Cacia's Bakery

Check out Cacia on Ritner for square pies of all variety. On a friday afternoon the tiny storefront was packed with customers lined up for take out, by the slice or "by the box". Not quite sicilian, the crust is thinner than La Rosa, similar to Stogie Joe's / Santucci's style, but with a softer crust and bigger slices.




I had to try the Pizzaz - I haven't had the courage to order an entire Pizzaz pizza - which, if you don't know, is a crazy obscure only found in (usually south) philly pie that's topped with fresh tomato slices, AMERICAN CHEESE, and pickled sweet yellow peppers. It was stranger than I expected but actually kind of good, think grilled cheese pizza with a hoagie twist from the peppers. I would eat it again, but don't know about a whole pie.




People were ordering it by the box, pronounced "lemme getta boxa bazzaz"... on some of the red white and green south philly menus that land on my doorstep it's even spelled "Bazaz". Awesome. The tomato pie was OK, the white was delicious. And the stromboli looked AMAZING, definitely my next order. I had no idea but they actually have 6 locations - nothern liberties, jersey, etc so there's probably one near you.

Cacia Bakery
1526 W. Ritner Street
Philadelphia, PA 19145

Bakery

At 3rd & Wolf, right down the street from Michael's Deli - home of the double philly surf & turf hot dog hoagie - is a small corner bakery with no name. Inside are your standard South Philly Italian bakery cookies but also trays and trays of homemade donuts in sizes and shapes I have never seen before. Smallish, square cream filled things that look like a cross between eclairs and donuts. Then these super thin ring donuts, pretzel shaped black & white cookie-ish donuts as well as more standard donuts.



Convinced I had discovered some wild South Philly regional donut variation with an exotic Italian sounding name I nervously asked- "what are these square things over here?" to which the counter woman replied -"donuts."

"And how about these ring pastries over here?"

"Donuts. They're all donuts. 6 bucks a dozen."





Anyway these were some decent freshly made donuts, with my favorites being the black & white pretzel and the light & airy cream filled small square ones - about 2 or 3 bites each and not too hard to eat 3 or 4 with a cup of coffee.

Bakery
3rd & Wolf
Philadelphia