The Skinty

Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria

Before I get started with this review I want to say to those of you who are not in Philadelphia or the surrounding area, you’re more than welcome to submit a restaurant review for me to post to the site, just sent it to contact [at]theskinty.com. I don’t want to be so Philly heavy when there are already a variety of states represented on the site, plus it enhances the interactive experience on the site so please do bring em on. And by this I of course mean spots that are exclusive to your area, you can feel free to give some reviews of spots like McDonald’s and what have you but of course those aren’t Philly exclusive .

With that said let me introduce to some and perhaps cause others to want to travel to Broad and Pine for this food:), Paolo Gourmet Pizzeria. I’m telling you if I could uproot this place and move it to my neighborhood I absolutely would! It’s the neighborhood pizzeria yet it so doesn’t compare to most pizza shops I’ve been to. From the food to the decor of the store to the cleanliness of the store, so may positive to be said about this place. I’ve worked near this pizza shop for about two years and never thought much about going in, I’m not even sure what led me to finally do so. All I know is I’ve been hooked ever since I did go and it’s one of the most “diet” friendly shops I’ve ever gone to. It’s one thing to say ok I’m going to eat a slice of pizza with mushrooms so that it’s healthier, but to have the option to buy a slice of pizza on a whole wheat crust or veggies and sauce no cheese or just the large selection of veggie filled pizza, it’s an absolute blessing. And let me add if one did go with a slice of mushroom, grease isn’t dripping off of the thing leaving you to wonder if there was any point to the choice. Paolo also lists their ingredients on their menu, so you know what you’re getting. Such as the PAOLO SPECIAL Sauteed spinach, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella & romano cheese in our garlic sauce. Or one of my favorites PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS & ROASTED GARLIC Portobello mushrooms,roasted garlic & mozzarella and fresh tomatoes.

One issue I have with eating out is the fact that you don’t know exactly what’s going into the food. It can even be the case at Chain restaurants where everything is measured and you can get the NI (Nutritional Information) off of their website. All it takes is a generous or perhaps lazy employee that decides they won’t measure the food that day, giving you more than you should consume and you’re left thinking you ate what you read on the website when you’ve actually been given about 300 calories more, easy. So I like the fact that, although I can’t say exactly how many calories fat etc. I’ve eaten after I eat at Paolo’s the break down of their ingredients gives me enough to make a judgement even if there was extra included I’d be able to tell by site, taste concerning oil. Small detail to some huge for me.

They aren’t just good with pizza either, other favorites of mine is the eggplant parm (both on a roll and with pasta), veggie hoagie, when I was eating meat the steaks and burgers were pretty good also. And let me add any time I’ve eaten there while losing weight, I’ve seen success each and every time, typically buying the pizza’s at times the eggplant parm. Whereas other places I’ve tried to venture out and guesstimate my intake, not so much.

They are a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it considering the fact that fresh ingredients are being used, and the specific ingredients used which may be on the higher scale. So not the pizza joint you eat at daily but definitely worth the trip when you do venture out. For those that don’t frequent the area as I said it’s the neighborhood pizzeria not necessarily a spot you want to plan a trip to, unless you’re just really really trying to try out this pizza. The owner does have several sit down restaurants as well to check out (see the link).

My overall score for Paolo’s is a 4 out of 5.

Paolo Gourmet Pizza
1336 Pine St Phila PA
To check out Paolo visit www.valentinoonthesquare.com