In the little borough of Temple, there are two long-running restaurants across the street from each other.
On one side, there is Schell’s, complete with its Dairy Swirl dessert bar and 27-hole miniature golf.
On the other side is Pizza Como, and its comparatively blasé exterior.
I’ve had more hamburger barbecues than I can count across the street at Schell’s. And there have been many times that I’ve looked over at Pizza Como and thought, “I wonder if they’re any good.”
Pizza Como must be good or it wouldn’t be there…44 years after it opened.
We pulled in on a Friday night. The parking lot isn’t very big to begin with, but with so many cars, it felt even smaller. (Tip: don’t make your first visit on a Friday night before a home Muhlenberg football game).
Everyone orders at the counter before taking a seat (or taking their food home) and waiting for dinner to arrive. It’s not an overly complicated menu: pizzas, sandwiches and a few simple Italian dinners are the only options.
Julie and I both ordered a slice and a side – her a salad, me an order of garlic parsley fries.
My slice of choice was the classic pepperoni. It wasn’t a big slice, but it was big enough with my side of fries. And it was ultra thin crust, some of the thinnest I have seen around the county.
There was something else different about it, something with the sauce that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But I will say this, it was a darn good slice of pizza.
The fries were a whole other beast. As the guy at the counter said on our way out, “I could smell the garlic all the way out here.”
No complaints from me. I wouldn’t have ordered them if I didn’t love garlic. I don’t remember much parsley, but I certainly remember the garlic. I was glad to have it, too, because the fries themselves weren’t much to speak of.
Julie went with a slice of Hawaiian pizza – ham and pineapple. Like mine it was on the smaller side, with a thin crust, and very good. There was definitely no skimping on toppings, either.
Her Italian salad – ham, provolone and black olives made it an Italian – was good. Though I think she regretted skipping a second slice in favor of the salad.
Add on a pair of Kutztown Sodas (they also have A-Treat for all you fans out there) and our final total was still less than $15.
One complaint that I have to put out there: one of the employees was wearing flip-flops. Open-toed shoes are a definite no-no, especially for staff that spends time behind the counter as this person did. It’s a safety hazard, plain and simple.
Seeing that was the only black mark on what would have been an outstanding introduction to Pizza Como.
BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: Reasonable
Pizza Como & The Vineyard
4600 5th Street Hwy
Temple, PA 19450
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