New England Pizza — Restaurant in Philadelphia

When I first moved to NE Philadelphia, I tried the various pizza places here. One that I tried, whoch was close to where I lived, was New England Pizza. It was very different than the pizza I grew up with in Northern New Jersey. Over the years, via the FORMER ownership, it went downhill. But, recently I noticed the reviews were beginning to get positive. New England Pizza had new owners, and, like all the local places here, their new menu was eventually dropped into my mail slot.

I was hungry tonight and wanted to try something different. So I pulled out that new menu and ordered a pizza from them! The young lady who picked up the phone, Tiffany, was really nice, which immediately was very different than the former staff. She was kind and efficient, and after I explained my experiences and all the new reviews, I told her I look forward to trying their food so I can hopefully help their ratings get closer to the coveted 5 stars! Needless to say, I was not disappointed! It came FAST, was absolutely piping hot, looked like a perfect menu illustration, and tasted amazing! The cheese blend was great and had perfectly caramelized in spots, the sauce was plentiful, and really had a great flavor, making the topping moist and juicy, not greasy or soggy! The signature New England style dough and crust was crispy on the surface, but wonderfully fluffy, when you bite into a slice. Not TOO thick and not too thin, just a perfect New England style pie!

I am very pleased and happy to let you know NOT to judge them by the older reviews which were mostly left there by the dissatisfied customers of the previous owners. Coming from North Jersey originally, I am a pizza snob, and VERY critical. But what I experienced tonight was wonderful, delicious, cooked perfectly, brought quickly, and I was glad I pulled out that new menu I saved. Also, I hope Tiffany stays there for a very long time! If you never tried it, please do! If you had a bad experience with the previous owners, it's absolutely different now, and worh trying again!

Update (5/25/25): Guess what? EVERYTHING stated in my original review is STILL true!! They have actually gotten even better! Also, my wife and I FINALLY tried their Steak Stromboli and it is absolutely amazing! If you order a Large (as we do), you can actually get almost 2 complete meals out of it!! Now New England Pizza is not like one of the well known Cheesesteak places in Philly, but this item should definitely get them on the Map! The new wonderful and management are truly working hard to get folks to try their food and to get previous unsatisfied customers to give it another chance. You really have to try it, and if you were unhappy in the past (as we were), please let them know and then give them another chance. You will...

WOW!!!! I’ve just read some of the reviews left here and am beyond words. Have to say I’ve been getting pizzas, steaks, Stromboli's as well as other things from New England since the early 1970’s. Myself as well as my entire family have enjoyed them immensely. There have been occasions where the pizza was on the greasy side, but what we found was ordering it well done and telling them to be careful with the grease did correct that issue. Their pizzas are unlike any others out there. For a few years I was actually residing in New England and thought for sure I’d enjoy pizza there. Boy was I mistaken. One of the major things I missed while residing there was pizza from New England. On a few occasions, my son brought them up to me when he visited and there was nothing else I’d requested from Philly other than steak and sweet pepper pizza from New England.

Reading some of these reviews has shown me how badly our society is becoming. One remarked the place smelled like the bathroom, pointing out an area of the store where the bathroom is, although its actual location is the complete opposite of where stated. (Must have been in another store). The one who stated this was his 2nd attempt at a meal here, the first he had looked over at his daughter as she ate and noticed her fingers were green. Looking closer at her food he saw it was mold. Green fingers? Come on, you’re pulling my leg…..Wait though…..He returned!!!! Mold again!!!!! Another criticized the 16-17 year old taking orders behind the counter for not knowing what a quesadilla looked like. Really, imagine that, a young teen not knowing what something looks like. And lets’ not forget the one who quipped about everyone working there being old, customers were old too in their eyes. Who cares? Is this what reviewing a restaurant has turned into? We all know there’s people who leave bad reviews on a business. There’s a whole gamut of reasons for this, stemming from jealousy to insanity. Some of those reviews were left by people who had only reviewed 1 place, some listed not their name. Odd.

Having never had their wings, before I placed my order, I just wanted to see what others had to say. Instead I read this garbage. I’ll order the wings without the reviews since I’ve never received anything that was remotely bad here. Then I’ll make up my own mind. I suggest anyone looking for a great pizza do the same. Order it well done, careful on the grease. And make up your own mind also. Speaking as a woman who loves, absolutely loves their food, especially their pizza and Stromboli, I would hate to see this business hurt by some prank reviews. The green finger one is a classic though. Got a great laugh...

I ordered a plain clazone. It was okay, way too much ricotta in my opinion but that's not why I'm writing the review. I called in an order for pick up. I was told the total and how long, pretty standard.

When I got there, I walked in with a mask on and the two women at the counter responded to my presence half annoyed and half confused. One of them said "Oh my god" audibly and called the others name so she could address me. I was asked "Did you order?" with a tone that sounded more like "Are you serious?". I put two and two together: "Yeah, pick up for Adam. Is there a sign out front saying not to come in?" The younger woman who was ringing up my order said yes while the other said to someone else behind the counter "He even put it real big right in the middle of the thing!"

I was told that I wasn't the only person to miss the sign today. I suggested they give instructions to people over the phone that call in pick up orders about not coming in, it didn't seem like the suggestion was taken seriously. Apparently locking the door is a bad idea too. A bit of small talk about it later and I was walking out with my calzone. Just out of curiousity, I took a good look at the door, front window and table menu they had outside: there was no sign posted about not coming in to pick up your order. That's why I'm writing the review. I regret apologizing on my way out and I won't be giving them any more of my business. Not only was it handled in a very unprofessional way, there wasn't even a sign posted to begin with.

I was the manager of food and nutrition at a hospital for a few years and I managed a small cafeteria. If I wanted customers to be aware of something, I made it loud and clear. If it was misunderstood, I blamed myself and not them. Given that I wasn't the only person to walk in today, maybe they should reconsider how they're operating...