Pizza Help

[Alec Hart]

Where is there still good pizza in Philly (I tried searching for this, but I can’t figure out a way to just search the PA forum and mostly what I found was loooooong Pizza Club threads)? I recently moved to South Philly and now I live within delivery distance of Marra’s, which I used to like. So, I ordered from them over the weekend and it wasn’t very good. Not bad, just disappointing.

I was disappointed that last two times I got a pie from Giannfranco’s as well. Is Taconelli’s still good? I haven’t been there in over five years. Where’s the good pizza?

--Alec

[MarketStEl]

Tacconelli's is still all that and a bag of chips. You will have to reserve your crust ahead of time, though. I hope Pop finds a suitable protege/helper soon.

I can also tout a pretty good newcomer: NYPD Pizza (11th and Walnut), one of this year's Philadelphia magazine "Best of Philly" winners (this year, they named one winner per county). This place turns out the best thin, crisp crust in town (well, second best after Tacconelli's, but NYPD's is actually thinner). Their toppings are almost the equal of the crust, and they have good specialty combinations. Beware ordering take-out, though: the pizza will steam in the box and the crust will lose most of its crunch. It's still worth eating even in that degraded state, but you don't get the total package of joy.

[cdh]

Mama Palma's did a fine fine job when the Pizza Club visited... definitely worth a visit.

[jmbrightman]

try City Pizza, 16th and Oregon and a second location at Front and Snyder. very good pie that holds up when delivered, but the wait time is close to an hour. also, their Italian stromboli is stuffed with many meats and never disappoints. Russo's (1429 Jackson St.) has good Sicilian pie.

[mrbigjas]

i'm gradually becoming convinced that if you want a really good pizza experience you can't order it--you have to be at a restaurant and get it right out of the oven. even a few minutes in a box will steam and soften the crust.

that said, alec, here are my opnions for good pizza in town, in no particular order but how they're coming into my head.

tacconelli's in port richmond is still the same as it ever was. their sauce is a little plain to me, but the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

rembrandt's in fairmount makes very good, occasionally great wood oven pizza. they're a little heavy on the toppings which works against the thinness of the crust, but all the ingredients are good quality and when they have it going right, you get that char that's so good. unfortunately they discontinued the clam.

also in fairmount, illuminare makes good gas-fired brick oven pizzas.

marra's is very good if you're there. time in the box brings it down some, but that happens to all of them.

rustica at 2nd & poplar(?) in northern liberties makes a nice big pizza with a lot of toppings; slightly thicker crust allows it to stand up to them, but it's by no means a thick crust pizza hut kind of crap--get the sausage. they take hot italian and slice it longways, so there are strips of it on the pizza.

that's off the top of my head. there are more.

Edited September 20, 2005 by mrbigjas (log)

[philadining]

I'll second cdh's recommendation of Mama Palma's. Their crust is not the most flavorful in town, but it has a nice texture and good anti-tip-droop cantilever factor. Their toppings are excellent.

And they serve good beer.

I also like Marra's, although they can pile on the toppings a bit too heavily.

They could use some better beer.

And I completely agree that pizza needs to be eaten immediately, on-site, without being boxed, for it to be at its best. But then that's true of almost all foods.

Then again, lukewarm, soggy pizza is better than no pizza.

[Rich Pawlak]

Marra's is one of the very best pizzas in the city, second to Tacconelli's, and , with ancient brick ovens in both places, that makes sense. The craftsmanship in both places is a lesson in pride and exacting skills that is a wonder to watch.

That being said, it's really not fair to compare the city's other pies to these two, they are so far superior to the rest. Philly is still loaded with good pies all over town, and I suspect that there are more places yet discovered.

God, I miss Pizza Club....cant believe we havent done one for SO long.

[mrbigjas]

God, I miss Pizza Club....cant believe we havent done one for SO long.

we did one just a couple months ago. and it was my first time at tony's tomato pies up on frankford ave, the place with the cheese under the sauce. and alec, that's a damn good pizza right there--forgot to mention that in my first post.

[serpentine]

I always loved Marra's...often get pizza via delivery, or, if on premises, usually got entrees. Finally having had a pizza there in person with multiple toppings (unlike my delivery habit of plain) I was a little disappointed. I know I'm spoiled by the gourmet-ization of the world, but canned olives and canned mushrooms just don't do it for me anymore. (Also, it was served not-so-hot.)

Franco and Luigi's went through a bad patch awhile back in quality, but seem to be back to their old goodness as of late.

[Alec Hart]

Ok. So I went to NYPD Pizza and it was great. Thanks for the recommendation. Actually I’m on a string of really good dining experiences. NYPD Pizza, Chloë and Royal Tavern. Nez at Royal has completely taken his menu up several notches if my dinner from the other night is any indication. I think I’m going back there tonight and if I do, I’ll try and get a menu and do a write-up. If it’s as good a second time, then I’ll go out on a limb and say Royal’s food and beer selection is now superior to Standard Tap’s (but let me make sure it wasn’t just a fluke first).

--Alec

[Buckethead]

Nez at Royal has completely taken his menu up several notches if my dinner from the other night is any indication. I think I’m going back there tonight and if I do, I’ll try and get a menu and do a write-up. If it’s as good a second time, then I’ll go out on a limb and say Royal’s food and beer selection is now superior to Standard Tap’s (but let me make sure it wasn’t just a fluke first).

--Alec

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In my opinion, that has been true for a while, but I was never impressed with the food at the Standard Tap, myself. The help at the Royal is definitely a lot friendlier than at the Tap, as well.

[serpentine]

Nez at Royal has completely taken his menu up several notches if my dinner from the other night is any indication.

I have to disagree. I think the new menu is a tremendous disappointment, as was my recent meal there. (Terribly, terribly oversalted calamari.) What did you have that impressed you?

[Alec Hart]

What did you have that impressed you?

I'm going to try and do a full write-up over the weekend, but real quickly, I loved the pork chop and the salmon. My girlfriend loved the chicken (which I don't eat often, but I tried it and it was good - the "Bread Pudding" that comes with it is amazing) and she liked the ahi tuna. I also thoroughly enjoyed the "Vietnamese" wings (the Buffalo wings are pretty good too) and the frito misto. The only thing I was disappointed with was the pumpkin soup and that was because of texture, it still tasted pretty good.

--Alec

[philadining]

What did you have that impressed you?

I'm going to try and do a full write-up over the weekend,

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Please do, and when you post, why don't you go ahead and make a Royal Tavern topic, so we can find it later, rather than have it buried in this pizza thread.

[mrbigjas]

What did you have that impressed you?

I'm going to try and do a full write-up over the weekend,

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Please do, and when you post, why don't you go ahead and make a Royal Tavern topic, so we can find it later, rather than have it buried in this pizza thread.

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better yet, post it in this one that already exists...

[TarteTatin]

Y'know, right next to Standard Tap is Rustica, which makes a heck of a good pizza. We usually get a white pizza with spinach and sausage. Great....Their stromboli is good too.

[Ducksredux]

Tacconelli's is still all that and a bag of chips.  You will have to reserve your crust ahead of time, though.  I hope Pop finds a suitable protege/helper soon.

I can also tout a pretty good newcomer: NYPD Pizza (11th and Walnut), one of this year's Philadelphia magazine "Best of Philly" winners (this year, they named one winner per county).  This place turns out the best thin, crisp crust in town (well, second best after Tacconelli's, but NYPD's is actually thinner).  Their toppings are almost the equal of the crust, and they have good specialty combinations.  Beware ordering take-out, though: the pizza will steam in the box and the crust will lose most of its crunch.  It's still worth eating even in that degraded state, but you don't get the total package of joy.

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NYPD Pizza is pretty decent. If it were in New York I wouldn't avoid it, but I also wouldn't seek it out. If it were in NY it wouldn't be in my top 20. In Philly though it seems to be one of the best of a mediocre/bad lot. Their sauce is a bit too bitter, whereas their cheese and crust are not bad.

[KatieLoeb]

There's plenty of great pizza in Philly, in every sector of the city. Sometimes you may have to travel to get there is all.

West of Broad - Mama Palma's

East of Broad - Rustica 2nd Street

South Philly - Marra's, Franco & Luigi's, Stadium (also owned by F&L's)

Port Richmond - Tacconelli's

Trenton - DiLorenzo's (admittedly a hike, but well worth it. No worse than heading to DiFara's from Manhattan)

I think the comparison to NYC is not fair. The difference is that here, many of the best places aren't "slice shops", you either go have a whole pie or not. For the most part the overwhelming number of NYC pizza "slice joints" are mediocre as well. But when we get it right here, its REALLY good. I most recently ate at Tacconelli's just last week and it was awesome. Undoubtedly, some of the best pizza known to man. Mama Palma's did not disappoint on my most recent visit either. There's much good pizza in Philly. It just might not be fast food.

[MarketStEl]

I'd have to second Katie on the "slice shop" comment. Most NYC pizza slices I've had are basically fuel, not food: The crust is limp enough that you can--like most New Yorkers do--fold the slice in half lengthwise to eat it1, the sauce has that canned taste (which, to be fair, NYPD Pizza's does too), and the cheese is industrial-grade pizza blend. NYPD scores points in my book for getting the crust right.

Question: This is now the fourth or fifth time that I've seen Pizza Rustica in Old City mentioned approvingly in this forum. Is it related at all to Rustica in University City? I've always enjoyed the pizza I've had at the latter. Are there significant differences between the two if they are related?

1Maybe this is due to the oiliness of the cheese these places use rather than anything inherent in the way the crust is made.

[rlibkind]

Two good spots for slices:

Sarcone's, of course.

Pizza by George, Reading Terminal Market. Not designer pizza by any means, but well-made with a good medium crust.

[KatieLoeb]

I'd have to second Katie on the "slice shop" comment.  Most NYC pizza slices I've had are basically fuel, not food:  The crust is limp enough that you can--like most New Yorkers do--fold the slice in half lengthwise to eat it1, the sauce has that canned taste (which, to be fair, NYPD Pizza's does too), and the cheese is industrial-grade pizza blend.  NYPD scores points in my book for getting the crust right.

Question:  This is now the fourth or fifth time that I've seen Pizza Rustica in Old City mentioned approvingly in this forum.  Is it related at all to Rustica in University City? I've always enjoyed the pizza I've had at the latter.  Are there significant differences between the two if they are related?

1Maybe this is due to the oiliness of the cheese these places use rather than anything inherent in the way the crust is made.

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Sandy:

The Rustica on 2nd Street is an offshoot of Gianfranco Pizza Rustica on 3rd Street near Market. Don't think it has any relation to the one off campus.

The pizza there is excellent - you should definitely go check it out if you haven't had the pleasure. Lots of good toppings and always a great selection of pies available by the slice. And it's next door to Standard Tap for a post-prandial beverage should you so desire.

[CoolPapaBell]

Don't forget Tacconelli's has a location near the Moorestown Mall too. Also no need to go all the way to Trenton to get great Jersey pizza. Pizza Fresca (website) in Marlton is excellent.

I think I mentioned in the Joisy forum a while back that in my trips up there, I've found the "Best of" in South Jersey Magazine to be shockingly accurate for a small time publication. Rightfully so Pizza Fresca has gotten a few Best Ofs.

For your trips across the Delaware, here is their latest "Best of" but previous years are still worthwhile. In fact I think their initial in 2003 may still be the best as I guess sometimes you have to mix in new places for variety.

I think you may need a password.

[MarketStEl]

Don't forget Tacconelli's has a location near the Moorestown Mall too.

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Is that the same Tacconelli family that operates the store in Port Richmond, or is it like Pat's King of Steaks, where the original store is in the hands of one branch of the family and the franchises are owned by another, and the two don't speak to one another? (I've eaten at one of the franchises--Oliveri Prince of Steaks in the RTM; Herb Oliveri is forbidden from using the name "Pat's" within a (I think) five-mile radius of 9th and Passyunk--and I think it inferior to the orignal Pat's.)

The way I understood it, Papa Tacconelli is a one-man show in Port Richmond.

[CoolPapaBell]

Don't forget Tacconelli's has a location near the Moorestown Mall too.

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Is that the same Tacconelli family that operates the store in Port Richmond, or is it like Pat's King of Steaks, where the original store is in the hands of one branch of the family and the franchises are owned by another, and the two don't speak to one another? (I've eaten at one of the franchises--Oliveri Prince of Steaks in the RTM; Herb Oliveri is forbidden from using the name "Pat's" within a (I think) five-mile radius of 9th and Passyunk--and I think it inferior to the orignal Pat's.)

The way I understood it, Papa Tacconelli is a one-man show in Port Richmond.

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Without going too Googling mad, I was able to find this write up The 70 year old Philadelphia pizza making institution has crossed the Delaware River and has opened a second location in Maple Shade across from the Moorestown Mall. The pizza oven is from the same manufacturer as the original oven in Philadelphia.

That of course does not directly answer the question, nor have I been to the original, but seems to indicate it's not a pretend franchise.

Cool Mama Bell also liked it. But we both think Pizza Fresca is pretty close.

Edited September 26, 2005 by CoolPapaBell (log)

[rockhopper]

Don't forget Tacconelli's has a location near the Moorestown Mall too. Also no need to go all the way to Trenton to get great Jersey pizza.  Pizza Fresca (website) in Marlton is excellent.

I think I mentioned in the Joisy forum a while back that in my trips up there, I've found the "Best of" in South Jersey Magazine to be shockingly accurate for a small time publication.  Rightfully so Pizza Fresca has gotten a few Best Ofs.

For your trips across the Delaware, here is their latest "Best of" but previous years are still worthwhile.  In fact I think their initial in 2003 may still be the best as I guess sometimes you have to mix in new places for variety. 

I think you may need a password.

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The only problem with your post is that Marlton is 30 miles south of the Southern New Jersey/Joizey border -- which everyone knows is I-195.