexican pizza, meatball, pizza, and artichoke pizza.

When I went to Gianfranco Pizza Rustica they were extremely quick. There were about five people in front of me in line and I still managed to order and receive a hot pizza in less than 5 minutes. That is quality speed.

Let’s take a look at the pie review: I ordered a slice of what they call the traditional tomato pie for $2.25. The size of the slice was rather large so there was value to the price. This tomato pie was served American traditional crust style with average thickness (triangular shape). I would say that most of their pizzas are served with this type of crust except for their Sicilian pies, which are fresh to order. The crust was very slightly charred but crispy.

Their tomato pie was made from pesto and romano cheese. Their slice consisted of about 90% sweet tasting thick tomato sauce (a nice red slice). There were also small thin slices of cheese strategically placed on top of the sauce. A nice slice of pizza for $2.50. This place has some good turnaround time with its customers. This is good to know if you like ordering by the slice because this will ensure that your pizza wasn’t sitting on their counter to long.

Gianfranco Pizza Rustica – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery

2009-11-12T21:41:00.004-05:00

Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery Review

At the southern part of the Italian Market is Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery. Established in 1910 (according to their advertisements), Iannelli’s is located at 1155 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147. They are open every day except Monday. Since their business is a bakery and not a pizzeria they have bakers’ hours. There are open Tuesday to Sunday 8am-6PM and Friday and Saturday Nights until 11PM.

If you have never been to Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery then you are truly missing out on a real Philadelphian Italian pizza experience. Iannelli’s is a pick up or delivery place only. There isn’t any room to sit as there is barely any place to order in this tiny shop. In the summer they do have outdoor tables but that won’t help in the winter.

Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery is your quintessential Philly Italian pizza bakery. However, this bakery is special because they serve various types of gourmet pizza. After all, who would be more equipped to make pizza than a good Italian bakery? The oven in this place is supposed to hold up to 60 pies. In addition to pizza, they also serve desserts like cannoli’s (fresh), homemade crab gravy, sandwiches, and salads.

But let’s talk about their pizza. The pizza is Sicilian style as this is where the Iannelli’s roots are from. Thus, all of their slices are Sicilian square style. They have a wide variety of pizza but you have to order them in advance so that they can make them fresh for you. If you are looking to show up and buy pizza then you will usually only have their traditional tomato pie to choose from (they are served cold so you will have to ask them to be heated if that is your preference). The slices are $2.25 but are huge square slices (something around 8 by 8 inches). They sell whole and half pies (a tray of square slices), which prices vary for wholes from about $18 to $40.

I ate their traditional Sicilian tomato pie. First, let me say how nice the staff was. She was so kind and gave me a free pizza slice to sample. This kind of treatment is a rarity in a tough city like Philadelphia. They have pictures on the walls of the Iannelli family and the pictures truly do speak of such a kind family. But back to the staff. The woman working there was very polite and kept asking me if I wanted something else (napkin, bag, etc.). She also tried to sell me on her desserts but I will have to take her up on that another time. This place just reminded me of what Old World Philly was like over 50 years ago where the local butcher knew you so well that they knew exactly what you were looking for without opening your mouth. That was old world business: customized and personalized. I think many businesses have seemed to lose this important touch in the modern world. This is a sure quality that keeps the customers coming back.

The tomato pie: the crust was not charred at all just cooked crunchy and semi thick. As mentioned the size of the slice was large and so was the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was about an inch thick. They use quality gravy with a lot of spices. Spicy “gravy” is a trademark of Southern Italians as Northern Italian sauce is blander. Thus, spicy sauce would be expected considered that the Iannelli’s are originally from Sicily. There wasn’t any cheese in this pie but they may have hinted it in the sauce.

There is a pie at Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery that I have wanted to try for some time but haven’t gotten around to it. It is called the Jumbo Lump Crab Meat Pizza. You need to make an advance order as this is a specialty pie ($40 for a whole). This consists of fresh sautéed crab meat on a bed of mozzarella, with roasted red peppers, and black olives. This pizza has won many awards. If you get a chance, order this pizza and then tell us what you think.

Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery is a true representation of what Philly pizza is and should be. I am giving them a green light into the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club and can tell you now that they are a strong candidate for the Best of the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club (when I eventually create it). They are great all across the board from price to authentic to quality.

Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery –welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Lorenzo’s Pizza Italian Market Style

2009-11-12T20:01:00.003-05:00

For many years, Lorenzo’s Pizza has been faithfully serving pizza in one of the most tasteful areas in Philadelphia, The Philadelphian Italian Market. Located at 900 Christian Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, Lorenzo’s pizza complements the other fine ethnic cuisines along 9th street.

Lorenzo’s Pizza sits at the corner of a very touristy area in Philly but are staffed but very local people. The final effect is to feel like you are truly immersed in the Philadelphian culture. The inside of Lorenzo’s has several tables as well as the counter for those who would like to dine in. The place looks and feels like a place from several decades ago (I can’t really tell which decade though). It is a bit run down in appearance but very laid back. They have a TV in there that complements my former point about the pizzeria’s age. The staff was very nice and the food was served super quick. What more can you want... well…quality and price…so let’s take a look.

The price was $1.50 for a large size American style plain cheese pizza slice. This a great deal as these are prices from 10 plus years ago. The size of the slice is very big and the crust is traditional crust but very thin at the end of the slice.

The cheese covered the top of the pie and was a very thin layer. The sauce underneath had a nice undertone of oregano, which can be seen through the cheese in sporadic patches. There weren’t any signs of charring on the pie but it still tasted good.

Overall, Lorenzo’s Pizza has very good American style pizza in the heart of the Italian Market. The place is a little run down but you are not eating the place just the pizza. The price of the slice was a tremendous deal for the size given. When you’re done your pie you can walk outside and get some coffee and dessert from the local shops around the way.

Lorenzo’s Pizza welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria Philly Pizza Review

2009-11-12T19:25:00.004-05:00

Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria is located at 1336 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Established around 1997, Paolo Gourmet Pizza has become very popular in Center City Philadelphia.

Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria has delivery, pickup or dine in options available. If you choose to eat there, they have several tables and booths to sit at. Their tables are very colorful and their radio was blasting rap music when I was there so this pizzeria is not your typical gourmet pizza shop. Actually it is not fancy in appearance at all like a true gourmet pizza place like Pizzeria Stella. I think that these pizzerias like to throw around the word “gourmet” but don’t truly comprehend what gourmet pizza is.

Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria has a very extensive menu including tomato pies, traditional pizzas, and would you believe that they have a pizza with French fries on top. Strange…but sometimes strange may be good.

I ordered the chicken parmigiana pizza to spice things up. This is made with breaded chicken, marinara sauce and sharp provolone. The crust was crispy and small signs of charring on the bottom. The crust was of a traditional American style thickness in a triangular shape. This particular slice could have been much better. They only put 3 small blocks of chicken on top of the slice.

There was more sauce than cheese on the pizza and the minimal amount of sauce that was on there still was not the right proportion. All this for $3 a slice...way too expensive. Two blocks away you could go to Pine Street Pizza and pick up a slice about a dollar cheaper.

I am going to give Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria a red light (not recommended). They need to loosen up on the prices and give back more to their customers. Another thing that I noticed was the pizzas that were sitting on the counter appeared to possibly have been there over an hour. How could you possibly give a quality slice of pizza to your customer and be considered Philly’s best pizza if your slice were sitting out for a long time. Then when you go to reheat the slice (and you will have to) the slice will take on a different form (the form of reheated leftovers). This could never be good if you want to be considered a true gourmet pizzeria. Finally, the quality of the pie was just not the taste of gourmet pizza or quality pizza in general. Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria…remember that the key to gourmet pizza is fresh ingredients made and served now and not a few hours ago.

Philadelphia Pine Street Pizza Review

2009-11-12T18:42:00.004-05:00

Pine Street Pizza is located at 1138 Pine Street, Philadelphia, PA (corner of 12th Pine, hence the name). Established at some point in the late 1970’s (about 30 years ago), this pizzeria is still serving Center City Philadelphia residents. They are open 7 days a week and have a very extensive menu.

Pine Street Pizza is a pick up or delivery operation but if you would like you can also sit and eat inside (they have several tables). They staff is very pleasant and if you like arcades they have them too in the other room.

Pine Street pizza mainly serves American style pizza with the cheese on top. I ordered a slice of pepperoni pizza for $2.25, a little high. The highlight of this slice was the shape. The shape was a traditional triangle slice shape but the length was shorter and the width was much wider. The crust was traditional style thickness but very crispy. However, there weren’t any signs of charring. There was a slight residual of oil on top but this may be due to the massive amounts of pepperoni that they packed on top (all of which were very big slices).

The cheese was packed nice on top of the sauce. The sauce was barely tasted from the overpowering of the cheese and pepperoni.

I enjoyed this pizza but I think the slice price could have been a tad cheaper. Then again, they are located in Center City Philadelphia and this is the premium the customers must pay to buy there. If you were to buy a large pepperoni pie the price would be $8.95, which becomes much more reasonable.

Pine Street Pizza welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Philadelphia Pizza Hut Restaurant Review

2009-11-12T11:11:00.003-05:00

There are five dine in locations for Pizza Hut in the Philadelphia area currently. Their addresses are: 3501 Aramingo Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19134; 3000 Island Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19153; 1401 66th Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19126; 6613 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19135; and 300 East Baltimore Pike, Clifton Heights, PA 19018.

The Pizza Hut location that is the subject of this review is at 3501 Aramingo Avenue. Established over 20 years ago, this location is one of the most popular Pizza Hut locations is Philly. Although there are about 10 Pizza Huts in Philly that have delivery and pick up services, only the five locations above are pure dine in restaurants. Most of the restaurants have the same Pizza Hut franchise look with the one story brick building and the red A shaped roof (thus the logo of Pizza Hut).

The inside of this Pizza Hut location brings back a nostalgic remembrance of the 1980’s. Actually I would bet that barely anything has been changed in this place since that timeframe. I felt like I was walking in a time warp. The building appears well kept but nothing has been modernized. There are plenty of tables and booths in the restaurant. They also have a pizza buffet there but you have to get there before 2 or 3.

I recently ordered the stuffed crust pan pizza with half pepperoni and half sausage for approximately $10. They have a special now $10 for any pizza, any topping. This pizza has an extra ring of cheese around the inner circumference of the pizza.

To recall, pan pizza is similar to Chicago deep dish pizza in that it is cooked in a pan with a layer of oil at the bottom to give the crust a more buttery taste. The major difference with traditional deep dish is that the pan pizza has the toppings on top of the sauce and cheese. The regular Chicago deep dish has the sauce on top of everything. I like both approaches but Pizza Hut has perfected the pan pizza version as this is their signature pie.

Pizza Hut is one of the very few pizza places in Philly where you can get Chicago style pizzas (in this case pan pizza). That is why I thought that one review of Pizza Hut would be relevant here. The other major player would be Chicago Pizzeria Uno (the inventors of Chicago style deep dish pizza) and that will be a review for another time. So if you want this style of pizza in Philly, these are your two main options (after all this is not Chicago).

Although this is a pizza chain and my traditional opinion of pizza chains is that they are generally lousy, I have always had a soft spot for Pizza Hut. It may be that their style of pizza is hard to find in Philly and I like deep dish and pan pizzas…yea..that is probably it. I bet if I lived in Chicago where this kind of pizza is served everywhere I probably would not feel the same. But here in Philly, franchise or no franchise, Pizza Hut presents an opportunity to bring Chicago a little closer to home.

The crust is a nice buttery colored crust on the bottom and the edges. That extra buttery flavor really adds value to the pie but I am sure that it adds to your cholesterol level as well. The pies at Pizza Hut are 14 inches served in a pan that was probably as old as Pizza Hut. There are 8 slices in a pie. Each slice is more filling than a regular American slice as this is pan style, a thicker crust style. This pizza was very cheesy but it tastes great the way Pizza Hut does it.

The extra ring of mozzarella cheese around the edge of the pizza’s crust complements the pie. The pizza in general is very cheesy but the sauce underneath balances it out. The pepperoni and sausage toppings have created a little extra oil on top of the pie. If this is too much for you then you may want to put a napkin over it to make it to your liking. They were very generous about the amounts of sausage and pepperoni on the pizza as well.

Overall, Pizza Hut has good pan pizza for a reasonable price. The waitresses were very nice and helpful. As an unusual twist of events, I am very impressed with a major pizza franchise. Pizza Hut, welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Pizza Reviews Question

2009-11-11T14:30:00.003-05:00

I have just received an email from a fan of Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog and thought it was be easier to a address his questions here. I have included his message below.

I disagree with your review of Mack's I just had it tonight and while it is
not perfect, I did enjoy it. I feel that a lot of pizza in Philly is pretty bad,
and they are way above average. And interestting too.

I don't understand the Slice reviews, I find it to be bland and boring
although it is beautiful.I agree about Marra's and Franco & Luigi's being
good, but you have missed a few down here in south philly.

Sarcone's makes pizza too! It may be sicilian style, but it's one of my
favorites, but not always avaialable (only weekends?)

Another bakery pizza to try is Iannell's on passyunk near federal. They
close early so it is more of a daytime pizza (I haven't had their thin crust
yet, but their tomato pie and Sicilian is great. Also check out their breakfast pizza (eggs and thick bacon) it sounds gross but it is pretty amazing.You should also try Soho pizza on market, it may be a little different (is it NY style?) but I consider it one of the best in Philly and I rank them with Rustica (A few blocks away).

Who do you consider the absolute best? Your blog doesn't say.

I still can never decide who to to order from, so I keep trying the new
flyers they stuff in my door hoping to discover something new.

Later,

Mike Garson

South Philly

Mike,

You have very good suggestions and due to various time constraints, I haven’t introduced many very good pizza joints yet. Over the next few weeks though I will be providing a significant amount of reviews as my time will be freeing up a little. I am glad that you mentioned Sarcones and Iannelli’s as they are 2 of my favorites too and have planned to review them eventually. I am curious as to how you can find Mack’s pizza good though?

After I round up about another 25-30 more reviews I will create a “best of the best list.” For now I am just reviewing what is deemed to be the most popular pizzas plus a few local secret pizza places like the two that you have mentioned above. Keep reading Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog and stay tuned as your answers will unfold.

Stephen Starr's Pizzeria Stella Review

2009-11-08T11:50:00.005-05:00

The long awaited Pizzeria Stella review is finally here. Pizzeria Stella is another fine creation by Philadelphia restaurant genius Stephen Starr. Located at 420 North 2nd Street (2nd and Lombard Street), Philadelphia, PA 19106, this pizzeria is open seven days a week.

Before I provide my review I would like to include a short profile of Stephan Starr from his website. I think this is in order as this new Philadelphia pizzeria (opened at the end of September 2009) has drawn national headlines.

Stephen Starr, owner of Starr Restaurants, began working in the restaurant
industry at the age of 21 when he opened his first club in an Old City diner,
Grand Mom Minnie's, which served food during the day and comedy at night. Next
he opened Stars, a cabaret/restaurant that featured acts who were just starting
out such as Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Belzer and Pat
Benatar.

Continuing to promote live entertainment, Starr opened a larger venue,
the Ripley Music Hall, which showcased new talent such as U2, The Eurythmics,
Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Springsteen, who were still very small at the time.
Eventually he began The Concert Company to bring large-scale stadium acts to
Philadelphia. Starr was responsible for memorable shows including: Madonna,
Lionel Ritchie, George Michael and others. In 1990, when Electric Factory
Concerts bought him out, he used the profit to open several new venues
including: Shake, Burger and Roll, a kitschy diner; The Bank, a trendy dance
club which later became District Nightclub; and Cafe Republic, a Russian-themed
caviar and vodka bar.

Founded in 1995, STARR Restaurants is now one of the fastest growing
multi-concept restaurant companies in the country. STARR Restaurants
include Buddakan, Morimoto, The Continental, Barclay Prime, Continental
Mid-Town, El Vez, Jones, Alma de Cuba, Pod, Tangerine, Parc and Butcher and
Singer in Philadelphia and Morimoto and Buddakan in New York City's thriving
Meatpacking District.

STARR Restaurants expanded to Atlantic City, NJ, with Buddakan and
Continental at The Pier at Caesar in 2006, and Teplitzky and Chelsea Prime at
the Chelsea Hotel in 2008. Most recently opened is Steak 954 at the new W Hotel
in Ft. Lauderdale. With more than 20 years in the hospitality and
entertainment industries, Starr likens the experience of dining out to that of
attending a theater production, where the players, props, backdrops, lighting
and rapport are integral components of an overall dramatic effect. When this
atmospheric drama is paired with edgy, delicious cuisine, dining out at an STARR
Restaurant becomes entertainment for all of the senses.

Pizzeria Stella has been a long awaited Philadelphia pizzeria. From my understanding, Stephen Starr has circled the globe to make this place perfect. He has scaled every major New York and Napoli pizza joint and has studied every aspect of pizza beginning with its Italian roots. Starr obviously wanted so deeply for this place to be a success that he has given it his name in Italian (Stella translates to Starr).

The ambience at Pizzeria Stella is amazing. When you first walk into the door you are greeted by a beautiful big wood burning oven where the pizza chefs are at work. You can watch the pizza makers need, toss, and cook the pizza from any seat in the house. The pizzeria is not extremely large but it can serve around 75 to 100 people if necessary. Everything in Starr’s place is new and well thought out from the shiny decorative tile to the lighting.

The hospitality at Pizzeria Stella was superb. The waitresses catered to me on hand and foot. Their actions make you realize what gourmet pizza is all about and why you need a place like this to serve it. Pizza is a food that many people fail to realize that can be served at all scales of the restaurant industry. At Pizzeria Stella you can understand how pizza can be promoted to an upscale level of food. Forget about street pizza or your local neighborhood pizza.

Pizzeria Stella brings back the definition of high class pizza. Yes you will spend more money but you are getting the best pizza. Many people have a hard time spending around $15 for a ten inch thin crust pizza, especially when they are used to getting 2 giant 16 inch pizzas for less than the price for one gourmet pizza. That is because these types of people have never experienced the pleasure of real gourmet pizza. Gourmet pizza is totally worth the price if it is made correctly and the atmosphere is amazing. To these doubters, I say eat at Pizzeria Stella and then let me know if it is not worth it!

Pizzeria Stella had some negative feedback the first few weeks of opening and this is understandable as it has to correct any initial problems. This is why I waited a few weeks before eating there. I am more than impressed with what Starr has done. Below is a sample of Pizzeria Stella’s wood oven pizzas and their prices:

1. Margherita: san marzano tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2. Marinara: san marzano tomato, oregano, garlic .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3. Finocchio: black olive, caramelized fennel, mozzarella, tomato .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4. Sausage: wood roasted sausage, hot pepper, tomato, basil, mozzarella .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5. Pepperoni: abbruzze pepperoni, oregano, mozzarella, tomato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6. Tartufo: black truffle, fontina, egg, parmesan .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
7 . San Daniele: smoked mozzarella, prosciutto, baby arugula .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
8. Pistachio: red onion, pistachio, fontina, extra virgin olive oil .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
9 . Piccante: capicola, aged provolone, crushed red pepper, tomato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
10. Vongole: clams, garlic, parsley, scamorza .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11. Spinach: baby spinach, sun dried tomato, garlic, pine nuts .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
12. Quattro Formaggi: tomato, mozzarella, fontina, scamorza, taleggio .. . . . 14

I sampled the Margherita and the Tartufo pizza and was impressed with both. The pizzas are ten inches long served in 6 slices. The crust is thin crust slightly charred on the edges and on the bottom of the crust. The way the crust was prepared demonstrated to me that Starr really took the time to study his market. The reason I say this is because if you analyze the crust on this pizza you can tell the pizza was carefully made to meet the best New York critics’ tastes. The way the crust is charred is patterned to perfection with various patches of char sporadically placed on the crust.

The crust was strategically planned. If you think that this sounds crazy it just may be. The crust was identical from pizza to pizza and it was made almost as if the chefs were given specific orders to follow to create consistency. There were no signs of over burning or undercooking, just pizza made right. The charred spots demonstrated that each pizza walked the fine edge of being cooked too much but yet this edge made it just right (as the edge of overcooking never occurred).

The basil used on the margherita pie was large fresh green leaves placed on each slice. This is a sign of a good pizza. I hate when Margherita pizzas are served with shriveled up black basil leaves. Basil should be green on a Margherita pizza and not any other color. If you view the history of pizza you will find that the creation of this pizza was supposed to contain the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green (not burnt shriveled black).

The Fresh Mozzarella cheese was truly fresh tasting as you bit right into it. There was a proper amount of cheese on the pie too in relationship to the sauce (about 50/50). The tomato sauce was a nice sweet tangy tomato flavor that carried well with the rest of the pie.

The tartufo pie was very interesting. This was made from black truffles (a type of mushroom). The truffles were very fresh and plentiful on the pizza. The highlight of the tartufo pizza was the cooked egg on top (sunny side up). The waitress came over to the table once served and poked the egg on top and then spread the yolk with a spoon all over the pizza. Weird but really good! The tartufo also had parmesan cheese and fontina on top.

Another difference observed in Pizzeria Stella’s pie was that a slight glaze of olive oil was circled on top of the pie when served. It was so slight that it was hardly detected. This is not a problem as many famous pizza places choose to do this to their pizzas. I am fine either way. However, I don’t like when anything more than a little oil is placed on top. One particular example is a pizzeria in Philly called Mack’s Boardwalk pizza that drowns their pie with oil.

After you eat their excellent pizzas, you can have a sample of their dessert gelato ice cream and coffee. Also, I forgot to mention that you can eat your pizza with a glass of red wine from Stella’s wine list. This helps solidify the fact that you are eating real gourmet food. What is fancy food without wine?

The only critical thing that I can say is about Pizzeria Stella and Stephen Starr is to be more proud that you are serving Philadelphia pizza. I understand that you have traveled all over the world and New York for best pizza ideas but now you are making pizza in Philly. Thus, promote your pizza as authentic Philly pizza. Italian pizza will always be Italian pizza but the location where it is served is equally important. Your pizza is now a product of Philadelphia as this is where you are serving it. I also want to say that I hope that you incorporated Philadelphia pizza in your world pizza adventures. If you haven’t then you may want to review some of the Philly pizza reviews on this website because Philly has a distinct character in its pizza that deserves recognition. Lack of knowledge of true Philly pizza and its history may be a serious undermine to your business (especially as this is the main audience that you are catering to).

Stephen Starr’s Pizzeria Stella – welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club! Your pizzeria is one of the best pizzas in Philly and one day when I create an elite Best of the Best Philly Pizza Clubs, I am sure that you may find yourself on there.

Maggiano’s Little Italy Italian Restaurant

2009-11-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

Maggiano’s Little Italy Italian Restaurant Philly Review

Maggiano’s Little Italy Italian restaurant is located at 1201 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Maggiano’s was first opened in Chicago in the 1980’s by a man named Richard Melman and his company Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Later in 1995, Brinker International bought Maggiano’s from Melman and added it to their extensive collection of restaurants including Chili’s.

Maggiano’s Little Italy Italian restaurant is located all over the country but the location in Center City Philadelphia is spectacular. I know that this blog is about pizza but it also presents an opportunity to discuss other great Italian foods. Maggiano’s does not make pizza although they carry many other traditional Southern Italian foods. Their foods include various Italian appetizers, soups, salads, pastas, seafood, steak, veal, pork and chicken. Their pasta dishes are of a wide variety. Below is a short sample of their current pasta selections:

Coach Joey Z's Angel Hair Pasta
Pomodoro Sauce

Shrimp & Angel Hair al' Arrabbiata
Angel hair pasta tossed with a blend of our Diavolo sauce with sauteed shrimp, roasted garlic and crushed red pepper.

Fettuccine Alfredo, Broccoli
Traditional fettuccine noodles tossed with broccoli and garlic in a creamy alfredo sauce.

Garlic Shrimp Linguine
Linguine pasta tossed with sauteed gulf shrimp and roasted garlic, white wine, fresh tomatoes and basil in a flavorful shrimp sauce.

Gnocchi, Tomato Vodka Sauce
Ricotta pasta simmered in a delicately balanced sauce prepared with our classic pomodoro cream and finished with vodka and roasted garlic.

Chicken Pesto Linguine +
Linguine pasta tossed with roasted chicken, pesto, and pine nuts in a parmesan broth with a hint of lemon.

Linguine & Clams with Red Clam Sauce
Linguine pasta tossed with fresh clams, basil, tomatoes and chopped clams in a red clam sauce.

Linguine & Clams with White Clam Sauce
Linguine pasta tossed with fresh clams, basil and chopped clams in a white clam sauce.

Rigatoni "D"®
Rigatoni pasta, herb roasted boneless chicken, mushrooms and onions, tossed in a light Marsala cream sauce.

Spaghetti, Marinara
Spaghetti served with our classic blend of tomatoes, basil, oregano and olive oil, slightly sweet.

Spaghetti, Meat Sauce
Spaghetti served with our Italian meat sauce.

Spaghetti, Meatball or Sausage
Spaghetti with your choice of meatballs or Italian sausage; served with our meat or marinara sauce.

I really like Maggiano’s. It is one of the only Italian franchises that makes you feel like you are in an actual neighborhood Italian American restaurant. This warm feeling follows you from the time you walk into the door hearing the Frank Sinatra music until the time you sit on their giant cozy red booths or large family style tables.

Maggiano’s Little Italy is also a place that gives you your money’s worth. This is one semi fancy restaurant that you can walk away for about $50 a person and know that you received more than your money’s worth. The chances are that you will be taking food home because the portions are extra large, real Italian style.

The salads are gigantic with all of your favorite extras in there, like peppers, etc. The bread keeps coming to your table and is served with olive oil. The bread is really soft too and you are able to eat a whole loaf or two before your appetizer even comes out (so be careful not to overeat as it is very tempting).

I have been to Maggiano’s many times and can say that I still don’t have a favorite meal there, until they serve pizza. All of their dishes from seafood to pasta are out of this world. One of my most popular dishes that I order is the lobster ravioli, which is basil and saffron pasta filled with lobster meat. The sauce on this meal is a light lobster orangey cream sauce. Magnificent!

The best part of the meal is that afterwards you can order any one of their amazing deserts and wash it down with a cappuccino or espresso.

Maggiano’s Little Italy in Philadelphia is in a big building near the Reading Terminal. After you eat you can walk around the beautiful center city area and stroll through various shops.

I have heard that certain Maggiano’s offer a pizza appetizer but I have never tried it and it wasn’t on the menu on my recent visit. I am curious to taste a pizza from such a wonderful Italian restaurant so please let me know when Maggiano’s Little Italy does offer pizza so that I can pay them another visit.

Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza Review

2009-11-06T20:46:00.003-05:00

Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza is located at 1653 South 27th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145. Established in 1972, Uncle Tomy’s is a South Philly classic pizzeria. They serve appetizers, calzones, cheese steaks, hoagies, burgers, wings, and hot sandwiches.

Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza is a takeout/delivery pizzeria only. There aren’t any tables to sit and they don’t want their customers to eat standing up either (as their sign on the wall states). Inside Uncle Tomy’s is a large variety of baseball pictures on the wall including many great Phillies’ players. This place really loves their Philly sports teams.

The service at Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza is excellent. Since the joint is family operated, you get that warm Philly hospitality.

The pizza is also very good. You can order by the slice for $1.50 a pop or you can buy the pizza as a large box. They have 10, 14, and 16 inch pizzas. Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza is a classic Philly neighborhood pizzeria that offers a variety of good tasting future heart attack foods.

I ordered pepperoni and plain cheese American style pizza. The crust is not charred at all but it has a crispy texture that is delightful. The crust is also a traditional crust that is really thin at the base of the slice. I would categorize this pizza as traditional and thin crust because it is not thin crust and it is not quite as thick as traditional. You can eat 1 more slice than you usually would with traditional crust because of its thinness (or maybe it’s just me).

The cheese is spread well on top of the sauce as this is the American style. The pepperoni slices were very big and plentiful.

The only problem that I had was that there was a pinch too much of oil on top of the pizza. Yet it was not too much as in Mac’s boardwalk Pizza where the pizza taste was dramatically changed.

Overall, Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza has been around for many years providing quality pizza to Philadelphia. Their pizza is good quality at a good price.

Uncle Tomy’s Original Pizza – Welcome to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria Philly Pizza Review

2009-10-31T12:16:00.003-04:00

Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches Review

Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches is located at 2119 West Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145. Established in 1996, Uncle Oogie’s has a well established reputation in Philadelphia. Actually, those who like their pizza swear by it and won’t have anything else.

Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches has a giant menu of items. They serve hamburgers, Philly cheese steaks, Philly chicken cheese steaks, low carb wraps, pastas, hoagies, chicken sandwiches, salads, appetizers, wings, and of course, pizza. They serve all styles of pizza including: gourmet pizza, white pizza, old Italian pizza, classic pizza, stromboli, and a very interesting breakfast pizza. That’s right, breakfast pizza (so it does exist). They have many variations of the breakfast pizza, which include egg and cheese and western.

Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches is a small pizzeria which includes dine in and take out (or delivery). The dine in section has about 10 small tables to sit and a nice flat screen TV to watch. There is also a restroom available. An observation I made about this place was that there were about 20 people working behind the counter and only a few customers eating in. They all seemed very busy too so they may have been preparing delivery orders. But 20 people…is that necessary for this small scale operation?

My review of Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches is as follows:

I like Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches for a variety of reasons. They have good pizza, you can eat in there, there is a wide variety of food options, there is a wide variety of pizzas to choose from, and they have many specials available.

I ordered a large Margherita pizza there. I had a major problem with their pie…it was served cold. The pizza may have been sitting behind the counter for sometime before I finally was called. It wasn’t frozen or very cold but slightly less than warm. For this type of traditional pizza, the wrong temperature will ruin the quality of the pie when eaten. Pizzas always taste better hot (the degree of hot is debatable). This strikes me as odd because with twenty employees there and a giant pizza oven you would think that they could get the hot part right.

They are lucky that I have tried their pizza before or it may have swayed my opinion of them.
The Margherita pizza had a semi charred traditional thick crust (not pure thin crust). The Mozzarella cheese was about 30% of the toppings. The problem I had with the cheese goes back to the cold factor. The semi cold temperature of the pie caused the cheese to not have the warm stringy appeal. Instead it was harder and more firm.

I liked the sauce on top which had chucks of tomatoes. There was a substantially amount of tomato sauce on there compared to the cheese. The sauce was very sweet too. There were only a few sprinkles of basil on the entire pie. The basil didn’t look too fresh either and the leaves should have been bigger.

I am not impressed with my past visit to Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches. Overall, there pizza would have been so much better if served warm. These kinds of mistakes can’t happen especially when you get a surprise visit from a pizza critic. I would suggest a few changes. First, reevaluate how many employees are necessary to run your shop.

Miscommunication between many sections could have led to my pie served cold. Second, you need bigger fresher slices of basil. Third, double check the quality of the cheese and how much you are putting on your pie. Fourth, don’t change a thing about your sauce, it was good even cold.

I am going to make an exception and let Uncle Oogie’s Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches be a part of the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club. The reason I am doing this is because all other factors considered, they are a really good pizzeria. If the pizza was warmer I am sure that this pie would have been top quality Philadelphia pizza.

Franco and Luigi’s Pizzeria Review

2009-10-28T21:30:00.004-04:00

Franco and Luigi’s Pizzeria is located at 1549 S. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. Established in 1985, Franco and Luigi’s has moved from their old location on 10th and Ritner to their current place. Franco and Luigi’s Pizzeria has a very unique business. Their operation works in conjunction with the High Note Café / Restaurant in the adjacent building. Essentially this is a pizzeria that opens as a full scale restaurant on certain nights of the week. The unique part is that the owner Frank (Franco) Borda is a very famous opera singer in Philadelphia. Thus, on various nights you can eat and be entertained with various singers.

Franco and his business have such an exciting story that I have provided the following excerpt of it from his website:

Franco's first musical performance was as a pretzel vendor in South Philly. He
pushed the pretzel cart at age seven and sang his "Fresh Pretzel" aria at the
top of his lungs. His daily salary was five dollars a day.

In 1980
Franco graduated as a drama major from the Creative and Performing Arts High
school on south Broad Street during their inaugural year. The walls of that
school could probably tell you a few stories of Franco and his friends during
that first year. From there his vocal studies took him to Settlement Music
School, followed by Bryn Mawr Conservatory under the tutlelage of Catherine
Barone. After Bryn Mawr, Franco began study with Marianne Casiello of the Curtis
Institute of Music, and found outlet for his talent with the Bel canto Lyric
Opera. He still fine-tunes his lyrical voice with Enrico DiGiuseppe, formerly of
the Julliard School of Music, and leading tenor with this country's premiere
opera house The Metropolitan Opera in New York. Franco's name has become
synonymous with Italian Music in South Philadelphia. He has been heard at
Vendemnia, the Italian Mercato and the Ocean City Pops. He has sung in several
operas with the Lyric Opera of Philadelphia under the baton of Maestro Carl
Suppa, and Tony Publiese. He is a strong advocated of young talent. He is
constantly providing young singers with numerous performance opportunities as he
himself understands the perils of the music business and wants to give as many
young artists as he can the opportunities to move forward in a very competitive
field.

Franco is a completely self taught chef. Much of his training
comes from the "old-world" Southern Italian recipes of his family who come from
Calabria, Italy. He has been cooking professionally for 20 years. His Pizzeria
has been thriving since he began, and his restaurant HighNote Cafe has been
tuning out great pasta dishes for almost 14 years (1994). Franco believes that
great Italian food is simple to prepare, using only a few ingredients and
letting them sing out in the dish. The greatest food of Italy is to be found in
the home, using the ingredients available to these "home-cooks" with a powerful
combination of passion and knowledge. He always strives to give the guests in
his restaurant that "Prepared at home" feel and taste with every dish. Italian
food has no pretense; it doesn't need any.

The two most defining aspects
of Franco's personality have always been cooking and singing. Years ago he
combined the two in his HighNote Restaurant, thus giving his guests a sensory
experience that they never forget. Food and wine have always been a great
marriage, but with Philadelphia's singing chef, one more level is added with his
music.

Now as Philadelphia's Singing Chef, Franco is taking performance
art to the next level. He will be "performing" singing and cooking at the same
time, while combining food education with music education. His dream is to have
his own cooking show where he will do just that. In the near future, Franco will
be "Cooking Puccini" where he will be singing the arias of the great Italian
composer while cooking the foods and serving the wines of Puccini's particular
region. Franco will be joined by several of South Philadelphia's opera singers.
Guest of this event will be directly involved in the cooking process, be able to
see the food being prepared with detailed instruction by the chef, and then be
able to enjoy the dishes while listening to the music.

If you are
planning a fundraiser, the singing chef is a great addition. Franco makes all of
his fundraising expertise available to his clients and becomes directly involved
in the planning process.

Franco loves his hometown, so The Singing Chef
can be seen anywhere he can to promote Philadelphia's food, sights, and talent.
He will also be bringing the foods of Philadelphia to other cities as a culinary
and musical ambassador.

Franco has his own music CD which you can hear
him sing Italian & Americam Songs, and can be bought at the restaurant for
$10.00.

Franco is in good company. Many of this country's greatest
singers come from Philadelphia, including Mario Lanza, Enrico DiGiuseppe, and
Frank Guarrera (formerly of the Metropolitan Opera). The Singing Chef also sings
popular Italian songs, as well as jazz standards, and musical theater.

Inspiration comes to Franco through the melodious laughter of his two
beautiful children Anthony and Maria, and from the tender and supportive love of
his wife Teresa. He is carrying on the traditions of his family by teaching his
children his values, his music and his great taste in fine food.

Franco and Luigi’s Pizzeria has a beautiful building with various pictures of the owner and his singing career. I encourage you to visit this pizzeria as you can learn more about Philadelphia and its culture.

As far as the review of Franco and Luigi’s Pizzeria…their pizza is mostly American style. They do have good Sicilian tomato pies there (you can buy it by the slice if you like). I ordered their Mama’s Homestyle pizza, which is their closest pizza to the traditional Margherita pizza. The pie was very good but I don’t think it shows any resemblance to a true Margherita pizza. The crust was slightly charred and the large pie was 18 inches. The tomato sauce was very flavorful but was minimal compared to the amount of cheese on there. The cheese was very stringy as you bite into it. They use mozzarella cheese but there was about a 60/40 ratio of cheese to sauce. I think that an ideal Margherita pizza should have about 50/50 ratio.

There was also no basil on it so the idea of considering this a Margherita pizza is useless. But as an American style pizza I thought that the package was excellent. The crust, cheese, and sauce all worked well together. Plus, the atmosphere and the price (large at $11.45) were very comforting.

I would recommend Franco and Luigi’s Pizzeria and thus, welcome them to the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Pica's Pizza Restaurant

2009-10-07T10:44:00.005-04:00

Pica’s Restaurant is located at 7803 West Chester Pike, Upper Darby, PA 19082. The history of this restaurant is worth mentioning here as this is one of the oldest active pizza places left in Philly.

Established in 1941 by Frank Pica, Sr., Pica’s first location was in West Philadelphia on 62nd and Race Street. Frank Pica sold only his original square pizza there as a very modest business. In 1956, Pica’s growth required the move to a much bigger place at their current location.
Some interesting observations about Pica’s old pizzeria:

At that time women had to be accompanied up to the second floor by gentlemen. There were no exceptions as this was the house rules at the time. Also, Frank Pica’s original pizzas were $1 for a large and $.75 for a small. It is interesting to compare these prices to that of today where pizzas went up on average almost 1500%.

Pica’s small pizzeria is now a large restaurant that features a large menu of food in addition to the original square pizza that built this business. The place is very nice and would be a few steps down from being a high class restaurant. The staff was very friendly and made me feel at home. They have a bar that you can sit and drink at too.

Although the menu was very large, I came there for the pizza. Their options are all square pizza but have many toppings to choose from. I tried half pepperoni and half regular. They don’t have Margherita pizzas there. Actually, this is what bothers me a little that I know New York pizza critics will give Philly slack about. This pizza establishment has been in existence since 1941 and they don’t even know what a Margherita pizza is. I am finding this a lot in Philly. Even though the pizzas can be very good and unique. How can you have a pizza business this long and not know pizza’s roots and history?

Despite their lack of pizza knowledge and Margherita pizza option, Pica’s pizza was very different than many other Philly pizzas. They have only square pizza like Santucci’s Brothers Square Pizza but yet different. Their pizza is served fresh on the square tray it was cooked on. Pica’s put their cheese on the bottom and then sauce on the top. Their sauce is very distinguishable. It is a very basic tomato sauce yet very sweeter than many other Philly pizzerias. The cheese is a nice amount under the sauce and is very stringy when you bite into it. Also, the pepperoni pizza had giant thin slices places two on top of each slice.

The crust is slightly blackened (charred) and has a small crackly edge on it. They serve 8 slices in a pie for a reasonable price of around $10.

All in all, I liked Pica’s pizza as they are truly an original and historical pizza place in Philly. I do, however, still question their lack of pizza knowledge considering their length of being in the Philadelphia pizza business.

The Famous Napoli Pizza

2009-10-02T18:23:00.003-04:00

The Famous Napoli Pizza Review

The Famous Napoli Pizza in South Philadelphia has been around for over 50 years. It sits at the corner of a small intersection. The place has a big red awning and cannot be missed. There are several booths in there to sit and eat.

Running this blog I am faced to select only the cream of the crop for review here considering that there are over 2000 places in Philly that serve pizza (this is probably an understatement). It is not possible for me to review every single place as this may take about 7 years (assuming that I ate at least one pizza place a day). With this in mind, I visited Napoli pizza to give them a review because they have been there for a long time. If you are in Philly and have been in the pizza business for fifty plus years then I feel obligated to at least give a review.

I was not impressed with Napoli Pizza. Napoli Pizza is located at 944 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147. Napoli Pizza does offer a large menu of items including: buffalo wings, salads, Italian pasta, and sandwiches. Pizza is what they promote themselves for the most.

I tried a regular pizza slice as the margherita pizza is only available in a large. Napoli Pizza serves mostly American style pizza with the cheese on top. Their plain cheese pizza is nothing special. It is prepared with a large amount of cheese on an average sized slice. The sauce was bland and the crust was average. The crust had average thickness and was not cooked until black. The edges were slightly crisp. This was just a plain Jane pizza that did nothing for me.

It is not always just the pizza that can make a pizzeria be considered the best – it is other factors as well. The staff that I encountered at Napoli pizza was not friendly at all. Actually, I didn’t see the cashier smile once the whole time that I was there. This is huge factor for making a pizza place shine. The atmosphere has to be welcoming and if it is not then the business will suffer and never reach its fullest potential.

I do not recommend Napoli Pizza for the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club. If you are looking for a quick bite and don’t care about taste or hospitality then you can visit Napoli Pizza. If you are looking for above average to great pizza then you may want to reconsider something else.

Lorenzo and Sons Pizza

2009-10-02T17:54:00.004-04:00

Lorenzo and Sons South Street Pizza Review

My third stop on my pizza tour today was to Lorenzo and Sons on South Street. Lorenzo and Sons was established in 1988 (although their website claims that they ere open for more than 30 years). They are located at 305 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147.

I have ate at Lorenzo’s for a long time and will attest that they are a great late night pizza place after a long stroll down the famous South Street in Philly. On a Friday or Saturday night, you may see lines around the corner waiting for Lorenzo’s slices. Since they are open seven days a week until 3 in the morning, you are bound to have an experience at Lorenzo’s if you are there at the end of their night shift.

Lorenzo’s is an interesting place because they have absolutely no variety. As their customer slogan says “the customer is always wrong.” They serve basically one type of pizza by the slice, plain cheese American style pizza. They do not have a place to sit inside so plan on eating your slice on South Street.

Despite these limitations, Lorenzo’s is very unique. They sell probably the biggest pizza in Philadelphia. Their large box is a 28 inch pizza (wicked big). I personally do not know of any pizza in Philly that is larger than this (if you do then let me know so I can pay them a visit). This is similar to what DC pizza has become to be famous for – giant pizzas (actually much bigger than Lorenzo’s)

Lorenzo’s large pizza is so big that they actually have to put it in 2 boxes. If you bought Lorenzo’s by the slice, their pizza is still probably the biggest slice in Philly. It is the widest and the longest. The slice is so long that they serve the pizza with the end of the slice flipped over back on top of the pizza so that it can remain on the paper plate.

Since they don’t have much variety, I just took a regular cheese slice. This is a round crust pie, American style (as American as it can be). There is plenty of cheese on Lorenzo’s pizza as this is what makes there pizza taste unique. If you are into cheese and big then you should be here. Lorenzo’s sauce is of average taste but I will not lie to you: It is very difficult to taste the sauce as the cheese overpowers it. There is a large amount of cheese on this giant of a pizza slice.

The crust is cooked in their pizza oven before any discoloration. There was not a sign of burnt or blackness on my crust. The crust was of a thin to average thickness.

Overall, I think that Lorenzo’s and Sons should join the Best Philly Pizza Club. They make a cool, large, cheesy, American style pizza. This recommendation would drive New York pizza critics crazy as they would disagree. If these same people were to see the amount of business this place gets at night then they might reconsider.

Cacia's Bakery and Cafe

2009-10-02T17:21:00.005-04:00

Cacia's Bakery and Cafe Review

Cacia’s Bakery is a famous place in South Philly that makes all types of oven cooked products like bread, deserts, and pizza. Cacia’s was established in 1953 but has recently expanded with their fourth generation of family members taking over the family business.

Cacia’s also is one of the last brick oven bakeries left in Philadelphia. Their bakery is open for service 363 days a year being closed only on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Cacia’s specializes in Italian breads and rolls, stromboli (pepperoni & cheese, vegetable, Philly cheese steak, roast pork, broccoli rabe and sharp provolone stromboli), pizza (red cheese, tomato pie, pizzazz, vegetable, white, and their famous hoagie pizza), and cannolis or pastry. Their Hammonton and Blackwood locations offer full service Italian Delis with over 30 specialty hoagies to choose from. Their newest location in Northern Liberties features specialty coffees as well as sandwiches. Cacia’s Bakery now has seven locations: Philadelphia, Blackwood, Cherry Hill, Hammonton, NJ, Macdade Blvd, Folsom, PA, and their newest location on 2nd Street in Northern Liberties.

I have recently visited the Cacia’s Bakery and Café in Northern Liberties located at 719 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123. Growing up I always frequented their original South Philly bakery and was very impressed with what I discovered today. Cacia’s expansion operations appear to be successful.

Cacia’s pizza is a small square style (not Sicilian because it is not really thick). Cacia’s pizza is truly a unique type of pizza that if you held any other pizza next to it, Cacia’s can be spotted from a mile away. They just have an original recipe that is consistent every time. It still appears to be consistent despite their expansion. Cacia’s bakery is very famous in Philly and has visitors from all over the world who come to for their products.

I ordered their original tomato pie pizza (one slice). This pie is true old fashioned Italian style pizza that focuses on more of the tomato sauce. I wouldn’t even call this a marinara. The pizza consists of a rectangular crust, about a 4 by 6 inch slice, with about a ¾ inch crust. This is on the way to being Sicilian style but still needs to be a little thicker.

This pizza is one of my favorites so I am a little biased. The taste has never changed. The tomato base on top of the crust has to be about a half inch of tomato sauce from one end of the crust to the other and completely level too. It is truly a tomato pie. The sauce is special too. You can taste the strong tomato flavor with all of its spices included. I have noticed that they have added red pepper to their sauce as well (in South Philly they call it “gravy”).

Cacia’s does not sell Margherita pies. They don’t have many options of pizza actually. But what they do sell they make it well. I think that the tomato pie reviewed today though has to be their most popular. Cacia’s Bakery is truly one of the best of the best Philly pizza spots and is a legend for what they are known for.

Rustica Pizza

2009-10-02T16:48:00.004-04:00

I went on a Philly pizza tour today and made it to 4 key pizza businesses. The first one that is up for review is Rustica.

Established in 2000, Rustica is located at 903 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA, which is the Northern Liberties area. Rustica is a hip pizzeria that serves various types of pizza. There is indoor as well as outdoor seating available. Their name probably comes from their rustic looking, particularly their old style hardwood floors. Rustica has won several awards from various sources and is a very popular pizza spot.

My pizza tour consisted of four spots so I had to make room for at minimum four slices of pizza. With this in mind, please understand that I am making these reviews with the best of my resources. For example, I usually review Margherita pizzas as they are very traditional Italian pizzas. Some of the pizza places today, however, only sell this pizza as a large and not by the slice. Since it wasn’t practical for me to order a whole pizza, I decided to choose what was available by the slice.

Rustica did not serve a Margherita pizza at all so I went a little fancy. I ordered a slice of their spinach and roasted peppers American style pizza (cheese on top). After a few minutes of warming up, round 1 was served. By the way, Rustica pizzas are mostly round. The crust on their pie was lightly darkened, average thickness, and burnt slightly on the edges. The crust was also foldable without much drippage. There sauce was sweet and tasty and did not slide off the crust like some pizzas do. The spinach was ok but nothing to brag about. The roasted peppers were a nice touch on top with the cheese. The sauce was tasty but I think a little more would have made it just right. The cheese melted well on top and was a little darkened in some spots.

I think Rustica pizza overall was very good. I would have just added a tad bit more sauce and spinach. For a fountain drink and a slice the cost was $4, which is a reasonable price considering the fancy location of the pizzeria. I wouldn’t say that Rustica is the best of the best pizzas in Philly but they still deserve a green light.

Rustica has a nice business going for them and would bet that they will be around many more years. I may have to revisit to give them my full attention one day by ordering an entire meal. Well...in a few moments I will post my next review of Cacia’s Bakery so stay tuned…

Celebre’s Pizza Restaurant Review

2009-09-30T19:47:00.004-04:00

Celebre’s Philadelphia Pizza Restaurant Review

Celebre’s pizza restaurant is located at 1536 Packer Avenue in South Philadelphia, PA, 19145. Established in 1948, Celebre’s pizza is an extremely popular Philly pizzeria full of tradition and history.

A place like Celebre’s needs to be reviewed on Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog for many reasons including: popularity amongst locals, 61 years of selling pizza in Philadelphia, their signature pizzas, etc. I like Celebre’s pizza restaurant for several reasons. First, they serve alcohol. You can eat your pizza and wash it down with a nice cold beer. Pizza and beer are amongst the world’s best food combinations. There aren’t many pizza places in Philadelphia that have a liquor license. For example, Santucci Brothers Square Pizza was a treat because you can bring your own beer as many pizzerias don’t even allow this. But when beer is served in the same facility as your pizza…that is a good start.

I also like Celebre’s pizza restaurant because of its atmosphere. Celebre’s is an old style Italian pizza place that has made it through an era when people didn’t eat out. If they could be successful in the fifty then they are true survivors. The people who work there and own the place have deep South Philly Italian roots. These roots are reflected in the pizza recipe that they use as it has probably been passed down for generations.

I also like Celebre’s for their pizza. I do want to make a disclaimer for all New York pizza critics. Philly is a world of its own in America, just like New Orleans is different than the rest of the South (they call it a Banana Republic). Specifically, this conversation applies to South Philly. The terminology that may be common in the rest of the world for various pizzas types are not commonly used here. It doesn’t mean that the pizza is bad or that the pizza chefs in this neck of the woods don’t know pizza…it means that they know it the way their region of Philly knows it. What am I talking about? For example, Celebre’s, amongst many other local Philly pizzerias, doesn’t make a Margherita pizza and if you asked them for it (as a New Yorker would) you may be reciprocated with a dirty look. This doesn’t mean that Philly pizzerias don’t know pizza it is just that they are used to it their way and if you know the Philly attitude you will understand that this is good enough for them.

Celebre’s sells a pizza called the “Old Way” pizza. Fancy New York pizzerias would translate this pizza to a marinara pizza. There is mainly tomato sauce placed on top of a small amount of cheese. This pizza is phenomenal. I think that I am most impressed with the sauce that they made. Their tomato sauce is very chunky, thick, and spicy, which is my favorite style of Italian tomato sauce. A sauce without flavor is not sauce at all it is just tomato in a liquid form. Celebre’s uses a good amount of their sauce on top. The cheese was hidden underneath and probably would account for 20% of the pizza ingredients. That is the point of this pizza: to create more of a tomato pie the old Italian way. So you see they call it “Old Way” and modern food critics would call it marinara. Who is right and who is wrong? This is just a small example of how Philly works – they like to be unique. It doesn’t mean that they don’t know how to cook pizza. Celebre’s have been successful for 61 years so that must be doing something right.

The crust of this pizza was slightly darkened. I think that New Yorker pizza critics may like their crust for this reason. I only tried the Old Way pizza as it was one of their signature pies and more in line with my taste buds. They do serve a pizza called the “Pizzaz” though that they are famous for. Maybe I’ll come back to try that another time.

The total cost for a 16 inch pie was around $10, which is worth the money. Celebre’s is a good time and a place where you can experience a real local South Philadelphian Italian style old fashioned pizzeria. They use high quality pizza ovens in the back and have a very fun, energetic, and friendly staff. Celebre’s gets a green light vote in my book for Best Philadelphia Pizza!

Couch Tomato Café Pizza Review

2009-09-29T20:23:00.004-04:00

The Couch Tomato Café Margherita Pizza Review

The Couch Tomato Café is another very popular pizza place located in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. They have outdoor as well as in door seating and are conveniently located near Main Street.

The Couch Tomato Café, located at 102 Rector Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127, was established in 2003 by Michael Cassano and Craig Mosmen. Michael and Craig were 2000 graduates of the University of Delaware and were highly interested in the restaurant business. They have successfully created a very solid business in Manayunk that is well organized and ripe for expansion. The Couch Tomato is a beautiful little place with outside seating to watch the passer bys along Main Street. They also have indoor seating where you can sit on the popular giant tomato looking couch. The décor inside is very appropriate to their theme, “tomatoes.”

The Couch Tomato has won many awards since their inception and is continuously in the Philly restaurant spotlight. Their pizzas focus mainly on New York Style Thin Crust pizzas. I tried the small personal Margherita pizza and was extremely impressed for many reasons. Their pizza is truly unique in that they use all fresh ingredients and in the method that they use it. Let me elaborate.

The Margherita pizza had mozzarella cheese balls (not melted) arranged on the pizza. This is very unique as most pizza shops will usually melt the cheese. I thought this style of using mozzarella actually produced a very tasty unique pizza. Also, their Margherita pizza had tomato slices in addition to their sauce on top of the pizza. This is a very healthy way to eat pizza and provides more of a natural taste. The sauce was good enough by itself being very sweet and tangy but with the tomato slices…that was a treat. The crust is thin crust New York style. It was not slightly burnt the way New Yorkers like it but it was foldable without cracking, which is a sign of a good thin crust. I also ordered the wheat crust instead of the original white crust and was very impressed with the quality of its taste.

The basil used was fresh whole leaves strategically spread over the four slices that came with the personal size pie. This is the way that Santucci Brothers Square Pizza should have done their pies instead of their chopped slices, which were chopped way too much.

The cost of the pie was relatively inexpensive ringing in at $8.99 for a small pie with 4 slices. The value was in the freshness of ingredients. I really liked the Couch Tomato pizza. I think that New York pizza critics may agree too. I am confident that a place like this would rightfully represent Philadelphia to the pizza world as being a representation of what the best Philly pizzas have to offer. So congrats to the Couch Tomato Café as you have made the cut and our now a part of the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club!

Santucci Brothers Square Pizza Review

2009-09-29T19:42:00.006-04:00

Santucci Brothers Square Pizza Manayunk, Philadelphia Review

Today’s review is on Santucci Brothers Square Pizza. Santucci Brothers is something similar to a franchise as they are very big in the north part of Philly and there are many locations. Today’s review will be of the Santucci’s located in Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA, 19128 (3862-64 Terrace Street).

A review of Santucci’s pizza requires some history. Santucci pizza was started in 1959 by Joseph and Philomena Santucci. The Santucci story is best told by them so I have provided a little excerpt from their website here for your convenience.

As the post war era in America produced a dramatic increase in population,
demand for these time-tested neighborhood specialty foods also increased to the
point where it became impossible to prepare enough tomato sauce to keep up with
the volume. In California, tomato producers addressed this need by preparing a
canned sauce made of the most premium fresh tomatoes (not from concentrate) and leaving the seasoning to the discretion of the local pizzerias.

It was these very circumstances that gave the Santuccis their most famous
creation: Santucci Square Pizza. By increasing the size of the baking pan to a
full 12 x 18 inches, Joe and Philomena were on their way to a taste sensation.
Next, they combined the most superior seasonings to produce their famous
Santucci sauce. Instead of placing in underneath the layer of grated cheese like
most other pizzerias they took the finest 100% whole milk mozzarella cheese,
sliced it and placed it directly on the dough and placed the sauce on top. Then,
to remove any acidity in the sauce and to melt the cheese they raised the oven
temperature from the standard 300 degrees to 550 degrees. The result? A
revolutionary product that began to make history.

The "Old World Quality" of Santucci Square Pizza is evident in every
pizza produced. Since 1959, the Santuccis have produced superior quality and
service. With state of the art equipment and streamlined procedures, what used
to take fifteen minutes to produce the original Square Pizza now takes less than
seven minutes. Store layout and design has been improved so that overall
production is done with higher efficiency and store cleanliness exceeds the most
difficult standards. With superior customer service techniques and an aggressive
marketing program, the Santucci system is one that its competitors could only
hope for.

The key to this success story is a direct result of a growing family
that began with Joe and Philomena, who have all devoted their entire life-long
energies to be the best. The legacy of Santucci Square Pizza has become the
standard bearer of quality. Try a Santucci Square Pizza for yourself. Since
1959, Always in Good Taste!

The two original Santucci pizzeria’s are located at 4010 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19135 and 1701 Welsh Road, Philadelphia, PA 19115. Today the Santuccis rent out their last name for other pizza shops who want in on the great pizza recipe. The original owner’s son Joseph Jr. now has taken over the business and has his own place called Joe Santucci’s Original Square Pizza Bar and Grill located at the Knight’s Road Shopping Center, 4050 Woodhaven Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154.

I like Santucci’s pizza regardless of the locations for a few reasons. First, they put their sauce on top of the cheese for every pizza style and toppings. This goes against the traditional American style pizza and is more in the tradition of the original Italian style. Second, Santucci’s pizzas are all square pizzas, which make them very unique. Most pizza places in Philly make only round pizzas unless they also offer Sicilian pizza. Santucci makes square pizza but not in a Sicilian style. That is, the crust is not as thick as what we traditionally think of as Sicilian pizza.

Santucci Brother Square Pizza in Manayunk is a nice place. This area of Philly is known to have many young professionals and college students so it is more of a party scene. Santucci Brothers have addressed their niche by making their place a B.Y.O.B. and allowing customers to bring their own beer. They are also open until 2:30 on Friday nights. The place looks very clean inside and well taken care of. It is a nice place to sit inside and relax with a group of friends. Santucci’s is located only a few blocks from Main Street, the most trafficked street of this neighborhood. They are on a quite block and have a decent amount of parking.

I ordered a small personal Margherita pizza. The crust is average thickness and I was able to get 4 slices out of one pie. The crust was nice and crispy along the edges. It was not blackened like New York style but it was still tasty. The melted mozzarella cheese was spread evenly with the sauce. The sauce was very sweet and tangy and worked well with this pie. The basil was spread around evenly but was chopped in very small pieces.

The price was very reasonable for a small pizza at about $8. After adding the soda and a few more items, I easily passed the $12 mark that qualified me for the $2 off coupon.

Overall, I really like Santucci Brothers pizza. The only part that I didn’t like was the way the basil was arranged on the pie. I think that they should have used whole fresh basil and properly organized it (maybe one or two leaves per pizza slice). The way that they left the basil on top was not appealing for a Margherita pizza.

Although Santucci Brothers may not meet the standards of many New York pizza critics, I still vote it one of Philadelphia’s best pizzas because it is unique; it has deep Philly pizza history, overall good pizza, and cleanliness. All of their pizzas are fresh and each Santucci pizzeria must abide by certain rules (like a franchise) in order to be considered part of the club. Santucci Brothers also had very friendly staff that went the extra mile. These are all qualities of a best Philly pizza!

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2009-09-29T19:40:00.001-04:00

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Mack’s Boardwalk Pizza South Philadelphia Pizzeria

2009-09-26T20:37:00.004-04:00

Mack’s Boardwalk Pizza South Philadelphia Review

Mack’s Boardwalk Pizza is located at 10th and Oregon in South Philadelphia, PA. Mack’s is run by Joey Mack, the son of one of the original owner’s of Mack and Manco’s boardwalk pizza. That pizzeria, along with the famous Sam’s pizza, has helped to create what is called boardwalk pizza.

Before I give my review of Mack’s I would like to acquaint you with Mack’s pizza history. It all started in 1956 when Anthony Mack and Vincent Manco opened up their first pizzeria called “Mack and Manco’s” at 918 Boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. A few years later they opened up another store at 7th street and boardwalk. Mr. Mack and his three sons (Dominic, Vince and Joseph) eventually expanded their business onto the boardwalks of Atlantic City and Wildwood, NJ. Vincent Manco continues to operate the original Mack and Manco’s in Ocean City with his son and his wife. Mack’s Boardwalk Pizza is run by Joey Mack, one of the sons of the original owner, Anthony Mack. Joey Mack moved his operation from the Jersey shore to South Philadelphia.

Now that we have the history out of the way, I can release my review. Mack’s Boardwalk pizza is deeply rooted in history with its original pizza recipe. The owner of this South Philly branch is not affiliated with the other Mack’s any more but he still has the family recipe. Joey Mack claims that this family pizza recipe was from 1950 and that his pizza is the best of the best.

Before I start my review I want to make you aware that I think the owner is a nice person but I am here to review the pizza and some things stood out that needs to be addressed. I did not like the pizza at all and I will elaborate on why. I ordered a full 16 (Joey claims they are 17 inch) pie. Joey’s famous pizza is a thin crust recipe American style pizza (cheese on top).

I didn’t like the pizza for several reasons. First, the amount of grease that was on this pizza could have set me up for a future heart attack. I put three napkins on top of a slice and there was still a shiny glitter from all of the grease. This definitely took away from the taste and caused me to have indigestion days later.

The thin crust pizza cracked when folded. This in combination with the gallon of oil on top led to mass spillage and a large mess. The cheese was cooked well. The sauce was not that tasty at all. There was minimal sauce used in proportion to the cheese which appears unbalanced in taste.

The crust was decent for thin crust as it was slightly blackened with a small lip at the edge.

I did not like how the pizza was placed in the box without a wrapper. This is not a good sign of cleanliness as those pizza boxes sit on the floor of the warehouses they are stored at.
Joey Mack’s Boardwalk Pizza is in a small shoebox store. I actually liked the set up of it as it has a small appearance of a boardwalk pizza shop. Mack’s has several patio chairs outside his shop for outdoor seating. This is a one man operation (plus the delivery people). This must be Joey Mack’s retirement job as the operation is very slim lined. There is nothing wrong with that as extra employees are not needed. I am just preparing you for what kind of pizza place this is. It is on the opposite side of a fancy pizzeria.

Eating at Mack’s led me to some questions. First, I can understand why New Yorkers may think Philly pizza is bad. If they base their impressions off of places like Mack’s Boardwalk pizza then that may lead them to believe that Philly doesn’t know pizza. Of course New York is the pizza capital of the world other than Napoli, Italy (read about the history of pizza) but Philly is a very close runner up.

I find it interesting that a place like Mack’s pizza who claims to have the best pizza in Philly would know what a Margherita pizza is. Considering that they are halfway there on the recipe (thin crust) I am not sure if they ever put the other half of the equation together. Let’s face it, most pizza experts will agree that you don’t even stand a chance of being considered the best pizza if you can’t make a thin crust Margherita pizza. Just off that fact alone I am sure that if a New York pizza critic ate one slice of Mack’s pizza they would laugh. If that was the only place they ate in Philly and they were told that this is the best pizza here then they would think this city is a joke.

That is why this pizza blog was created. There are many really good pizza places in Philly but you just have to look a little harder than New York.

I didn’t like Mack’s pizza because it was too oily, too cheesy, no foil paper under the pizza inside the box, the pizza ovens were not good pizza ovens (I doubt they get hotter than 500 degrees (you need about 800 for the best pizzas)), and their lack of variety of pizza. If you tell the public that you have the best pizza in Philly that you better offer options and one of those options should be a thin crust Margherita pizza.

Overall, I do not recommend Mack’s pizzeria to any of my readers, which is a similar conclusion to the Mack’s that I have eaten at on the boardwalk of Atlantic City and Wildwood.

Osteria Philadelphia Pizza Review

2009-09-17T19:14:00.006-04:00

Osteria Philadelphia Pizza Review

Currently, one of the most famous pizza places in Philadelphia is Osteria. According to Alan Richman of GQ magazine, Osteria was one of the top 25 best American pizza places in the country out of the top ten cities. Actually, there was only one other pizza place from Philadelphia on this list, Tacconelli’s. Today I would like to express my opinions for the record. Hopefully my review will provide an insight on how not to take a top 25 list too serious by any food critic.

What is the best pizza?A best pizza place is a place that was recognized by an individual or individuals as to be great. It was just their opinion. You can’t weigh greatness or state a restaurant’s greatness as a fact. It is just an opinion usually derived from some food critic’s review.

Why am I starting this review philosophically? This review is more than just about Osteria. It is about how certain people with significant influence in the food world can say that a place is “Great” and all of a sudden every food lover (particularly in that region) is booking reservations. When a person as popular as Richman states that a pizza place is one of the top 25 best pizza joints in the United States, this becomes my example. Is this fair? No but this is the way the food review system works.

I think by my introduction you can tell where I will be going with this review. I have recently went to Osteria after a long await. I have been planning on going there for almost a year now, even more so when the GQ top 25 came out. Before I go into depth of my pizza review, first let me provide a profile of Osteria.

Osteria officially opened February 15, 2007 and is located at 640 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130 (North of City Hall on the West Side of Broad Street). The three owners of Osteria all are very actively involved in the Philadelphia cuisine community in some way. Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud are two very prominent chefs in Philly. The third owner, Jeff Benjamin, is a business man slash wine enthusiast. All three owners together are an excellent recipe for a successful restaurant in Philly. This may be a large contributing factor for their popularity. Osteria has been recognized by the New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, Bon Appétit, and many other famous media giants as a top rated Philly restaurant.

The name “osteria” is an Italian word that can be translated to mean something similar to a pub. However, the reality is that an osteria is a place for people to drink wine and chat while having various options of food that can be ordered. The key focus of an osteria is the wine (not too many Italians drink beer). This is in contrast to a ristorante (or restaurant) which is more formalized. I wanted to state this explanation of an osteria so that I can elaborate on how Osteria is nothing like what its name translates to in Italian.

Osteria is an extremely high class restaurant with a high class atmosphere and a high class price tag. This is in contrast with a typical Italian osteria which is more of a casual nature. Osterias in Italy are more of a place for friends to come, sit, and drink wine together while having the option of food.

To start this review I would like to talk about what I do like about Osteria. First, the place is absolutely beautiful for a restaurant. Detail has been paid attention to in almost every physical category. They have a beautiful bar, oven, and a special aesthetic appeal due to proper interior design planning. Second, the place has popularity. For some, food is not important. They would much prefer to go to places with high prestige so that they can brag to their friends that this is the kind of restaurants that they fancy. If you are one of these people then you would fit right in here. Third, the wine selection is very thorough. If you are a wine connoisseur then this may also be a place for you to try at least once. It appears that the owners have a good eye for wine. To write this previous paragraph of things that I like has taken me over twenty five minutes to think of so I have to stop and continue onto a subject that will flow more freely for me.

What I didn’t like about Osteria: To start, I would like to quote my friend that went with me: “The place was really nice but the food sucks.” This was sort of my attitude too for several reasons. First, the staff was very impolite. This is a high class place…the waiters should ask how high if I asked them to jump. Instead, you are dealing with staff that makes you feel like they are rushing you out the door. Just because their shift is coming to an end shouldn’t be a reason that you should have to feel hurried. This is one of the things that bother me the most when dining out. I cannot stand when I am not treated properly as a valued customer. If I sense improper treatment from the time I walk in then I already know that the meal will never reach its fullest potential even if it does have the qualities of great food.

Another thing that I did not like about Osteria is the seating arrangement. The tables are all aligned perfectly to fit the maximum amount of people that this restaurant can accommodate. This makes me feel like cattle. The herds of people sit right on top of each other as we all eat together. If you want to have a discussion with the people in your party than this is equivalent to you making an announcement to the whole place. Everyone can hear what you are saying even if they are not trying. To me, I need my space when eating especially if I am paying big money to do so. I don’t even mean a lot of space just enough. The tables are about 4 inches from one another – this does not work for me.

By the way, if you plan on coming here, be very familiar with off street parking as this will be necessary. This building is on a big street (Broad Street) without a parking lot (so good luck with that).

Off to my pizza review…I ordered the Margherita pizza here as usual. My overall review of their pizza with every other problem above excluded is good. The problem is that it is not great. This is the Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog here and thus, the goal of this blog is to find the best Philadelphia pizza. I cannot consider Osteria as having the best Philadelphia pizza. There are many more pizza places that stand well above this high class joint in a gourmet pizza contest.

The Margherita pizza is a personal 10 inch pie that is cut in four slices. There was exactly one leaf of basil on each slice, which is much fewer than most other gourmet Margherita pizzas.

The crust was good as it was a little blackened (New York pizza lovers’ style). The thin crust pizza at Osteria was also very easily foldable without cracking. This is a good sign for gourmet pizza.

The sauce was very red indicating a very bland sauce (pure tomato puree and crushed tomatoes without cheese etc.). The more orange a sauce is the more cheese that has been added. This sauce was a bright red and sweet but not too distinct that would knock me off my chair (or even notice it if I wasn’t writing a review about it).

The mozzarella cheese was slightly patched throughout the pizza and I didn’t have any problems with its consistency.

From reading my pizza review of Osteria you will see that I didn’t have anything bad to say about their pizza. This is true but that is the problem. I don’t have anything great to say about it either. The pizza was priced at $15. The cost in relationship to my happiness level was not properly balanced. Osteria pizza does not have the qualities of great Philadelphia pizza that the media has hyped it up to have. This is not on my list of best Philadelphia pizzas as I give it a yellow light (proceed with caution).

Philadelphia pizza has so many better pizza places for your dollar and energy level. I was actually very disappointed when I left Osteria, thus, my energy level went down. I think Alan Richman needs to start reading my blogs a little more. If you want to post a pizza review in Philadelphia, than you better leave that up to someone who actually knows the place very well. Although Osteria may have other foods that could taste good, I am not concerned with that as my focus is on the best pizza…and they don’t have it! Stay tuned though I as will truly discover who exactly does have the best Philadelphia Pizza.

La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria Review

2009-09-10T19:05:00.003-04:00

La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria Review

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!

Best Philadelphia Pizza Reviews

2009-09-10T18:59:00.053-04:00

This page will be a comprehensive list of all of the Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog's best Philadelphia pizza reviews. Every review mentioned on this site will be documented here in a consolidated form. I will also provide a brief description of whether or not the pizza joint in question was voted to be the Best Philadelphia Pizza by our blog(this is shown with a green light review). Happy reading!

Green Light Pizza Reviews (that means GO)
Note: If a pizza place has received a green light then this automatically qualifies them into the Best Philadelphia Pizza Club.

Cacia's Bakery and Cafe - Northern Liberties

Carangi Baking Company - South Philly

Celebre's - South Philly

Criniti's Italian Restaurant - South Philly

Franco and Luigi's Pizzeria - South Philly

Gianfranco Pizza Rustica - Old City

Iannelli's Famous Brick Oven Bakery - South Philly

La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria - South Philly

LaScala's - Center City

Lazaro's Pizzeria and Grill - South Philly

Little Sicily Pizza Steaks and Hoagies - South Philly

Lorenzo and Sons - South Philly

Lorenzo's Pizza - Italian Market

Mama Palma's Wood Fired Brick Oven Gourmet Pizza - Center City Philadelphia

Marra's Cucina Italiana Restaurant - South Philly

New York Italian Bakery - South Philly

Overbrook Pizza - West Philly (Overbrook)

Pica's Restaurant - West Philly

Pine Street Pizza - Center City Philadelphia

Pizza Hut - North Philly

Pizzeria Stella by Stephen Starr - Queen Village

Pizzicato - Old City

Rustica - Northern Liberties

Santucci Brothers Square Pizza - Roxborough

Sarcone's Bakery - South Philly

Slice - South Philly

Soho Pizza - Old City

Tacconelli's New Jersey - Maple Shade, NJ (exception made - please read)

The Couch Tomato Cafe - Roxborough

Uncle Oogie's Pizzeria and Specialty Sandwiches - South Philly

Uncle Tomy's Original Pizza - South Philly

Villari's Bakery - South Philly

Yellow Light Pizza Reviews (that means proceed with caution)

Mama Angelina's Pizza Restaurant - Center City Philadelphia

Osteria - Center City Philadelphia

Pietro's Coal Oven Pizzeria South Street - South Philly

Top Tomato Pizza Kitchen - Center City Philadelphia

Red Light (Not Recommended)

Famous Napoli Pizza - South Philly

Joe's Brick Oven Pizza - Center City Philadelphia

Mack's Boardwalk Pizza - South Philly

N.Y.P.D. Pizza Department - Center City Philadelphia

Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria - Center City Philadelphia

Other Reviews

Maggiano's Little Italy Italian Restaurant - Center City Philadelphia

To Do List:

Caputo's Pizzeria - Manayunk

Marra's Cucina Italiana Restaurant

2009-09-03T19:41:00.003-04:00

Today, I will provide my next major review of the best Philadelphia pizza places through an analysis of Marra’s Cucina Italiana restaurant. Marra’s is an old fashioned Philadelphia Italian restaurant that specializes in old Philly style pizza. I told you when I set this blog up that I would take you to places that the so called Philly food critics don’t even know about. Today, we shall do just that.

Forget about what you heard about Philly pizza if it was bad. Marra’s Restaurant will easily disprove anyone’s negative comments about how bad pizza is in Philly. Philly does have other good food besides cheese steaks. Marra’s pizza is the quintessential (I don’t even know what that word means but it sure sounds good) example of what Philadelphia pizza should be. First, let’s explore the history of Marra’s and then I will post my review of my recent experience there.

Marra’s Italian American restaurant is possibly the oldest Italian pizza place that is still in existence in Philly. It sits in a little pocket of South Philadelphia at 1734 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148. Marra’s story begin with its two owners both husband and wife, Salvatore and Chiarina Marra. The Marra family came to Philadelphia from the pizza capital of the world (see pizza history), Naples, Italy in 1920. Seven years later in 1927, they opened up this very popular local restaurant.

Marra’s restaurant is run by the original owner’s grandchildren today. Everything about this place depicts old style Italian Philadelphia charm. It is not a fancy restaurant at all. It is just the ideal little pizza and pasta joint for a casual meal. They have old style wooden chairs to sit and an even older looking bar.

Marra’s menu consists of various Italian dishes including calamari and clams. They also serve various pasta and salad dishes. However, there main dish is relative to this review. That’s right, pizza…Philadelphia style pizza. The greatest charm of this place is the original brick oven where the pizza is made. Supposedly, this oven was made from the bricks of Mount Vesuvius in Italy and the work was crafted by the original owner Salvatore Marra.

Now onto my review… Honestly (and you can tell by now that is one of my good qualities), even if you don’t like the food you should come and visit this place at least once for the history. This place has been opened since 1927. Not many Philadelphia pizza places can say that. Up until about 40 years ago, this was one of the few pizza places to eat outside of your own home. Back in the fifties and sixties not many people went out to eat, that is, unless it was a special event. And for those events, many Philadelphians went to a place like Marra’s. It wasn’t until the sixties and seventies that all of these new pizza places started popping up throughout Philly. So if you are interested in learning about Philly pizza why not go to the most historical place first?

The pizza… I always order a margherita pizza…so if you own a pizza restaurant you will be able to detect me if I walk in your door. I do this because this is one of the most basic types of pizza that was created in Napoli, Italy and is the best way to make my reviews consistent. It is just by chance that the owners of this restaurant are from Napoli, Italy. So they have acquired the style of that region, thus, they should be able to produce a traditional Napolitano style Margherita pizza with no problem. This is exactly why they did. As I sat on the hard wooden bench eating my pizza I realized what a beautiful pizza Marra’s can produce. They gave me a personal 10 inch pizza enough for one hungry person. The crust on their pizza was a little blackened but just right. I will say that for thin crust pizza, their pizza was a little higher than average yet not as thick as American style pizza.

The tomato sauce was very traditional Italian style. The sauce was not too spicy yet had a sweet and salty taste combined. There was an equal proportion of sauce and cheese on the pizza though. This to me is a fine balance (some may disagree). The mozzarella cheese was served just right with a nice melted appearance and a not too overcooked taste. There were several leaves of basil sprinkled throughout the pie (but definitely not too much or too little).

Overall, I really enjoy their pizza. Marra’s pizza has been consistently good throughout the years (and I have been coming here for many, many years). That is a true sign of a restaurant labeled best pizza – consistency. Anyone can make a good pie once by luck. But to do this every time…since 1927…well that is skill. Marra’s pizza is definitely rated as a green light in my book. Please try this place at least once if you are truly interested in experiencing the best real Italian style Philadelphia pizza.

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2009-09-03T19:36:00.007-04:00

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Pizza Copyright

2009-09-03T19:36:00.005-04:00

Best Philadelphia Pizza | Slice Review

2009-08-04T19:45:00.007-04:00

Best Philadelphia Pizza - Slice Pizzeria Review

This is a review of another best Philadelphia pizza place called Slice. Slice is a very common name these days especially in the pizzeria world. Slice is also a popular pizza website (but there is no relation).

Philadelphia’s Slice is a renowned pizzeria in Philadelphia. To debrief you, I am reviewing many popular pizza places in Philadelphia. Deeply rooted here, I know where to go and what is either very popular, very famous, and/ or just damn good pizza. Many of the places that will be visited in this Philadelphia pizza blog will be well known and many won’t be. But having that home field advantage will allow me to take you to discover the best of the best Philadelphia pizza (or validate the so called best).

I have started this site because I am tired of Philadelphia pizza having a bad reputation. As an owner of the famous Pizza Blog called Blog Pizza, I often hear too much negativity about Philly pizza. This blog will set the record straight. Philadelphia pizza is at minimum equal to New York Pizza. Think about it, if Philly can produce an ugly food like a cheese steak and make it famous, what do you think they can do with pizza?

On to the review…Slice is a pizzeria located at 1180 S. 10th Street (10th and Federal), Philadelphia, PA 19147. They were started about 3 years ago with the intention of focusing on a Napolitano Style gourmet pizza. This focus is in direct contrast to many of Philly’s American style pizza.

I have to say that I am very, very impressed with Slice’s pizza. They receive a Green Light. I ordered the Margherita pizza. I do this to keep all my reviews on a level playing field and also because this is the most basic type of pizza. If you can’t make a Margherita pizza well then you don’t deserve to have recognition as a best pizza place.

Their Margherita pizza (like all of the pizza served there) is thin crust. It was not burnt but lightly blackened (sign of a great pizza). There was a little crackle to their pizza but I am not going to hold them to that. Normally I like to fold a pizza in the middle slightly when I eat. This pizza won’t allow it. It may crack on an unpredictable side and then the line will follow all the way through. The result is that you are eating an irregular shape of a slice of pizza.

The tomato sauce was excellent. It was tangy and sweet and you can tell that it was fresh tomatoes. The sauce had an equal ratio to the cheese as well. This to me is a good healthy balance. I prefer an equal balance of cheese and sauce but my second choice would be more sauce like a traditional tomato pie. I can’t stand when there is too much cheese and too little sauce. That ratio is a NO-NO in my book.

The cheese was very good mozzarella cheese. It was cooked just right. It was not like that horrible cheese that was on the Pietro’s pizza pie from a few weeks ago. That place almost put me in the hospital. If you get a chance please read the story on the Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog.

The Margherita pizza also had its traditional basil sprinkled on top. Slice put a good portion on there so that you can feel like you’re eating a real Italian pizza.

The pizzas that Slice serves in there are all whole pizzas. You can order a small or a large pizza pie. Ironically, this place is called Slice but this pizzeria prefers not to sell a pizza slice. They do sell them but the cashier said that she would have to charge extra (like close to $4 – unheard of in Philly pizza world).

The size of the pie that I ate was a small (roughly 10 inches). The price was $8.95 and the large would have been $13.95. That is a well worth it price. Two people would need a large pizza. I ate a whole small pie by myself but then again I am a big eater. But just don’t order a slice here. A slice is not big at all especially for the price. Also, it is thin crust so you won’t get full as fast. If you eat here the value is in the whole pie.

Slice is a little place nestled in the heart of South Philly. There are about 6 small tables inside. But the owner has done a great job at keeping the place nice. There is slate tile everywhere and a big TV to watch as you eat.

Overall, I think that Slice’s pizza was in the best of the best of Philly. The price really helps rank this place high. Slice has been ranked by several different media sources as best pizza. For example, they were 2008 winner of My Fox Philly’s Hot List. Slice also won best of Philly for 2008.

Slice also delivers if you live in the Philly area. Talking with some friends though I have heard that it is best to eat there. When you order Slice to go, their pizza tastes half as good.

I don’t really have any recommendations for Slice but to keep their formula the same. They have a great reputation, a great thin crust pizza, a beautiful little cozy pizza joint, a great location (down the street from Geno’s and Pat’s Steaks), a nice staff, and a wide variety of pizzas. Actually, I ate a salad pizza when I was there. Slice serves their salads in a cone shaped pizza crust. It was delicious.

One observation that I will make is that Slice needs some competition. And I mean right across the street. You see, Geno’s and Pat’s Steaks are on the next block and their businesses are like a hand in glove. They feed each other business through the spirit of competition. People always ask “Which steaks do you like better Geno’s or Pat’s?” The same effect could happen here with Slice if they put good competition across the street and marketed it well. Well, whoever has deep pockets and takes this idea just remember to tell them where you got the idea fromJ

Slice has been reviewed by many so I will list a few of the popular reviewers and their comments below.

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THE OMNIVORE May 2009 By Rich Pawlak

"A SliCE of Pure Pizza Bliss"
http://theomnivorenow.blogspot.com/2009/05/slice-of-pure-pizza-bliss.html

Philadelphia Style March 2009 By Adam Erace and Peter Proko

Two local foodies taste-test the best pizza in Philadephia."At this spot at 10th and Federal, you can get individual slices of regular pizza with or without additional toppings, but in our humble opinion you’d be wasting your time:"

Philadelphia Inquirer Feb. 8, 2009 By Rick Nichols

"Slice is Jason Dilks' homage to the delectable Trenton pizza he grew up eating"

City Paper by Drew Lazor

Last weekend saw the debut of SliCE, a gourmet takeout with freshness on the brain. The team's still crafting the final menu, but the golden-baked Neopolitian pizzas, including BBQ chicken and the classic margherita, should do well to tide you over. Non-pie eats include create-your-own calzones and SliCE-arotti, the ship's take on panzarotti. Bite This: Ficle pizza folks will love the "Quatro Stagione," a pie you customize quarter by quarter. Toppings include goodies like artichoke hearts, Maglio sausage, arugula and house-grated Parmesan.

Philadelphia Magazine

It may be called SliCE, but it's the fresh-from-the-oven-hand-tossed pies that made us love this bare-bones new South Philly spot. The thin, crisp crust is topped with a light blanket of fresh, chunky tomato sauce and generous handfuls of cheese. Take our suggestion: Keep it simple. Too many toppings can weigh this Neapolitan-style pizza down. Opt for the elegant margarita with fresh mozzarella, or garlicky Florentine.

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Slice is another best Philadelphia pizza joint reviewed on Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog (affiliated with Blog Pizza).

Sam's Wildwood NJ Boardwalk Pizza

2009-07-22T19:29:00.002-04:00

Sam's Pizza Palace Wildwood New Jersey Boardwalk Pizza

I wanted to make a quick announcement that I reviewed Sam’s boardwalk pizza on Blog Pizza. This is a staple food for those people from Philly who visit the New Jersey shore in the summer and need to have their pizza fix. There are so many good things to say about Sam’s pizza.

Sam’s Pizza Palace is one of the best New Jersey Pizza restaurants and the best New Jersey boardwalk pizza. Sam’s is located on the boardwalk in Wildwood, New Jersey. So come visit Blog Pizza and read the rest of my full review.

Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria Review

2009-07-15T15:04:00.006-04:00

Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria Italian Pizza Review

This article will provide a review of Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria Italian Pizza located in Philadelphia. This is my first major review of Philadelphia pizza on this blog. For those of you who don’t know the affiliation, the owners of this blog also run Blog Pizza, the premier pizza blog. I have decided to set this blog on Philadelphia pizza up because this is the area that I live and believe that the Philadelphia community needs some recognition in the pizza world. Who would be best to do this job other than Blog Pizza?

In order to determine who has the best Philadelphia best, I would like to start at the top of the chain. I am going after the so called “Philadelphia best pizza” joints through public recognition. Eventually I will be targeting the pizza places that us locals know of. Keep in mind that what I am doing is letting out Philadelphia secrets. Philadelphia pizza is not known to be famous like New York or Chicago for a reason.

Philadelphians choose to keep pizza a secret as when their foods get well know like in the cheesesteak scenario, our town becomes flooded with tourists littering our streets with Geno’s and Pat’s Steak dirty rappers. This issue will be dealt with another time.

Why am I letting the cat out of the bag? I would prefer our city to be known for pizza than cheese steaks. Pizza parlors can contain traffic indoors and have a better system to deal with tourists. The major Philly cheese steak places have lines 24 hours a day in the public’s way. What do I mean? If you ever drove by Geno’s or Pat’s on a Friday night you will see lines blocking the street because the sidewalk cannot hold them. This is a public nuisance to most Philadelphians. At least famous pizzerias are usually indoors with crowd control procedures.

Anyway, welcome to our new Philadelphia pizza blog called Best Philadelphia Pizza Blog. The first review will be of Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria. Pietro’s is a family style restaurant owned by one family. They have several locations in the Philadelphia area. Pietro’s South Street is located at 121-123 South Street, Philadelphia Pa 19147; Pietro’s Marlton, 140 West Route 70, Marlton, NJ 08053; and Pietro’s Walnut Street, 1714 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.

The location of my review of Pietro’s is based off of the South Street location. First, let’s take a look at the positives. Pietro’s South Street pizzeria is beautiful. Aesthetically you could not ask for more from a pizzeria. The building is two commercial buildings wide with the party walls knocked out to form a giant restaurant. The inside is mesmerizing with refinished brick all along the walls. Pietro’s are truly demonstrating that they are serving gourmet Italian food and pizza.

Second, the staff at Pietro’s pizzeria was very friendly. The waiter was courteous and that says a lot.

Third, the atmosphere was soothing. You feel like you are in a fancy restaurant yet with a twist of a calm welcoming that only a family run business can provide.

Fourth, I have eaten there before and can attest that most of their pasta dishes are very good. This visit I was focused solely on the pizza though. The menu includes family style for all of your dishes including the salads. By the way their salads were very good too.

Now the fun part…negatives. I don’t like their pizza. Let me tell you why. First, the cheese that they use on their pizza is a buffalo mozzarella style. For those of you who need to watch what type of cheese you eat...all I can say is “be careful.” This type of cheese is of a stringy, curdled format. To some it is the best in the world but not for me.

I ordered two types of pizza: a margherita pizza and a pizza with sun dried tomatoes and roasted peppers. The crust on both pizzas were very good. They have the formula down for crust well: thin, lighted darkened, but not burnt. The sauce was ok but here is the problem. If I had to quantify their pizza into parts I would say that their pizza is two parts cheese and one part tomato sauce. I don’t know about you but I would think that most people would rather have more sauce than cheese on a traditional pizza such as a margherita pizza. I love the taste of tomato sauce. If the sauce is made really well a pizza chef should be highlighting it on the pizza.

The toppings were good and plentiful on my second pizza. But the issue keeps coming back to their lack of sauce and more importantly, the cheese. There was too much cheese on this pizza and of the wrong kind (for me at least).

Here is my grand finale with a little story about Pietro’s. The truth test of whether a food is good lies within the hours past when it is eaten (you can quote this from us if you like).

A quick story…

Right after I left Pietro’s, I got into my car and before I even drove a few blocks down something came over me. It was like bells went off in my head that said “you have a bathroom emergency and are not going to make it.” At that point it hit me that the pizza has caused serious immediate stomach issues that needed to be resolved pronto. I pulled my car over and ran up to the nearest place with a bathroom.

Fortunately, I found a Chinese Food place (thank god for the Chinese). I asked the woman where the bathroom is. She said that you must be a paying customer. I said “no Problem..I will pay.” It was downstairs. I don’t know what came over me. This never happens to me with my strong stomach. I am a worldly eater and can handle almost the same as Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods. All I kept thinking was that stupid pizza and what was wrong with that mozzarella cheese. After I was done, I walked upstairs and gave $5 to the lady at the register. It was worth a lot more but that was all they were getting from me. Pietro’s ruined my day from that point forward (and cost me $5). Five dollars to use the bathroom…that is an article in itself.

My final conclusions on Pietros… if you go just proceed with caution. This equates to my yellow light from our stop light system at Blog Pizza. Be careful of the cheese on the pie and be forewarned about all mentioned above. I don’t want to give this a red light because I know that others may not of had the same results as me. When I give a red light (which means don’t think about going) I am serious.

Thanks for visiting our article on Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria Italian Pizza Review.

Best Philadelphia Pizza

2009-07-11T18:06:00.001-04:00

Best Philadelphia Pizza

Philadelphia has a variety of foods to eat in its city from every culture imaginable. Philly has always been known for its pretzels and cheese steaks. The truth is that Philadelphia pizza has always been underrated. New York does have good pizza but Philadelphia...

In Philly, the pizza has been a hidden secret. Nobody really talks about their pizza as much as only the locals know where the best pizza places in Philadelphia are. Just think about it. If Philly can produce a disgusting and unhealthy food like a cheese steak and make it famous for having a great taste - imagine what they can do with pizza.

This blog will be focusing in on the best Philadelphia pizza places. Having spent many years in Philly, I know where to find the best Philly pizza. With this blog, I am going to disclose the truth about Philly pizza and eliminate the myth that only New Yorkers can make great pizza. Stay tuned to hear a true Philadelphian's perspective on Philadelphia pizza.