JOSEPH’S PIZZA PARLOR

BY TRACY MORIN

Joseph DiLullo may not have completed high school, but, with help from his mother, he was business-savvy enough to open Joseph’s Pizza Parlor in northern Philadelphia in 1968—and to enjoy fast success. Two years later, it moved to its current location and expanded further. “He worked hard, and it was one of the most popular pizza places in Philadelphia,” recalls manager Steve Sillman, who has worked at the business for 42 years. “He even opened a high-end Italian restaurant next door that was very successful.”

“We bought the whole building, which is 25,000 square feet— the pizza parlor is one side, the restaurant (most recently called Moonstruck) is what we’re working on to reopen as a fine-dining concept, and on the second floor is a banquet room, where we do parties,” adds Matthew Yeck, current co-owner with Jimmy Lyons and Joseph Forkin. The trio, in the bar business since 2016, bought Joseph’s in 2021 and has since worked to refine everything, from perfecting the pizza recipe to introducing tech-driven marketing tactics.

One thing they’re not messing with is the distinctive old-school vibe of the pizzeria—a true ’70s throwback parlor with stained-glass ceiling inserts, a double fireplace, and cozy high-backed booths in dark wood. But, as the pizzeria aged and weathered a pandemic, they found certain facets of the business had suffered, including the food quality. Thus, the new owners have been perfecting the dough—which uses a poolish and a two-day fermentation process—since purchasing.

They even brought in a master pizzaiolo and dough consultant to help out, and they tasted 15-plus tomatoes before settling on an Italian brand. “We’re all about the dough, and we’re still tweaking it daily to get that consistency,” Yeck says. “It’s been a yearlong journey. We use the finest ingredients, the best rolls and cheese—but our dough is still evolving.”

A streamlined menu allows the pizza to remain the focus, though Joseph’s was featured on the TV show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for its wings, marinated in a seasoned brine before cooking. The new owners are also vocal about advertising their takeover and improved food quality, with the ultimate goal of “making the pizza parlor great again, restoring it as a family institution,” Yeck notes. “We don’t do delivery; we want people to dine in. We see people from the neighborhood, but we also get people who come from far away, and we want to make it a destination pizzeria. I’ve eaten pizza in Philly my whole life, and I wanted to create my own perfect version. We’ve learned that making pizza is easy, but making good pizza is difficult.”