Joe Santucci's Square Pizza Bar & Grill Philadelphia

Pleasant Surprise. For all the years I lived in Philly from the '60s to the '80s and visits right up today, my one and only choice has been either Charlies or it's spinoff Vince's in the Northeast.

Last week I visited my Dad, who was getting surgery. I left the hospital at around 9:30 PM and knew Vince's was closed. My GPS found the closest pizza parlor to Aria Torresdale, which was Joe Santucci's. While I prefer a traditional pizza over a square Sicilian style pizza, I was starved and tried a small (4 slice) with extra cheese and half anchovy.

I enjoyed my square pizza. The crust is a bit thicker than I prefer, but it was really good -- crispy and flavorful. The sauce is on top and the delectable cheese is in the bottom. All-in-all, I really liked it. I never tried a Tacconelli's, but I might have to try it now. I have since found out that Santucci's is a Philadelphia institution. Amazed I never heard of it.

What I didn't care for was the management's decision to try and draw a younger crowd with a DJ and loud 80s music. The empty dance floor and very unattractive crowd around the bar made me wince. Be a family pizza parlor. What's wrong with that?

Santucci's proves the point that I can probably go to 99 out of 100 pizza parlors in Philly and get a great slice. Here in Virginia Beach, you simply can't get anything close to a good pizza anywhere (One notable exception is Frank's II in Chesapeake)

We have been coming here for a long time. The food is always good and the servers are always friendly. Square pizza is always a treat! This time we got some extras… Mozzarella cheese fries and chicken fingers. The portions were generous. I forgot how big the sodas are also! This is great because if they’re busy you don’t have to hunt someone down to get you another drink. The one big one suffices for the entire visit.