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Hometown Pizza – CLOSED

Hometown Pizza in Blandon isn't much to look at from the outside.

Editor’s Note: Hometown Pizza is now closed. The space is now home to G&J Pizzeria & Bakery.

Every small town has its own hometown pizza place. In fact it’s a requirement for borough status in Pennsylvania.

(OK that’s not true, but that would be a law I could get behind).

In Blandon, the hometown pizza place is appropriately named Hometown Pizza.

The former home of Rocky’s Pizza isn’t much to look at from the outside. The building looks more like a house than a restaurant. The minimal signage doesn’t do much to draw attention to it from Route 73.

Hometown Pizza in Blandon also isn't much to look at on the inside

But there is plenty of parking, a good thing because there seemed to be a steady flow of take-out customers coming through the doors.

We were the only ones who had decided to dine in, and it seemed like dine-in customers were a rarity for the restaurant. There’s only a handful of tables and booths, but there was a big screen TV showing the NFL game of the week.

Julie took a seat while I placed our order at the counter – a small holiday pizza and an order of fries.

Holiday Pizza from Hometown Pizza in Blandon

Holiday pizza is a white pizza with broccoli, spinach, tomatoes and ricotta.

Unlike the white pizza that I described in our Paolo’s blog, this is the kind of white pizza that I love, and it’s the ricotta cheese that makes the difference.

Mozzarella is great, but in the absence of tomato sauce, a pizza requires a more flavorful topping. The sweeter ricotta cheese provides that in dollops throughout the pizza. There was also mozzarella on the pie, ensuring cheese on every slice.

Half-eaten holiday pizza from Hometown Pizza
When your pregnant wife says “I want that slice,” you give her that slice.

What Julie and I really enjoyed about this pizza was the crust. There was a hint of sweetness in it that was pleasantly unexpected. It may not have been the best overall white pizza that I have ever tried, but the crust put it close to the top of the list.

The fries actually arrived to the table first, about 10 minutes before the pizza.

Hometown Pizza's fries.

I love ordering French fries because even though it’s a simple side, everyone does it differently. So I never know exactly what I’m going to get.

Hometown’s fries were the battered type. The golden brown fries were extra crispy, similar to those we had at Esposito’s a few weeks ago.

Whether it was the oil they were fried in or the batter that they were made with, I found them just a little less flavorful than the same version at Esposito’s. They were fine, but nothing outstanding.

A book of Pennsylvania Dutch on the mantle of an Italian restaurant.
I don’t know why this was on the mantle, but there it is.

Honestly, the pizza would have been more than enough on its own. Hometown doesn’t offer small pizzas, just medium (14-inch) and large (16-inch). Fourteen inches is a lot for us so we took half the pie home.

Add on a couple drinks and our total bill was about $20 so we had absolutely no complaints there.

We left feeling pretty good about our meal overall. It’s probably not a place that we would go for a sit-down meal in the future, but I would definitely grab takeout from there again if it was convenient.

I would say that Blandon has a good hometown pizza place in Hometown Pizza.

Hometown Pizza
504 Main St
Blandon, PA 19510

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Pepperoni Pizza from Paolo's Restaurant and Bar in Shillington
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Review: Paolo’s Restaurant & Bar

a crowded parking lot outside of Paolo's near Shillington, PA

As Berks County Eats continues on a #NationalPizzaMonth journey across Berks County, I am looking for the best and the biggest pizza places around.

Paolo’s Restaurant and Bar just may be the biggest.

Driving past the restaurant along Lancaster Pike, you don’t get a proper sense for the scale of the building. Entering into the take-out counter, we were led to a booth in the back corner of a spacious dining room.

The decor was a bit clichéd, just another Italian restaurant only larger. A doorway opened into the bar area, itself a spacious dining area with even more seating. And with unseasonably warm temperatures, the outdoor patio was also in full swing.

If I totaled up all of the tables in the restaurant, Paolo’s has to be among the largest capacities in the county.

The salad bar at Paolo's in Shillington.

Julie and I arrived hungry for our dinner and needed something to hold us over until our pizzas would arrive. Opting to go light for our appetizer, we both made trips to the salad bar.

We had passed the salad bar – and its the three rows of ingredients, add-ons and dressings – on the way to our table, and it looked appealing enough.

A simple salad topped with broccoli

I built a rather simple salad with broccoli, cucumber, red onion and ranch dressing. Skipping on the vegetables, Julie loaded her salad with cheese, pasta salad, bacon bits and ranch dressing (with a few cherry tomatoes for show).

a salad topped with mac salad and ranch dressing

All of the ingredients were fresh – not always the case at salad bars – so we were pleased.

The pizza was up after about 20 minutes, good timing because we had just finished our salads. And both pies looked amazing.

Julie and I each ordered personal 12-inch pies knowing that we would be taking some home with us when our meal was finished.

Pepperoni Pizza from Paolo's Restaurant and Bar in Shillington

As much as I love trying foods that are unique and inspired, I love pepperoni pizza. And there was a lot to love with Paolo’s version.

It was a beautiful pie with a crisp, but not overcooked, crust. It was a little on the greasy side, but it should be. It’s a pepperoni pizza after all.

There was also a generous amount of pepperoni, enough that most bites were popping with that salty, savory flavor. Overall, it was a great pie, and one that I would happily order again.

White Pizza from Paolo's Restaurant and Bar in Shillington

Julie went with a “lighter” pie, a white pizza with broccoli. It was good, but not my style. I much prefer white pizza with ricotta, not mozzarella. It’s a richer, more flavorful cheese. For me, this pizza lost something in the cheese.

As predicted, several slices were leftover when we were finished. Julie enjoyed them for lunch later in the week. Despite getting multiple meals out of our food, the $40 price tag felt expensive.

Our one-time trips to the salad bar were $6 each. That’s a lot for just salad, even if it is build-your-own. We could have saved $2 each by ordered side salads, but the extra cost seemed worth it for making them to our liking.

I was impressed by my first visit to Paolo’s. And clearly many other people are impressed, too. With as many seats and as much parking as the restaurant has, it’s clear that the business has built up a loyal following.

Add two more to the list of satisfied customers after our visit.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Very Good
Price: A Little Pricey

Paolo’s Restaurant & Bar
2480 Lancaster Pk
Reading, PA 19607

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Pepperoni pizza from Esposito's
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Review: Esposito’s Restaurant & Pizzeria

Restaurant with a green awning and white letters that reads "Esposito's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

The things I learn while scouring Berks County for great food never cease to amaze me.

I have learned about towns and communities that I otherwise would have never visited, discovered new – and rediscovered old -foods, and I have found unexpected patterns among various restaurants.

For instance, many locally owned restaurants are closed on Mondays (or Tuesdays). Because of the high volume of business on Saturdays and Sundays, this becomes their weekend.

However, there is one notable exception to this rule: pizza places. I didn’t realize until recently just how many Italian restaurants and pizza places are closed on, or open for dinner only, on Sundays.

stained glass picture of buildings along the sea with a volcano in the background and the word "Esposito's" in the top right

That’s a problem when you’re looking for a slice of pizza after church. Thankfully, we found Esposito’s Restaurant & Pizzeria.

Esposito’s is located just east of the city along Friedensburg Road, right up the street from Bixler’s Lodge and not far from Bertie’s Inn, two places we have visited before.

The fact that it’s not too far away is great; the fact that it is open every day at 10:30 a.m. was even better.

We arrived on a Sunday just after 12 noon. We were led through one dining area – a darker room with old-school pizzeria booths – to the enclosed wrap-around porch. We basked in the sunlight as we watched the cars pass by outside.

There were only a few customers at first, but a steady stream of people started coming in while we sat.

Learning from previous mistakes, Julie and I decided to split a small pizza, opting for a traditional pepperoni pie. We also ordered French fries (mostly for me) and a salad for Julie to get her through until the pizza arrived.

basic salad with a plastic up of ranch dressing

The simple salad was out very quick. It was mostly lettuce, garnished with cucumber, tomato, red peppers and olives. The peppers were a nice addition. The olive, not so much. Julie has been eating olives more lately, but she didn’t realize until she bit in that the olives weren’t pitted. Oops.

Otherwise, the salad did the job, though she wasn’t able to finish the whole thing before the pizza arrived.

Pepperoni pizza from Esposito's

There’s nothing artisanal about Esposito’s pizza. On the contrary, this is a straightforward pie that’s a little on the greasy side.

slice of pepperoni pizza from Esposito's

What we really liked about it was the crust. It was a little bit thicker than average, and very light and airy around the outside. Here’s how I gauge how good a crust is: Julie never eats the crust. She ate the crust here. It made it different enough to make it stand out from other restaurants.

My fries had actually arrived just before the pizza, giving me a chance to nosh on them as an appetizer.

plate of battered fries from Esposito's

They were the battered kind – extra crispy with bits of batter hanging off the taters. They’re the kind of fries that are great in moderation. There was no moderation with the mound of fries they gave us in the “small” order – a whole plateful of them that I devoured way too quickly.

The tradeoff to finishing off the fries was not finishing my half of the pizza. With the pie cut into six slices, we both ate two, leaving two more that Julie reheated for lunch later in the week.

Our entire meal (which also included a glass of iced tea for myself), was less than $20. That’s the great thing about pizza and fries – they’re a sharable meal which makes them an economical option anytime.

That includes Sunday afternoons, a time when the supply of pizza seems to be cut in half. Good thing for us there are places like Esposito’s where we can get a good pizza any day of the week.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: Very Reasonable

Esposito’s Restaurant & Pizzeria
1540 Friedenbsburg Rd
Reading, PA 19606

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The Aime pizza was topped with gorgonzola, prosciutto, caramelized onions and figs.
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Gino’s Grille Wood-Fired Pizza & Bar – CLOSED

The entrance to Gino's Grille in Shillington

Editor’s Note: Gino’s Grille is closed. It is now home to a breakfast and lunch spot called the Crooked Hen. 

Thanks to writing this blog every week, I am always on the look-out for things that are new and exciting.

While Gino’s Grille isn’t new – the restaurant opened a year ago – they did have something new to offer: wood-fired pizza debuted on the menu in late August, and we couldn’t wait to try it.

The building along Lancaster Avenue in Shillington was most recently home to a second location for Bella’s Subs and Pizza. That closed a few years ago, and Gino’s opened in its place.

Gino's started serving wood-fired pizza in August 2017

When we arrived, the parking lot was full, but we found one of the final two spots. Upon entering, we were escorted to one of the last remaining tables in a crowded dining room.

Our waitress warned us that the kitchen was backed up, but we had our hearts set on trying Gino’s new wood-fired pizzas.

The oven was new for Gino’s, and the pizzas had only been added to the menu about a week before our visit. The menu includes 24 artisanal pies, from simple margherita to non-traditional varieties, like the Pittsburgh – topped with French fries, burger, eggs and mozzarella.

Julie and I each ordered our own pie with side salads, hoping to tame our appetites, at least temporarily.

It took 20 minutes to get the salad, and some of the lettuce had started to turn brown.

We knew it was going to be a long night when our salads took nearly 20 minutes to arrive. There wasn’t anything special about the salads, just your normal greens with tomatoes and croutons. The lettuce itself wasn’t the freshest as the tips on many pieces had begun to turn brown. It wasn’t rotten, but it’s not a good look for any restaurant.

The wait was excruciating. Thank goodness for the salads because without them, I don’t know how we would have been able to make it without going next door to the Arby’s drive-thru.

It was more than an hour from the time we arrived before our pizza was delivered to the table. Because of the high temperatures, wood-fired ovens can generally cook a pizza in less than five minutes.

Clearly the kitchen was just unprepared for a full dining room.

The Aime pizza was topped with gorgonzola, prosciutto, caramelized onions and figs.

But the pizzas did arrive, and we excitedly dug into them. For me, I opted for the Aime Special, a unique topping combination with fig, gorgonzola, prosciutto and caramelized onions.

It’s unlike any other pizza that I have tried – that’s why I ordered it – but the first bite was jarring. It was all gorgonzola. Very strong gorgonzola. On its own, it’s not the most pleasant taste.

Thankfully, it got better from there. Once I was able to get a little fig and some of the prosciutto, it made it all the difference.

The fig and prosciutto are a sweet-and-salty match made in heaven, one that cut through the pungent gorgonzola. Together, it made for an excellent flavor. But when one or both of those ingredients were missing, and the cheese was left by itself, it was way too powerful for me.

If you really like gorgonzola, I recommend the Aime special. I’ll be ordering something else next time.

Julie went with a more conventional unconventional pizza (if that makes any sense) with her chicken bacon ranch pie. While you likely won’t find this in the Old World, it’s a common site on menus around Berks.

Look at tall that ranch dressing

Chunks of chicken breast meat and large bacon crumbles were topped with a pool of ranch dressing.

That pool of dressing was not uniform across the pie – parts of it had more ranch, parts of it less. But when all three came together (with the mozzarella base), it was a very good pie. The creamy ranch mixed with the crispy, salty bacon was very enjoyable. The chicken was good, but didn’t add much in the way of flavor.

Julie's more conventional chicken bacon ranch pie

One thing that I will say about both pies is that the crust didn’t feel like the wood-fried pizza. It was fine, but lacked that distinct char on the bottom. It was also inconsistent around the edges with one side being more well-done than the other, probably because the kitchen was too overwhelmed to give it the proper attention throughout its time in the oven.

As usual, 12-inch pies sound smaller than they really are so we took home half a pie each. It also meant we paid for two meals, with a total bill that was around $30.

I have to note that our waitress was as accommodating as she could be given the circumstances. We were offered free dessert at the end of the meal for our troubles, but declined – partly because we were now very full, partly because we had already stayed longer than we had hoped.

By the time we paid the bill and were out the door, we had spent an hour-and-a-half at the restaurant. For a nice two- or three-course dinner, that’s not bad. For pizza, it felt like an eternity.

I’m not going to blacklist Gino’s based on one visit. The wood-fired pizza was still very new when we visited. But we still left feeling disappointed in our experience.

Will we go back? Sure.

But we’ll be waiting a while.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Poor
Ambiance: Good
Price: Reasonable

Gino’s Grille Wood-Fired Pizza & Bar
2233 Lancaster Pk
Shillington, PA 19607

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Review: Pizza Como USA

sign that says "Pizza Como USA and the Vineyard with a picture of grapes

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.

order counter at Pizza Como USA in Temple, PA

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.

bar seating opening up to the kitchen at Pizza Como USA in Temple, PA

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.

slice of pepperoni pizza from Pizza Como USA in Temple, PA

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.”

basket of fries topped with garlic and parmesan cheese from Pizza Como USA in Temple, PA

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.

slice of Hawaiian pizza with thin ham and crushed pineapple from Pizza Como USA in Temple, PA

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.

salad with slices of ham and cheese from Pizza Como USA in Temple, PA

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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Review: WOW Wagon

food truck with the words "Wow Wagon" on the side

One of my favorite events every year is the Garden Party at the Reading Hospital.

In addition to benefitting a great cause, the organizers always bring in some of the best in local eats. This year, they brought in some of the area’s best food trucks, including Gourmand, the Potato Coop, Scott’s Hot Spot and the Gilbertsville-based WOW Wagon.

Julie and I made our way through the sea of people, trying to decide where to go. The WOW Wagon was at the end of the row, and with no line, it was an easy choice for two people who were ready to eat.

white pizza topped with roasted red peppers and broccoli

I first tried the WOW Wagon a year ago at the VF Outlet Center Food Truck Festival. That day’s menu featured artisan pizzas, like the white pizza with broccoli, green peppers and sun-dried tomatoes that I got to enjoy.

But the menu is ever-changing, and at the Garden Party, there were no pizzas to be had.

Instead, they offered a six-item, limited menu that included an item called Pig Dippers that sounded too good to pass up.

deep fried bacon in pancake batter

The fair food-inspired treats featured candied maple bacon, rolled in funnel cake batter and deep-fried (topped with obligatory powdered sugar).

Pig Dippers are also sometimes referred to simply as cholesterol. Delicious cholesterol.

Biting into one is a truly unique taste experience. First, you have that familiar funnel cake flavor. Then you get the bacon, with strong maple overtones. It’s a sweet and savory explosion. Together, it was almost reminiscent of breakfast.

They came in orders of two. I thought when I finished that I would need something else to eat. I didn’t. I felt great after eating one. The second one was almost too much, too heavy (but I finished it anyway).

lobster roll atop a hot dog roll

Also on the menu during our visit was something completely different: lobster rolls.

The New England specialty was meaty and delicious. The roll was overstuffed with chunks of lobster meat and one lone slice of lettuce to add a bit of crunch.

It wasn’t quite like getting a fresh lobster roll in Maine, but it was darn good for Pennsylvania.

During the Garden Party, all purchases are made in tickets, but our total worked out to be around $20 (this did not include drinks, which had to be purchased from another stand).

The WOW Wagon definitely brought a wow factor to its items on this day.

I don’t know that my heart could take another order of Pig Dippers, but I will definitely keep an eye out for the WOW Wagon at future events.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: N/A
Price: Reasonable

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Review: Infinito’s 5th Street Highway

logo for Infinito's Pizza

I love a good buffet.

There’s nothing like having everything laid out in front of you, ready to grab and go. No ordering. No waiting.

That’s a big part of the draw for a place like Infinito’s.

Tucked away near the Kmart in a shopping plaza along the 5th Street Highway, Infinito’s is an unassuming place.

It’s one of seven locations for the locally owned chain of pizza, pasta and salad buffets, and the only one in Berks County.

four varieties of pizza under warming lamps at Infinito's

Infinito’s offers 20 varieties of pizza, pasta with three sauce selections and a build-your-own salad bar. The salad bar is where Julie and I started our journey.

Options are limited: lettuce or baby spinach for the base. Then there’s your traditional toppings: cheese, onions, peppers, croutons and more with half a dozen varieties of Hidden Valley dressings.

salad with onions, croutons and ranch dressing

We both had basic salads, just to add some nutritional value to our meal without filling ourselves.

The best way to judge a pizza place is with a plain cheese slice, so my first trip to the buffet line included cheese and pepperoni.

two slices of pizza - one plain cheese and one pepperoni - from Infinito's

Infinito’s pizza features a very thin, crisp crust. The cheese was nice and bubbly. All in all, it was a good looking slice.

And it tasted pretty good, too. There’s nothing remarkable about it, but I enjoyed it. The pepperoni piece had plenty of slices on it to enjoy.

three slices of pizza - one pepperoni, one bacon, and one buffalo chicken - from Infinito's

Julie’s first plate included pepperoni, bacon and buffalo chicken slices, all good choices. The crumbled bacon was lumped on the slice, and the buffalo chicken had just the right amount of kick.

Full pies are roughly the size of a medium pizza at most restaurants, and with the pies cut into eights, it makes it easy to go for seconds, thirds and fourths.

two slices of pizza - one margherita and one barbecue chicken - with a scoop of pasta and marinara sauce from Infinito's

My second plate included two slices (margherita and barbecue chicken) and a scoop of pasta with Bolognese sauce.

The margherita was my favorite slice that I tried. The fresh basil leaves that were layered in with the cheese and tomatoes were perfect. The barbecue chicken wasn’t bad, but it didn’t stand out.

sauces on the warming table in Infinito's

The pasta bar has three sauce choices: marinara, Bolognese and alfredo. I went with the Bolognese, the only meat sauce option. The pasta was generic rotini, and while it was OK, I probably should have skipped it for another slice instead.

plate with two slices of pizza - one ham and pineapple, one marherita - and a scoop of rotini pasta with meat sauce from Infnito's

Julie got the same thing with her second plate, which also included a slice of the margherita and a Hawaiian. The Hawaiian was fresh out of the oven, the cheese still hot and gooey, just the way Julie likes it.

slice of rosa pizza and a breadstick from Infinito's

I was going to go for dessert but stopped when I saw a fresh rosé pie on the counter. I grabbed a slice and a breadstick. The rosé featured its namesake creamy tomato sauce with lots of oregano. It was right behind the margherita for me in terms of favorites.

three dessert pizzas and a tray of cinnamon buns under the warming lamps at Infinito's

We each had one final trip to make to the buffet for our choice of three dessert pies and cinnamon rolls.

a cinnamon roll, a slice of apple pie pizza and a slice of cookies and cream pizza from Infinito's

I went with a slice of apple, a sliver of Oreo and a cinnamon roll. The cinnamon roll wasn’t bad, though it would have been better if it were fresher (it was stuck to the pan when I tried to pick it up from the buffet). The apple was delicious, with a sugary crumb on top. And the Oreo was exactly what I had hoped, though it left me longing for a glass of milk.

a slice of s'mores pizza and a cinnamon roll from infinito's

The other dessert option was S’mores Pizza, Julie’s choice (along with a cinnamon roll). Marshmallow, melted chocolate and graham cracker crumble. It’s not exactly like eating it around a campfire, but if you like marshmallow, you should enjoy this.

Our final tally for the day: 13 slices of pizza, two salads, two helpings of pasta, two cinnamon rolls, one breadstick and five drink refills. Not a bad haul for $18.

If you’re going to go to Infinito’s (or any other buffet, for that matter), you’re best bet is to go during peak hours, when the pies are changing quickly. Be sure to grab a seat near the buffet, too, so you can hear the announcement every time a new pie arrives.

Does Infinito’s have the best pizza in Berks? No. I don’t think there are many people that would argue that. But what they offer is an incredible variety and the opportunity to please everyone.

That’s why I love a good buffet.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Fair
Price: Very Reasonable

Infinito’s Pizza
3025 N. 5th Street Hwy
Reading, PA 19605

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Review: The Original Mama’s Pizza – Sinking Spring

order counter with chalkboard menu board at Mama's Pizza in Sinking Spring

There are a lot of Mama’s making pizzas around Berks County. There’s Mama’s Pizza and Grill, which operates three locations (Kenhorst, Temple and Rockland St.); Mamma’s Delight in Kutztown; Mama Maria’s in Boyertown; and the former Mamma B’s that recently closed along Pricetown Rd.

Then there is The Original Mama’s Pizza, which operates locations in Sinking Spring and Wyomissing. We wanted to visit the “original” Original Mama’s so we took the short drive down Rte. 724 to the Spring Towne Center.

Local pride is on full display as soon as you walk inside. In addition to the framed photos from the Philadelphia Phillies glory years, the wall bears certificates from the National Night Out and Spring Township’s Parks and Rec. The most impressive piece is the large “thank you” note in the corner, written on oversized paper in a young child’s handwriting.

Wall inside Mama's Pizza with a variety of sports plaques and signs

We placed our order at the counter and took a seat by the front window. I already knew Mama’s had a loyal following — it’s what helped earn them a Reading Eagle Reader’s Choice Award in 2014 — and it was clearly on display with the endless stream of customers coming through while we waited for our pizza to arrive. It made me even more excited for the slices that were on their way.

I never get just a single slice of pizza anymore. There is nothing less appetizing than dried-out pies sitting behind glass waiting to be thrown into the oven to reheat.

Yet I found myself looking through three shelves of slices at Mama’s, searching for one to call dinner.

One that looked (and sounded) more appetizing than the rest was the Quatro Gusti. Literally translated “four flavors,” it was built with sausage, ricotta and grilled onions, but I would hesitate to call them toppings.

Slice of four cheese stuffed pizza with a cup of marinara sauce from Mamas Pizza in Sinking Spring

Sure there were some onions and sausage pieces scattered on top, but most of the goodness was underneath the filmy layer of cheese. That’s where the ricotta was packed in, as well as hearty chunks of sausage and sweet onion slivers.

While the top layer looked tired, it was fresh as could be underneath with ingredients that blended perfectly together.

Slice of stuffed meat lovers pizza with a cup of marinara sauce from Mama's Pizza in Sinking Spring

Julie went with another stuffed pizza that was a daily special. It was described as spicy chicken balsamic with bacon, but the description was a little deceiving.

a fork lifting the top layer off a stuffed meat lovers pizza

We never tasted any balsamic, nor was it very spicy. There was plenty of chicken and more than enough bacon. That’s not to say it wasn’t good. It was. It was also very filling to the point where Julie couldn’t finish the braided crust.

Normally one slice of any pizza, regardless of how big, is not enough to fill me. That’s why I insisted on also getting a pair of pepperoni sticks.

Two pairs of long pepperoni sticks topped with garlic and parmesan with a cup of marinara sauce

In the end, we probably didn’t need them, but they were still very good. They looked like extra long breadsticks when they were sitting in the case, but were broken in half before being served with a side of marinara dipping sauce (a side of sauce was also served with both of our slices of pizza, but neither of those needed it).

The pepperoni sticks tasted as good as they looked, with a nice amount of garlic, Parmesan and herbs to go with the cheesy, meaty filling.

Along with our two bottles of iced tea, our bill came to just under $20.00. At first, this sounds like a lot, but not when you consider that neither one of us had any room left when we were finished. (At lunchtime you can get a real bargain with a stuffed slice and fountain soda for $5.25).

The name “The Original Mama’s Pizza” doesn’t mean that it was the first to use the name. It’s just a way to distinguish it from the rest.

But what really sets The Original Mama’s Pizza apart from the other Mama’s in Berks County is the pizza. That’s what keeps everyone coming back.

BCE Rating
Food: Good
Service: Good
Ambiance: Fair
Price: Very Reasonable

The Original Mama’s Pizza
2661 Shillington Rd
Sinking Spring, PA 19608

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Review: Romano’s Chicago Style Pizza & Grill

logo of Romano's Pizza & Grill in Reading, PA

Editor’s Note: The restaurant is now Romano’s Italian and Mexican Food. Chicago-style pizza is still on the menu.

Four years ago, I took my first trip to Chicago. It was a chance to enjoy another rich culinary scene, but more importantly, a chance to try some authentic deep dish pizza.

It’s a regional favorite that you just don’t find very often around here (we had an UNO Chicago Grill at one time, but that’s like saying we have authentic Tex-Mex food because we have a Moe’s Southwest Grill).

But a good deep dish pizza isn’t as hard to find as I thought. In fact, it’s the specialty of the house at Romano’s Chicago Style Pizza Grill.

Romano’s doesn’t have the best location in town. It sits on the corner of Lancaster Ave. and Grace St., south of the Bingaman St. Bridge, with no parking lot of its own. There are private parking lots all around it, but just a handful of spaces along the curb that are readily available for Romano’s customers.

On a rainy Tuesday night, that wasn’t a problem. We found a spot along Grace St. and rushed inside.

It was a slow night for Romano’s. Only the counter service area was lit up. The small dining room was shut down, the lights were out and the TV was turned off. But they fired everything back up for us so we had our own private dining area for the night.

Picture of the Brooklyn Bridge hangs on the wall of the dining area of Romano's in Reading

The decor is simple, just a couple of pictures hanging on the walls and a flat-screen in the corner. We made ourselves at home at one of the half-dozen tables in the room while we waited.

At the front counter, there were a few tired looking slices waiting to be claimed, but we ordered a whole pie so we knew ours would be fresh but would take time (25 minutes). To tie us over until it arrived, we ordered a few garlic knots to share.

aluminum foil pan with four garlic knots and a cup of marinara

The garlic knots were also sitting on the counter in a big bowl, but we were less concerned with the way they would heat up than the pizza. They turned out pretty well — maybe just a little chewy — but the flavor was good, especially with the marinara dipping sauce.

We ordered light on the appetizer because we knew we had a daunting meal ahead of us in the form of a 14″ Chicago deep dish pizza.

It was quite a sight to behold, a true pie with a tall crust, a thick layer of cheese, a light layer of tomato sauce and a dusting of Parmesan on top.

Deep dish Chicago-style pizza cut into six slices on a pizza tray

The pie was cut in six big slices. I grabbed my first slice and was surprised to find that I didn’t need a fork and knife. Instead, I was able to pick it up and eat it like any other pizza.

But this was not like any other pizza. The tomato sauce was sweeter; the cheese gooier. And the dusting of cheese on top added a nice saltiness to the dish and helped bring it all together.

When eating a more traditional pizza, I can usually force four slices if it’s good. This was great, but I could only manage two. It was too robust and filling to pack away any more. Julie struggled even more, making it through one-and-a-half slices before calling for a box.

We took what was left of our meal up to the front counter and had it packed up before moving on to the cash register to pay our bill. With two bottles of water thrown in, our bill was a little under $25, not a bad price considering the pizza could have comfortably fed four people.

Romano’s brought a fresh flavor to Reading when they opened for business in January. There are dozens of pizza places across the county, but only Romano’s is bringing the taste of Chicago to Berks County.

And it has certainly been a welcome addition.

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Fair
Price: Reasonable

Romano’s Chicago Style Pizza
501 Lancaster Ave
Reading, PA 19611

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white pizza with meatballs
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Review: Paradise by the Slice

Editor’s Note: Paradise by the Slice was sold to new owners in 2019.

As part of National Pizza Month, I have spent four weeks sampling some of the most clever and unique pies in Berks County.

Each restaurant has impressed in a different way, taking pizza in completely opposite—but delicious—directions.

Still, the question remained: Who has the best pizza in Berks County?

Despite devoting my October to finding the answer (I stopped counting after my 15th slice), it’s a question that I would be hard-pressed to answer.

What I did know is that my research would not be complete until I tasted the pizza from the restaurant that was voted Best in Berks 2013 by the readers of Berks County Living: Paradise by the Slice.

Wernersville is no island paradise, and the restaurant’s logo—a pizza slice sitting on a beach chair underneath a palm tree—certainly seems out of place on a cool fall evening.

One of the things I am always looking for is the unique: unique food, unique experiences, or anything else that sets the restaurant apart from their competition. So when I found out that Paradise by the Slice has their own app, I didn’t hesitate to download it.

screenshot of an app with a logo for Paradise by the Slice

The app is just a cleaner version of the restaurant’s webpage with options to view photos, get directions, follow them on social media, learn about the restaurant, and order on your phone.

In all my times of ordering take-out on my phone, it has been the old-fashioned way (10 digits, speak to an actual person, hope they get the order right). But after using Paradise’s app, I’m hoping more restaurants offer online take-out ordering because it made it fast, easy and convenient—three of the four things you look for when ordering take-out.

screenshot of an app showing confirmation of a pizza order

The fourth thing, of course, is the food. And with a Best of Berks award in their back pocket, I wasn’t too worried about that when I walked up to the take-out counter (which, oddly enough, is completely detached from the rest of the restaurant).

I resisted the temptation to sneak a slice on the drive home, a difficult task when you’re trapped in a car that smells like cheese and garlic for 15 minutes.

After finally arriving home, I threw open the lid and got my first look at the White Meatball Pizza.

white pizza with meatballs and ricotta

The 14″ pie was topped with garlic butter sauce, sliced meatballs (cut to look more like pepperoni) and mozzarella with handfuls of ricotta, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes strewn about on top.

It’s rare to find any dish—pizza or otherwise—that doesn’t pair meatballs with marinara sauce (Swedish meatballs being the exception) so I was intrigued by the combination of them with the garlic sauce. But I can safely say that it worked.

The key was proportions: there was not too much of any one ingredient to overpower the rest. The sauce was very light, just brushed onto the crust before the toppings were added, and though you could certainly taste the garlic, it wasn’t overly strong. The meatballs, by virtue of being cut so thin, were also milder, and with the mozzarella in between, it wasn’t that much different than taking a bite out of a meatball sandwich.

If one ingredient did stand out over the rest, it was the ricotta, and I think it’s because it was such an unusual topping. The fresh cheese was dropped on in clumps, and while it is a very mild cheese by comparison, getting a mouthful of it really changed the flavor, making it a little sweeter with a light texture.

basket of fries topped with sesoning

Wanting to try more than just pizza, we added a side order of Paradise’s beach fries. Advertised as hand-cut to order, they were reminiscent of Boardwalk fries, thin-cut with potato skins clinging to the ends. Though they were very good, I wish we could have enjoyed them fresh from the fryer at the restaurant because the container had begun to sweat on the ride home, making them a little soggy. I’m sure they would have been even better on the table.

As has been the case with most of my pizza adventures, the meal was too much for two people so Julie and I had two slices and a serving of fries to put in the fridge so we could stretch our $20 across two days.

If you asked me if Paradise by the Slice is the “Best in Berks,” I don’t know that I could give you a definitive answer.

But if you asked me if I would go back again, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: N/A
Price: Reasonable

Paradise by the Slice
63 E. Penn Ave
Wernersville, PA 19565

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