Best Pizza in Pennsylvania

 
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swyman
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Post by swyman » Wed. Jan. 08, 2020 1:47 am

Can't take it no more since I am a total pizza-holic..... being from Michigan if you guys ever get to Detroit you have to go to Buddy's pizza! They started the original Detroit style pizza in 1946. They have been franchising out (thank god) and the quality at all that I've been to have been consistent. Pizza House in Ann Arbor is my all time favorite though.....they put a layer of sesame seeds on the bottom of the dough of their deep dish and the flavor from that is incredible!

 
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Post by hank2 » Sat. Jan. 11, 2020 1:16 am

Some old favorites for PA. Pizza in my general area and a little further.

The former, long lived and long gone, SAL'S pizzeria, Main St. in Kutztown . Best Sicilian there ever was. Aged his own cheeses and brushed with olive oil. Several owners, different names since he closed, not as good. Currently Luigi's which has some tasty gourmet type pizzas.

Fiore's restaurant, Fleetwood, PA. Good Neapolitans and pan pizza. Sicilian just OK.

Russo's in Hamburg ( only the Sicilian)

The Westy, West Hamburg, Pa. Consistently above average, but it's been a while.

Roma in Pottsville ( been a while) but legendary.

Palermo's near Minersville. Old, small strip shopping center on the old Pottsville Maroons NFL field site. Stromboli's my usual target there but pizza is great too. I don't know if it still exists, but there used to be a darn good Chinese restaurant ( for the area) in that shopping center.

Vito's coal fired pizza near St. Clair. Quite good, but not the champs.

Faccia Luna and Luna II ( if 2 still exists) State College, Pa. Wood fired oven pizza. Used to be stupid good. Shows some decline over the last 5 or 10 years, but still mighty tasty.

I have heard tales of the Tamaqua joint but still haven't made it there. Back in the mid-80's or so, I had a coworker that commuted all the way from Hazleton to Berks county. He constantly raved about a famous joint in Hazleton ( can't recall the name). One day he brought a pie to work. Well made, crust and all, but I remember the sauce being at true battery acid level. Not that I'm a sweet sauce guy either.

As someone else said, the pizza in the South generally is a real joke. I've seen them with pre fab cracker crusts. Especially in smaller towns. As for New York/ Conn. pizza, most that I have had are of the training wheel, cheaply made variety. I will always eat them up anyhow!

Reading and Reading area had several legendary sub shops years ago. Chubby's being the all time king and the old Marks' in Kutztown for the best cheesesteaks. Sadly they're all gone and not a single truly great one remains. But this ain't a sub thread. ;-)

 
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Post by hank2 » Sat. Jan. 11, 2020 1:22 am

swyman wrote:
Wed. Jan. 08, 2020 1:47 am
Can't take it no more since I am a total pizza-holic..... being from Michigan if you guys ever get to Detroit you have to go to Buddy's pizza! They started the original Detroit style pizza in 1946. They have been franchising out (thank god) and the quality at all that I've been to have been consistent. Pizza House in Ann Arbor is my all time favorite though.....they put a layer of sesame seeds on the bottom of the dough of their deep dish and the flavor from that is incredible!
Dang, that sounds good!! I haven't been to the Detroit area since the mid 90's on the way to the UP. Maybe someday. I never had any of the terrific looking Chicago pizza either that you see on the food tour shows.


 
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Post by DRBill » Fri. Feb. 07, 2020 4:11 pm

You can't get good pizza in PA. There are only two things that are no good limp. One is pizza (Pause) and the other is potato chips. Sixty years ago, we got pizza from DeLucia's in Raritan NJ. Home of John Basilone, CMOH recipient for action on Guadalcanal and killed on Iwo. Thin and crisp with just enough sauce and cheese that it stuck to the crust and you could see your face in the olive oil. Real Italian sausage and real pepperoni, not the crap foisted off on us today. Still crisp after a 20 minute drive home through the Duke Estates which was over-run with deer but you couldn't hunt there.

Over twenty years ago there was a new pizza place near us. My wife wanted pizza and I told her, you can't get good pizza in PA. Well, we stopped and ordered one. I told the waitress "Extra garlic and oregano." The reply was "What's oregano." We couldn't finish once slice.

We have given up eating pizza as it is too plain, with no garlic, oregano, or olive oil and is so limp that the sauce and cheese just slide off the pizza. Ask them to put the crust in the oven twice and then add sauce and cheese and it is still limp after a five minute drive home.

Bill

 
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Post by joethemechanic » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 2:07 pm

In Hazleton "PITZA" is very popular. They eat it cold mostly. It's good, but not really what you'd think of as pizza. They sell it everywhere, Gas stations, supermarkets, bars, or you can go to where they make it

Image

 
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Post by gaw » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 2:55 pm

I see that stuff up in that area laying on the counter st convenience stores but never had the nerve to try it. :hangover:


 
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Post by joethemechanic » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 5:42 pm

gaw wrote:
Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 2:55 pm
I see that stuff up in that area laying on the counter st convenience stores but never had the nerve to try it. :hangover:
I haven't either. I have only had it fresh from Senape's Bakery where they make it

 
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Post by CoalJockey » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 6:21 pm

I previously mentioned Foxes and Pizza Hut but those are both franchise stores out here in the sticks and I guess not a fair comparison. In Central PA you need to get into the larger towns before you will find any bars with a true Italian touch. Johnstown and Altoona has some good VFW and Legion clubs that hand make their own pizza. You guys in the Eastern part of the State have an edge on any ethnic foods simply because of the melting pot effect when they hopped off the boat at Ellis Island.

We have friends that come up from Texas every Summer and take several pies back home with them in the freezer. They always say there is no decent Pizza in Texas and I always thought they were pulling my leg until I read this thread again and see that others indicate the same.

It’s sort of like going on a missions trip to the Dominican and comparing their real coffee to the watered down garbage that we drink here in the States. I guess it all depends what corner of the World your standing in.

I’m always hunting for good wings too, anywhere and everywhere I go. I suppose that should be a whole new topic. The best food I have ever ate in my life has come out of the little hole-in-the-wall chitholes, and mom & pop joints and seems the pizza is no exception!

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