Mama Angelina’s Pizza Restaurant Review

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.

Pizzicato Italian Pizza Restaurant Review

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!

Celebre’s Pizza Restaurant Review

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!

Osteria Philadelphia Pizza Review

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.

Sam's Wildwood NJ Boardwalk Pizza

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

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).

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

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.