PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia is home to delicious food everywhere — we’ve got that James Beard Award Winners, great chefs, dynamic restaurateurs – and of course excellent pizza.
A pizzeria in Philadelphia is now expecting more customers after The New York Times named it one of the 22 best pizzerias in the United States.
San Lucas Pizza at Bouvier and McKean streets in South Philadelphia was on that list, the only place in our region.
The business was opened in 2005 by Valentin Palillero and his wife Eva Mendez and sold traditional pies, but Palillero, a native of Puebla, Mexico, also wanted to appeal to the Mexican community settling in the area, wrote the Times’ Regan Stephens .
The menu includes carnitas pizza, al pastor pizza, alambre pizza and a shrimp pizza. Mexican-inspired ingredients for these pies include a guajillo chili sauce, cilantro, avocado, Valentina hot sauce, and baked beans.
The NYT list celebrates “a renaissance of artisan pizza” and chefs from a wide range of backgrounds getting into the pizza game, “channeling a seemingly unlimited number of cultures and ideas.”
On Facebook, San Lucas Pizza wrote that it was “an honor” to be on the list.
“Thank you to all our loyal customers and thank you to the new customers for all your trust.”
The company is becoming more active on Instagram, @sanlucaspizzeria.
Madeleine Wright contributed to this report.
