La Rosa Pizza a diamond in South Philly’s rough

If you ever find yourself at Broad and Snyder, wondering where things went so terribly wrong, take a breather and pop on into La Rosa Pizza.

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If you ever find yourself at Broad and Snyder, wondering where things went so terribly wrong, take a breather and pop on into La Rosa Pizza.

There will likely be no smell of pizza, or any other customers for that matter. No need to be alarmed. Just casually ask the nice woman at the counter for a slice. And stick with the basics; red or white as their topping selection may vary. It’s always good practice to peek over the counter, just to see what they’re working with.

Call for a delivery order and feel free to order specifics. My suggestion? Half red, half white with broccoli — double cut.

You see, these crispy, crusty, deep pan-baked squares are the size of a toddler’s head. The double cut allows for maximum pizza sharing and will ensure you make it through your second slice to give your favorite another go.

Alex Medori opened La Rosa over 30 years ago. The stainless-steel deck oven is the same one he started with. It’s a gas oven, it runs at 500 degrees, and it cooks a pizza in eight minutes.

At La Rosa they cook their pizza in a pan, on a rack, in the oven.

“It’s the way my people teach me, in the pans,” explained Medori.

And as for the style?

“Napolitan!,” he exclaimed.

Napolitan — as opposed to Neapolitan. The difference is not only in the intonation, but a generations-old recipe, handed down from one paisan to another.

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Continue on your pizza journey

Marra’s Italian Restaurant
Revolution House
Nomad
Pizza Brain
La Rosa
Bufad
Pizzeria Stella
Tacconelli’s
Pitruco
Pizzeria Vetri
Montesini