Lorenzo and Sons Pizza has been a landmark on South Street in Philadelphia for decades, and now they are bringing their famous 28-inch pizza to West Chester.
Giuseppe “Joe” Pulizzi, the second generation owner, recently bought the old Sprazzo building at the southeast corner of High and Gay Streets and is working on plans to rehab the corner landmark into Lorenzo and Sons West Chester.
The new pizzeria will sell pizza by the slice just like at their South Street location, but they will also offer personalized pizzas, strombolis, calzones, cheesesteaks, sandwiches and their version of the infamous “Philly Taco.” (What’s a Philly Taco? See below.) Joe plans on offering the full menu until 9 p.m. with slices being offered late into the night.
I recently met with Joe and peeked inside the building, which has been vacant for years. He explained his plans to gut the building and rehab the space with seating on both the first and second floors. He also plans on working with the borough to provide outdoor seating.
If you haven’t eaten Lorenzo and Sons pizza on South Street, you may have enjoyed a slice at the Wells Fargo Center, where Joe and his team make pizzas and serve slices during games and concerts. Their biggest night at Wells Fargo was a playoff Flyers game where they served 2,500 slices.
Joe first looked at the Sprazzo building three years ago, but then had to sideline the project when his South Street location caught fire in June 2012. They were closed for 10 months while the parlor was rebuilt.
When asked how he came to choose West Chester, Joe explained, “I never knew this was out here.” He discussed how he was surprised on his first drive through the borough. “West Chester has a great mix of families and couples that come out on a Saturday night. There’s no need to head into town [Philadelphia]. Lorenzo’s is the type of pizza place that depends on foot traffic and the college crowds, and this was just perfect.”
Ideally, Joe would love to see the Lorenzo and Sons West Chester location open up in time for West Chester University’s Homecoming, though he knows construction could push the opening out until late November.
The foodie website Daily Meal recently penned an article about the 101 Best Pizzas in America and placed Lorenzo and Sons at #91.
Joe told me the West Chester location will provide enough space to make cheesesteaks, and that means he will be bringing the legendary monster sandwich that is often nicknamed the “Philly Taco” and sometimes known as “South St. Sushi” to the borough. According to Joe, college kids started the tradition of wrapping a Jim’s Steaks cheesesteak with a massive slice from Lorenzo and Sons’ famous 28-inch pizza.
Stay tuned for Lorenzo and Sons’ West Chester opening this fall at 27 N. High St.
Photo credit: Jim Breslin
