Marra’s Restaurant

I actually ate at Marra’s several years ago but don’t remember anything from that visit. Matt had also been there years ago in the upstairs dining room for a family gathering but was unaware that the pizza was the thing to order at Marra’s at the time. His mistake. Recently we’ve been hearing people say that this was a good sit down place for some pizza so it was our duty to try it.

Nestled right in the middle of the restaurants, stores and hip coffee shops along the up and coming East Passyunk corridor lies this Italian restaurant that’s been around since 1927.  Upon entering we were immediately greeted by a very friendly staffer that told us to sit wherever we liked.  We picked a cozy little booth right by the door and squeezed 5 people in.  The atmosphere is very old world and homey which in a way reminded me of an Irish pub.  It felt warm and relaxing and it seemed like a great place to enjoy a meal or drink.

After a few beers and some appetizers (the garliciest garlic bread ever) the pizza arrived.  Some people ordered personal pizzas with excessive amounts of meats and veggies but the true test of good pizza is the cheese pie and that is what I ate.  They don’t serve pizza by the slice. You can get made-to-order pizzas in 10″ (personal), 14″(small), and 18″(large) sizes. This is very good brick oven pizza. We found out from out server that they still use the same oven her grandparent’s, the founders, brought over from Italy in 1927. The crust was cooked to perfection being nice and very crispy without being too hard.  The soft dough on top of the crispy crust was a fine balance. The sauce had a nice fresh homemade flavor and the amout of cheese was just right.

The crust was cooked to perfection being nice and very crispy without being too hard. 

Some of our crew thought there was not enough sauce. Maybe more sauce would have made it that much better but I didn’t find that to be a problem.  I was very satisfied with my meal.

Marra’s is a great cozy sit down place that excels in pizza.  Operated by generations of family whose pride in their establishment is obvious. Looking for a place for a inexpensive date?  Go to Marra’s. Dinner with friends?  Go to Marra’s.  Just go to Marra’s.  Marra’s is real South Philly Italian with no bells, whistles or gimmicks – just great rustic pizza. You won’t be disappointed.

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Marra’s Restaurant
1734 E Passyunk Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 463-9249