NEPA Pizza Review

Photo Credit: Brunetti’s Pizza Facebook Page

Brunetti’s – Unique Pizza and a Family Affair

Brunetti’s Pizza is Permanently Closed.

I have heard about Brunetti’s Pizza several times over the years, but the place really caught my eye when I saw a facebook post showing a Shamrock Pizza that they had made in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  I’ve been helping to spread the word about heart-shaped pizzas in NEPA, but have never seen a shamrock pie before so this was pretty cool!  This excitement, combined with a planned trip to Scranton made me drag the family on yet another pizza review which I’m pretty sure they joined in on this review.  We found the place easy enough, a large building on the corner which we parked on the street.  We weren’t sure how to get into the place, because the entrance facing the street appeared to be a deli/convenience store so we walked around back where we found some stairs and a door, which took us to exactly the same place that the front door would have taken us!  The layout is pretty unique and so is the whole restaurant, and that is what makes this place so awesome.  It’s quirky, but it has a ton of character.

We found ourselves a cozy booth to saddle up in, and we quickly noticed that it didn’t matter what table people sat at – everybody talked with everybody.  The owners were out and about talking to everyone and it was such a fun, friendly, family environment.  This was truly the essence of the family-owned small businesses I seek to find and promote here in NEPA.  We weren’t sure if there was table service or how we ordered until I spotted a window in the corner of the dining room that said “Order Here.”  I walked over, grabbed some menus and we decided to order 2 pizzas, one with mozzerella and one with American cheese.  The friendly lady in the window took my order and let me know my pizzas would be ready shortly.  As we waited, we sort of took in the vintage environment and marveled in the friendly atmosphere filled with chatter and laughter.  I wanted to join right in and talk pizza, but we were on a tight schedule and I had to stick to my “secret shopper” model of pizza reviewing so I didn’t get any special/different treatment.  Once I get talking pizza, it’s hard to stop so I regret not jumping in but I will surely go back to learn about the rich 59 year history of the pizzeria if they will have me!

The pizza was ready after a short wait and I have to say it looked great.  The mozzerella was cooked perfectly and the American was melty, gooey, and as is customary, a little bit burned in spots which our little one requested.  The pizza was pretty unique as the crusts were thicker than your typical new york style pizza, but not as thick as an old forge or Sicilian.  This wasn’t a crispy pizza, and it’s not designed to be.  It was very tender and sort of fluffy which was different than most round pizzas available in the area.  The sauce was my favorite part as they applied it generously and it had a ton of flavor – a little bit sweet, a little bit zesty, and a herb and seasoning blend to really packed a flavor punch.  The cheeses really made each pizza very different despite having the same dough and sauce.  The mozzerella balanced the pizza out and complemented the sauce, but allowed it to shine through.  The American and (presumably) parmesan cheese changed the flavor of the sauce and had a different texture.  Both varieties were great, and I’m glad we ordered one of each because they did provide different experiences in similar 12″ circles.

I can’t really say which pizza I prefer because they were both very good in their own way, even though I’m generally not a guy who likes American cheese on pizza, but I can appreciate it for what it is.  I mean, I can’t be a pizza critic in NEPA without having a certain affinity for American cheese, right?!  Overall, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about our visit to Brunetti’s and I’m even more glad I took my family with me to experience this unique family environment.  The First Lady of NEPA Pizza and I couldn’t stop talking about how rare that family atmosphere is to find these days and how much we appreciated it.  I highly recommend that you try out this pizza and take in this vintage, unique, throwback, bygone era-type, family atmosphere.  Spend some time and eat in, but if you don’t have time, try one of the awesomely thick, crazy good cold Sicilian slices of pizza next to the cash register.  It’s probably the thickest Sicilian I’ve seen in a while!  I look forward to going back when I have a little more time to talk shop.  Until next time…

Restaurant: Brunetti’s Pizza
Location: Scranton, PA