Ranking the Philly Style Tomato Pies

The Internet is awash in pizza rankings. Some are expert, some are clumsy, some are downright pointless. Here we attempt, instead, to offer some guide to the best Philly Style Tomato Pies.

First, we have to define tomato pie. We've done so extensively HERE. For this ranking, we are talking about the Philadelphia/Conshohocken style of tomato pie, which is a big rectangle with a thick airy crust (much like a Sicilian pizza), a signature tomato sauce, and little or no cheese. These are found in a bakery as often as in a pizzeria, and are frequently enjoyed at room temperature. Hence, this comparison does not include the Trenton tomato pie or the New Haven version.

Note: I've dubbed it Philly/Conshohocken style, but this thick-crust scant-cheese room-temp bakery-sourced pie is also common in other parts of the northeast.

Let's meet the contenders (click on any one for the full review) :

• Carlino's Specialty Foods, West Chester PA
• La Sicilia, Belleville NJ
• L&B Spumoni Gardens, Brooklyn NY
• Corropolese Bakery, Norristown, PA
• Limoncello, West Chester PA
• Morabito's, Norristown, PA
• Tony Roni's, Willow Grove, PA
• Wegman's, Downingtown PA

Of course, there are many other tomato pies in the Philly region. I did get to sample some at the South Philly Pizza Olympics, but I didn't gather enough info to fully and fairly evaluate the pies from Aversa, Cacia, and Santucci's.

Now, before the judgement, some disclaimers. My heartfelt pizza love is for the Trenton/New Haven tomato pie, then thin-crust bar pie, then Neapolitan and New York style. The Philly tomato pies and Sicilian pizzas rank considerably behind those (but still ahead of Chicago style pizza casserole). That helps explain why I haven't sampled the dozens of other tomato pie purveyors in the Delaware Valley. If you know a great one, please post it in the comments.

Because the crust is thick, puffy, and often lacking the flavor and character of a great Trenton or Neapolitan pie, and further because it typically has little or no cheese, a Philly tomato pie can best be evaluated on the strength of the tomato sauce.

Tony Roni's

Coming in at Number Three is Tony Roni's. In our review we noted that, of all the "tomato pie I've eaten, this was the first one that sold me on the room temperature approach." Notably, even though finishing third in this mini-contest, Tony Roni's wins the Philly region prize - read on to see why.

L&B Spumoni Gardens

Our Number Two finisher is L&B Spumoni Gardens, near Coney Island in Brooklyn. Famous to New Yorkers and to pizza congnoscenti everywhere, L&B is not known by Philly area residents, and it certainly doesn't call its product "tomato pie." It's known as "square" or "Sicilian" or both. I could not detect, on my visits there, the cheese alleged to be under the sauce. Whatever you call it, it is the only tomato pie I've tasted where the crust could be the star. "Ethereal" is not hyperbole for this thick, part airy and part dense crust. It took me several visits to fully appreciate it - but I finally understand what makes L&B a legendary pizza stop.

La Sicilia

Number One is La Sicilia, in Belleville, NJ. On my visit, I rated the sauce a perfect 10. I can't do better than to repeat what I wrote after my visit: 

"The tomato sauce, which is mostly chunks, was as delicious as any I can remember. Such balance, such vibrant flavors! This is not a pizza or a granma pie; it is a tomato pie and a wonderful one. The crust was simply a palette, and a crisply durable one, to convey this awesome red tomato topping. I sat in a lot of crappy traffic to get this pie and I'm VERY glad I did. Usually, tomato pie is improved by the addition of some cheese, but this time I preferred the slices that had none."

On balance, even though many revere the Philly style tomato pie, there's plenty of room for improvement. Baked in a pan, the pie begins at a disadvantage, but that shouldn't mean that the crust has little character. Dom DiMarco makes a fabulous square pie in a pan at Brooklyn's DiFara (well, sure, he uses a pint of olive oil for each pie). 

Square pie at Di Fara

Too often, the tomato pie crust lacks flavor and texture, tasting as though it had come from a supermarket. Imagine an L&B crust with that La Sicilia sauce!  Still, is the thick crust too much to overcome? Could it ever deliver the satisfying snap of an al taglio Roman slice? Share your thoughts!

Roman pizza

Review: Tony Roni's Tomato Pie (Willow Grove, PA)

We've written several times about the definition of "tomato pie."  In Trenton NJ and New Haven CT, it means "pizza" with a thin crisp crust, with more emphasis on a chunky tomato sauce and less emphasis on the cheese.  But in the suburbs west of Philly (and in Philly, too) it often means a bakery-sourced square crust, light and airy, with a thick application of often-sweet tomato sauce, and no cheese or a mere dusting of Parmesan. That sounds like the square slice from Brooklyn's L&B Spumoni Gardens, except that tomato pie is often served at room temperature.


Click any pic to enlarge

I have really enjoyed the good tomato pies I've tried (Corropolese, Conshy Bakery, Wegman's, Morabito's from Costco), but I typically want to add cheese and heat them, essentially creating a terrific slice of Sicilian or the NY "Granma" slice.  Anyhow, the twitterverse has been buzzing about the tomato pie from Tony Roni's, so on a trip eastward, I had occasion to exit the PA turnpike to Easton Rd (611) in Willow Grove.  I swung by Tony Roni's to get some slices to go.

Tony Roni's is a small local chain, with 7 locations around Philly. The first one was "Tony A's" in Conshohocken. The Willow Grove location is in a converted gas station. I've seen such a re-purposing before when a Starbucks took over a closed gas station; somehow that old-style architecture works nicely with a modern restaurant.

I was in a hurry, so I asked the friendly counterman for some tomato pie to go. There were only two slices ready -- one plain, one with a couple of slabs of fresh mozz and a sprinkle of fresh basil. I took them both -- total of $4.75 -- and continued on my journey.


Nice browning underneath

Later that night, I ate the slice with cheese at room temperature (even though the counterman had offered to heat them for me).  The crust was both thinner and denser than other tomato pies I've had. It sported a beautiful raised cornicione that reminded me of Greek pizza. Its texture was solid, and it provided a sturdy foundation for the excellent sauce. The sweet-ish sauce had a nice dusting of oregano, and I could taste the garlic and basil in the sauce. I ate it in a hurry.


The plain slice

It was not until the next night that I ate the plain slice. This one, I heated in the toaster oven. While I enjoyed the pizza-like quality that heating brought, it lost something. The delicate crust seemed somehow less in balance with the sweet sauce. This was no shortcoming of the pie, but a failure of my method; I think perhaps too much moisture was cooked out of it in my oven.

Every pizza maker claims that "our pie is the best" but few can offer any credible reasons why. Founder Tony Altomare not only tells you the details about his sauce and crust, he shows you. This YouTube video is a good investment of three minutes: Tony Crafts a Tomato Pie. Tony Roni's is putting out some superb signature tomato pie, and next time, I will try the pizza. What is remarkable for me is that, despite all the world-class tomato pie I've eaten, this was the first one that really sold me on the room temperature approach. No wonder it is so popular for Eagles football tailgate parties. Destination pie? I can't say that for sure until I've had the pizza. There is a passion behind this pie; make sure you try it.