Northeast Philly’s Hottest Steak and Pizza Shop

Maintaining this blog requires me to keep up with the hottest new purveyors of cheesesteaks in the Philly region. One that has been getting an increasing amount of attention and raves lately is La Nova Pizza and Steak, which opened about a year ago and sits on Frankford Avenue – or US-13 – in Northeast Philadelphia. 

I had seen photos of lines running out their door and was prepared for the worst when I arrived on a recent weekday a little after noon but was pleased to find only a smattering of people in their cramped quarters. 

La Nova is a takeout and delivery establishment with no seating, so I anticipated eating lunch in my car. 

Although the menu included strombolis and chicken wings, my purpose for being there was to try both a cheesesteak and their pizza. So I ordered a steak with the usual Cooper Sharp cheese and fried onions and a small plain pizza.

While I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, I was a little disappointed to discover the lack of a line was deceiving, as the counter person told me the wait for my order would be about 45 minutes. They probably get most of their business in advance online. A number of people stopped in to pick up orders and quickly left while I was waiting for mine.

The temperature that day was on the warm side for January, so I spent most of the wait outside on the sidewalk in front of the shop. While there, I noticed a customer standing and eating his cheesesteak on La Nova’s large front windowsill that is really more like a counter. I decided to follow suit rather than eating in the not-overly-comfortable confines of my car. 

I headed back inside as the 45-minute mark approached and my name was called soon thereafter. Fortunately, the windowsill was free. I plopped my lunch down on it and started snapping photos before digging in.

The pizza was small enough to be considered a personal pie, although I only had one slice on sight, as I knew the very hefty-looking cheesesteak would require the lion’s share of my appetite. My wife would help me polish off the rest of the pizza for dinner at home. 

The crust had beautiful char marks and dark bubbles but was a little softer than I prefer and lacked the desired crunch when I bit into it.

However, the overall flavor of the pizza was sensational. The sauce had the touch of sweetness that I prefer, while the cheese was also top notch. Both were beautifully proportioned. 

And in spite of the lack of crunch, the crust also added to the pie’s overall flavor. 

This was definitely one of the better tasting pies I’ve had in the Philadelphia area. I wish I lived close enough to La Nova to enjoy it more often.

As previously mentioned, the cheesesteak was a hefty one. I’ve addressed my preference for balance and proportion over massive amounts of meat and cheese in previous posts and that played a role in my overall impression of this steak. 

La Nova gets their seeded rolls from Corropolese Italian Bakery. While it was softer than I prefer and lacked the crustiness I look for, it was extremely fresh and had a nice chewy quality. It also held up beautifully under the weight of all that chopped ribeye and melted Cooper Sharp. 

Although there was probably a pound of meat on there, it was well packed and didn’t come tumbling out with each bite, as has been the case at some other places that use that much ribeye. 

It was difficult to tell how well seasoned the meat was because it was overwhelmed to a large extent by the flavor of the Cooper Sharp, which they also don’t skimp on. I’d unquestionably have preferred less of both the meat and cheese, but there are a lot of cheesesteak lovers in the area who prefer a pound of meat and a huge amount of Cooper Sharp, and they’re likely to love the steaks served up by La Nova.

The onions were chopped a little larger than I typically see, but they were beautifully fried and did add an extra flavor element to the steak’s overall taste. However, they were placed on top of the meat and cheese instead of blended in with them. I usually consider that to be a negative, but all that Cooper Sharp may have also overwhelmed the onions if they were blended in throughout. 

We all have our own preferences for how we like our food to be prepared. As I said, a lot of people will love the cheesesteaks at La Nova. But if I go back there, it will likely be to sample more of their wonderful pizza.