Restaurant Details

Mexican fusion has a long history in this country, and this city is far from the only one to offer Mexican pizza, but its manifestation here — a product of the culinary history of South Philly — may be the most definitive. Of all of the major practitioners in the city, its highest expression is found at San Lucas, the two-decade-old pizzeria run by husband and wife Valentin Palillero and Eva Mendez. (The single best Mexican pizza in the city, however, is likely the birria pie at nearby Rosario’s, which recently expanded northward.) San Lucas’ pizzas transcend through a superior crust and the vibrancy of its ingredients: A piquant guajillo sauce underlines a deeply savory al pastor pie covered in a blizzard of fresh cilantro, while the slivers of Nickelodeon-green avocados crowning the Ranchera, a serious pie with chorizo, ham, bacon, and refried beans, are so vivid they seem to glow.