Cacia is a great introduction to what bakery pizza in Philadelphia is all about—super cheap, insanely consistent comforting slices from an unpretentious neighborhood spot that hasn't changed much in 50 years, and quite possibly the only tomato pie bakery in Philadelphia that's opened on Sunday and Monday. More
The Lombarda has been on the menu at Osteria since day one. And thinking back to 2007, it was a time when topping a pizza with an oozy, baked egg was pretty revolutionary. Taking a the time that Chefs Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud spent cooking in the Lombardia region of Italy this pie is topped with two regional specialties, house made cotechino sausage spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and nutty Bitto cheese, along with fresh fresh mozzarella made by DiBruno Bothers, and a swipe of tomato sauce. Oh, and then there's that egg. More
Whether you heat them up or eat them cold, Carangi Baking Company's square slices are a delicious piece of the Philadelphia bakery pizza puzzle. On a recent visit, Philly Slice correspondent Hawk Krall tried all their varieties—right out of the case and hot from the oven. More
Blackbird's location right off of South Street is actually the former home of Gianni's Grill (now closed)—for a long time one of the few places in town to get a vegetarian cheesesteak. Blackbird opened 2 years ago, an all vegan Philly-style pizzeria and sandwich shop. More
Pizza Brain, Philadelphia's combination art project, restaurant, and Guinness—certified largest collection of pizza memorabilia in the world that we first told you about last year is gearing up to open this summer. Renovations at Pizza Brain HQ in Fishtown—a big space with plenty of room for arcade games, seating, and even a back yard—are running smoothly and they're looking to open around June. More
The rumor is that Tomato Pie got its starts as a means to use up leftover hoagie roll dough by piling it into a greased square sheet tray, topping it with a sweet, thick tomato sauce, baking it up, and serving it by the slice at room temperature. As a lover of both square pies and cold leftover pizza, this seemed like something right up my alley. The real question is: is it possible to create real Philadelphia-style Tomato Pie in a New York kitchen? More
I've been on a little bit of a mission to put Philadelphia bakery-style tomato pie on the pizza map. And for me it all goes back to Sam's Italian Market, a bakery and Italian prepared foods spot close to where I grew up outside of Philadelphia. More
Daily Slice gives a quick snapshot each weekday of a different slice or pie that the folks at the Serious Eats empire have enjoyed lately. [Photographs: Hawk Krall] Celebre's has quickly become my new favorite South Philly delivery spot. Caroline wrote about their Pizzaz a while back (supposedly they are the originators) and since then I've been ordering from them on a regular basis. Their sausage comes in awesome thin pork ribbons that crisp up on the edges like pepperoni. The decorative green peppers are also a nice touch.... More
To be clear on definitions right off the bat—the "Tomato Pie" we're talking about here is very different from Trenton Tomato Pie, or even the Northeast Philly version. In the Tomato Pie Belt that runs roughly from South Philly through the western suburbs of Manayunk , Conshocken and Norristown, it's a square pie that consists only of soft, foccocia-like dough, thick, slow-cooked sauce, herbs and a shake of parm or romano, and is ideally purchased at room temperature at a bakery, not a pizzeria. More
The veggie slice ($2.50) at Pizza Rustica in University City is really all about the vegetables. The super-thin, cracker-like crust is merely a vessel for a cast of veggies featuring fresh mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and little blobs of sweetly roasted garlic. A bit of crème fraîche mixes in with the mozz, accounting for a base that's a little bit more creamy than cheesy, adding a lightness that matches its veggie-centric toppings. More
