SLICE, SLICE BABY

Continuing in his quest to document and assess East Falls’ current pizza scene, the Pizza Ninja challenges a Ridge Ave fixture. 

eastfallslocal-pizzs-ninja-slices-header-collage

Hello, fellow Pizza fanatics.  We last left off with a review of Apollo Pizza.  This month, we order from a Ridge Avenue mainstay that has been a part of the East Falls community for over 12 years:

To recap my current rules for reviews, the shop:

Must be located in the 19129
Have delivery
Have cheese pizza.

I order the largest cheese pizza available, and provide my unbiased opinions for the benefit of pizza-loving Fallsers. OK, Slices, you’re up…

eastfallslocal-slices-pizza-pa-net-vs-com

The Ordering Experience: 4 out of 5

In terms of ordering options, Slices is right up there on the technology tip.  So much so, that they have TWO websites.  That’s right.  Slicespizzapa.net & Slicespizzapa.com.  For a quick run-down of order options, you can choose:

ONE: In person
TWO: Over the phone
THREE: Grubhub phone app (or website)

Now here is where it gets a little confusing:

FOUR: Slicespizzapa.net where clicking “Order Now” takes you to Grubhub
and
FIVE: Slicespizzapa.com where clicking “Order Now” starts a direct online order to Slices. I assume. (At the time of my review, this feature wasn’t functioning.) UPDATE: It is now! Please use Slicespizzapa.com for fastest ordering!

eastfallslocal-the-beast-15-99-texs

I placed a call at 6:00pm and was quoted a delivery time of 30-35 minutes for a XL cheese pizza.  They bill the XL as a 20″ pie, priced at $15.99 before taxes and delivery fees.  Affectionately referred to as “The Beast” on my receipt.   The beast arrived at the buzzer at 35 minutes approximately.

eastfallslocal-pizza-box

The Pizza Experience

Presentation: 3.5 out of 5

This is a fun box.  It’s large. Befitting of something called “The Beast”.  Nice thick cardboard which seems to be the trend in East Falls.  What is this?  A note?  Let’s take a look…

eastfallslocal-loyaler-than-grub-hub-image-4

So as far as I can tell you, can still order directly through GrubHub for Slices, but Slices appears to be trying to drive traffic to a new method..?

As noted before, I’d love to try and order directly through their site, especially if it’s “faster, cheaper, easier” but at the moment, it appears to not be working.  Additionally, having two live websites with two different order methods and designs is a bit confusing. Sorry, guys.

eastfallslocal-image-5-full-on-pie-crop

Lets talk about the actual pizza.  Personally, the ninja likes to order his pizza as “well done.”  For the purpose of these reviews though, I just order the largest cheese, and see how the shop sends it.

To me, this pizza was bordering on the “less done” side of things for a pizza of it’s size.  That is not to say it was under-cooked, just that it could have been cooked a bit more for optimal presentation and completeness.  As you can see in the lower left-hand side of the pie, it doesn’t really have a nice golden color to the cheese evenly across the pie.

eastfallslocal-pizza-slice-crop

Cheese: 4 out of 5

If I had to pick one stand-out of the pizza, I’d go with the cheese.  It’s has a slightly salty undertone to it, but it really works.  Robust mozzarella flavor.  My only nitpick here is there is a lot of it.  I wouldn’t consider it an “extra cheese” pizza, but it was certainly cheesier than the other pizzas I’ve reviewed.

Maybe that is your thing, maybe it isn’t.  I like a nice even ratio and this pie had a slightly higher ratio of cheese.  For cheese fanatics, this may be your pie.

Sauce: 3 out of 5

The sauce was good, but standard, dare I say plain.  I struggled to find notes of herbs or seasoning, it certainly took a backseat to the crust and the cheese.  This is a pizza that you will definitely want to add your own oregano, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, etc. on top to jazz it up.

eastfallslocal-slices-crust-looks-underdone-imge-6

Crust: 3.5 out of 5

Overall, this is a light, doughy, bready crust.  It really tastes like fresh-baked bread right out of the oven.  At times, the crust alone reminded me of the breadsticks from Papa Johns.  Again, I would have preferred if it was cooked slightly longer and more on the crisp side vs chewy, especially considering that it was on the slightly thicker/doughy side of things.

OVERALL RATING:  3.5 out of 5

What is there to say about the Slices “Beast”?  Large, Cheesy, Slightly Doughy, Inoffensive.  It’s the John Tesh of Pizza.

And now, your moment of zen:

Slices Pizza
4249 Ridge Avenue
215-843-4747
Open Mon – Weds 11am – 11pm; Thurs 11am – 1:00am; Fri/Sat 1am – 3am; Sun 11am – 10pm
Slicespizzapa.com
Slicespizzapa.net

2018 Update: Slices Magnets are back! Get a “slice” magnet with every order over $15. Eight slices = 1 free pizza. East Falls Local readers, get TWO magnets with every order now thru April.

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.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.