Pizzeria Beddia — Restaurant in Philadelphia

BLUF: The best pizzeria that only makes soggy, sloppy pizzas.

Composite rating of visit in May 19 and Dec 19. Got standard pie in May and a special in Dec. Both experiences show so much potential here. Literal 5 star service(so many people working!), fantastically crafted atmosphere, and the beer and wine list has been thoughtfully curated. You see the owner (author of a great pizza book) walking around. It's a whole mood and a vibe. But the food can't match it all.

Tomato pie app was fine. Did not bother with apps the second time around. The plain pie started relatively strong, with it being clear that quality ingredients and care go into the product. After our first bites, returns diminished. Overly chewy & wet crust. While the presentation was fantastic from sauce to cheese things weren't able to stand out beyond chewy oil bread. We thought it was fine, but maybe we played it too safe and a specialty pie would show the pedigree. We left wanting to come back.

The special involved a white sauce inspired base which included maybe syrup. We were thankful we added peppers and pepperoni to this one because without those bringing balancing heat, it'd have been a dessert pie. A torrent of sweet grease every bite. Even with the toppings, some slices were completely covered with peps while others had just a few. Soggy & floppy slices you have to roll to get balanced texture is not what you expect with the overwhelmingly positive regard, and certainly not what you'd want out of a spot with this pricing (though its easy to imagine it helps with the small army of fantastic employees). Truly the best floppy greasy slice joint but try as we have, we don't find it to be a truly great pie.

Maybe we're just crisp crust partisans but the wife & I are banning ourselves from a third attempt. If you can disregard the hype it is hard to see the value here. Just not worth it if neighboring spots are open or id you can make pies at home, be it for wine or pizza (unless you're a food writer who can fluff up the word count by retelling the background...

I also had heard of how great the pizza was and the legend of the owner only hand making 40 pizzas a day, not having a phone number, people waiting on line to get in, etc. Then I heard they had created a larger place with tables, checked the website and saw they had normal hours, etc. So when I was passing through Center City Philadelphia I took a chance at going there, without a reservation and just hoping to be able to be seated by myself, on a Sunday afternoon and to my surprise, found a parking space in Fishtown and found the place on a little out of the way street(Lee St.) I was seated immediately and ordered the basic "classic" pizza with onions and sausage for $32.00($24.00 & $8.00 for the toppings), a Mexican coke(sugar cane, not corn syrup) for $4.00, with tax, service charge and tip, my bill came out to $47.50, ate half and took the rest home. The pizza is large enough though for two good appetites, or three smaller ones and it was delicious, strong garlic flavor, the ingredients were fresh and excellent. It's up there in my top five pizza experiences. The location is in a trendy, area, with other dining facilities and ongoing construction, so parking could be an issue. The employees couldn't have been nicer and helpful. It might be a little expensive, but everything else is these days as well. Maybe I'm out of touch with inflation, etc., but $50.00 should buy a decent lunch for two, not just pizza and a soda, but I'm sure many of you who are younger and use to eating out, will not object. Perhaps this is the gourmet pizza category and the prices are justified, you be the judge. Gone are the days, from the 1960's, when pizza was .25 cents a slice! They also take credit cards, not just cash, like some other places and have other items on the menu, in addition to pizza, plus wine, a bar area, as well as an outdoor patio with heating lamps . Very comfortable and clean. Highly recommended. Go with a few people, splurge and split the cost, there aren't many...

I recently had the unfortunate experience of dining at Pizzeria Beddia, and let me tell you, it was a massive disappointment. First and foremost, the prices were utterly outrageous for what can only be described as glorified cardboard topped with low-quality ingredients. I could practically hear my wallet crying as I handed over my hard-earned money for a subpar pizza.

Speaking of the pizza, all I got was a charred monstrosity that tasted like it had been left in the oven for way too long. The burnt crust was a testament to their lack of culinary finesse. I wouldn't be surprised if they considered those blackened edges a "signature touch."

But what truly left me flabbergasted was the complete lack of flavor. I mean, isn't the whole point of a pizza to tantalize your taste buds with a burst of flavors? I've had more flavorful cardboard – at least cardboard doesn't pretend to be a culinary masterpiece.

I'd venture to say that the frozen pizza section at Whole Foods offers a more enjoyable and satisfying pizza experience. Yes, you read that right – a pre-packaged frozen pizza could put Pizzeria Beddia to shame. At least with a Whole Foods pizza, you get consistency and taste that won't leave you questioning your life choices.

The worst part of it all is the hype. It's astonishing how some people can be so easily impressed, particularly those with taste buds that are used to boardwalk pizzas or those who have never ventured beyond the borders of the United States. Pizzeria Beddia seems to thrive on attracting this demographic, banking on their lack of exposure to real culinary excellence.

In conclusion, Pizzeria Beddia is a prime example of overpriced, underwhelming, and tasteless dining. Save your money, save your taste buds, and save your sanity by avoiding this overhyped disaster of a pizzeria. Your stomach – and your wallet –...