Johnny's Pizza Bryn Mawr — Restaurant in Lower Merion Township

Winner winner Cheesesteak Dinner !!! Johnny's Pizza in Bryn Mawr has been on my list for a while. So my son and I drove from Delco to taste what everyone has been raving about. We jumped on I95 and my son tried to call in an order. No answer. It took us about 35 minutes to get there on Wednesday at 4:00pm. We walked in and it smelled fantastic !! They weren't very busy right before the dinner rush , so i ordered The Monster Sized Cheesesteak Cooper and Fried Onions, a 10 inch of the same for my daughter , a 10 inch with "Spicy Cooper " and Onions, a round Pepperoni and a Cheesesteak Stromboli. My son and I were able to run over to the comic book store and browse till the food was ready. I carried our takeout order to the car watching the steam billowing from our freshly cooked pizza. 😋😋😋 We sat in the car and ate a slice while the car warmed up. DELICIOUS !!!!!!! From the crispy dough packed with flavor, to the top tier Cup Pepperoni and perfect sauce- cheese ratio. The Fresh Basil leaves are the "Chefs Kiss" to this highly memorable pizza. I took a few bites of my second slice and prepared myself for the arduous task ahead of driving down 476 to 95 back to Delco. It took roughly an hour to get back, so i set the oven to 375 unwrapped the "Monster" and reheated it on a foil tray for about 15 minutes. Till it got crunchy on top. It was easily big enough for my 19 year old son and I to share . Especially after eating a slice of pizza in the car. Right away we noticed the Carmelized Onions were so much better than Steaks WC, Lorenzo's, Angelo's, JRP & Cafe Carmela. The roll came back very nicely in the oven. And high points for mixing meat, cheese and onions together. I haven't tried the Cheesesteak spicy Cooper yet or the Stromboli. But I'm pretty sure they're just as good as what I've tried so far.

Johnny's Pizza in Bryn Mawr is now my #1 Favorite Cheesesteak !! It really was the Onions that pushed this Cheesesteak to the...

Good atmosphere. Employees are nice and friendly.

3 stars on the food because I probably ordered the wrong thing. Excited to go back and try something different, though.

Thoughts on what I ordered and my experience:

The cheese steak is not a cheese steak, it's basically a roast beef sandwich on a sesame roll. No need to reinvent the wheel. It was also completely falling apart when I opened it. The bread basically melted away. Also probably my fault though, since I asked for mushrooms and fried onions.

I was handed my packaged and wrapped sandwich, so I went in front of the register and was waiting to pay. One employee was on the store phone in front of the register. I assumed I had to wait for him to finish with that customer before I could pay, so I didn't say anything and waited patiently.

But then a customer came in to pick up an order, and another employee (John, not sure if it was the owner) went to check him out, I interrupted and said, " ... I've been waiting to pay"

He looked at me like I was being rude and checked his tickets on the register, then said, "well his food is done and he's still making yours, so let me check him out"

So I picked up the wrapped sandwich that I had (that was handed to me before John came over, in plain sight of everyone else).

He then said, "oh, I didn't see him wrap it"

I get it, miscommunication, but you just made a customer who was in all honesty trying to do the right thing feel embarrassed, awkward, and unwanted.

Moral: Leave the food on the top tier of the counter when handed to you and don't expect to pay in advance (regardless of if you have the...

First time through, grabbed a plain round pie and garlic knots before close; second time, managed to make it early enough for a MONSTER size Philly (they do sell out of Phillys)

Approachable and lively group working in the kitchen/order area.

Pizza: Just right and a standard for any non-deep dish za, crunchy where it needs to be and not so floppy you're tested on hand-mouth coordination. Excellent-- personal rating 8/10 (on the Dave Portnoy-One Bite Review scale).

Garlic knots: Awesome and tastefully garlicky, came with marinara sauce; soft, but not doughy. 8/10

Monster Philly with cheez-whiz and the works: 20 inches of delicious and noticeably peppered steak. Bun was not only soft enough to not cut your gums, but also toasted enough to not fall apart, and delicious in its own right. Regardless of authenticity, it'll hit the spot. 8/10

The atmosphere gave off a small town/college town vibe, with the recorded history of previous costumers from many walks of life autographed on the walls (and some ceiling tile)--markers are provided. TV in the back to catch whatever's playing.

Whenever I'm on this side of Philadelphia around Ardmore I'll make a point to return for more, and highly recommend this joint solely off food alone. They are busy, so if you can, order ahead to guarantee your slice, or sandwich, of greatness. Must try.

P.S. I parked at the Water Street lot 22 spot both times, about a block away and parking found both times (once week night, once week day...