Slice, Slice, Baby
Written by: Yamima Bekele
Pizza. Five letters, two syllables, and an indefinite amount of taste and flavor. If you find yourself desperate and seeking the best brick oven pizza in Philadelphia, look no more.
My name is Yamima Bekele and I love pizza. Most importantly, brick oven pizza. If there’s pizza on the menu, I’ll be the first to try it. Throughout my 20 years of being able to consume hard foods, I have tried almost every kind of pizza there is. And being a Chicago native, I have obviously grown to defend our beloved deep-dish pizza. To me, a good pizza must have the perfect tomato sauce, cheese, and dough ratio. It can’t be too saucy; it can’t be too cheesy (although I’m a sucker for a good cheese pull) and it can’t be too doughy. Throughout my three years here in Philadelphia, I’ve tried to find the perfect list of sit-down pizza spots near University City and share it with you all. Follow along to my Philly Pizza Crawl to help me establish the best pizza that will get my crown of approval.
Pizza Verti: 1615 Chancellor st.
If you enjoy a simple thin crust pizza with little to no cheese, Pizza Verti might just be the place for you. As much as I love a good crust on a pizza, that’s just all this pizza had to offer. There was barely enough cheese on this piece of dough to call itself a real pizza. Sure, the crust was extremely well cooked with a nice, enjoyable crisp to it, but the lack of cheese? It threw off the whole pizza, I could barely stomach it. Overall, the sauce was warm and well-seasoned, and the crust was satisfyingly crispy, if only they had tossed even just a handful of more cheese on the pizza; my rating would’ve been higher. 3/5
Pietro’s Italian: 1714 Walnut st.
Pietro’s Italian has been a personal favorite of mine since my first year in college. Their margherita pizza is nothing less than perfection. Their brick oven style pizza is curated and made wonderfully to a personal size. The crust isn’t too thick, the cheese isn’t too over baring and the sauce? It tastes like it was made 5 minutes ago in the heart of Italy and brought back just to be served on my pizza. Topped with a light amount of basil leaves, their margherita pizza does not disappoint. Whether you’re celebrating an accomplishment or getting through a tough finals week, a Pietro's pizza (or even their freshly made bread rolls) is the best addition to any life change. Pietro’s atmosphere is warm, and welcoming and their dim lighting is perfect for when I unbutton my pants after my meal. If I could change anything about their pizza, I would change absolutely nothing! 5/5
Pitruco Pizza: Franklins Table
To add onto the list of things I am jealous UPenn has, and Drexel doesn’t...Pitruco Pizza. If anyone ever asks me where to get a pizza on campus, I always direct them to walk a little further down 34th, turn right on Walnut and just take their butts to Pitruco. Although I was a little stunned at the price for the size of the pizza, one bite into the pizza and I never questioned it again. The pizza is made right in front of you using a classic brick oven, the staff is extremely friendly, and you can even have it made to-go. The crust has the perfect amount of fluffiness, the sauce is seasoned to perfection with their chopped oregano and basil leaves and the cheese could not be placed more perfectly. Topped with a few basil leaves and sprinkles of Parmesan cheese, this pizza is a perfect study meal or just a quick grab and go in between classes. 4.5/5
Emmy Squared: 632 S 5th st.
Three years later and the closest thing I could get to a Chicago style deep dish pizza is Emmy Squared. A perfect mixture of a crunchy crust, cheesy middle and a settled sauce with immaculate flavor. That first crunch you hear when you take the first bite could make an old man cry (or even a 21-year-old girl writing this). The dough of the pizza is perfectly fluffy on the inside yet still crunchy enough on the outside to give you the full experience of a deep-dish pizza. Emmy squared had more than enough pizza to share for two and even to take home. If you’re looking for your next date spot to move away from the traditional brick oven pizzas, try Emmy squared. 3.5/5
LaScalas Fire: 3200 Chesnut
Convenience and word of mouth don’t always mean good quality. I’ve heard quite a few things about the new LaScala's location opening in University City and as one pizza connoisseur does, I needed to try their pizza to see if the hype matched the quality of the pizza. It did not. I was genuinely heartbroken at the bread-sauce-cheese concoction they served me and claimed to be pizza. The cheese was extremely thick (and not in the satisfying, instagram-able, cheese-pull kind of way), the sauce was way too bitter and watery and the crust, well it was just okay. I had high hopes for LaScala’s because of their amazing location and great selection of happy hour specials but unfortunately their pizza does NOT pass the vibe check. 1/5