Continuing Our Survey of Philly’s Elite Pizzerias

This is the third installment in an occasional series of posts on my efforts to sample Philadelphia’s most acclaimed pizzerias along with the help of three friends and longtime former colleagues – Nancy, Francisco and Craig. 

Our latest stop was Sally in the Fitler Square section of Philadelphia’s Center City. They have regularly shown up on various best-of lists in recent years, so my expectations were fairly high.

Although the bulk of Sally’s seating appeared to be outside, I had reserved an indoor table for us. It turned out to be the restaurant’s lone wrap-around booth, which is right next to the pizza prep area and oven, giving us an ideal vantage point along with comfortable seats.

There was a selection of small plates along with a few brunch options on the menu, but we simply ordered four pizzas. That may sound like a lot, but they were on the small side – somewhere in the 10”-12” range. 

My companions were obliging in allowing me to order, with the proviso that there be one pepperoni pie – that being Nancy’s favorite.

In addition to the pepperoni and a plain cheese pie, I was excited to see two different white pizza options that included egg, a topping I’ve grown to love as it’s become easier to find on menus at pizzerias with a gourmet bent. There being no objections, I ordered both the caramelized onion with egg and carbonara pies.

The cheese and pepperoni pizzas arrived first. 

Based on the many online photos I viewed while researching Sally, I wasn’t surprised by how many charred spots there were on both. Nor did I mind them in the least. With that being the case, someone – I believe Nancy – mentioned that the pepperoni appeared a little over-done.

I’m not a big pepperoni fan, so I started with a slice of plain cheese pie and it was sensational. The cheese and sauce were both beautifully proportioned and combined for an outstanding overall flavor. 

The style was more Neapolitan than New York. While I am sometimes turned off by the soft puffiness of the crust along the outer edges of Neapolitan pies, that wasn’t an issue with any of the ones we ate at Sally’s. The crust was light and airy, but also crispy and had a nice flavor from the wood fire in the oven.

We didn’t have long to wait until the two white pizzas with egg arrived. 

Pizza with eggs on it first became a favorite of mine at Philly’s Reading Terminal Market when I lived close to it in the early years of this century. There was a stand there in those days that sold slices of breakfast pizza – with egg, cheese and bacon or sausage – that I made a habit of eating.

It’s much easier to find now, but I still was pleasantly surprised to see two different such pies on the menu, and each with additional toppings that I’m very fond of – bacon and caramelized onions.

Both were right in my wheelhouse and I didn’t hesitate before jumping in to sample slices. They were – as expected – fantastic. The bacon on the carbonara pie packed a strong smokey flavor that I loved, while the onions on the other pizza were perfectly caramelized.

Yet as much as I enjoyed both of the white pies, the plain cheese pizza with sauce was my winner for the day. Its cheese and sauce blended for one of the better tasting pizzas I’ve had in the Philly region.

Having said that, Nancy and I agreed that the New York cheese pie at Pizzeria Salvy, which the four of us went to on our previous outing, remains our favorite in the area with at least an edge over Sally. Francisco and Craig loved them both, as well as Pizzeria Beddia – the other place we visited together – and didn’t express a preference.

Now my task will be to find another worthy spot for the group’s next pizza excursion. 

As I was leaving Center City, I cut through South Philly to get to I-95 and passed by a spot that those of you who have seen the film, The Irishman, may be familiar with. Some of the film’s characters hung out at a bar called the Friendly Lounge. It’s a real place and is still there. I snapped a shot of it while sitting at a red light. 

A friend of mine is a bartender there. It’s still a very colorful place from what he tells me, although perhaps not the mob hangout that it once was.