Silvio’s Strombolis and the Price of Procrastination

When I last wrote about Silvio’s Deli, which sits in the charming little town of Hatboro, PA, I closed by saying I would return there soon for one of their cheesesteak strombolis and that I’d let you know about it when that happens. After passing on it in favor of sandwiches the last couple times I stopped there, I finally tried one for lunch Wednesday. Unfortunately, my procrastination proved to be costly.

As I detailed in that previous post, after many years as a deli and bread bakery that also sold cheesesteaks and grandma style rectangular pizzas by the slice, Silvio’s was either sold or merged with Tosco’s Pizza earlier this year. They are now called Silvio’s Deli & Tosco’s Pizza and have a full pizza menu in addition to most or all of what they have always offered. 

I ordered and paid for my steak stromboli online before leaving home. When I arrived, it was ready and I was on my way with order in hand so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to take interior photos. But if I had, they would have looked a lot like the above shots from my last visit. I took the stromboli to go and ate it at my father’s place, which was fairy close. 

I remember eating a Silvio’s stromboli many years ago, although I don’t recall what kind it was. They were made in the morning and sat out on shelves until they were sold out for the day. When I went back there for the first time in quite a while around a year ago, I saw a few of them behind the counter, but I had settled on a hoagie and vowed I’d go back for a stromboli. Then I opted for a cheesesteak the next time and made the same vow as I left.

It didn’t occur to me that when Silvio’s merged with Tosco’s, their strombolis would change. But change they did – and I’m afraid not for the better. It was probably already too late for me to get one of the old ones by the time I went back for that second visit in late October.

Here is an old photo of a shelf full of Silvio’s traditional strombolis that I found online. They look more like stuffed breads than what I normally think of as a stromboli. 

And here is the stromboli I had from Silvio’s today:

This one looked like a stromboli you could get at any one of hundreds of pizzerias in the Philadelphia region. 

While the flavor was fine, there was nothing special about it. And the entire center portion – including the crust – was extremely moist. I’m not sure if that came from the meat or cheese; or perhaps it should have been left in the oven a little longer. But you can see how damp the box is in one of the photos below.

Only the corners and outer ring had a sturdier and more appealing texture. 

I really blew it by not getting one of the old-style strombolis when I had the chance. C’est la vie. 

I am not writing off Silvio’s by any means. They still have some of the best sandwich rolls in the area and make great hoagies and solid steaks. I especially recommend the former. Here is a shot of the ham and cheese hoagie I had there on one of my previous visits.

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I’m not sure how many more posts I’ll have up through the end of the year. I’ve got one or two food outings scheduled and will write one on the best meals I’ve had in 2022. That may be it unless something unexpected comes up. 

In the meantime, I wish you all a very happy holiday season and New Year.