Tacconelli's NJ Best New Jersey Pizza

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

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!

New York Italian Bakery Pizza Review

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!

Criniti’s Ristorante Italiano Pizza Review

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!

Soho Pizza Buffalo Chicken Review

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!

Iannelli’s Famous Brick Oven Bakery

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!

Cacia's Bakery and Cafe

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.

La Fourno Ristorante Trattoria Review

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!

Marra's Cucina Italiana Restaurant

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.