After only one Philly restaurant was nominated — and then lost — at this year’s James Beard Awards in June, Philly’s food scene is back with something new to brag about.
South Philly’s San Lucas Pizzeria, located in the Newbold neighborhood at 2000 S. Bouvier St., was included in the New York Times’ 22 best pizza places in the country. It’s the only pizza spot from Pennsylvania, Delaware and South Jersey to make the cut. The outlet didn’t give criteria for its rankings, but it noted how much America’s pizza scene has grown since wood-fired Neapolitan pies made a splash in the early aughts.
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Husband and wife owners Valentin Palillero and wife Eva Mendez reportedly opened the shop in 2005 and started off selling traditional pizza toppings. Later, they added options like guajillo sauce, pimentos, carnitas and black beans, calling back to Palillero’s roots in Puebla, Mexico, kicking off a Mexican topping trend in the city.
“Nowadays, these varieties, served with a side of lime wedges, are as popular as the originals,” NYT’s Regan Stevens wrote of the restaurant. “But they’re also a vivid link in a neighborhood that’s been an epicenter of Italian and Mexican immigration, roughly three-quarters of a century apart.”
Alongside pizza, San Lucas also offers burgers, stromboli, hoagies and cheesesteaks, along with tacos, quesadillas and huaraches.
Though San Lucas was the only Philadelphia pizza parlor that made the list, it did name one more nominee with Philly ties. New Orleans shop St. Pizza, also included, was co-founded by South Jersey native Tony Biancosino.
San Lucas Pizzeria is open for delivery and pickup from 1:00 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and closed Wednesdays.