Mystery Diner Attacks Local Pizza Scene

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Who is the Pizza Ninja? He lives here, he loves pizza, and he eats it all the time. In a new monthly series, Pizza Ninja puts East Falls’ pizzerias to the test. This week, he breaks down Golden Crust III to his exacting standards.   

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Welcome to the inaugural East Falls Pizza Review by the Pizza Ninja!  These reviews will be done on a monthly basis, showcasing the local pizza options in the 19129.  The idea is simple – each month, a plain cheese pizza will be ordered for delivery and reviewed, so as to provide a level playing field that all shops can be compared against.

For this month, we focus on a mainstay located at the hub of East Falls at Ridge & Midvale Avenue corridor, Golden Crust Pizza III.  On to the review…

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The Ordering Experience – 5 out of 5

In terms of the different ways to place your order, Golden Crust III is very much a pizza shop of the 21st century.  You have the traditional options – going to the restaurant in person or calling on the phone.  You also have some great internet and mobile options.

Orders can be placed on GoldenCrustPizzaIII.com and paid with credit card, but wait, there’s more.  Golden Crust has their own phone app for ordering for both Apple & Android phones.  There is even a third option of ordering through the Grubhub.com website or phone app and paying with PayPal if your heart desires.  What this means is that it is very easy to order a pizza from GCIII.

I chose to order my pizza the old fashioned way by phone (215-848-4400) because I was hungry and I wanted to make sure my order was taken by humans ASAP.  I placed a call at 6:04pm and was told the pizza would be delivered in 45 minutes.  This time was a little disappointing initially, but surprisingly the pizza showed up at my door at a very impressive 17 minutes later – 6:21pm.  In the words of poet laureate Ice Cube, today was a good day.

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THE PIZZA EXPERIENCE

Presentation: 4 out of 5

Lets take a look at this box.  When you eat pizza as much as the ninja, it’s the little things you appreciate.  This is a nice box.  It’s sturdy, it’s thick cardboard.  You aren’t going have any grease leakage if you’re eating the pizza with the box on your lap.  It does a great job of keeping the pizza warm.  I’m deducting a point because while the box is nice, it’s a generic box, not personalized or branded in anyway.

On to the pizza itself.  For as quickly as this pizza arrived, I must say I am super impressed with the level of doneness on the pie.  The cheese is a nice golden color.  Not too overcooked, not too undercooked, just perfect.  Same goes for the crust. Time to eat!

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A quick note on the size of the pizza.  The first rule of pizza club is don’t talk about pizza club.  But the second rule, the most important rule, is always order the biggest pizza that you can.  Why is that?  It’s science!  Literally.  Engineers have figured out that you get more pizza for your money the larger you order. It’s an undeniable fact we should all take advantage of.

Behold the X-Large option from Golden Crust III: twenty tasty inches of Za.  The price difference between a 14” medium and 16” Large is $2 ($9 to $11, respectively).  But the difference from a 16” large to a 20” X-Large is $5 ($11 to $16).  Does the extra $5 justify the extra 4” in pizza?  I don’t know, I’m not an engineer, and I have pizza to eat:

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Cheese – 3 out of 5

This is a pretty average pizza shop mozzarella cheese.  It’s tasty but nothing special.  Again, not too much, not too little.  It’s a good ratio of cheese to sauce to pizza.  It’s a bit on the greasy side, but overall cooked to perfection and hugs the sauce and crust well.

Sauce – 3.5 out of 5

This is a slightly above average sauce.  Slightly.  It’s a little chunkier than a standard pizza sauce, and a little sweeter.  Nothing crazy overall, but good.

Crust – 4 out of 5

The crust is the stand-out of the pizza and I wonder if this is how Golden Crust got their namesake.  It is indeed a “golden” crust, with a buttery undertone.  While thinner, the taste reminds me of Pizza Hut pan pizza crust.  You get the idea.

I wonder if this contributes to the overall greasiness of the pizza? Either way, the end result is a pizza that ends up being a bit richer and robust than a regular cheese pizza.

The downside is that I felt the buttery-ness of the crust made for a heavier pizza in your stomach once you start to put down multiple slices.  I didn’t “feel” too healthy, but it was tasty.

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Conclusion – 4 out of 5:

A ton of options for placing your order and paying, X-Large sizing available, better than average crust and sauce.  Pizza Ninja gives Golden Crust III a very respectable above average rating.

Until next time,

Pizza Ninja

Golden Crust Pizza III
Exhaustive menu includes pizza, salads, Italian entrees, desserts plus Mediterranean specialties like falafel and kabob. Gluten-free options, including a gluten-free pizza crust that earns raves. 
3732 Midvale Avenue
215-848-4400
Open Sun – Thurs 11am – 11pm; Fri/Sat 11am – midnight

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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.

2 Comments

  1. For the record, I am not the Pizza Ninja but a pizza lover none the less . I encourage the ninja to break out of the 19129 zip once he has exhausted the list to drivable joints from the 19129 zip. Always on the look out for new interesting pies. Nonna can make a good Old Forge pizza although I think mine is better. Franzones sweet pies in the Yunk you either love or hate and I love. I also really like Pietros coal fired downtown. Still need to go to Beddia and Pizza Brain. Vetri and Stella are good.

    • Greetings Brian. Look forward to pizza reviews outside of 19129 sometime in 2017 once the neighborhood options are exhausted! If the Pizza Ninja even opens up the review criteria to pizza shops outside of 19129 but that deliver to East Falls, the list balloons to over 20+ options. Philadelphia is continuing to emerge as one of the great pizza towns in the USA. What a time to be alive.

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