From 1954 to 1990, Beatto’s Sandwich Shop stood at this location in the Fairmont section of Philly, with Angelino’s taking over in 2006 & re-opening in 2019 under new management, keeping that old school feel. This pie is Philly football pizza with a little twist. While they advertise it as “thin crust pizza,” the actual crust is quite thick & doughy; however, the rest of the dough is surprisingly thinnish for football pizza. Firm & relatively crispy with a crunchy undercarriage & minimal char, the dough is tasty with terrific texture. A unique & delicious feature of this pie is their signature garlic crust, which appears to be a combination of garlic powder & butter brushed on the fantastically tasty & crunchy crust. With a distinctly different aroma, the shredded mozzarella cheese blend appears to incorporate other cheeses, possibly pecorino or provolone mixed in, but they definitely use a dusting of grated Parmesan, adding overpowering flavor that intrudes upon the taste of the shredded mozz just a bit. I can see how that smell might be unpleasant to those who do not like the taste of Parmesan. Even though they don’t overdue the amount, the Parmesan should be a side option like garlic powder or crushed red pepper, used at the discretion of the customer. The sauce is a fairly simple housemade blend, somewhat sweet, slightly savory, with a touch of tang & not a lot of seasoning. Much of the sweetness is neutralized by the sprinkle of Parmesan; but the flavor of the sauce is enhanced by the garlic coated crust, accentuating some of the other spices. Overall, this is a deceptively complex football pizza with unique components & taste. The various layers all work together to make a pretty delicious pie. One of the better football pizzas in Philly for sure, however, it’s not quite travel-worthy. In New York, this is low-to-mid 7s football pizza; in Philly it’s mid-to-high 7s, just missing the cut for destination pizza.
