Pizzeria Stella

love stella! great food and great drinks

I came here w/​my mother while she was in town for a conference. We had just had pedicures up the block and decided to come here since it was so close. At 6 pm on a Saturday, they were just gearing up for a rush, but weren’t actually in the middle of a rush so we were able to sit right away. We were greeted promptly and were able to order prosecco w/​in probably the first 3 minutes. Yay! I don’t know our server’s name, but she was a lovely person who knew the menu well and was full of good advice. She was honest about the sizing of all our dishes, which is most appreciated. My mother and I split the chopped salad to start. It was definitely different than we were expecting. In our heads, it was a regular chopped salad w/​lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. In reality, it was asparagus, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, jicama, chickpeas, onions, a little lettuce, and a lot of parsley. It was good, but not what we had in mind. Lesson learned: definitely consult the server when there’s no description of something in a menu.
For our entrees, she had the gnocchi and I had the crab gemelli. The gnocchi was very fluffy and the sauce was surprisingly ham-​y. They must have used prosciutto in it, yum! The crab gemelli was nice and lemon-​y. There was no skimping on crab (yasss!) and I loved the gemelli w/​the crab and veggies. We were really happy w/​both our dishes and also really happy w/​the portion size. We had the full-​sized entrees and that, along w/​the salad we split, was enough to fill us up. More than enough, in my case, as I brought some pasta home.
W/​our entrees, we wanted some red wine, so we consulted our fab server. My mother likes pinot noir and our server said if we liked that, we should try valpolicella. She offered to bring us samples of each and when she delivered them, she told us to try them w/​o knowing which was which. What an awesome idea! She dropped something off at another table in the meantime and when she came back, my mother and I had tried them both and decided one was particularly good. It turned out it was the pinot noir, but I really appreciated her letting us try something different and being so cool about it.
There was only one non-​gelato dessert that night, which we would have gotten as we’re both not generally huge ice cream fans, but it was Nutella-​based and we’re both even less fans of Nutella. In the end, my mother ordered the fig and brown sugar gelato and I ordered the olive oil gelato, along w/​2 cappucinos. Both gelatos were served w/​a small biscotti, which I think went better w/​the olive oil gelato. The olive oil gelato was sooooooo good, people. A little lemony, a little gingery, and as it softens, the oil escapes the emulsion and the bites w/​the drops of olive oil were AMAZING. My mother pretty much ended up eating mine. The fig and brown sugar was just eh. It just didn’t have the complexity of flavors as the olive oil did and ended up being a little cloyingly sweet.
It was a little expensive for 2 people at a pizzeria ($ 130 before tip), which detracted a little from the experience, but not wildly unexpected for Philly. We did get a lot of food, too. The atmosphere was casual and there were a lot of families w/​kids of all ages there. It wasn’t too loud at all, we were able to talk all dinner long and heard each other w/​no problem. All in all, a good experience!

Pizzeria Stella has got to be one of the best pizza joints in Philadelphia. The pizza’s here are crafted with a lot of care and are made exactly how I like my pizza. Crispy crust? Check. Fresh toppings? Check. Delicious side salads? Check. Good drinks? Check.
My favorite pizza they make has to be the pistachio and extra onion. I’m an onion lover as it is, then you go and add delicious toasted pistachios on top. It’s seriously good.
It’s at least worth a look into in my opinion. It’s also a great little spot to bring your significant other for a quick lunch or dinner.

Solid wood burning pizza with good service. Had the mushroom pizza and the spinach pizza. Toppings on the mushroom were adequate — more mushrooms and a second egg would help (kudos to the manager who cut the yolk and spread it around the pizza for us). Server was sweet and attentive. Pizzas are only 12″, so consider an appetizer.

Purports to be modeled after the famous Frank Pepe’s in New Haven. That’s where I’m originally from and grew up eating true New Haven apizza. This pizza, albeit edible, is not in the same league with Pepe’s. Crust not burned the way true neopolitan apizza should be. Sauce and ingredients passable, but nothing special. Anthony’s CoalnFired Pizza is closer to New Haven apizza than this is.

Popped in on a rainy night right after Christmas. Started with meatballs and order of octopus. Terrific. We ordered some pretty standard pizzas each of which was perfectly prepared. Good service, great food, lots of fun.

Well my husband and I went expecting good pizza and conversation — that was a big NO — we were seated at a long table with a loud party of 7 — why — no idea there were plenty of open tables. I will not be back.

Pizza is thin style with high heat so it is ready quickly. They had many options. I had a special sausage salad with lentils which was good and unique. The location is excellent in area near 2^nd and pine.

Can eating pizza be a borderline orgasmic experience? Yes ladies and gentlemen, the answer is YES! By far the best pizza I have ever had this side of the Atlantic! Fresh arugula, smoked mozzarella and prosciutto… the best!
I need a cigarette…

The pizza here is really special, the kind were every precious morsel of crust is hunted down with deadly efficacy.

Delicious pizza! My favorite is the tartufo, with the calamari as my appetizer! Definitely one the best places to get a pizza in Philly! It’s a shame they don’t deliver, but I don’t mind it the atmosphere is just amazing and worth it going out! The sangria was amazing also! My boyfriend got the one with prosciutto and arugula and that was delicious also! Give this place a try!

The crust is phenomenal! We got a margarita and mushroom pizza and both were very delicious. It was slightly droopy and the prices were a little high but Pizzeria Stella could possibly be in my top 5 pizza joints. Will definitely be back for a second round!

Go here. PIzza Neapolitan. Char grilled Octopus. Home made Gelato. Wood Fired Oven.

Pizzeria Stella celebrating 6 years at this location ! They celebrated with a Stellabration! Food, drinks, music and lots of fun were had by many ! Congratulations and we look forward to many more years ! What a great job it was wonderful !

Try #7. Awesome thin crust pizza. Spicy with everything else just right.
Fisst visit to Philly. What wonderful people. Truly the City of brother love.

Lunched with a friend here on a Monday afternoon. There was no wait and we got our food quick. They have a small selection of alcoholic bevs here in addition to some fancy pizzas and salads. I had pizza with pancetta and figs and it was amazing. My friends had a sausage pizza and it was ok, not great. Decent spot for lunch overall

found myself there for a business group activity…
all of the pizzas were creative & very tasty. .. . brick oven thin crust with great ingredients. .. also of note was the fried calamari which was obviously fresh made. .. . and the gelato was a welcome surprise.

A fun place that is kid friendly. Good pizzas (the piccante was a favorite at my table) and fair prices and also a good beer selection for those of you who like to have a beer with their pizza.
Nice service and nice ambiance.

This review is long overdue. Stella has the most creative and scrumptious pizzas! But in addition to great, thin-​crusted, wood oven-​baked pizzas, they have terrific salads and pastas! Though their menu isn’t huge, what they do they do amazingly well! Our consistent favorites are the following:
Antipasti:
— shrimp arrabbiata (get extra flatbread to soak up that flavorful sauce)
— Grilled octopus
— Rosemary flatbread
Insalate:
— kale salad
Pasta (we love that they offer two sizes so you can order a small enjoy other things on the menu):
— Pomodoro
— Crab gemelli
Pizza
— Brussels sprouts (our all time favorite!)
— Mushroom
— Nduja
— Tartufo
— Spinach
Buon appetito!

Impromptu Sunday night dinner in Old City on a cold spring evening. We were both in the mood for pizza and my wife suggested this place. The bar was closed for a private event and the pizza bar was really busy. But, the hostess easily solved the problem for us and suggested a call back to my cell when two spots opened up. So we walked to work up even more of an appetite.
We settled into the inviting bar near the oven. Pretty much immediately, we realized we were in for a good meal. Pizza after pizza came out of the wood fire oven perfectly cooked and with just the right amount of «burn» on the crust; each one was then finished with sea salt and a little oil on top. With all fresh ingredients and in the hands of an extremely efficient army of pizza makers, we felt like we were in good hands.
The wine list is small but adequate. There were some beers that we will have to go back to. We started with some wine, which was generously poured. We ordered the meatballs and the ricotta, along with some olives to start. The ricotta was excellent, and it was served with fantastic rosemary bruschetta. The olives did not disappoint and were extremely flavorful. The meatballs were served with a delicious red tomato sauce. They were light and flavorful. We scarfed them down quickly.
We shared the margarita pizza. The crust was just perfect. And too often, pizza in the states drowns in its own goodness; there is such as thing as too much of a good thing. But not at Pizzeria Stella. The pie had just the right amount of sauce and cheese. The star, the perfect crust, was showcased perfectly. It was the closest (along with the pie at Bar Lucca) to an authentic pizza Napoletana in the US. Great job.
The service was efficient but friendly and we appreciated the call when the seats became available. We will be back here. Many times.