Nearra’s Pizzeria Scranton Delivers the DSP Pizza People are Craving in the Electric City!
Nearra’s Pizzeria Scranton is a wonderful family-owned pizza shop on Capouse Avenue in Scranton (near Dunmore). They have a wide variety of pizza offerings from the New York Style to Detroit Style which I review below. But they also offer customer favorites like their “Super Cooper” pizza as well as the “Sweetie Pie” that features a sweet sauce swirled on top.
Northeast Pennsylvania is known for having a high quality and diverse offering of pizza. We’ve got almost everything including Old Forge, Sicilian, New York, Grandma, Pan Fried Sicilian, Chicago and more but we do not have very much Detroit style pizza. In fact, outside of Little Caesar’s, I’m not aware of very many places that make it at all. You can imagine my excitement when I saw on social media that Nearra’s was entering the market with their own version of a Detroit pizza.
What is Detroit Style Pizza?
Many NEPAians call anything in a rectangular form factor a square and lump it into a category with Old Forge, Sicilian, and Grandma pizzas. I have to set the record straight that Detroit style is definitively NOT any of these other pizzas! First, a Detroit pizza is made in a small pan (usually 8 x 10) and starts with a more bread-like crust and is super crispy on the bottom thanks to some oil and likely lard. Cheese is directly applied to the crust with no sauce on the bottom.
Perhaps the most important part of a Detroit pizza is that cheese is pushed past the edge and against the side of the pan to caramelize and create amazing flavors. Finally, strips of sauce are traditionally spooned on top to finish the pizza off. So are we all on the same page? Next time someone calls a Detroit a “square” I expect you to clear your throat and recite the nuances of this varietal of pizza!
With that backdrop, I headed to Nearra’s to try out this new pan pizza. I called in the order and it was ready in the allotted 25 minutes to pick up. On my way through, I couldn’t help but notice a game room area which looked like it could host birthday parties which I didn’t notice on my last visit way back in 2012. That room looked pretty awesome, but I was on a mission to try this pizza. I paid somewhere around $13 and the friendly woman at the counter handed me my pizza. I was shocked by the sheer mass of this pizza as the box was quite heavy (unscientifically about 4-5 pounds)!
Nearra’s Detroit Style Pizza – A Cheesy Beast
I swiftly set the pizza down in the pizza mobile to check it out and unveiled the cheesy creation. The burned/caramelized cheese around the edge was very dramatic and dark and my mouth began to drool a bit. The sauce strips on top were releasing steam and the car was filled with an aroma that smelled distinctly like Auntie Anne’s pretzel oil. The crust was thick and so were the layers of cheese. It was easy to see where all the weight came from in this pizza. I pulled out my first slice to a satisfying stretch of cheese and examined the cross section of the crust to note that is was very soft and dense with very little bubble structure. It was a little doughy, but flavorful throughout.
The cheese blend was very intense with a flavorful and gooey cheese on the bottom (perhaps a Gouda or something similar) covered over by another cheese blend likely including mozzarella if I had to guess. These layers of cheese were very unique and provided a punch of flavor that really stuck with me. The sauce was a very smooth, slightly sweet, and savory recipe which was very similar to a traditional New York style pizza sauce.
The Bottom Line
Overall, this pizza was very hearty and delicious. I jokingly tell people that this 8-cut pizza could probably feed a family of eight because it’s so thick and packed with cheese and dough. The pizza is rightfully creating some buzz on social media and I can’t do it much more justice other than to say you have to go try it yourself! So, if you are a cheese lover this pizza is for you. If you’ve already tried it, I need to hear from you in the comment section!
Nearra’s Pizzeria Scranton Pizza Ratings
Restaurant: Nearra’s Pizzeria
Location: 1439 Capouse Ave, Scranton, PA 18509
Date: February 2019
Pizza Ordered: Detroit Style Pizza
Price: $12.99 +/-
Eat In/Take Out: Take Out
Nearra’s Detroit Style Pizza Rating Scores
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.1 |
| Sauce | 7.5 |
| Cheese | 7.6 |
| Taste | 8.1 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 7.5 |
| Value | 7.1 |
| Overall Rating | 7.5 |
Pizza is Similar to: Vesuvio’s, Buddy’s, Detroit Style Pizza Co, Underground Pizza Co.
Nearra’s New York Style Pizza Rating Scores
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.8 |
| Sauce | 7.6 |
| Cheese | 7.7 |
| Taste | 7.9 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.1 |
| Value | 7.5 |
| Overall Rating | 7.7 |
Pizza is Similar to: Dino and Francesco’s Moosic, Dino and Francesco’s CS, Sacco’s, Pasquale’s
