Bites Nearby: Penn Pizza Restaurant

Penn Pizza Restaurant prides itself on not being a run-of-the-mill pizza shop.

That's because the restaurant offers specialty pizzas with gourmet toppings such as anchovies, eggplant, spinach, ricotta, fresh tomato, fresh garlic and pineapple, and a variety of pasta dishes. And on nice days, you can dine al fresco, although it's in an office park.

The pasta dishes include ravioli, stuffed shells manicotti, lasagna, baked ziti and something called Tour of Italy, which is one ravioli, half a serving of lasagna and half a serving of chicken parmesan. Entrees include chicken marsala, veal piccata, eggplant rollatini, shrimp scampi, hot and cold sandwiches.

The restaurant gives generous portions that include a salad and bread. Their shrimp alfredo is slightly more buttery than saucy, but the six succulent shrimp that are included really amp up the flavor.

A must-try for those who love meat toppings is the meat lover’s pizza, which is completely covered with a ground beef, ham, pepperoni and sausage--- and surprisingly, not greasy. The crust is somewhat thin, but soft and chewy while the sauce is robust, yet not overpowering. For those who like more cheese and sauce, you may want to skip this pizza and try one with fewer toppings.

Not in the mood for pizza? Try the yummy stromboli. The cheese steak stromboli's outer crust is fresh, soft and chewy while the inside is filled with melted cheese, shredded steak and tomato sauce. The combination is delicious. The only downside to the cheese steak stromboli is that it can be slightly messy and a tad greasy due to the steak.

For dessert, they offer classic Italian desserts: plain cannoli, chocolate and tiramisu.

As for the prices, a pizza will cost anywhere from $11.50 (plain) to $27.50 (deluxe). A stromboli costs $7.50 for a medium or $15.00 for a large. Pasta ranges in price from $10.99 to $15.99.

Penn Pizza Restaurant

1251 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., Suite 112A, Allentown (Salisbury Township), Pa 18103.

Hours of operation: Monday-Thursday: 9:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m., Friday: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30p.m., Saturday: 11 a.m. - 10:30p.m.  and Sunday: 11 a.m. - 8:30p.m.

Phone: 610-434-7366