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New York Style Port Richmond, Philadelphia · ~$30/person · August 2026

Tacconelli's Pizzeria

A Philadelphia institution since 1946. The crunch is real, the sauce is good, the reputation may be doing most of the heavy lifting.

Group Score
6.1
out of 10
GA
5.5
MW
6.75
MA
6.0

"The pepperoni is the move. Everything else is a gamble."

The style: Tacconelli's makes a uniquely crispy pizza — thin, cracker-like, with a sauce-forward approach and less cheese than you'd expect. The crunch works in the middle of the slice and falls apart at the tip. Not greasy, not overwhelming. A very specific experience that you either love or don't.

Pizzas Tried

1. Margherita
6.5/10

A decent pizza that doesn't ask much of you. The crunch is consistent, the sauce is front and center — but by the second slice the sweetness starts to read as artificial. Not bad. Not memorable. The entry point to understanding what Tacconelli's is doing.

GA"Good. Unremarkable. It's like a crispy pizza cracker. The sweetness in the sauce is starting to taste fake sweet."—
MW"Dough is different. The sauce is delicious. The crispy crust is not super fun. Not overwhelming. Not greasy."—
MA"Interesting style — very crispy, sauce-forward, not much cheese. The sweetness of the sauce starts to feel like too much after the first couple of slices."—
Margherita pizza at Tacconelli's
2. Pepperoni ⭐ Best of the night
8.0/10

The pepperoni does what pepperoni is supposed to do here: it seasons the whole slice. The salt from the meat balances the sweetness of the sauce and gives the pizza the savory edge it lacks on its own. The best argument for coming back.

GA"Nicely salted because of the pepperoni. This may be my favorite."—
MW"The pepperoni adds everything the margherita was missing. Much better pizza."—
MA"I'd like the pepperoni pizza best out of all four."—
Pepperoni pizza at Tacconelli's
3. Sausage & Mushrooms
7.0/10

A split verdict. The sausage is outstanding — genuinely. The mushrooms are not fresh and add nothing. It's a one-topping pizza with a free rider. Order it for the sausage and don't think about the mushrooms.

GA"The sausage is delicious. Outstanding sausage. Can't taste the mushrooms — they're not fresh and have no flavor."—
MW"Sausage carries this pizza completely. The mushrooms don't add much — you wouldn't miss them."—
MA"Great sausage — easily the best topping of the night. The mushrooms are forgettable. Order it for the sausage."—
Sausage and mushroom pizza at Tacconelli's
4. White Pizza — Tomatoes & Spinach
5.0/10

The only pizza where the crust fails completely — the spinach and fresh tomato kill the crunch. Garlic powder instead of real garlic amplifies everything wrong: it brings out the metallic edge of the spinach and leaves a flat, artificial finish. MW is the only one at the table willing to defend it.

GA"Not excited. Not at all. The garlic brings out the metallic taste of the spinach. Garlic powder, not real garlic — ugh. Would be better without the tomato."—
MW"This is good. Interesting — kinda upside down. Not as crispy because of the spinach and fresh tomato, but it works."—
MA"A little too garlicky. I like the real tomatoes but not the garlic powder. Awful crust."—
White pizza at Tacconelli's

Pizza Scoring

CriterionWeightScoreWeighted
Dough25%
7.0
1.75
Sauce20%
6.5
1.30
Cheese20%
6.5
1.30
Bake15%
7.5
1.13
Overall Balance20%
6.5
1.30
Pizza Score6.78

Note: The pepperoni pulls the average up significantly. The white pizza pulls it back down.

The Verdict

Tacconelli's has been making pizza in Port Richmond since 1946 and the history is real. The crunch is a genuine signature — consistent, not greasy, nothing like anything else in Philadelphia. The pepperoni is the standout: the salt from the meat fixes the sauce and the result is the most complete pizza of the night. The sausage is excellent; the mushrooms alongside it are not. The white pizza is a mistake worth avoiding. At $30 a head with paper plates and plastic cups, the experience doesn't match the price tag — and a historic name doesn't change that. You can't live off the past, even if you're a Philadelphia institution.

"Order the pepperoni. Skip the white pizza. Bring your own expectations — not theirs."

Individual Scores

GA"For the price, paper plates, sucky cups. Come on. You can't live off the past, even if you're a historic restaurant."5.5
MW"Never had such a crispy pizza. I like the crunch and the amount of sauce relative to cheese."6.75
MA"I'm not really sure if I would come back for crunchy pizza — it's not my thing. The red sauce was just ok, not really for me. Pepperoni was the best of the four."6.0

Guest Reviewer

Guest scores are noted but do not affect the group ranking.

MB"The white pizza is a little too garlicky."—
New York Style Port Richmond Philadelphia Institution Since 1946