Archetype Pizza is the sister restaurant to Roost Uncommon Kitchen, and they share a connected space at 33 West Market Street in York, PA. Roost opened for business in 2017, and co-owner Philip Given began offering a pizza menu at Archetype in the fall of 2022.
Even though I moved from southeastern Pennsylvania to Texas in 2019, Archetype has been on my radar as I've followed their progress on Facebook, drooling over pictures of the pizza. A recent vacation in Gettysburg put me close enough to finally visit, and I rounded up our party of five for dinner at Archetype on a Saturday night.
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| Archetype Pizza |
York has important history, serving as the first capital (or fourth, depending on who you ask) of the United States in 1777. Members of congress drafted the The Articles of Confederation in York.
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| Downtown York PA |
More recently, the Peppermint Patty was invented in York! York went through some troubled times during the civil unrest of the 1960s, but a series of efforts to revitalize this small city has scored some wins.
We found the downtown area to be especially lively on this December Saturday. Archetype was already buzzing with activity at our 6pm arrival, so much that the best seating option for our group was in the Roost Uncommon Kitchen side of the adjoined restaurants.
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| The Detroit pizza |
Archetype offers three kinds of pizzas, and we chose one of each: a Detroit pie topped with half sausage, half pepperoni ($18); a"Brooklyn style" pizza called The Forager with mozzarella, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and gorgonzola ($20.50); and a Grandma pie ($17).
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| Crispy bottom on the Detroit pie |
The Detroit pie was beautiful, with a wall of crispy caramelized cheese around its outer edges and the twin racing stripes of red sauce on top. The crust was thick with a serious crunch on the edges, but light and airy inside. It carried just the right amount of cheese, described on the menu as "a blend" (Detroit pizzas typically feature a blend with cheeses like Brick, Mozzarella, or Monterey Jack).
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| Some of the sausage-topped Detroit slice |
The thick red sauce on top was perfectly mated to this pie. It was deeply flavored and added another serious layer to the flavors of the cheese and crust. We were cautious in choosing just a single layer of toppings, and it worked nicely. Depending on which slice you chose, the sauasge or the pepperoni was that final pop of umami to make a deeply sastisfying bite every time.
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| "The Forager" Brooklyn pie |
Archetype has a few adventurous specialty Detroit pizzas, including a loaded Hawaiian and the "Shut Up and Eat It" pizza featuring soppressata, meatballs, red onion, sweet peppers, cheese blend, vodka sauce, and shaved Parmesan. If I get a chance to go back, I'd surely try one of these bold pizzas.
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| Displaying a treasured crust bubble |
The Brooklyn pizza was just as lovely as the round pies I'd seen on Archetype's Facebook page, and it appeared bigger than the advertised 16" size. It sported some lovely bubbles and just the right amount of char; even the caramelized onions and mushrooms combined to make a lovely brown palate.
Despite my love for Gorgonzola cheese, however, it overpowered the other flavors. We enjoyed this well-crafted pie, but I'd be keen to get this pizza with that delicious red sauce next time.
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| Under the carriage |
Even after these two beauties, the Grandma pie was the prettiest. This square pizza was medium thick and it sported diagonal stripes of red sauce with a few dots of green fresh basil and shavings of aged Italian cheese on top. Cooked in a pan, like the Detroit it had some nice frico on the edges. We ordered it without any additional toppings, and that really allowed its core elements to shine.
The texture was perfect, with a wonderful crunch on the bottom and just the right balance of tenderness and sturdiness to support the cheese and sauce. This pizza was ideally balanced in its flavors and textures, and it wins the prize as both the prettiest and tastiest Grandma pizza I can remember.
Our crew was mixed on preferences, with the finely balanced Grandma edging out the big bomb crunch and flavor of the Detroit to be the consensus favorite. Beyond these fabulous pizzas, we had some excellent craft beers and top-notch service from our server Percy. This place was buzzing with happy people, and it's the kind of place that can serve as an anchor to a revitalized downtown.
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| Underneath the Grandma slice |
It was 50 minutes from Gettysburg to York, a long drive -- but absolutely worth it for this destination pizza.
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