As you know from my earlier post on Sakura sushi, non-food truck lunch options on North Broad St. can be limited, so I was thrilled to see a new pizza joint open up last month at the corner of Spring Garden and 15th.
Colosseo Pizza has a pretty wide variety of by-the-slice pizzas, sandwiches and other typical fare for a pizza shop. It always seems to be pretty busy with a mix of people dining in and carrying out during the lunch rush, but if you come during off-hours you'll have the place all to yourself.
Veggie Pizza & Margarita
Let me be clear, this isn't one of those wood-fired thin-crust envelope-pushin pizza places that has been all the rage in Center City last year (Stella, Zavino, Barbuzzo, etc.). This is just some decently made pizza, with balanced amounts of sauce-cheese-toppings on a firm crust, which is plenty enough to satisfy.
I've tended to stick with the classic Margharita but the veggie options were pleasing. Without stopping to ask for the rundown, the selection looks pretty wide as you survey the long marble counter containing an ice cream shop-like spread of pizza varieties.
Meatball Sub
I also tried out a few of the warm sandwiches. Generally they tended to be a bit on the dry side, lacking sauce or being served on bread that was a bit oversized.
The Meatball sub had a good flavor in the sauce but it seemed to disapear in the roll, leaving the meatballs on their own...needed more sauce.
The sausage and pepper sandwich likewise was a bit undersauced but carried through on flavor - the peppers were undercooked in a few places making it a little too crunchy/watery.
Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
The chicken parm sandwich was just that, a grilled chicken breast, slice of cheese and some marinara sauce, which makes for a lighter lunch option than the heavier subs.
Like all the sandwiches, ask for extra sauce if you order it...while the portion of chicken was plenty enough to satisfy, the marinara was spread around in amounts that seemed more like an afterthought.
Final verdict? If they can work the issues out of the sandwich prep, Colosseo could be a great option for Italian lunch but for now stick with the pizza an enjoy the wide variety in a setting that is pleasant enough for a lunch out of the office.
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