Gennaro’s Tomato PIE

We went to Gennaro’s last week for the first time, because I had been told they have a really great outdoor patio. My husband, daughter and I brought a friend who was visiting from the West Coast. The server was really nice. Her and the mosaic covered patio were probably the best part of Gennaro’s.
As someone noted in another review, they don’t have high chairs here. It seems rather odd considering its an average quality pizza place. Luckily, our daughter is tall enough not to need one, but I wouldn’t have been super excited if I had a younger child. Also, the front door has a sign saying something along the lines of «Well behaved children are welcome.» Ok Gennaro’s, you aren’t that great. Your pizza is a few steps above Pizza Hut. The POPE is a pub up the street that is very welcoming to kids. Le Virtu is a pretty high end restaurant up the street that is very welcoming to kids. I can’t imagine childless people are showing up in droves at Gennaro’s when there is Brigantessa almost directly across the street (which by the way also has high chairs.)
Also, they served out food with paper plates. Seriously. We ended up paying over $ 50 for pretty bland pizza, super dry foccacia bread, and their version of sangria. And we ate it off of paper plates!
So all in all, it was ok. I don’t imagine we would go there again considering there is much better pizza available at much more child friendly places in the area. But if you want to sit outside on a really pretty and shady patio and aren’t worried about having the «best» pizza, it would probably serve your needs.

Went with a group of 8 and couldn’t have picked a better place for Pizza Friday. Unfortunately they don’t take reservations, but the staff didn’t flinch when I gave out group size.
The pizza is among the best in the city, thin, crispy & charred crusts with delicate toppings. Salads were classic Italian restaurant style, perfect accompaniments to the pizza. Food came out very quickly. Best of all it’s BYOB, which sets it apart from other pizza spots on Passyunk.

While the pizza is very good, I was extremely disappointed and taken back when I walked in to Gennaro’s Tomato Pie with my two toddlers (who are too young for regular seats) and was told «we do not have highchairs or booster seats here.» This is a casual, pizza restaurant where families should be able to take their kids out to dinner to enjoy pizza. Believe me, I understand at an upscale restaurant, not wanting children disrupting other people’s dinner but never have I walked into a pizza place and felt unwanted because I had children. We traveled from the suburbs to try their pizza with our kids and we left with cold take out pizza, a long ride home, and unfed children. The pizza was very good, but for us, Tacconelli’s is still by far the BEST in Philly. My suggestion for Gennaro’s is to invest in some highchairs and be more welcoming to families because right now I am not inclined to return.

Hands down the BEST pizza in Philadelphia! Have tried some of the new pastas and they were very good also. Love the fact it is a byob.

Came on a Saturday night and since it was our first time we just ordered a basic tomato pie and a house salad on the side. The pizza came out quickly and was perfectly crispy and tasty. One large pie was enough for my boyfriend and I. The place is small and I would imagine fills up quickly. Just to note– the place is CASH ONLY. Additionally it is BYOB which is always nice. Pizza was delicious, service was good, wait staff was friendly, and overall good experience.

Casual, warm, BYOB restaurant on a busy Saturday night at 8:00 pm. Red formica tables, clean, friendly and quaint. Catherine our hostess and waitress was wonderful, kind and efficient. The three of us shared a large tomato pizza pie with prociutto, and mushrooms, a bowl of pasta which included a house salad and two orders of meatballs. Everything was served fresh — hot and delicious — — really loved the thin crust — only wish they had more than one bathroom, more menus and more staff. We will return — it was really tasty!

Gennaro’s Pizza has come to the heart of East Passyunk with this retro World War II pizza parlor across from the Singing Fountain. Gennaro’s is owned by the same people who own Lombardi’s Pizza in New York — reputedly America’s first pizzeria. So they know a thing or two about pizza. Their signature tomato pie is thin crust with San Marzano tomatoes and whole-​milk mozzarella. It was good but I do have to say probably not at the very top of pizzas I’ve ever eaten in Philadelphia or elsewhere. A house salad with vinaigrette was large if not memorable but the pineapple cheese mouse pie for desert was totally tasty. The restaurant is filled with retro items and posters from the 1940’s making for a cool atmosphere.
Special note — I was here during Restaurant Week and one person — Christine — worked the entire dining room. She greeted people, answered the phone, waitressed, bussed, opened wine bottles, rearranged tables to accommodate large parties, took care of take-​out orders … and amazingly was efficient and friendly while multi-​tasking as much as I have ever seen someone in the front of the house in a restaurant do. She should get double or triple pay for her hard-​working performance which was actually fun to watch.
Tip — Gennaro’s is cash only. In summer there is an attractive outdoor rear patio for dining.
All in all, Gennaro’s is a welcome lower-​priced addition to the hot East Passyunk Avenue scene.

I am a huge fan of Gennaro’s. It’s got a thin crust, sweet and rich tomato sauce along w fresh mozzarella cheese. Also, the meatballs are excellent. Can’t say enough about how much I love it here. Also, the décor is vintage and adorable.
I have yet to be disappointed with Gennaro’s

This place was solid. I’ve heard so many raves about it, though, so I was expecting more. The pizza was good, but nothing so exceptional. The service was good as well and it was kid-​friendly, which is always important to me for this kind of establishment. I would return here if in the neighborhood, but won’t make a special effort to return.

Tasty, no nonsense pizza. Haven’t had anything else on the menu yet.

Awesome pizza!!! Thin crust & crunchy good! They specialize in cooking crust well done to perfection!!! Any topping available. Get the white pitza or tomato pie. Meatballs appetizer is the best. Just like grandma would make!!! I ordered a salad and it was very basic. Small interior, tough to find a parking spot close by. U need to know how to parallel park. All food was a little pricy! Cash only! Please!!! It is 2016! Must try this place. Voted best pizza in PA!!! I give it a A!!! Go try it!!! It is worth every bite.

Great pizza and fun place to go to. Love the fact that it’s BYOB and the service is very well trained. Enough options to have you torn between a few so be prepared to over indulge. From the perfectly plated antipasto, the house salad, house-​made Caesar, tomato and mozzarella with balsamic, roasted red pepper appetizer and even the MEATBALLS (omg how could I forget about the meatballs and that cheese!) #MustTry
Then the pizza, what can I say it’s world-​famous. With roots dating back to 1897 how could it not be perfect! Well done, thin crust, fresh mozzarella, and light sauce. The toppings, like they said in the neighborhood back in the day, «fughetta ’bout it» Meatball, pepperoni (so good), panachetta (omg), sausage (yes), pesto and more… You can get a calzone with, you guessed it, any of those fillings.
Pasta dishes are new and come with a salad and dessert. Unbeatable for the price up Passyunk Avenue. Go in and check it out, by far my favorite pizza place on the ave.-so unique.

The short version: The food is excellent — all of it! Not just the pizza (which is scrumptious!), but the pasta dishes, the appetizers, and even the desserts. The staff are remarkably pleasant, welcoming, and fun too. This is a great, great place to have a meal.
The longer version: My family of seven, including two infants, was in Philadelphia for the evening and in the mood for good Italian food (primarily pasta), so we gravitated to South Philly. Unfortunately, we forgot it was a Saturday night, and quickly found ourselves unable to get a seat anywhere. We initially overlooked Gennaro’s because it appeared to just be a pizza place, which wasn’t the kind of Italian we were looking for, but as everyone tired of walking around on a cold night, we thought we were settling. The restaurant was also full, but tired and cold, we agreed to a 45 minute wait. That’s when the owner saw us, had a moment of side chatter with his staff, and then decided to open up a whole other section of the restaurant that was being renovated, just so we could have a place to sit and not have to wait. He even let us use his office to change diapers. Despite our hearts being set on pasta, we walked past so many delicious looking and smelling pizzas that we ordered a few small ones for the table. We also tried the meatballs (phenomenal!) and several of the pasta dishes. Everything was amazingly great, especially the pasta, which was clearly either imported or homemade (it just had that perfect texture and taste). Throughout the evening, we were attentively waited on by at least three different staff members, each with a great sense of humor and the most pleasant demeanor. We were so grateful for their saving us from the cold, that the food didn’t even need to be that good for us to have been happy, but how lucky we were that it was! This will be my new go-​to spot on all future trips to Philly!

I remember the first time I had Lombardi’s in New York. It might have been one of the happiest pizza-​eating moments of my life. I was super excited to hear that Gennaro’s was moving in around the corner from me… only to learn that it wasn’t going to be Gennaro’s and instead was Grace & Pat’s. Ultimately, the Pizza Gods smiled down on us (yes, all of us!) and transformed Grace & Pat’s into Gennaro’s Tomato Pie. I couldn’t wait to order and basically planned a whole Saturday around it.
Let me be clear: This is pizza worth waiting for! The crust is perfect, the sauce is flavorful and just the right amount of cheese. I had pepperoni on mine — I love it when a pizza oven gets so hot that the edges of the pepperoni get a little crisp. So good! I could eat this pizza everyday. My only real complaints are that they are cash only and, while it’s pizza worth waiting for, the prices are also worth waiting for because its on the expensive side.