Unique Philadelphia Pizzas Make a Journey up the Turnpike for Review

“Tomato Pie” can take many forms like Trenton Tomato Pie, to NEPA’s version (white pizza with sliced tomatoes), to an actual pastry pie with tomatoes, this term can take on many meanings.  Philly Tomato Pie is a uniquely Philadelphia thing: a sheet of lightly bake dough covered in sweet and pasty tomato sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese.  It’s very hard to find in Northeast Pennslyvania, but thanks to a foodie friend, Mike from Philly Food and Beer, who brought me up a couple of Tomato Pies from Corropolese I was able to try it!

Prior to this pizza swap, I had only reviewed one other tomato pie from Conshohocken Bakery.  After posting that review, many people (including Philly locals) reached out and said I had to try Corropolese who have 4 locations in SEPA and are said to be among the best!  A 2 to 2.5 hour drive for me is a bit of a barrier, so I was extremely grateful for Mike reaching out and offering to bring me some!

Corropolese offers their tomato pies in a 30 slice “full sheet” or an 8 slice “quarter sheet.”  The massive full sheet is enough to feed 15-20 people, making an awesome item to bring to the office, home for the holidays, or for any party or gathering.  The pizza has a great shelf life as it’s generally served and stored at room temperature.  It also doesn’t hurt that the pizza is currently only $15 and you can feed an army for a low price.

There are also a number of options to choose from – most people go with the traditional tomato pie – just sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  Mike was nice enough to get me a traditional pie as well as one with cheddar cheese melted on top.

Both pizzas were build upon a lightly browned, soft, chewy and tender crust.  The sauce is the real story of the pizza because it brings the flavor, texture, and makes the pizza so interesting.  It’s really not like most other pizza sauces because it’s so pasty it would seem you’d use a spatula to spread it out rather than a ladle.  It’s certainly sweet, but not candy/sugar sweet so there is no unpleasant aftertaste and really finishes clean.  The Parmesan cheese adds a subtle richness to the flavor profile, but really acts more as a beautiful garnish to finish off this masterpiece.  Check out my YouTube video review for all of my thoughts while trying the pizzas!

Overall, both pies were very tasty at room temperature, cold from the fridge, and heated up in the toaster oven.  I preferred it at room temperature, but also very much enjoyed it cold.  It was really a great experience to taste a slice of Philly right here in NEPA.  A big thanks to Mike for making all this possible.  Have you tried Philly Tomato Pie?  What did you think?  Which is your favorite?

The Ratings