Shandra's Pizza Pittston - NEPA Pizza Review

Shandra’s is a Throwback Joint Serving Tasty Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza

Shandra’s Pizza Pittston makes delicious Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza. This fabled PFS is cooked in copious amounts of peanut oil to create a deep fried effect on the bottom of the pizza. Before moving to their current location at 424 Main Street in 2007, they got their start selling pizza to local shops and bowling alleys. They proudly alert you that they are “a cut above the rest” and use the freshest ingredients! Knowing these things, I stopped in to check out the pizza!

I have been consistently receiving recommendations to try Shandra’s Pizza from a number of readers since starting NEPA Pizza Review in 2012. Those individuals swear by this pizza. Needless to say, their incessant recommendations set the bar high for this pizza! With my on the go lifestyle, I encountered a number of barriers in reviewing this pizza. Driving distance, shop open only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and my poor planning of calling ahead to schedule a pizza all delayed my trying the pizza.

Schedule Your Pizza Ahead of Time

Prior to my Shandra’s experience, I had never heard of reserving my pizza ahead of time! Reserving a slot has a lot to do with high demand from many customers and staying organized. It also is important because the pizzeria has limited capacity in pizza ovens and has to utilize every hot spot to maximize output. After initially finding it bizarre, I reflected on it and it’s actually a genius model. I later found that this type of ordering is very popular with other pan fried Sicilian restaurants. The bake time on a PFS is much longer than most pizzas, so every moment counts!

Finally, my scheduled pickup time had come. I drove over to Shandra’s and found a place to park. The building itself looked equal parts unique and historic. The whole setup kind of added to the allure of a throwback to another period of time. I’m not sure which decade, but it conjured up many nostalgic feelings! I walked in to see quite an operation with the kitchen in plain sight, boxes piled everywhere, a “book” of scheduled pizza pickups, and a sign detailing the very limited offerings available which is essentially pizza and possibly wings as well.

Shandra's Pizza Pittston Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza — A look under the crust at Shandra’s Pizza in Pittston.

Reviewing Shandra’s Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza

After reveling in the operation, I grabbed my pizza which happened to be a plain without onions, and headed for the car. The sign said that they used peanut oil in their pizza, so I was pretty certain that I was getting a “pan fried pizza” similar to Victory Pig or Pizza L’oven. Low and behold, that’s exactly what I got. I photographed the pie and got my initial first impression, which was that the contrasting colors of the sauce and cheese were magnificent.

The pizza was cooked a little on the lighter side, but it was still crisp on the bottom and soft in the middle as a pan fried Sicilian pizza should be. In this genre of pizza, I want my pan fried crust to be totally crispy and give me the sensation that it was actually fried. Where it wasn’t quite as crunch as I wanted, it was a really good crust. The sauce was excellent as it was made of a high quality chunky tomato which is right up my alley. The vibrant tomatoes were succulent and flavorful, and they were definitely my favorite part of the pie. The cheese was also good, and provided a nice contrast to the sauce.

I’m totally stoked that I got to finally try this pizza, I commend Shandra’s on a successful, yet unique (in this millennium) way of doing things, and I also commend them on a pizza nicely done. I recommend you give Shandra’s a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.

The Pizza Ratings

Restaurant: Shandra’s Pizza
Location: 424 S Main St, Jenkins Township, PA 18640
Date: February 2014
Pizza Ordered: 12 Cut Red Pan Fried Sicilian
Eat In/Take Out: Take Out