NEPA Pizza Review

My email box has been jam-packed for months with people suggesting I head to Hazleton to review some of their local pizzerias.  Since it’s more than an hour drive for me, it’s not easy – especially with time constraints and the fact that the pizza mobile is terrible on gas!  But, I do have an obligation to my audience, so I finally bit the bullet and decided to head to the “deep south” of NEPA.  I shuffled through my email, and noted that the most popular suggestion I received (among many) were Two Italian Guys Pizzeria and Senape’s Tavern.  I figured if I was driving all that way, I might as well hit two places!  First up, for my dine in experience, I headed to the most popular suggestion – Two Guys.  At first, I wasn’t sure if this was a place where you were supposed to dine in, but there were wooden booths to sit at so I assumed I was ok.  I ordered my pizza at the counter and peeked behind the cash register to gain a full view of my pizza being made.  There’s nothing like an open-air kitchen where I get to see my pizza prepped and baked.  I ordered a 14 inch medium New York Style pizza just like Kevin McAllister from Home Alone does – plain cheese!

I sat and waited less than ten minutes for my pie, and it came directly out of the oven to my table  piping hot with steam bellowing from beneath the cheese.  The pie itself looked exceptionally well crafted with sauce and cheese spread all the way out to the edge of the crust with just enough room to grab the handle.  It was clear that this pizza is for cheese lovers, because there was a ton of it, and not a whole lot of sauce.  Now, I’m a sauce guy, but I never downgrade a pizza based on my personal preference.  So let’s take care of the sauce first – it’s a basic, neutral, smooth sauce, but like I said, this is not a sauce lover’s pizza!  The cheese tells the real story here.  I took a bite and noticed the smooth, soft, yet stringy texture which was very pleasant.  The mozzarella cheese had wonderful flavor without being salty.  I detected a sort of buttery flavor that I couldn’t quite put my finger on until I took a trip up the counter and snuck a peek at the pizza guy spreading some sort of parmesan or romano cheese underneath the mozzarella – bingo!

Finally, the crust was very good.  The pizza guy clearly knew what he was doing because the dough was stretched perfectly even, but with slight variations which provided nice depth of flavor and texture.  The dough was fresh and had a lovely bubble pattern, including a couple of big bubbles which you can see in the picture.  The most impressive thing about this dough was how tender it was.  I sort of expected a tough dough for some reason, but this was not the case at all.  Overall, this pizza would fall in the very good category for me.  It’s certainly a cheese lover’s dream and it’s a pizza that most people will enjoy no matter if you’re a pizza snob like myself, or if you like a simple cheesy pie.

View Two Italian Guys Pizzeria’s Menu Here

Personally, I would probably order takeout or delivery the next time I go because the dining room is not the most comfortable area.  The place reminded me of somewhere I would go after a hard night out in college.  There are coolers and freezers buzzing everywhere, pizza boxes piled all over, and doesn’t seem to offer true table service.  I noticed that there was a busy delivery person on, and many people did pick up pizza during my brief stay, so I’m guessing that’s Two Italian Guy’s bread and butter, which makes my dining in observation a moot point.  Regardless, if you are looking for a good pizza in Hazleton, Two Italian Guys Pizzeria is a safe bet and I’d like to thank the MANY readers who recommended I give the place a try!

Restaurant:  Two Italian Guys Pizzeria