Akron, Part II: Tony's Pizza Shop

As I explained in my recent post on PizzaBella, Akron (NY, not Ohio) is blessed with two pizzerias within a block of each other. I don't often have occasion to travel to Akron, so once I was there, there was no way that I was going to pass up the chance to try both PizzaBella and its neighbor, Tony's Pizza Shop.
According to their website, Tony's has been in business, under the same family ownership, since 1957, which I think would put it among WNY's oldest pizzerias, especially family-owned pizzerias. So for that alone, I was looking forward to Tony's.
And my hopes were justified. I got a pepperoni slice, which was cut from a pie that had just come out of the oven, so it was steaming hot.
A pizza really needs a few minutes to set, so the cheese on this one was a little sloppy. But that's a good sign, as it means that the cheese truly melted in the oven - it didn't just separate into oil and milk solids, the way that fake cheese does.
Apart from that, it was a very good slice of pizza. The crust was thin to medium in thickness, but the slice had a substantial heft, thanks to the cheese and sauce. This was a saucy slice, but the sauce wasn't excessive, and the slice overall was well balanced.
The sauce had a medium consistency, neither watery nor thick, and a tomatoey flavor. The underside was very lightly dusted with corn meal. It was browned, with a few darker areas, and not quite charred. It was not quite crackly, but it was crisp. The edge was thick and bready, with a slightly chewy texture.
Perhaps befitting its old-time nature, Tony's pizza menu is relatively basic:  three sizes (small, large, and "party"), twelve toppings, and no specialty pizzas, although they do offer "double dough" and deep dish pizza. They also do calzones, wings, subs, salads, fish fry, spaghetti and ravioli, chicken parm, and various fried sides. There are a few tables available, in an informal, basic hometown pizza-shop setting.
Akron being some ways outside the immediate Rochester area, I didn't rate Tony's competitor, nor will I give Tony's a letter grade. But I'd describe it as a very good example of traditional Western New York pizza: a little thick, nice and bready, with plenty of gooey cheese, and ample sauce. And very tasty. In short, just about what you would expect, or want, from a family-owned pizzeria that's been around for nearly 60 years.
I wasn't there at the prettiest time of year, but I found Akron to be an attractive little town. Since it's about a mile north of Route 5, which is likewise about a mile north of the Thruway, I don't think I'd ever had occasion to visit it before. But if anybody from Akron is reading this, I will tell you that you should consider yourself lucky to have two very good pizzerias within a block of each other, in the center of town. Not only are they good, they offer contrasting styles of pizza: thin, NY style pizza at PizzaBella, and thicker, more traditional WNY pizza at Tony's. If I lived there, I honestly think I'd go back and forth, literally, between them, without ever settling on a clear favorite.

Tony's Pizza Shop, 36 Main St., Akron
(716) 542-2431

Sun. & Mon. 4 p.m. - 10 p.m., Tue. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., Sat. 4 p.m. - 11 p.m.

Facebook page

Akron, NY Part I: PizzaBella

I took advantage of my recent visit to the Perry's Ice Cream plant in Akron, NY to hit a couple of pizzerias in town.
Conveniently, they are located on the same block, on the north side of Main Street. First up was PizzaBella.
My cheese slice was a New York style, thin-crust pizza. And it was a good one.
The underside was spottily browned, but not quite blackened. It was crisp, and a little crackly along the outer edge. The crust was a little chewy, and very thin, but firm. I got some nice toasty notes from underneath, but there wasn't much interior to speak of. The narrow cornicione was crisp.
On top, the sauce and cheese likewise stuck to the NY-style profile - lightly seasoned tomato sauce, and a well-melted layer of mozzarella, with a few pockets of sauce poking through. The pizza was very well balanced, with the crust, sauce and cheese in good enough proportion to complement but not overwhelm each other.
PizzaBella offers 15 pizza toppings, and 14 gourmet pizzas. The latter range from an "Old Fashioned" with tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese, to a "Godfather" topped with tomato sauce, pepperoni, sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, green pepper, onions, black olives and mozzarella. They also offer several white pizzas.
PizzaBella is a convenient place to stop for takeout, but it's also a full-service restaurant. Aside from pizza, you can get wings, salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold subs, calzones and tacos. For more substantial fare, PizzaBella offers several pasta dishes, chicken or sausage cacciatore, and eggplant or chicken Parmigiana. They also serve wine and beer in the dining room.
Akron, which is about 55 miles west of Rochester, is more within the Buffalo metro area than in Rochester's. So I'll not give it a grade. Aside from its neighbor pizzeria just up the block (which I'll review soon), I simply don't have enough experience of pizza around there to say whether it's truly one of the best, or "just" above average.
But make no mistake, this was very good pizza. I could pick a few nits, I suppose - the underside was a bit more browned than charred (which affects the aroma and flavor as it hits your palate, although there you start getting into matters of personal preference), and the crust was so thin that it lacked much of an interior (though to its credit it was not floppy), but I would definitely go back, and if you're in the area, it's well worth stopping for.
Lastly, I should mention that PizzaBella is going to be moving down the street, to 66 Main Street, in a few months. Just keep that in mind.

PizzaBella's Italian Bistro, 42 Main St.
Akron, NY 14001

(716) 542-1122

Mon. - Thu. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 4 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.