Entries Tagged 'Reviews' ↓

Reading Terminal Market (RTM) is a great place for lunch.  Probably one greatest places in the country.  They have everything you could possibly want all under one roof. Everything, even beloved pizza.  That’s where Pizza by George comes into play.  As far as I can tell, this is the only joint in RTM to get a slice which would explain why the lines are always long.  Aside from pizza, they have the usual stuff you would imagine from a pizzeria in Philly; from cheesesteaks and sandwiches to salads and pasta dishes.  I’ve never tried any of the other stuff but why would I? I review pizza and you don’t make friends with salad!

The pizza at Pizza by George is…fine. Nothing stands out about it on either end of the spectrum.  The word nondescript comes to mind.  The slices are of less than average size, they tend to be a little heavy on sauce and sometimes the crust can be a little burnt. I assume this comes from reheating in their brick oven since they make ALL of the daily pies in the morning (I overheard the counter girl telling this to an obnoxious customer) but that sort of thing is to be expected.  The slices I ate for this review weren’t the best I ever had there.  The review slice was too greasy and the crust was burnt.

I know Reading Terminal Market is a bit of a tourist trapand lunch prices will be a little bit higherthan say a corner shop but $6.50 for 2 plain sliceswithout a drink is completely outrageous.  That’s worse than NYC prices.  Get over yourself, George!  The pizza isn’t that good.

Dear tourists, if you are coming to the Reading Terminal Market there are much better lunch options you should take advantage of.

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By George!
51 N 12th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 829-9391
http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/merchants/view/51

Gianfranco’s Pizza Rustica is a tiny (emphasis on the word tiny) little pizzeria nestled in the heart of Olde City Philadelphia.  It has a reputation of being a great eatery so we had to try it, twice.  We have tried to review this place before but never got around to finishing the review.  I think the reason for that is this: Gianfranco’s makes the most non-descript slice of pizza ever. There is nothing to write about on either end of the good/bad pizza spectrum.  It’s neither good nor bad.

I guess I should get down to details about the pizza.  The proportions of sauce to cheese is fine but the sauce is thick and kind of cakey, sort of like a mud pie you would make as a kid.  The crust was not crispy enough.  All of these ingredients make up the plainest slice I may have ever had. Again, not a bad slice but there really wasn’t anything to it.

if we were to get a fresh pie for takeout it might be better

They usually have a variety of pizza “specialty” pizzas with all sorts of toppings on them. We sampled the pepperoni, the BBQ chicken pizza and some slice with spinach on it. These were slightly better than the plain slice. BBQ pizza always seems like a good idea, in theory, but the BBQ sauce is usually so sweet that it tastes more like a desert than a slice of pizza.

I should note that this place closes at 8pm.  We have only been able to get there near closing time so the pies may have been sitting out for a while.  I also feel like if we were to get a fresh pie for takeout it might be better but I don’t live near the place so the chances of that are slim.

Don’t even bother trying to eat inside on a hot summer day. There’s no AC plus the pizza ovens blazing away in that small space is unbearable. Instead, take your slice outside and sit at one of the outside tables (if one of the dudes who work there isn’t already sitting there) and people watch Olde Cityites walking by. Apparently they have two other locations. One on 11th Street and one on Broad Street in South Philly.

We are going to try and get here again sometime around lunchtime when the pies are fresh because, despite our experiences, we keep hearing that it’s good.

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Gianfranco’s Pizza Rustica
6 N.3rd St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 592-0048
www.gianfrancopa.com

It was a lovely Thursday.  The sun was out, the birds were chirping and the women were beautiful.  What better way to celebrate the beginning of the summer months (we had no spring this year) than beers errrr uh I mean coffee in Rittenhouse.  After a 6 pack of “coffee” we decided that food was in order and since I’m telling this story on this website you can bet your pennies that we ate some pizza.  The closest place to get pizza was Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria.

I have always hated on this place.  I always thought it was a bourgeois place for yuppies and tourists who think Philadelphia only exists in Center City.  I always scoffed at the people in the outdoor seating area with their shopping bags and their snooty attitude.  Because of this I never thought that the food might actually be good.  To my surprise… it is very good!

After a short wait inside for a table (this place is huge), we sat in the outdoor seating (go ahead call me a snooty yuppie or tourist) and for some bizarre reason we each ordered a Heineken.  Drinking Heineken is like clicking on that link your gross friend emails you.  You know you shouldn’t do it and you know you will be upset with what you see, but you do it anyway.  Gross!  

We ordered  a large and added pepperoni to half of the pie.  The pizza at Pietro’s is good.  Very good.  The sauce was fresh with a very good flavor.  I can’t figure out what they added, if anything at all, to the sauce but whatever they did, it works.  The pepperoni were small thick piece of meaty goodness that were good enough to peel off and eat separately as an appetizer.  

My hatred for this place was completely unwarranted

You can never go wrong with fresh mozzarella.  The only complaint is that the crust could have been a little crunchier but that was still good as well.  Everything about this pizza worked well together and I was pleasently surprised by how good it is.  

I have to admit that my hatred for this place was completely unwarranted.  The staff are very friendly and the pizza is excellent.  This would probably be a good place for a date or a small group dinner.  

We left happy with a belly full of delicious pizza and then went to The Good Dog bar a few blocks away to visit our friend Zack who was working.  He’s a good bartender.  He gets you drunk.  Go see him and tip him well.

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Pietro’s Coal Oven Pizzeria
1714 Walnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 735-8090
www.pietrospizza.com

This pizza is from J & J South Philly Pizza.  There is nothing to say about this pizza other than it is BAD.  Really bad.  The one thing this place has going for them is their pizza boxes are quite good.  Look at the amount of grease on this pizza.  You could fill a small swimming pool with it.  But, the pizza box held strong and not a drop seeped through or dripped onto the table.  Kudos on your boxes.  Now learn how to make a decent pie.

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J & J South Philly Pizza
1177 S 9th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 551-1234

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

Cacia’s Bakery & Cafe in Northern Liberites is the newest of seven locations opened by the original bakery in South Philly. At some locations they’ve expanded from breads and pastries to offering Italian sandwiches and hoagies. At the NoLibs spot, they branched out to pizza and coffee (two of my favorite things) as well.

People rave about the tomato pie and pizza is clearly the most popular choice of the lunch crowd. Along with pizza, they offer sandwiches and a few standard Italian hot entrees cafeteria-style out of warming trays like meatballs, sausage and peppers, baked ziti, chicken cutlets, lasagna, etc. None of these meals are worth writing home about and they are a bit too expensive (priced per pound) to buy because you are too lazy to make dinner.

Now onto the pizza:
Please note that this business is not called Cacia’s Pizzeria. Maybe because they refer to themselves as a bakery they think it’s ok to cook pizza on cookie sheets. They don’t just make Sicilian and tomato pie in rectangular sheets but ALL of their pizzas are made rectangular!? I sampled the sausage & peppers and a slice of plain. On the slice of plain, the sauce was robust but the flavor wasn’t terribly appealing. The cheese was overcooked and browned. In contrast, the dough was cooked golden brown and was very tasty. The sausage & peppers had no sauce and it looked and tasted like they threw a slice of American Cheese on top. It stuck to my teeth and eating it pissed me off royally.

If you are in need of a fresh Italian bread or are craving a cannoli, Cacia’s can satisfy you. For a good slice of pizza, look elsewhere. Pizza should be round. Round and delicious.

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Cacia’s Bakery & Cafe‎
719 N 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 922-3888

When I lived in NYC near Columbus Circle, Mariella was the shop of choice for delivery.  The pies were huge and tasty and were affordable for 4 poor college students.  They also seemed to deliver 24 hours a day but I may have been drunk.  The thing about Mariella is that the pizza would put you in a coma, almost immediately.  It was a seriously debilitating coma that would prevent you from doing anything for a few hours.  I’m pretty sure I missed a class or two due to this.  We began to lovingly refer to the pizza as “Roofie Pizza.”  

Fast forward several years to September 2008. Matt and I were in NYC the night before for a going away party for a friend.  His wife also just happens to work around the corner from Mariella.  That’s a perfect recipe for a pizza lunch.

We began to lovingly refer to the pizza as “Roofie Pizza.”

In all the years I ordered pizza from there, I hardly ever went there to eat so my only memories are really of just the pizza. It’s a small place in the middle of big office buildings and close to that fancy Columbus Circle mall.  The place was packed with the lunch crowd and the guys behind the counter ran the place with a fire brigade like efficiency. The head dude is constantly yelling out “One stay” or “Two Go” to the guy working the oven.

The pizza was just as good as I remembered it.  It’s a New York City slice of pizza in the best sense.  It’s crunchy, it’s greasy, it’s cheesy and it’s delicious.
 
And, just like I remember, the coma started to set in right around when I finished my first slice.  I found it hard to focus and went into a trance like state.  I did manage to finish my second slice but it was tough (delicious but tough).  Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad a coma as I remember.  We were able to get up and walk around the neighborhood before Wifey went back to work and we went to a pub.  

$6.50 for 2 slices and a drink might seem steep, but in the grand scheme of things and considering it’s in NYC, I guess it isn’t too bad.  $5 would be better but whatever.

Also, there is a sign on the wall that says Oprah and her buddy Gayle think this is the best pizza in the country.  Maybe that had something to do with the crowd.  Personally I don’t think this is the best pizza in the country but it’s still pretty good.

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Mariella Pizza
960 8th Ave
New York, NY 10107
(212) 757-3016‎

Wandering around Rittenhouse looking for a slice and after being thwarted at one place that was closing at 8 (seriously?), we stumbled across Cravings which quite literally is a hole in the wall. 

This place is tiny.  It seats 4 and you have to navigate around the giant water ice cooler but that doesn’t seem to stop the stream of customers looking for a quick bite.

Not only is this delicious pizza but the price is right too.

Sandwiched between a couple of lame bars and a liquor store, Cravings offers a fresh slice.  Upon first glance it looked like just another run of the mill greasy slice but we were pleasantly surprised.  The slice has a nice flaky crust and the cheese has a sharper, refreshing taste.  It was a bit heavy on the cheese which normally doesn’t make a good slice, but this worked.  In between serving up the customers and threatening to beat the shit out of a guy trying to use fake twenties, we managed to get a bit of info out of the owner.  He uses a 4 cheese blend but wouldn’t tell us what they are.  Mozzarella is obviously one of them and I suspect he slipped when he told us Muenster, an oil based cheese, is another one but he kept the other 2 a secret.  He also cooks the pizza at 700 degrees which is also part of his winning recipe. 

Being located next to a few popular (yet lame) bars you would think he would make a killing at last call but he closes at 10 to avoid the drunken chaos and the inevitable criminals looking to rob inebriated yuppies or the open shop.

Not only is this delicious pizza but the price is right too.  Individual slices are less than $2 and there is also a great special of 2 slices and a soda for $4.  This highly recommended slice is perfect for the Center City lunch crowd or that quick bite after work.  We can’t wait to go back.

Rating:  

Cravings
1911 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 963-1661

As Samuel L says in Pulp Fiction, “Goddamn, Jimmie! This is some serious gourmet shit!” Mama Palma’s at 23rd and Spruce is some gourmet shit. They’re all sorts of gourmet with their made to order pies, and their imported from Italy brick oven and their multitudes of fresh ingredient toppings. They are also shit with their mostly tasteless pizza, their $6 pints of beer and their bougie center city prices. Ok so shit is completely overdoing it. We all enjoyed our pizza very much.
 Our mistake was that we ordered the margherita pizza which isn’t the most exciting option on the menu. They definitely did NOT skimp on the fresh basil but the tomato sauce was mediocre. The dough was deliciously soft and crispy and wasn’t too heavy. They cut up the pie into half-slices which was kind of girlie but it made sharing pretty easy.
It was $19.50 for a 16″ pie, even though it feed 3 people that seems a bit steep for a pizza and that was one of the cheapest pie on the menu.
It’s busy as shit and it is hard to find parking in that area. If you don’t live in walking distance from this place and you are really hungry…think twice before heading here. However, we feel this place deserves a second chance so we will give it another try someday. 

Sorry for the shitty quality of the pictures both of us forgot cameras so these were taken on the iPhone

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Mama Palma’s
2229 Spruce St
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 735-7357

In our mission statement it says “This site is an attempt and an excuse to sample and review as much pizza as possible in the Philadelphia area and beyond.”  I’m currently in Ireland helping friends Frank and Rosie with the first session of their artist studio art program called Cow House Studios.  I knew pizza would be few and far between but I was hoping to get in some of those “beyond” reviews in.

Somewhere along the main strip in Galway, Ireland lies Fat Freddy’s Bistro. This little restaurant that has quite an extensive list of pizza on the menu, among the typical fare such as salads, sandwichs and meat and pasta entrees.  Never one to turn down the opportunity the eat some of “God’s food,” Frank, Rosie and I decided the split a large cheese pie.  

It was just boring and flavorless.

The first thing I noticed from looking at the pie was that my idea of a large pie is quite different from their idea of a large pie.  The size was somewhere between a small and a medium and I probably could have conquered the whole thing by myself with little effort.  Even though it was clearly hot and melted, you could still see the formation of the individual pieces of shredded mozzarella.  I guess that happened because of the excessive amount of cheese that they used.  There was seriously a lot of cheese on this pizza.  While I like cheese a lot, if you’re going to use that much, at least do something interesting with it.  Add some spice or throw in a different kind of cheese or something.  On first bite it was evident that they make their pizza from frozen dough.  It was flakey and flavorless.  The sauce was only slightly better than ketchup and water and I’ve already been over the cheese.  Despite all the negative feedback, the pizza wasn’t disgusting.  It wasn’t good and I won’t be trying it again but it wasn’t gross either.  It was just boring and flavorless.  We should have gone the the chipper.

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Fat Freddy’s Bistro
The Halls
Quay Street
Galway, Ireland
www.fatfreddys.net
091-567279