Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings — Restaurant in Horsham Township

This was my first time trying coal-fired pizza, but it won't be my last. The signs on the walls clearly states their pizzas are "Well Done", so I expected a little char around the edges, and an emphasis on quality. I spoke to the waitress who explained that the ovens cook at extremely high temperatures, and that a little burning of the crust is to be expected, but she assured me that the inner part of the pie would be nicely cooked with a thin, crispy crust, and golden melted cheese on top. I decided to give it a try.

While the pizza was being prepared, I spoke to a chef who showed me how everything from their seasoned ribs to their pizzas are cooked in one of their two coal ovens, the only means of cooking they have. Everything here is made fresh, as there are no freezers on the premises. This means special care must be taken every day to prepare for the customers as their ribs alone can take as long as 1.5 hours to make (but you don’t have to wait 1.5 hours to enjoy them, they start cooking ahead of time).

I returned to my table and tried a couple of the house specialty wings, which, like everything else, came fresh from the coals. I'd never been much of a wings fan, but that might change, now. The skin that I normally associate with wings as being rubbery and fatty was crispy and flavorful. The herbs and caramelized onions they had been cooked with created a unique taste that permeated the meat. After finishing a few of them off, I knew why the waitress had talked them up so much; they deserved it.

My pizza came out shortly after the wings, as it only takes a few minutes to cook a pizza when your oven heats upwards of 850°. I noticed only a slight amount of browning around the edges, as compared to the pizzas of those around me. I believe this was due to the fact that I had ordered an individual sized pizza topped only with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil (a traditional margarita style). I’d assume the meat covered pizzas would take longer to ensure the toppings were fully cooked, and may lead to longer cooking times and increased browning. Even looking at the amount of char present on other pizzas, I’d have no issues returning for one that required longer cooking times. The pizzas didn’t appear any more “well done” than other types of specialty pizzas such as wood-fired, home-grilled, or other super-thin pizza styles.

The smell of the pizza was amazing, and after the first bite I knew I’d tasted of the top ten pizzas I’d ever eaten. The crust was perfect, the toppings were just the right temperature, and the cheese was melted, but not stringy. The herbs mingled wonderfully alongside the crisp texture of the crust without feeling heavy on my palette. My intention of only eating half, and saving half for later, was wadded up and cast aside like a few of my soiled napkins as I finished off the entire pizza.

I returned to the ovens to meet again with the chef and thank him for the amazing job he did on my pizza. One of the managers greeted me on my approach and the three of us spoke about the restaurant, its chain locations along the east cost, as well as the direction for the company. He stated that they aren’t here to compete with other pizza companies that cater to the masses by reducing price and quality; they recognize that there are those out there who will find no appeal in a “well done” pizza that focuses on the ingredients and cooking method to deliver a unique culinary experience. This is more of a place for people who love food; not the place for people who just...

We go here all the time since their pizza is absolutely the best. Tonight however, there was some weird thing going on with our server, who seemed to forget she didn't take our order. She seemed too busy cleaning off other tables and floors, yet the place wasn't even crowded and no one was waiting for a table. There was another waiter there who always seems to be there when we go, and since he seems to do a bit of everything we thought maybe he was the manager. He had been watching what was going on and already noticed we still had our menus. When I looked over at him he came right over, and we told him the problem. He was so apologetic and took our order right away. He even said our pizza would be on the house! This was so unnecessary and we were shocked - even getting free drinks or dessert is a rarity these days when there's a problem. We wound up getting the pizza, the Cokes, AND dessert - ALL FREE. AND, we still earned the points our rewards program. Even the pizza maker brought us our pizza himself. The original server never even batted an eye and seemed completely oblivious - still. I really hope she gets a good talking to cos she just cost them probably about $40. Or don't let her serve people at all, just bus tables since she seemed hyper-focused on doing that! We felt so badly for the restaurant. I wanted to take the time to write a review because we are so appreciative and still in shock that our entire meal was free - NO ONE does this kind of thing, and it shows they really value their customers. The gentleman who took our order said he wasn't the manager, but he should get a promotion and/or a raise. He was excellent and I hope they realize what a valuable employee they have! And as I already said - their pizza is...

Not too often you see eggplant on the menu of Italian restaurants, but the eggplant here was fabulous, I had it with a nice IPA beer. Trust me when I tell you that you cannot go wrong with the eggplant at Anthonys!!!!

I felt so good I decided to have a martini, a black and blue, Bombay Sapphire with kalamata olives, and I was brought a sample of wings. I asked if they had blue cheese dressing, because I believed I was an aficionado of wings and all great wing eaters eat blue cheese dressing. They politely laughed and said our wings do not need dressing, & I laughed and I thought what planet are these people from, so I accepted the sample and I ate the two wings with no sauce. If I ever have to eat dressing on a chicken wing again I will be so disappointed, these wings were so delicious so so so delicious, I cannot believe the flavor that you can get from a coal fired wing!!!

Well now, let's get to the nitty gritty, they are known for their pizza and although I had little room for food I could not resist, I ordered the lunch pizza with sausage and olive. When my pizza arrives the first thing that I noticed was the sauce was not smeared all over the bread, it was added just like you would add a topping, sparcely, and there was no doubt that they sauce was made here in the restaurant. I cannot believe the evening I had with a restaurant that I knew absolutely nothing about, I asked the manager if they will ever have one in North Carolina where I live, all I can do is wait.

People of Pennsylvania, I live in Charlotte North Carolina, asked me what I would trade you for one of these restaurants in my State. My new favorite restaurant that I can not go to, so so so sad for Scott

And do not forget about the fabuloso...