Pizza in Chester

Piesmiths at Apollo Pizza partner an array of sides and salads with made-to-order pizzas slathered with sauce, covered in cheese, and polka-dotted with a potpourri of toppings. Descend fork first in to a chicken-caesar or greek salad before eschewing silverware to grab sides—such as onion rings, jalapeño poppers, or bacon-and-cheese-topped mega fries—with hands or telepathic mind powers. A serving of 10 buffalo wings smothered in sauce round out pre-main-course noshings before a fully customizable pie arrives at tables laden with four toppings plucked from a cache of more than 15 accouterments, including roasted peppers, ricotta cheese, and sausage. Throughout the meal, diners can split 2 liters of Coca-Cola, sipping it from individual glasses or, in accordance with Italian tradition, chugging it straight from the bottle while dancing the tarantella.

Peace A Pizza’s menu offers gourmet pizza pies, strombolis, and salads that transcend the violent dough beatings and Pacmanic depression that typifies traditional pizza parlors. Guests can start training for chompathons with a Mediterranean salad ($6.99), which sprinkles crisp greens with a smattering of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onions, feta cheese, and cracked black peppercorn—all doused in a healthy deluge of Greek dressing. Pizzas can be harder to spot because they wear a variety of costumes. Patrons can order a 14-inch Philly cheesesteak ($15.49) smothered in sharp provolone or seek out a 14-inch honey-lime chicken, with breaded chicken atop mozzarella, garnished with mandarin oranges, cranberries, and drizzled with a zesty honey-lime dressing ($15.29). If you're more in the mood for stromboli, find out what it's like havin' a Roni Explosion ($6.99), a fold-over feast of rapidly expanding pepperoni and mozzarella served with red sauce.

In some families, all the children are blessed with a knack for sports. In others, the offspring may be born with an aptitude for math or the ability to reason with sharks. In the Testa family, however, the seven brothers and five sisters all ended up with a passion for great Italian food. Bruno’s Pizza Villa is one of six Italian eateries run by the Testa children, each one serving authentic pizzas and Italian specialties. Bruno Testa takes the reins at this family-friendly eatery, overseeing kitchen chefs as they whip up Neapolitan-style pies.

The pizza-makers toss freshly made dough with gourmet toppings, such as buffalo mozzarella, barbeque chicken, and sundried tomatoes. Once pizzas begin baking in the ovens, the cooks turn their attention to cheesy calzones, crispy sandwiches, and traditional pasta dishes. They extend their culinary expertise towards a variety of seafood specialties, including creamy lobster ravioli and spicy seafood fra diavlo. Meanwhile, their customers recline on cushy booths in the bright dining room, lingering over last bites of handmade cannoli and sugary zeppolli.

Owner Mike Karasavas's dream has come to fruition: he has spearheaded not one, but two Media, PA, restaurants—the upscale Generations Restaurant steakhouse, and its casual counterpart, The Drawing Room Pizza Pub, good for families, late night entertainment, and tasty pizza. The pub features a fully stocked bar, stage, and lush outdoor patio, creating a fitting backdrop for its weekly dance parties, poker tournaments, and live music performances. When discussing such events with reporters from Suburban Life Magazine, Mike said, "our pizza pub absolutely fills a need no other place does. People can come to dance or get dressed up to enjoy a date night."

To fuel this constant stream of activity, the eatery's chefs whip up a variety of upscale pub favorites, from juicy angus beef burgers to authentic Italian pastas. The stars of their kitchen, however, are the thin crust artisanal pizzas, which chefs make from fresh dough, homemade sauce, and premium ingredients.

Tony Altomare’s Italian eatery crafts Neapolitan-style pizzas with freshly made dough and homemade sauces, gaining accolades such as the title of best pizza from the Philly Hot List in 2010. Diners can peruse the menu and sink teeth into one of the pre-designed pies, such as the mozzarella-, basil-, and tomato-sauce-adorned margherita pizza ($13.99 for a large), or the romano pizza splattered with pepperoni, sausage, philly steak, and bacon ($15.99 for a large). The grilled eggplant and verdant fillings of the veggie delight wrap ($6.59) offer a tastier alternative to nibbling on various houseplants; a buffalo chicken stromboli ($7.59–$15.59) or one of the homemade hoagies ($6.29–$6.59) reenergize patrons who have spent long hours writing a book in binary code. Tony’s menu varies with each location, so check each restaurant’s website for a complete listing of its belly-tickling fare selection.

Original Bake at Home Pizza, which started off as Mom’s Bake at Home Pizza, has been tossing its bake-at-home pies for customers in Devon for more than 20 years. Today, the chefs construct ready-to-bake creations in both Devon and Philadelphia. They slather fresh dough in white or red sauce or a specialty variety such as mexican, pesto, or wing sauce. Then they blanket the pie with the same combination of ingredients ski resorts use to create fake snow: mozzarella, white cheddar, and pecorino-romano cheese. Finally, they add toppings such as marinated roasted peppers, eggplant, grilled chicken, and turkey pepperoni, either custom-picked for the order or assembled in one of their specialty combinations.

Customers can order salads and ready-to-bake hot wings and gluten-free pasta to accompany their pizzas. Once they get home, they pop the pizzas into the oven for about 10 minutes. The pies emerge bubbling and ready to eat, making for an easy and fresh at-home meal.