Dining Out!-Square Pie
Square Pizza is a new Philly restaurant that has been taking the Bella Vista neighborhood by storm. The owners and staff are Philly locals with a great deal of restaurant experience and diverse skills that they are utilizing to create an amazing experience and awesome food. For casual dining, pies that will make pizza lovers lose their minds and A-plus service; you just have to check out Square Pie. We spoke with co-owner, Amy Giuffi about everything that makes this restaurant shine!
THE STYLE
“We are an intimate, family-friendly Pizza and Pasta BYOB in the Bella Vista section of South Philadelphia. We try to create a warm vibe with a few retro red and white checked tables as well as counter seating that allows a view of the kitchen.”
THE FOOD
“Our main offering is Pizza – specifically Square Pizza. Our pizza has been described as being in its own category because there truly isn’t any like it in Philadelphia. Our dough is highly-fermented, lending our pies a flavor that approximates sour dough with a ton of texture and crunch. People have described the pizza as decadent, like eating fresh bread out of the oven. It’s very addictive!
We have about just 7 types of pies, two of which are white pies. While we have some traditional favorites like pepperoni and mushroom, we also offer some foodie favorites like a Pancetta pie with cured pork belly, roasted potato, leeks, mozzarella and cream or our vegetarian Melanzane with roasted eggplant, capers, olives, ricotta and tomato sauce. We make everything in house; from the dough to the meatballs, sausage, and the sauce .We use Jersey Fresh tomatoes and basil from our container garden. We also offer a number of appetizers including Arancini, deep-fried rice balls with prosciutto and mozzarella as well as 5 pastas including Sunday Gravy and Chicken Cacciatore.
We are a BYOB restaurant and we encourage people to bring in beer, wine or whatever they like. We also sell craft sodas.”
THE SERVICE
“We are a very casual restaurant, and our staff tries to keep that vibe. Whether customers sit at our counter overlooking the kitchen, or sit at one of our tables, our servers will take great care of you and your family. We don’t serve our products on paper plates – we are a full-service restaurant, with wine glasses and cloth napkins.”
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Gene Giuffi is the owner and pizza maker. He is a professionally-trained chef and began his career by working in his uncle’s pizzeria over twenty years ago. After attending Culinary School, he opened the award-winning Cochon, a French BYOB just across the street. In addition to having a professional chef at our helm, our pizza is really unique; our highly-fermented dough has a flavor and texture that customers tell is like nothing they have ever tasted!”
The coolest thing about Square Pizza, besides their phenomenal pies, is that they are a family operation, run by Philly locals. Gene and Amy Giuffi live in the same community as their restaurant, showcasing Philadelphia’s urban village vibe. Their five year old has even taking an interest in the family businesses by claiming partial ownership and frequently using the space to entertain his pre-k pals. In addition to being completely adorable, Square Pizza has great food with an addictive quality that will keep you coming back for more and more.
Written by Patrick Kaisinger (Mike McCann Team Blogger Extraordinaire)
