Pizza Ninja: Again with Apollos

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He’s baaaaaack… and hungry for more. Pizza Ninja sizes up the oldest pizza joint in town — with new payment options, yet. 

EastFallsLocal Appollos pizza ninja post

Hello Pizza Readers,

We last left off with a review of Golden Crust III.  This month, I decided to throw the remaining pizza shops in a hat and choose one at random.

Rule recap:

  • The shop must be located in the 19129,
  • Have delivery,
  • Have cheese pizza.

To my EXTREME PIZZA EXCITEMENT, the shop chosen this month was Apollo’s Pizza of 3542 Conrad St.

EastFallsLocal appollos outside

Some background.  There was a point in time — a dark time, shall we say,  (somewhere around the summer of 2013) that Apollo’s Pizza  decided to no longer take credit cards.

The Pizza Ninja only deals in plastic, so this was a sad and abrupt end to that relationship.  But the rumor around town was that Apollo had gotten back into the credit card game.  What a time to be alive.

EastFallsLocal Appollos pizza ninja post number address 2

The Ordering Experience – 4 out of 5:

Compared with other shops, Apollo’s Pizza is very old school in terms of the order process.  You have 2 options*:  Order on the phone, or order in person.  I of course called in my order, and sure enough, Apollo now takes credit cards both in person and over the phone.  It’s a beautiful thing.

(FYI:  It appears that Apollo was listed on GrubHub at one point but no longer is active via that phone app.)

I placed a call at 6:35 pm and was told the pizza would be delivered in 30 to 45 minutes.  Exceeding expectations, my pizza arrived at 7:02 pm, in just 27 minutes — three full minutes ahead of schedule.  Every minute is crucial when you are about to eat pizza.

THE PIZZA EXPERIENCE: 

EastFallsLocal collage check out that tape

Presentation: 4 out of 5

Lets look at the box.  This is a nice box.  Much like Golden Crust III, it’s comprised of a thick cardboard.  I really like the graphic of the word ‘Pizza’ being filled by pepperonis (not my topping of choice, though — I’m a sausage guy).  It’s fun.  Also look at this, it has strategically placed tape in 3 locations.

A possible lifesaver. You’ve waited 27 minutes for pizza, you start to run to your kitchen, trip, fall, and the pizza spills on the floor.  Not here, not with this tape, tragedy averted.  It’s the attention to detail like this that I appreciate.

On to the pizza itself.  When I opened it, an audible gasp emanated from my mouth.  It looked beautiful.  The pizza was prepared to a perfect level of doneness.

EastFallsLocal collage open box pizza largest size txt

A quick note about sizing.  This was the largest size Appollos offers, a “large” at 16 inches.  It rang in at $16.47 after fee’s and delivery — more than a dollar an inch! I personally would have liked to see a bigger pizza option being offered at this price point, but I digress.

EastFallsLocal cheese crust sauce text

Cheese – 4.5 out of 5

Tasty cheese.  Slightly above average.  Also a good ratio, not too much cheese, not too little.  Prepared to a nice golden brown.  Had some dry herbs sprinkled on top (basil, oregano), which was a nice touch and enhanced the flavor.

Sauce – 4.5 out of 5

This is a slightly above average sauce.  I picked up notes of garlic and basil.  A hearty sauce, not overly sweet.  Just right

Crust – 4 out of 5

Taste wise, I didn’t think it was anything special, tasty, but average.  It did not overpower the cheese or the sauce, but played it’s position nicely.  Also not too crisp.  Very interesting crust though in it’s construction and texture once it’s in your mouth.

This is almost closer to what some would describe as a thin crust.  The crust itself is not light and airy, rather heavy and dense, but not overly so.  It had a very nice firmness and was not overly chewy. The crust very much reminds me of the often forgotten/underrated Pizza Hut “thin crust” option of the early 90’s — a vastly superior crust choice to the Pizza Hut “pan crust.”

EastFallsLocal overall rating appollos

Conclusion – 4.25 out of 5:

This is a really tasty pizza.  Cooked well.  My biggest gripe is that for a large, it’s so undersized.  I’d consider the Apollo’s Pizza large size to be closer to a true medium.

When the Pizza Ninja eats, he wants to eat to the point of not being able to move afterwards.  Not going to happen here between the size of the pizza and the thinner crust.  Whats the solution?  2 pizzas? This could be the beginning of a pricey habit.

Until next time,

Pizza Ninja

EastFallsLocal resize Ninja Bio

AGREE? DISAGREE? Comment below or email the Pizza Ninja personally with your feedback.

About Pizza Ninja 22 Articles
Born in Chicago, arguably the capitol of world class pizza options, the Pizza Ninja consumes pizza an average of 3 to 4 nights a week. From local options to frozen pizza, no crust is left behind. He has been eating pizza for 34 years and currently resides in East Falls along with his wife, daughter and two dogs. On occasion, he will graciously share a slice of his pizza with them. Follow the Ninja on Instagram.

6 Comments

  1. I routinely order a large chicken pizza with tomato and onion and am never disappointed. Their strombolis are great and they make a fine italian hoagie. Apollos is a real asset to the neighborhood that I’ve enjoyed for years.

    • Usually we do their special or white pizza, but with the second stromboli recommendation, sounds like we’ll have to give it a try! Thanks Jake and Brian!

  2. Pizza ninja! I am heading to Chicago in September! Where should I get a glorious pie in the pizza capitol?!

  3. We have been Apollo’s fans for at least ten years. Love the pizza, Italian hoagies, sausage grinders, cheesesteaks. However, invariably they are in Greece on vacation and we have cravings for their pizza. I suppose this happens every year at the mid-August to mid-September period, but it bites us every time. Today is 9/7, three days to go.

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