Tacconelli’s Pizzeria

«Since your pies have been reserved for you, we kindly ask that you take what you have reserved.» — This was such a strange statement to me.
Whenever I go to a far away city, I’m looking for pizza. But it’s not the best rendition of a Naples-​style slice I’m looking for — for me, the best expression of edible Americana is regional pizza. In just about every city of every state, there is a unique pizza style, it’s never ending. I usually get tips like this from chowhound or Slice, but it was from the pages of the Philly Phoodie where I found the Philadelphia region pizza to put on my absolute-​must-​to-​do list: Tacconelli’s Pizzeria.
Most PA people I talked to hadn’t even heard of it. It seemed like only those who live in the neighborhood or were true pizza nuts had reveled in Tac’s.
But let’s get this out of the way first: It is fantastic. And even before I get to the flavor, let’s talk about the rules:
— Customers are asked to reserve their dough ahead of time. This means they should call ahead anywhere from 1 to 24 hours before they come to tell the Tacconellis how many pizzas they plan on having. I’ve heard of a certain number of pie being produced a day, but this concept of «reserving your dough» is fresh to me. Everyone talks about it.
— They are open Wed-​Saturday, seating customers usually from 4pm-​8pm.
— The menu has 4 items: tomato pie (no cheese), regular pie (some cheese), white pie (all cheese), and margerita (fresh mozz)
The limited hours, limited production, and limited menu is so sexy to me.
One of my best tricks to getting in with the staff is by saying something like, «I’ve heard a lot about you guys, but this is my first time. What should I get?» We had a hard time deciding what to order, so after we put in for a regular red pie, the waitress came back and said they could make us one with halves of her two suggestions: regular red and white with spinach and tomatoes.
The red was absolutely perfect for my taste: slightly sweet sauce, soft round cheese dollops; and the white had a great cheese/​dough mix with the garlic heat combining into the cooling toppings. It killed. But the best part on either was the crust. Dusty to burned grayness on the bottom, and flecks of flavorburst on the edges, it was magnificent. This is the crust I dream of. Smokey, tough, chewy, soft, charred, light — all those things.
Walk into the back kitchen and there’s a couple of things you notice. One is the giant pizza peel (that slider for putting the pies in the oven). It’s longer than a car, and has a stand by the back end to keep it horizontal and ready to shove. Another thing is the space of the room, compared to how many people are operating the place. There’s a Tacconelli working the oven, taking care of all the oven in and outs, with a couple of employees (possibly related) operating other duties in the large space. Most remarkable, though, is the brick oven. The 1918 thing is 20 feet long by 20 feet wide. That’s even bigger than Al Santillo’s, the only other operation that I could think of like this (and I’m not even going to risk hurting Al’s feelings by comparing the two).
The menu text dictates you limit your pies to two toppings — I love that. They could make more money, and let you pile on toppings, but no, they give you limits. Now in their the 5^th generation of Tacconelli forming the slice, their recommendation is appreciated. Anything else could insult the gods of pizza.

The rules of Tacconelli’s:
1. Call ahead to reserve your dough and make reservations
2. Drive there on time, allowing 5 extra min to park
3. Order the red pizza with pepperoni as well as the margherita!
4. Food coma.

My nanny and poppy introduced me to Tacconellis as a kid. I had my 21^st there and a visitor but not a as my grandparents Eileen and Seymore have been. Absolutely the best pizza in the world. It’s home at Tacconellis and most definitely family. Best wishes

What a joke we made a reservation 2 weeks in advance we showed up with15 people we were treated like we didnt exist we sat around for a half hour waiting for someone to help us the help banged into us now and again for we had nowhere to go trapped standing around we finally left never again id rather go to applebees at least id get treated like i mattered

The pizza, when not burnt, is pretty darn good. The customer service, however, is pretty darn bad. And it’s BYOB.
I went with a group of about 8 girls and arrived 20 mins early for our 7:30 pm reservation. We ordered 8 pizzas (too many) and were told they would bring them out as they were ready since you can only fit 4 pies on a table at a time (valid point). We didn’t receive our first pizza until well after 9 pm when other tables around us, who arrived later than us, received their first and second rounds. I will mention that a few of the pies were charred (read: burnt) but not inedible.
We received our last pizza after 10 pm, which was BURNT. Not charred from the oven, but burnt to hell with the crust so hard I couldn’t bite it. The waitress told me either I could keep the pizza (and pay for it) or she could throw it away, but they didn’t have any more dough left so she couldn’t replace it. I chose to throw it away instead of pay $ 22 for something I couldn’t eat.
I recommend asking for the pizza to be on the under-​cooked side and maybe you’ll get a perfectly cooked pizza. Because the ones that weren’t burnt were exceptional.
Oh, parking. There is a «lot» quite close. I use quotations because I’m not sure it’s a parking lot, just an open space where cars were already parked. I blocked my friend in so we could fit two-​deep.

Best pizza in Philly by a country mile. Come here and skip the artisan 9″ pizza that some doofus makes with fair trade mushrooms. Order your dough in the AM, and get an extra for leftovers because you’ll definitely be left wanting more. Bring some wine and some mints — you will thank me later.

Can’t decide if Tacconelli’s deserves 3 or 4 stars. The pizza was good, not great. Crust was too thin, and there was minimal cheese, but the sauce was tasty. My friend and I split an entire pizza and an hour later were researching a second meal because we were still hungry. I was a bit surprised that they literally only serve pizza (and soda). I guess if that’s your shtick, then fine, but would it kill you to offer an accompaniment of some sort? I’d eat here again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so.

My born n raised Philly Grand mother took me here when i was a kid. «Best pizza in Philly «…go try anywhere else food has taste not look. nice if they expanded but ahh well.

It’s good, but it’s also a bit inconvenient to have to order a pizza at 9am. It’s very thin you would do well to not do more than maybe 2 toppings other wise it will fall apart on the way to your mouth. When you stop in be sure to meander to the back so you can catch a glimpse of the giant brick oven!

I’ve heard a lot about this place since first moving to Port Richmond a few months ago, and I was very excited to try it. Talk about disappointment. We decided to go with the margherita, and although the pizza didn’t take as long as others reviews have indicated, it did come out very burnt. To the point that the crust was black, the bottom of the pizza was black, and our mouths and fingers were left covered in charred pizza dough.
After getting past the taste of burnt dough, the pizza itself was JUST mediocre. Besides being burnt, it had perhaps eight (one per slice) very small, thin slices of mozzarella, and some very crispy dried basil. Definitely not worth all of the rave reviews that we have heard and seen. And don’t even bother expressing your displeasure to the staff, because they could care less. When she came to check on us and she pleasantly asked how everything was, we indicated that the pizza was burnt. She told us that it wasn’t burnt, but rather black from the pizza oven. My mistake, I guess I can’t tell burnt food from the color black. Flavors and colors are the same thing, after all.
Without so much as apologizing for providing their customers with a burnt pizza, we were handed the check for $ 21.50 and told to have a nice day. When you can buy a delicious slice of perfectly cooked dough, topped with homemade sauce, ample toppings, and excellent customer service on just about any block in Philly, Tacconelli’s ought to step up their game, and soon.

Went with a party of 12 to hang out, so the fact that it takes ½ an hour for the pizza to come out was a planned-​for plus. We ordered 5, then another 5, so we hung out and got caught up with each other for a good 3 hours. Other than that, the pizza was just so-​so.
They were decent thin crusts, but more like a cracker than bready or doughy, which I prefer. The toppings had a decent amount of tomato sauce, but everything else skimpy across the board, not a lot of mozzarella or basil on the Margherita., few mushrooms or sausage. My biggest problem was that the tomato sauce was very salty, and I got up during the night 3 times to drink from the bathroom tap!
A lot has been said about their being a schtick and overpriced, and I would agree. Mostly, I felt that they pizza, in small pieces would have made an OK appetizer at a party, but I never felt that I got a satisfying meal there because I ate a lot of crackers with salty tomato topping.

Very good pizza in a cool, old school phlly neighborhood. A friend of mine had told me to check it out, so we did. You have to cal ahead and reserve your dough as they only make enough for what’s reserved for the day. it’s also BYO, which is cool. The pizza was good, super thin and crispy. solid 3.5 stars. The wait time was crazy, but it was on a Friday so not a huge deal. I will say the pizza did take a very long time to come out, but we weren’t in a rush. All in all, great pizza and definitely worth a try.

Last night, I revisited Tacconelli’s for the first time in years. I remember liking it before, but wow. It was light and thin without being burnt. I has the white pie with the spinach and tomatoes and my fiancé and I split a pie with red sauce with half mushroom and half prosciutto. I would certainly recommend trying a white and a red pie as well. I thoroughly enjoyed both. The white pie was a little garlicky, but I like garlic so that worked for me. The red pie was also very good. The sauce is sweet but it worked for me. I was reminded about why this place gets the hype that it does. I definitely suggest giving it a try.

I don’t understand the hype. This place really isn’t that great. I don’t know how they survive, since even pizza you get delivered from any other place is superior.

Tacconelli’s was hyped-​up so much I half expected to pass out at first bite. I don’t understand when people say this is the best pizza… «ever», «in the world», «on the planet», etc. If you’re regularly consuming Papa John’s, Domino’s, or Little Ceasar’s then I see how that statement may hold some weight. Otherwise what I experienced was a large helping of hype with a side of pizza.
PROS:
— It is BYOB and it’s a great place for groups.
— There appears to be a large number of regulars.
— Photo Hunt is only 25 center per game, compared to the city that’s a great value!
CONS:
— They’ve got a shtick. You have to call and reserve your dough in the early morning the day you wish to dine there. This requirement is not because it’s unlike any other pizza you’ll ever have in your life. Just like Federal Donuts does, they’ve created an illusion of demand.
— It’s in Port Richmond.
— It gets really really loud.
The pizza was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. The crust was crispy and on the thinner side. I probably would not come back here on my own. That being said, if a group was going and requested my presence at the table, I would not decline.

I have been a long time Unilocaler, but for some reason never had the yearning to write a review. That has changed. I figured no better time to start, then right after eating the absolute best pizza on the planet.
So… Review #1. here it goes .
Best pizza on the planet, hands down. I love pizza. And, I have probably tried pizza in 30 or so different states in this country, and quite a few other countries. Nothing comes close to this.
The white pizza with crushed tomatoes is an absolute masterpiece. Thin crust, crispy to perfection. Well seasoned Olive oil and herbs. It is just sensational.
I will also give a nod to the pepperoni here, as I tried the regular pepperoni as well. It was awesome!
So, if this is the best, why 4 stars?
While I was there with a party of 11, some kids. The service was outstanding! So it wasn’t that. And, for the best pizza on the planet, I don’t mind paying the inflated prices. Nope.
It was the soda. They charged an obscene amount of money for two pitchers of soda. For the kids and teens at the table, and it was flat anyway.

I went here with a group from my girlfriends work and they are regulars. There were over 15 – 20 of us and they had made the dough reservations in advanced.
I tried all of the pizza types that came out besides the meat ones (I’m a vegetarian) and they were all phenomenal.
The sauce is addicting. The crust is perfect, and the service was top notch.
Worth every penny.

With out a doubt.. the best pizza on the planet!
I’ve been coming here since 1977. It remains exactly the same. Thin, crispy, perfect blend of cheese and sauce.
They remain consistent!
HOWEVER.. YOU CAN NOT JUST COME IN OF THE STREET. YOU MUST RESERVE YOUR DOUGH.. AHEAD OF TIME.
Worth every penny and every minute!

I think this place is a tad over-​rated. Yes, the pizza is really good, but only if they don’t burn the living crap out of the pizza. I’ve gotten it a few times where it just taste like charcoal because it’s so burnt. My bro-​in-​law gave a really good suggestion. Order to go but ask them not to cook it all the way. When you get home, heat it up in your oven for that fresh out of the oven pizza just the way you like it.
The sauce, cheese, and dough (if not burnt) are on point though. Perfect amount on the pizza. As for the toppings: make sure not to get too many on becasue the dough is extremely thin and will not hold the toppings.
Overall: I think they are extremely overpriced, but I do find myself (on a rare occassion) coming back, especially when people ask me to go.

Ok, here’s all you need to know:
— this place is often mentioned as being one of the best places for pizza in the COUNTRY.
— you need to call ahead to order dough. You CANNOT just stroll in and order pizza, even if it isn’t crowded at all. I saw a guy bring in his family at 4:30 PM, half an hour after they open, and they turned him away. Don’t be that guy that fails and disappoints his kids.
— there are 4 choices of pies: tomato, regular, white or margarita. If you like some cheese on your pizza, definitely get the regular, which already is very light on the cheese.
— the pizza is very thin crust. They recommend at most 2 toppings since it doesn’t even hold up well under more. Interestingly enough, you can see they crossed out «3» on the menu and replaced it with a «2» (?). I went with a simple pepperoni pie ($ 16.75), which really was great.
— it’s BYOB. I see why people like that after buying a pitcher of soda for $ 7.
— the service is very friendly. This is literally pizza like grandma makes, as the sweet lady working here was very kind and maternal.
— it’s worth calling ahead to order dough. The pizza here really is excellent. Call during the week right around 10 AM when the line opens, and come in closer to the opening time at 4 PM to avoid the still long wait to get your pie once you arrive. You will not be disappointed, as this is definitely worth trying at least once.