I went to Marra’s in South Philly with a couple of ladies from Team Swampass, Ginny and Ellen. The place looks great from the outside, and has a cozy feel on the interior. The pizzas on the menu sounded pretty good. We went with one that was half-pepperoni, artichoke. The other, called the Bianca, was a bit more intriguing. I’ll let Ellen tell you more about it:
It’s combo of broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes, and sausage kept every bite interesting. The sharp provolone was heroic in proportion and in garlic dose, perhaps a plus to some, but I wouldn’t have minded a little
more restraint in both departments. This is definitely a dinner pizza. I would get the red pie with half ‘roni, half artichoke anytime. Here, the tomato sauce complemented both the toppings and the excellent crust–neither
heavy nor cardboard, and just enough doughy moisture.
Here was Ginny’s take: Upon walking into Marra’s, it seemed like a nice homey Italian restaurant. I liked the booth seating and we were promptly directed to a table. Their pizza menu was extensive with lots of interesting toppings and some nice suggestions for combos. It seemed a little pricey for a Large pie (~$18) but the pizzas were really big. I thought the pizza was really good – the sharp provolone cheese taste is strong, but I’m into that. . . Only complaints were that the service wasn’t super-attentive (didn’t refill our drinks as often as I’d like) and they only gave us small salad plates instead of dinner size plates (hard to eat off of when the slices were already huge!). Overall, a memorable pizza experience and a couple of good pies. Johnny wasn’t nearly as creepy as he sounds in that Metro article. I’ll give it 3 pepperonis.
I had heard lots of good things about Marra’s, and thought it might be a real contender. I was wrong. It was so-so, at best. To put it bluntly, I brought some pizza home, and didn’t even eat any of it later in the week. I was that uninspired. Poor service, poor pie. I give it a 2 1/2.
