Restaurant Review: Cenzo's Pizzeria

Restaurant:
Address: 1619 Darby Rd., Havertown, PA 19083
Rating: (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
Style: Pizzeria
Food: Good pizzas, sandwiches and steaks
Atmosphere: Neighborhood pizza shop
Parking: Moderate, metered street parking is hit or miss
Service: Relaxed and friendly
Price Range: Inexpensive
Unique Features: Pizzas can be made with traditional or Sicilian crusts and daily specials that are wallet-friendly.

As soon as I picked up my dining companion and told him we were going to he exclaimed, “Oh, that’s a great spot, we used to go there all the time.” He and his family used to live in Havertown and it was their go-to spot for pizza runs on the way home from school. Ironically enough, their present home is also by a pizza shop, guess they can’t escape the allure of great pizza.

We ordered four different slices (mushroom, pepperoni, Hawaiian and special), some jalapeno poppers and a chicken parmesan sandwich. Since it’s a cash-only establishment, I had to run to the ATM at the nearby Wawa but it wasn’t a big deal. The pizza slices are extra thick and hearty. Incredibly crisp on the bottom, the pizza crust produced the loudest crunch when you bit into it, which was fantastic. The tomato sauce was sparingly applied and there was a good amount of cheese.

There was a generous sprinkling of mushroom slices on top of the mushroom slice. The pepperoni slices were decent and only slightly greasy. The Hawaiian pizza had plenty of thin slivers of ham and a few pineapple accents. It was a pretty ham-errific slice. 

The special pizza was loaded with pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black olives and sausage. I appreciated the extra cheese applied on top as well. Since the pizza crust is so thick one slice is sufficient for a modest meal. I can usually eat two slices of traditional pizza with no problems but I could only finish 1 ½ of these slices.

The jalapeno poppers were filled with cheese and emerged from the fryer golden brown and hot like lava. The outer shell was nicely fried and there was an actual fully cooked jalapeno pepper inside. The cheese tasted like cheese whiz. These are more of a guilty pleasure than something that should be ordered on a regular basis but they were fairly tasty.

The chicken parmesan was solid. Cenzo’s uses Liscio’s bread which is always a great start. The breaded chicken cutlet was fried and sliced into strips with a generous ladling of tomato sauce and cheese melted on top. Finished in the oven so that the roll got a nice crisp crust, each bite of the sandwich was a nice combination of textures and flavors.

The service is laid back and casual. It’s most definitely a neighborhood pizza shop where regulars are known by name. Even if you’re not a regular, you are still treated well. You can see into the clean kitchen when you’re placing your order which is comforting. Grab your favorite beverage from the refrigerated case or have one of the staff grab a fountain soda for you.

If you’re with your kids or feeling a bit nostalgic, stop by the sticker machine and get a sticker or press-on tattoo. I hadn’t seen one of those machines in ages and it made my day. I grew up eating Elio’s Pizza after school and spent a small fortune on small vending machines. As a “grown up” I enjoy freshly made pies like the ones at Cenzo’s but will still hover around those darn machines.

I guess some things never change.