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Pizzeria Vetri/Facebook

Philly's Best Stromboli (and Other Things That Are Not Calzones)

by Carly Szkaradnik and Alex Tewfik Updated
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Rotolo
| Pizzeria Vetri/Facebook
by Carly Szkaradnik and Alex Tewfik Updated
1 comment / new

When Eater first posed the question "Who serves the best calzones in Philly?" to our readers in preparation for this, the Calzone Power Hour, the vexation was palpable. "I've never eaten a calzone in Philly," came one blunt comment. And this, via Twitter: "Total calzones I've eaten in life: maybe 2. And the whole time I was thinking, 'I need to go back home.'" And:

Calzones, in general, are really no one's favorite. And Philly, of course, is just not a calzone town. Stromboli snuggle up to our tomato pies on the buffet table, we've gone crazy for the rotolo, we'll take some panzarotti for a spin now and then. So calzones can continue to wait. Let's talk about our real favorite non-pizza pizza shop creations first.

This is by no means a comprehensive list - quite frankly, there are an awful lot of great places to snag a stromboli around this town. These favorites were informed by personal favorites and some reader input, so if you want to add to the wealth of knowledge, name-drop your favorite place in the comments below.


· All Pizza Week Coverage [-EPHI-]

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Stogie Joe's Passyunk Tavern

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Stogie Joe's stromboli received, hands down, the most love from Eater readers. No need to think twice.
1801 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 463-3030
(215) 463-3030

Cacia's Bakery

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While the tomato pie may get more of the attention here, the stromboli is no joke either. And really, if you're having people over, you need both anyway.
1526 W Ritner St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
(215) 334-1340
(215) 334-1340
Cacia's/Yelp

Also featured in:

New York Bakery

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It's hard to imagine a business with "New York" in its name succeeding in Philadelphia, but miraculously, New York Bakery has become an icon of success in South Philly since 1926. Tomato pie is its claim to fame, but don't sleep on the pepperoni stromboli. (Bonus: this is a favorite place to buy pizza dough, too, if you have any desire to play around at home.)
2215 S 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 389-5912
(215) 389-5912
NYB/Yelp

Florida Style Pizza

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The go-to move here is the "inside-out," just like it says right on the sign. We're talking panzarotti, basically - deep-fried pockets of dough concealing molten pizza centers. They're the stuff of local legend.
2052 S Beechwood St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
(215) 755-7946
(215) 755-7946
Florida Style/Yelp

Francoluigi's Pizzeria

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Several readers hit up the Eater tipline to suggest the stromboli at Francoluigi's, with one respondent specifically recommending the "Pavarotti," which features broccoli rabe.
1549 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 755-8900
(215) 755-8900
Francoluigi's/Facebook

Santucci's Square Pizza

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After Stogie Joe's, Santucci's got the next-most votes for their stromboli. And it's no surprise - they're really excellent.
901 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 825-5304
(215) 825-5304
Santucci's/Yelp

Also featured in:

Sarcone's Bakery

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Pepperoni bread. Pepperoni bread! Pepperoni bread, guys.
758 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 922-0445
(215) 922-0445

Pizzeria Vetri

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It isn't pizza, or calzone, or boli, but it would be a damn shame to make it through pizza week without featuring it. Pizza dough is wrapped around ricotta and mortadella then topped with pistachio pesto, and it's every bit as good as everybody says. (Pro-tip: the new King of Prussia Mall location has an entire section of the menu dedicated to rotolos.)
1939 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, PA
(215) 600-2629
(215) 600-2629
PV/Facebook

Also featured in:

The Panzarotti Spot

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Want a genuine panzarotti? How about the original panzarotti? Just over the bridge, in Camden, N.J., you'll find the original Tarantini Panzarotti — crispy, deep fried pockets of heaven oozing with cheese and whatever you so please (meatball is a good place to start).
349 Marlton Ave, Camden, NJ 08105
(856) 966-5725
(856) 966-5725
Panzarotti Spot/Foursquare

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Stogie Joe's Passyunk Tavern

1801 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Stogie Joe's stromboli received, hands down, the most love from Eater readers. No need to think twice.
1801 E Passyunk Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 463-3030
(215) 463-3030

Cacia's Bakery

1526 W Ritner St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
While the tomato pie may get more of the attention here, the stromboli is no joke either. And really, if you're having people over, you need both anyway.
1526 W Ritner St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
(215) 334-1340
(215) 334-1340
Cacia's/Yelp

New York Bakery

2215 S 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19148
It's hard to imagine a business with "New York" in its name succeeding in Philadelphia, but miraculously, New York Bakery has become an icon of success in South Philly since 1926. Tomato pie is its claim to fame, but don't sleep on the pepperoni stromboli. (Bonus: this is a favorite place to buy pizza dough, too, if you have any desire to play around at home.)
2215 S 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 389-5912
(215) 389-5912
NYB/Yelp

Florida Style Pizza

2052 S Beechwood St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
The go-to move here is the "inside-out," just like it says right on the sign. We're talking panzarotti, basically - deep-fried pockets of dough concealing molten pizza centers. They're the stuff of local legend.
2052 S Beechwood St, Philadelphia, PA 19145
(215) 755-7946
(215) 755-7946
Florida Style/Yelp

Francoluigi's Pizzeria

1549 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Several readers hit up the Eater tipline to suggest the stromboli at Francoluigi's, with one respondent specifically recommending the "Pavarotti," which features broccoli rabe.
1549 S 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 755-8900
(215) 755-8900
Francoluigi's/Facebook

Santucci's Square Pizza

901 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
After Stogie Joe's, Santucci's got the next-most votes for their stromboli. And it's no surprise - they're really excellent.
901 S 10th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 825-5304
(215) 825-5304
Santucci's/Yelp

Sarcone's Bakery

758 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Pepperoni bread. Pepperoni bread! Pepperoni bread, guys.
758 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 922-0445
(215) 922-0445

Pizzeria Vetri

1939 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, PA
It isn't pizza, or calzone, or boli, but it would be a damn shame to make it through pizza week without featuring it. Pizza dough is wrapped around ricotta and mortadella then topped with pistachio pesto, and it's every bit as good as everybody says. (Pro-tip: the new King of Prussia Mall location has an entire section of the menu dedicated to rotolos.)
1939 Callowhill St., Philadelphia, PA
(215) 600-2629
(215) 600-2629
PV/Facebook

The Panzarotti Spot

349 Marlton Ave, Camden, NJ 08105
Want a genuine panzarotti? How about the original panzarotti? Just over the bridge, in Camden, N.J., you'll find the original Tarantini Panzarotti — crispy, deep fried pockets of heaven oozing with cheese and whatever you so please (meatball is a good place to start).
349 Marlton Ave, Camden, NJ 08105
(856) 966-5725
(856) 966-5725
Panzarotti Spot/Foursquare

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