There are different factors that go into obtaining the perfect slice of pizza. The ratio of cheese to tomato sauce can make or break the dish, along with the quality and thickness of the crust. I indulged in plain and margarita pizza from five different pizza places in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area to see which properly matched the standards that all pizzas should have.
Tacconelli’s Pizzeria
After taking one bite of the Tacconelli’s cheese pizza slice, I knew this was probably going to be my ultimate favorite of the five I was trying. The sauce was of such outstanding quality, having a very homemade taste, unlike some of the other pizza’s I tried. The ratio of cheese and tomato sauce went together perfectly. Usually the crusts don’t often stand out to me in , but this crust held a perfect amount of crispiness and thickness. Both the cheese and margarita pizza were top quality, but the cheese definitely was my favorite of the two having a delectable taste and perfect ratio between the different layers. Tacconelli’s pizza’s piquant taste and overall excellent quality put them as my favorite of the five pizza places.
Locations:
27 W Main St, Maple Shade, NJ 08052
164 Haddon Ave, Haddon Township, NJ 08108
2604 E Somerset St, Philadelphia, PA 19134
Santucci’s Pizza
Santucci’s Pizza’s slices were noticeably the most unique of the five places. Instead of having the traditional triangular shape, Santucci’s pizza was a square, almost resembling a tomato pie, however still having the pizza-like qualities and taste. Their differentiality definitely came through with their cheese pizza, having a thick but doughy crust that really stood out in the slice. The cheese and sauce were well combined and the quality of both were immensely fresh. While I enjoyed the cheese pizza, I didn’t enjoy their margarita. The margarita pizza lacked mozzarella and didn’t contain basil -- which many deem required for a margarita pizza. The tomato sauce were very fresh, but they needed mozzarella and basil to balance it out. Although their margarita pizza wasn’t up to par, the unique qualities of their pizza placed Santucci’s as my second favorite pizza place.
Locations:
901 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
655 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123
261 Hurffville - Cross Keys Rd, Sewell, NJ 08080
Lascala’s Fire
Lascala’s Fire is an Italian restaurant that serves a variety of dishes. While their cheese pizza was greasier than I would have liked, it had an appetizing flavor. Their crust was chewy and thick, while there was an immense amount of cheese on the pizza. However, the cheese pizza lacked tomato sauce. Right away when opening the margarita pizza box, it was extremely visually appealing. While the taste wasn’t as divine as it looked, it still made for an average slice of pizza. The quality was okay, but it didn’t stand out at all. Lascala’s went in the middle of the ranking for me, being average quality, but not exceeding any of my standards.
Locations:
500 NJ-73, Marlton, NJ 08053
615 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Bricco Pizza
While I liked the oven type crust Bricco had, their overall cheese pizza quality barely met the average standard. The tomato sauce was my least favorite, having the taste similar to one from a can. The sauce overpowered the cheese pizza slice. Since sauce is a big factor for me, I didn’t really enjoy their cheese pizza slice. Their margarita pizza was a little bit better quality, but not by much. The sauce was the same and it influenced the crust to have an almost soggy texture. Bricco’s sauce was the factor that threw me off with their pizza’s. I wouldn’t enjoy eating there again due to the poor quality of the tomato sauce and the overseasoning of their pizza slices.
Locations:
128 Haddon Ave, Haddon Township, NJ 08108
Pizzeria Vetri
When I first ordered both a cheese and margarita pizza from Pizzeria Vetri, I was surprised to learn that Vetri doesn’t serve cheese pizza. I hadn’t before heard about a pizza place not serving the symbolic cheese pizza and wondered how this could be. I was excited to learn if Vetri’s marinara style pizza would live up to a regular cheese pizza. After trying their unique pizza, it lacked cheese, and had very thin crust. I was practically eating a tiny slice of bread with a little marinara on top, barely even qualifying as pizza. I came to the conclusion that not just cheese was needed on this pizza, but also a thicker crust to hold it up. Their margarita pizza was better quality, having fresh and a perfect amount of mozzarella and basil. The crust ruined this pizza, however, making it flop down as you held it. Vetri’s style of having no cheese pizza doesn’t work well for this restaurant and I believe thicker crusts are needed to go with their tomato sauce, and other toppings on the pizzas.
Locations:
1939 Callowhill St, Philadelphia, PA 19130
1615 Chancellor St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
150 Main St, King of Prussia, PA 19406
138 W Lancaster Ave, Devon, PA 19333