Growing up, Barbato’s was like the king of Erie pizza. I recall 4 or 5 locations but now there is only one. I haven’t ordered from them in many years and honestly, it’s not as bad as I remember but there’s nothing special about it. It’s so similar to Valerio’s and Skippereno’s with their premade crusts, tons of sauce and okay-ish cheese. They do offer a fresh dough option which I have never tried so that might improve this pizza but the premade crusts are the standard. Crunchy on the end and soft in the middle but it lacks what makes pizzas special and that’s heart and passion. They are able to crank tons of these out all day because there is no magic or effort necessary. A true Erie classic but it won’t impress anyone who hasn’t lived here their whole life.
