Santucci's Original Square Pizza - Italian Market, Philadelphia, PA

I didn’t exactly have the pizza but I did have a Stromboli. Stood up well when delivered. Sauce for dipping left something to be desired. Tasted like a tomato soup. Everything else was really good. I can see why this is an average 7.7 and that was my grade before seeing everyone else.

Good pizza. Sauce tasted like a boardwalk pie. Lots of cheese with sauce on top. Somewhat crispy.

Santucci's Original Square Pizza

Sauce good. Excels at what it is trying to do

2nd spot of the day. Got it fresh out the oven. Crispy crust, flavor sauce and a nice warm cheese base. Surprisingly didn’t burn my face. Very good

I think the debate is over the originator truly does it better than stoagie joes. The sweet sauce that I time and time again discredit pizza places for, works when the pie is constructed upside down.

Did some walking around Philadelphia so I had to get some walking food. There were limited options open on Christmas Eve, but thankfully this square pizza joint was. The pizza was pretty good. I thought the sauce was excellent and the standout on this pizza. It was a little too doughy of a bite for me, especially on a square pizza. That plus the thick layer of cheese below the sauce made it a very soft bite. Another thing that I liked about this pizza was the dough. It tasted so fresh and light and was a real highlight for me. This place wasn’t bad at all and it’s a fun different style of pizza to try.

The original Santucci’s opened in 1959 on O Street in Northeast Philly. Since then, they have added 9 total franchises with 6 locations in Pennsylvania (3 in Philadelphia) & 3 spots in New Jersey. This Italian Market location is considered one of the top spots for squares in Philly. With pies & slices that are more rectangular than square, the dough isn’t super thick like Sicilian pizza; this is actually an “upside down” pie with Grandma pie style thinness. Considered “upside down” because the cheese is beneath the sauce, hugging the dough while the sauce is lightly smattered across the surface. The dough has a firm undercarriage but is very soft & somewhat spongy; despite feeling rather heavy, it’s actually fairly light & airy but minimally fluffy, with the cheese & sauce adding most of the weight to the pie. The only crisped component of the pizza is the deliciously crunch crust, my favorite aspect of the pie. Nestled against the dough, the cheese blankets the entire surface of the pizza. Thickish, heavy, melted well and mildly flavorful, this feels more like slices from a block of Polly-O than a shredded mozzarella blend. A little too thick for the scant amount of sauce, the cheese-to-sauce ratio is a bit unbalanced. Speaking of the sauce, it’s a beautifully deep red blend, not particularly sweet, not very hearty, dulled & partially bitter from the excess oregano mixed in. When the sauce isn’t super sweet, oregano is more detrimental to pies and should be used sparingly or optional. Overall, the upside down style squares (rectangles) make for a fine change of pace pie from traditional circles & Neapolitan pizzas. While the sauce is somewhat of an acquired taste, it’s not bad; combined with the other ingredients, this is very good, yet unspectacular franchise square pizza.

Finally tried this. I could eat this all day long. Sauce to cheese ratio was perfect, however neither stood out. Reminded me of Little Caesars a bit, but cooked much better. The white slice was an easy 8.4, but doing the normal slice here. 👌🏼

Hard to compare to others because it’s a unique pie. Not my favorite style but it’s definitely good.

Solid slice

Great crust and not too greasy. Would come back next time I’m in Philly

Good crisp on the bottom, good cheese to sauce ratio on top. It’s a unique style of pizza but good.

Great crunch and love the upside down slice.

Idk man idk, it should be higher but it’s just not, it’s interesting I guess but you’d rather have basic football pie than this I think.

Classic Italian bar pizza. Chicken wing pizza is good too. Go Birds!

Good pizza, great Buffalo chicken pizza.

“The Philly-Styled Tomato Pie” ...Taste Analysis... Sauce: On Top. Cheese: Power Bottom.