A Pizza Quest Finally Realized in Bryn Mawr

There are plenty of restaurants and takeout shops in the Philly region that serve outstanding cheesesteaks or pizza. But only a handful have gained stellar reputations for both. One of those is unquestionably Johnny’s Pizza, which has opened a second location in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in addition to their original spot in Bryn Mawr. Both are on Lancaster Avenue – aka the Lincoln Highway or US-30.

Johnny’s cheesesteaks are solidly ensconced in the upper half of my top 20 list, and I enjoyed a thick-crusted square pizza during my first visit to the original location. But my preference is for thin-crusted pizza and I’ve been wanting to try one of their round pies for what seems like an eternity. It’s been an unexpectedly challenging endeavor due to Johnny’s popularity and booming business. 

Their site has indicated for a while that online orders won’t be taken and customers should either call or order in person. My wife and I returned to the Bryn Mawr location to try a round pizza but were told that we needed to pre-order on the phone and that they wouldn’t be able to make us a pizza to eat there without prior notice at that hour on a Friday evening. 

Then we checked out Johnny’s Wayne location this past autumn when it was still new and I thought early enough in the day for there to be no issues. I turned out to be wrong about that, as we were immediately told when stepping up to the counter to order that they were out of dough and only had sandwiches and salads available. I settled for another cheesesteak.

Thankfully, the third time was indeed the charm when I met my mother back at the Bryn Mawr spot recently for lunch. I took no chances this time and called right after they opened for the day to order my pizzas for our planned arrival time. 

The dining area is nicer at the Wayne location, but Bryn Mawr was more convenient for us. I didn’t notice a menu, but here is a link for those interested in perusing it. They have a few other items, but pizza and cheesesteaks are their unmistakable claims to fame. We were only interested in the round version of the former on this occasion. 

As is my custom, I wanted to try a basic round pie with no toppings. But one other pizza option jumped out at both of us. Their white pies come by default with caramelized onions. White pizza with caramelized onions has become a big favorite of mine over the past few years. I ordered one of those without the ricotta that is normally mixed in with the mozzarella and Pecorino cheeses. I like ricotta cheese when it’s used to fill pasta, but not so much on pizza.

Aside from guaranteeing that we’d get pizza, calling in the order early ensured that it was ready within a few minutes of our arrival. 

Both pies looked and smelled fantastic. My mother started with a slice of the white pizza while I dove in for a plain slice. Each had great undercarriage and only a minimal amount of flop.

The best crust has an initial crunch when you bite into it, but still provides at least a little chew. And that description perfectly fit both of these pizzas. This was some of the best crust I’ve had in the Philadelphia area. It was topped with toasted sesame seeds around the outer edge on the white pie. 

What came on top of the crust was beautifully proportioned and had an abundance of flavor for both pizzas. The caramelized onions on the white pie were wonderfully sweet.

There are a growing number of pizzerias – many of them relatively new – in the Philly region that are getting raves, and I plan on getting to as many of them as possible in the coming months. I didn’t miss cheesesteaks during my recent hiatus, but pizza became a growing obsession, probably due in large part to the increasing number of One-Bite Pizza Review videos I’ve been watching on YouTube lately.

When I have a fuller internal picture of the local pizza scene, I suspect that the pies at Johnny’s will rate as highly as their sensational cheesesteaks.