Editor’s Note: Giraldi’s Italian Eatery & NY Style Pizza, which at the time of this post was known as Pete’s New York Style Pizza, is now closed. A new restaurant – Chicho Bella Pizza & Subs – is now in the location.

October is my favorite time of the year.

I spend my summer months anxiously looking forward to our annual celebration of National Pizza Month and four weeks of blogging Berks County’s best pizza shops.

Choosing which places to visit is the hardest part because there are dozens of great pizzas that I haven’t tried yet. So every year I rely on review sites to help me find them.

One of the names that kept appearing among the best was Pete’s New York Style Pizza on Lancaster Pike in Shillington.

In a past life, I spent a summer working next door at the Speedway (then a Hess). Pete’s was not yet Pete’s, and Berks County Eats wasn’t even an idea yet.

I don’t remember the name of the restaurant that was there previously, but I remember we ordered dinner from there once and it being nothing memorable.

Pete’s still doesn’t look like much from the outside, but I was impressed by the interior. There’s not a lot of space in that little building, but they managed to squeeze in two rows of booths, some high-top tables and a counter along one of the windows. It’s probably more than enough seating for what is mostly a take-out business.

We went in with no clue what we were getting, but the pizzas sitting behind the counter were enticing. So we decided to order a couple slices.

Let’s get this out of the way now: Reheated slices are never as good as a fresh-made pizza. The crust gets harder. The toppings can get a little dry.

That’s exactly what happened with our slices.

I had a supreme with pepperoni, peppers, onions, mushroom and sausage. It was a solid slice, no skimping on the toppings, but that second trip through the oven wasn’t kind to the crust, drying it out significantly.

Julie’s stuffed chicken bacon ranch stuffed slice was much the same. There were plenty of toppings, including lots of bacon with a nice ranch dressing drizzle on top. She never eats her crust anyway so the over-done dough at the edge didn’t bother her much.

Both slices were good, exactly what we expected. Next time we’ll have to try a fresh pie.

We knew that slices probably weren’t going to fill us up so we got 10 wings to help with that. Above the counter were listed Pete’s new wing flavors, and we were really excited to try the zesty orange. Unfortunately, we were told that it was unavailable.

So instead we got the sweet red chili. The sauce on the breaded wings was more chili than sweet. It wasn’t a burning hot, but it was enough that I went through my drink faster than I had expected.

In hindsight, slices were not the smartest decision. It’s not just because of the leftover nature of them, but because the stuffed and specialty slices are pricy ($3.60 for a specialty, over $5 for a stuffed) so our total bill was north of the $20 mark.

What we should have done was ordered a fresh pie. It would have been a better gauge of Pete’s pizzas at a better value.

And that’s exactly what I plan to do. Hopefully before we get to next year’s National Pizza Month celebration.

Pete’s New York Style Pizza
2342 Lancaster Pike
Shillington, PA 19607

Editor’s Note: Rocco’s Wood-Fired Pizza has closed as of June 2017.

There’s something about a wood-fired oven that just makes pizza better.

A crisp crust, bubbly cheese and that extra hint of flavor are what set it apart from the standard oven.

There aren’t many places in Berks County to get a good wood-fired pizza. Nonno Alby’s  introduced it to the Reading area in 2014.

This year, we were introduced Rocco’s Wood-Fired Pizza in South Heidelberg Township.

Flanked by my friend Josh, I recently made my first visit to Rocco’s.

Rocco’s location probably isn’t the most desirable — tucked in the corner of the strip mall with Tractor Supply — but the restaurant makes the most of it with a wood-and-brick interior that harkens to the oven that flames at the back of the restaurant.

The menu is printed, two-sided, on a simple sheet of paper. One side lists the 14 pizza options. The other includes sandwiches, salads and apps.

All of Rocco’s pizzas are 13-inch pies. If it were Julie and I, one pie would be enough. For Josh and I, it was going to go to take two. And an order of fries.

The fries arrived first, piled high on a wooden serving tray. Skins on with coarse-ground salt, they were like a better version of Wendy’s French fries.

As good as they were, I didn’t need them. When the pizzas arrived, we quickly realized that 13 inches is bigger than it sounds.

First to arrive was Josh’s interestingly named “Cheesus!” pie, essentially a buffalo chicken pizza with all of the following: shredded mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, pepperoni, crispy bacon, peppers, breaded chicken and mild sauce.

There’s not much to say other than “loved it.” The crisp crust. The hint of heat from the sauce, the addition of the pepperoni. Everything just worked.

It’s a good thing for Josh that my pizza arrived shortly thereafter.

Mine was the “Bee Sting,” topped with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, hot sopresatta, raw honey (the bee) and crushed red pepper oil (the sting).

The sweet and hot flavor was unlike any other pizza that you are likely to find. It packed a punch, but a flavorful one. The meat was delicious, similar to a hot salami. The red pepper oil was just there to make sure that I sweat during my lunch, but the honey came through with a soothing aftertaste.

It’s a good thing Rocco’s offers free refills on iced tea because I needed them.

With five-eighths of my pie finished, it was time to throw in the towel, get the to-go box and settle the check. Our total for the two of us was $40. In hindsight, we didn’t need two pizzas (and my Bee Sting was the most expensive on the menu at $15). At least I know I brought home a lunch or two.

I’m not going to attempt a comparison between Rocco’s and Nonno Alby’s. Though both are wood-fired, it’s not an apples-to-apples — or pizza-to-pizza — comparison.

All I can say is that I love wood-fired pizza. And I’m glad that I now have a second choice nearby.

Rocco’s Wood Fired Pizza
4732 W Penn Ave
Sinking Spring, PA 19608