Bala Style Pizza has really good cheesesteaks. We've also had the chicken fingers and fries, which were also very good. I've never had any issue with the service, and we eat here at least once a week.
(4)
A B.
Before I start my review let me say that Bala Pizza sums up what is wrong with every Green pizza place in this area-cheap ingredients/cost cutting measures used to maximize profit at the price of quality. The ONLY exception I've found is Real Pizza is Narberth which is the only Greek Pizza place (aside from Thunderbird in Broomall if that's Greek) that doesn't compromise quality. Recently went to dinner here before going to the movies. I typically would never go to a Greek pizza place but we were short on time and this was next door. I ordered the Gyro salad as I'm on a low carb diet. The salad was a substantial amount of finely iceberg lettuce with a few pieces of cucumber thrown in. As for the gyro meat, it was obviously processed frozen meat which wouldn't bother me if it tasted really good but unfortunately it was very salty. More importantly, there may have been 1/4 cup of gyro meat on the salad. I asked for gyro sauce as my dressing, they said they would have to charge me extra for it. Really... after I just paid for iceberg lettuce and a 1/4 cup of gyro which may have cost you $1.00 total you're going to charge me for sauce? My son got a cheese steak which was O.K., the meat was oversalted a bit. Like my salad it was overpriced. The reason I gave this two stars is because the place was clean and because my son's cheese steak was edible. Otherwise it would have received one star. To give you a comparison-If I would have ordered a gyro salad at Real Pizza it would have been made with romaine lettuce, had a variety of vegetables and a sufficient amount of meat. Sorry Bala Pizza you just confirmed for me why I stay away from Greek Pizza places.
(2)
Daniel S.
Just visiting Philadelphia, and the fact that we ate their twice in two days should tell you what we thought about it. We were staying at the nearby Homewood Suites. We ordered in a cheesesteak, salad, and chicken tenders. They were delivered it our room in about 1/2 an hour, the portions were big, and the food was GREAT. The next day we decided to stop there for lunch, ordered a cheesesteak and a house salad, and again the food was wonderful. The portions are big. My wife and I split a 16-ounce cheesesteak and a "large" house salad and felt we had plenty. The salad was exceptional. It was just an "ordinary" house salad, but it wasn't made with the bagged stuff. The balance of lettuce and red peppers and tomatoes a few olives and so forth was obviously chosen with an idea toward taste, not cost reduction. I thought it was as good a salad as I've had anywhere in the last five years. The large salad was enough for two. And, I know at this point you're going to wonder if I'm sane, but it was _arranged_ nicely in the bowl, I mean if you're allowed to praise "presentation" in a fine restaurant, why not a sandwich shop?
(5)
Julia K.
To be fair, I only got their buffalo wings. My hometown is Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, where the "wings and beer" combo is so common that every different corner bar designates a night for wing specials (usually $6 all you can eat or 35 cents each). Everyone has their favorite wing joint - every place has their own special sauce, and there are fierce debates about which is better. It is with this history in mind that I try wings, and seriously, the only "acceptable" wings I've found so far in Philadelphia are at Tangier. But I live in the Burbs now, and after working all day I just couldn't see driving downtown for just a take out order of wings to have with my frozen pizza at home. (yep, this is living, let me tell you.) Yes, the wings were crispy. However, when I had called to place my order, I asked, "How hot is the sauce?" (you may remember that I have no love for runny-nose hot). The reply: "Not that hot." ok, I'm excited... and hungry. I get the wings home, open the box, and.... there's NO SAUCE. It's on the side. hm... ok, well, I can deal with that. I stuck my finger in the sauce to try it, and HOLY CRAP it's spicy. Like, undiluted Red Hot sauce. "Not that hot?" Wrong. Anyway, I dumped the wings in a bowl, threw on the hot sauce, and added a bit of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce, mixed it all up, and an hour later am basking in the glorious heartburn. So they were pretty good, but I had to do too much of it myself. Kind of defeats the purpose of takeout.
(2)
Kim L.
Stopped in here for some pizza before catching a movie at the theater right next door. There isn't a lot to choose from as far as places to eat in the immediate area around the theater, but this place did not disappoint. This pizza joint is unassuming from the outside, and has a small dining area inside with a few booths. It is very much so a local joint - plastic forks/knives, paper plates, and random decorations (on the counter there are a few egyptian figurines, some pizza man tchotchkes, and a plastic tiger). We ordered a large bacon & mushroom pizza, which was more than enough for two. It far exceeded my expectations, and we found ourselves cutting the crust off of the remaining slices we couldn't finish because it was so crisp and delicious! They don't serve slices, only "fresh whole pies". Very good, and if I am in the area again I will stop in again!
(4)
Gabriel D.
I kept calling this place and could not get through, I believe something is wrong with their phones but I am not sure. The phone would stop ringing but I could not hear anyone on the other end. I called a few more times to get through but when I finally got through a guy answered the phone. HE CALLED ME A MORON AND ASKED WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT? I said Excuse me? I was very confused because I could not get through to them whatsoever and this was the first time I talked to anyone at the store. He claimed I called and HARASSED him, which was not true. After explaining that I did not harass him, was not able to get someone to answer the phone, nor was I a moron I hung up. Not much later they called me back and then CALLED THE POLICE ON ME. An officer contacted me saying that they complained that I was harassing him. I had to talk to a police officer on the phone and tell him that I never did anything wrong. There must be something seriously wrong with the guy at this pizza place. He was way out of line and I definitely will be sure to let everyone know their lack of respect and decency.
(1)
Dave W.
Bala Pizza was one of my favorite parts about living in Bala Cynwyd. I spent two year living across the street from "Bala" and it made my time there much more enjoyable (especially on nights that I didn't feel like cooking.) The food there was always great, and the service is even better. The owner is a really nice guy and always makes a point to strike up a conversation and see how you are doing. My girlfriend and I would regularly stop in for some thing easy like chicken fingers and pizza. They also have excellent cheese steaks and a huge selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads, etc. Bala Style Pizza is really the quintessential "local pizza joint" with their great food, friendly service and cheap prices. I always make a point to stop in whenever I am back in the area.
(5)
Douglas M.
Just awful! Went once to get a sandwich, a buffalo chicken wrap, and it was cold and nothing more than bland chicken with hot sauce and blue cheese dressing. Gave them another shot and they delivered pizza with RANCID cheese. Even worse, were not the least apologetic; refused to refund money. The owner was unkind and unpleasant--almost as nasty as the food.
(1)
Chloe A.
I went here last week to quick run in to pick up a sandwich to go. I ordered a Turkey Club and picked up a bottle of 20oz Diet Coke. 25 minutes later, my order is finally ready. I go to pay and she charges me $13.84!! I was in such a rush I didn't argue and just left. Later I looked at the menu and saw that my Turkey Club was only supposed to be $7.25. At the most, my bill should have been 9 or 10 bucks.... but almost $14 for that, really made me mad. Won't be going back...
(1)
Kris G.
Amazing taste, the small pizza is enough for 2. The cheese steak is big and cheap definitely recommend it, also try their Greek salad. I spent several years in NY, but this pizza is much better and cheaper
(5)
Yelp R.
This place has THE most TERRIBLE service I've ever had. I used to work at a place that was walking distance from this thing they call a "restaurant". It was one of the few places within walking distance that was open frequently, and on many days I took Septa to work so I was stuck to contend with ordering lunch from whatever was within walking distance, so I guess they took advantage of that. Their food is nothing great. In my opinion it's not awful, but it's very unhealthy tasting. Like, you can clearly taste the high fat and high carbs. I agree 100% with the girl who wrote that they charge you more than what's listed on the menu. In fact, MOST of their items are higher than what's on the menu. They also claim to "no longer serve" more than half of the items on their menu. When you complain or ask them why, they brush it off by claiming that the menu I'm looking at is old. But they'd keep printing "new" menus that were identical to the "old", outdated menus. Bait and switch. There were MANY occasions where I'd call up to order a pretty basic staple item for takeout (such as an eggplant parm sandwich...should be standard for a pizza place to have this, esp if it's on their menu), and they were "out". More than once when this happened, they neglected to tell me this until I waited the instructed wait time and walked down to pick up my food. Nope, they didn't bother telling me while I was on the phone with them, nor did they bother to call me back...leaving me hungry and empty handed. What kind of place does this?? Not even a callback to tell me they were "out" (which is unprofessional enough, to continuously stock their place too low)? I know they have caller ID because their phones reject calls from numbers that are blocked. So yes, that shows pure laziness and disregard for their customers. They'd also hang up before telling me the subtotal, and on a few times when I persisted in asking them how much it costed, the guy acted really annoyed, like I was expecting too much from him. On one such occasion, a woman (the owner's wife, who is also a manager) took my takeout order over the phone and after I gave her my order, she hung up on me! When I went down there to pick up my food, I was yet AGAIN told that they did not make my food. They just looked at me blankly and twiddled their thumbs when I asked for my order. I vocalized that this was not the first time they'd done this to me. At the time, the place was empty (except for the employees and I). The pot bellied male owner said that he'd be willing to make me something. At first I thought this meant he'd make something "on the house" since he'd inconvenienced me this time and many times before, but no, he meant he'd make something for full price. And he said it in this tone of voice like he was doing me a huge favor just by taking my money and making me anything at all. At that point, I was irritated so I just left. Half an hour later after my coworker said that they should have treated me better and that I should be more angry about this than I was, I called them to complain. The same woman manager from earlier answered. She apologized, claimed she had an emergency and that's why she hung up and never had them make my food, and that I'd be able to get a free sandwich on my next visit. The next time I went there, the pot bellied male manager charged me full price for my sandwich. His wife was nearby. I reminded him that I'd been promised a free sandwich for my troubles last time, and he simply reduced the price by less than half, and said, "This is the only time I'm doing this." Again in a "I'm doing you a huge favor" tone of voice. Very rude. In all my experiences, they never cared when I complained, despite being a regular customer. I feel like they took advantage of me and the fact that sometimes I had no other choice for lunch on days that I didn't have time to pack a lunch from home. Say what you will about "well this is your own fault, that's what you get for letting them treat you badly time and time again", but that does NOT make them any less wrong for treating somebody so disrespectfully. One last thing about their sleazy bait-and-switch tactics. In 2008, they got a full restoration. During that time, they ran a huge banner on the storefront that boasted "new management". That too is a lie. Just the other day the owner admitted that he'd been running the place since the 1970s. They probably claimed change in management as a lame attempt to bring back customers they'd lost due to poor service. My advice: NEVER go here!
(1)
Howard U.
Great pan style pizza. Consistent in quality. Great cheese steaks. Lots on menu to order. Fried chicken they do good also.
(5)
Lori H.
My firm, Keystone Concierge, offers front desk staffing for condominiums and I end up filling a shift here and there myself which lands me over in Bala Cynwyd with some frequency. I have yet to find a place that delivers that is beyond average but this one is sub-par based on the Antipasto salad that I had. It came with tuna salad, ham, and AMERICAN cheese. There is no way they had mistaken the square cheese for the round one. I will not order from this restaurant again.
(1)
Queen W.
A nice place to eat before/after the movies. The cheesesteaks and pizza are pretty good. It usually isn't too crowded and serivce is decent.
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : No Attire : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Pizza is a famous Italian dish savored around the world. The entire credit for the popularity of Pizza in the United States goes to the chain of pizzerias all over the country. While the base and the texture of Pizza remains same across the globe, it's the toppings that differs from country to country. In the United States, you will find the top pizzerias serving pizzas with the toppings of mainly beef, bacon, chicken, ham, and sausage for the non-vegetarians. Other than these famous meat options, Pizzas with veg toppings such as mushrooms, pepperonis, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, etc. are also famous in most restaurants in the United States.
Irrespective of your locality, you will find a variety of different restaurants in your cities offering pizzas of all different types. Pizza is hot favorite among people of all ages in the United States. A large size pizza is enough to feed a family of 3 or 4 at large. Pizza is also the most preferred food whenever a group of friends is hanging out together. Pizza gained popularity in the United States after the American soldiers stationed in Italy returned from World War II.
Over the years, different pizzerias in the United States have developed their own respective regional variations. Pizza gained popularity as the iconic dish in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Whether you prefer thin or thick crust pizza, you can find a pizza of your preference at the best pizza restaurants in your city.
Rich R.
Bala Style Pizza has really good cheesesteaks. We've also had the chicken fingers and fries, which were also very good. I've never had any issue with the service, and we eat here at least once a week.
(4)A B.
Before I start my review let me say that Bala Pizza sums up what is wrong with every Green pizza place in this area-cheap ingredients/cost cutting measures used to maximize profit at the price of quality. The ONLY exception I've found is Real Pizza is Narberth which is the only Greek Pizza place (aside from Thunderbird in Broomall if that's Greek) that doesn't compromise quality. Recently went to dinner here before going to the movies. I typically would never go to a Greek pizza place but we were short on time and this was next door. I ordered the Gyro salad as I'm on a low carb diet. The salad was a substantial amount of finely iceberg lettuce with a few pieces of cucumber thrown in. As for the gyro meat, it was obviously processed frozen meat which wouldn't bother me if it tasted really good but unfortunately it was very salty. More importantly, there may have been 1/4 cup of gyro meat on the salad. I asked for gyro sauce as my dressing, they said they would have to charge me extra for it. Really... after I just paid for iceberg lettuce and a 1/4 cup of gyro which may have cost you $1.00 total you're going to charge me for sauce? My son got a cheese steak which was O.K., the meat was oversalted a bit. Like my salad it was overpriced. The reason I gave this two stars is because the place was clean and because my son's cheese steak was edible. Otherwise it would have received one star. To give you a comparison-If I would have ordered a gyro salad at Real Pizza it would have been made with romaine lettuce, had a variety of vegetables and a sufficient amount of meat. Sorry Bala Pizza you just confirmed for me why I stay away from Greek Pizza places.
(2)Daniel S.
Just visiting Philadelphia, and the fact that we ate their twice in two days should tell you what we thought about it. We were staying at the nearby Homewood Suites. We ordered in a cheesesteak, salad, and chicken tenders. They were delivered it our room in about 1/2 an hour, the portions were big, and the food was GREAT. The next day we decided to stop there for lunch, ordered a cheesesteak and a house salad, and again the food was wonderful. The portions are big. My wife and I split a 16-ounce cheesesteak and a "large" house salad and felt we had plenty. The salad was exceptional. It was just an "ordinary" house salad, but it wasn't made with the bagged stuff. The balance of lettuce and red peppers and tomatoes a few olives and so forth was obviously chosen with an idea toward taste, not cost reduction. I thought it was as good a salad as I've had anywhere in the last five years. The large salad was enough for two. And, I know at this point you're going to wonder if I'm sane, but it was _arranged_ nicely in the bowl, I mean if you're allowed to praise "presentation" in a fine restaurant, why not a sandwich shop?
(5)Julia K.
To be fair, I only got their buffalo wings. My hometown is Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, where the "wings and beer" combo is so common that every different corner bar designates a night for wing specials (usually $6 all you can eat or 35 cents each). Everyone has their favorite wing joint - every place has their own special sauce, and there are fierce debates about which is better. It is with this history in mind that I try wings, and seriously, the only "acceptable" wings I've found so far in Philadelphia are at Tangier. But I live in the Burbs now, and after working all day I just couldn't see driving downtown for just a take out order of wings to have with my frozen pizza at home. (yep, this is living, let me tell you.) Yes, the wings were crispy. However, when I had called to place my order, I asked, "How hot is the sauce?" (you may remember that I have no love for runny-nose hot). The reply: "Not that hot." ok, I'm excited... and hungry. I get the wings home, open the box, and.... there's NO SAUCE. It's on the side. hm... ok, well, I can deal with that. I stuck my finger in the sauce to try it, and HOLY CRAP it's spicy. Like, undiluted Red Hot sauce. "Not that hot?" Wrong. Anyway, I dumped the wings in a bowl, threw on the hot sauce, and added a bit of Trader Joe's BBQ sauce, mixed it all up, and an hour later am basking in the glorious heartburn. So they were pretty good, but I had to do too much of it myself. Kind of defeats the purpose of takeout.
(2)Kim L.
Stopped in here for some pizza before catching a movie at the theater right next door. There isn't a lot to choose from as far as places to eat in the immediate area around the theater, but this place did not disappoint. This pizza joint is unassuming from the outside, and has a small dining area inside with a few booths. It is very much so a local joint - plastic forks/knives, paper plates, and random decorations (on the counter there are a few egyptian figurines, some pizza man tchotchkes, and a plastic tiger). We ordered a large bacon & mushroom pizza, which was more than enough for two. It far exceeded my expectations, and we found ourselves cutting the crust off of the remaining slices we couldn't finish because it was so crisp and delicious! They don't serve slices, only "fresh whole pies". Very good, and if I am in the area again I will stop in again!
(4)Gabriel D.
I kept calling this place and could not get through, I believe something is wrong with their phones but I am not sure. The phone would stop ringing but I could not hear anyone on the other end. I called a few more times to get through but when I finally got through a guy answered the phone. HE CALLED ME A MORON AND ASKED WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT? I said Excuse me? I was very confused because I could not get through to them whatsoever and this was the first time I talked to anyone at the store. He claimed I called and HARASSED him, which was not true. After explaining that I did not harass him, was not able to get someone to answer the phone, nor was I a moron I hung up. Not much later they called me back and then CALLED THE POLICE ON ME. An officer contacted me saying that they complained that I was harassing him. I had to talk to a police officer on the phone and tell him that I never did anything wrong. There must be something seriously wrong with the guy at this pizza place. He was way out of line and I definitely will be sure to let everyone know their lack of respect and decency.
(1)Dave W.
Bala Pizza was one of my favorite parts about living in Bala Cynwyd. I spent two year living across the street from "Bala" and it made my time there much more enjoyable (especially on nights that I didn't feel like cooking.) The food there was always great, and the service is even better. The owner is a really nice guy and always makes a point to strike up a conversation and see how you are doing. My girlfriend and I would regularly stop in for some thing easy like chicken fingers and pizza. They also have excellent cheese steaks and a huge selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads, etc. Bala Style Pizza is really the quintessential "local pizza joint" with their great food, friendly service and cheap prices. I always make a point to stop in whenever I am back in the area.
(5)Douglas M.
Just awful! Went once to get a sandwich, a buffalo chicken wrap, and it was cold and nothing more than bland chicken with hot sauce and blue cheese dressing. Gave them another shot and they delivered pizza with RANCID cheese. Even worse, were not the least apologetic; refused to refund money. The owner was unkind and unpleasant--almost as nasty as the food.
(1)Chloe A.
I went here last week to quick run in to pick up a sandwich to go. I ordered a Turkey Club and picked up a bottle of 20oz Diet Coke. 25 minutes later, my order is finally ready. I go to pay and she charges me $13.84!! I was in such a rush I didn't argue and just left. Later I looked at the menu and saw that my Turkey Club was only supposed to be $7.25. At the most, my bill should have been 9 or 10 bucks.... but almost $14 for that, really made me mad. Won't be going back...
(1)Kris G.
Amazing taste, the small pizza is enough for 2. The cheese steak is big and cheap definitely recommend it, also try their Greek salad. I spent several years in NY, but this pizza is much better and cheaper
(5)Yelp R.
This place has THE most TERRIBLE service I've ever had. I used to work at a place that was walking distance from this thing they call a "restaurant". It was one of the few places within walking distance that was open frequently, and on many days I took Septa to work so I was stuck to contend with ordering lunch from whatever was within walking distance, so I guess they took advantage of that. Their food is nothing great. In my opinion it's not awful, but it's very unhealthy tasting. Like, you can clearly taste the high fat and high carbs. I agree 100% with the girl who wrote that they charge you more than what's listed on the menu. In fact, MOST of their items are higher than what's on the menu. They also claim to "no longer serve" more than half of the items on their menu. When you complain or ask them why, they brush it off by claiming that the menu I'm looking at is old. But they'd keep printing "new" menus that were identical to the "old", outdated menus. Bait and switch. There were MANY occasions where I'd call up to order a pretty basic staple item for takeout (such as an eggplant parm sandwich...should be standard for a pizza place to have this, esp if it's on their menu), and they were "out". More than once when this happened, they neglected to tell me this until I waited the instructed wait time and walked down to pick up my food. Nope, they didn't bother telling me while I was on the phone with them, nor did they bother to call me back...leaving me hungry and empty handed. What kind of place does this?? Not even a callback to tell me they were "out" (which is unprofessional enough, to continuously stock their place too low)? I know they have caller ID because their phones reject calls from numbers that are blocked. So yes, that shows pure laziness and disregard for their customers. They'd also hang up before telling me the subtotal, and on a few times when I persisted in asking them how much it costed, the guy acted really annoyed, like I was expecting too much from him. On one such occasion, a woman (the owner's wife, who is also a manager) took my takeout order over the phone and after I gave her my order, she hung up on me! When I went down there to pick up my food, I was yet AGAIN told that they did not make my food. They just looked at me blankly and twiddled their thumbs when I asked for my order. I vocalized that this was not the first time they'd done this to me. At the time, the place was empty (except for the employees and I). The pot bellied male owner said that he'd be willing to make me something. At first I thought this meant he'd make something "on the house" since he'd inconvenienced me this time and many times before, but no, he meant he'd make something for full price. And he said it in this tone of voice like he was doing me a huge favor just by taking my money and making me anything at all. At that point, I was irritated so I just left. Half an hour later after my coworker said that they should have treated me better and that I should be more angry about this than I was, I called them to complain. The same woman manager from earlier answered. She apologized, claimed she had an emergency and that's why she hung up and never had them make my food, and that I'd be able to get a free sandwich on my next visit. The next time I went there, the pot bellied male manager charged me full price for my sandwich. His wife was nearby. I reminded him that I'd been promised a free sandwich for my troubles last time, and he simply reduced the price by less than half, and said, "This is the only time I'm doing this." Again in a "I'm doing you a huge favor" tone of voice. Very rude. In all my experiences, they never cared when I complained, despite being a regular customer. I feel like they took advantage of me and the fact that sometimes I had no other choice for lunch on days that I didn't have time to pack a lunch from home. Say what you will about "well this is your own fault, that's what you get for letting them treat you badly time and time again", but that does NOT make them any less wrong for treating somebody so disrespectfully. One last thing about their sleazy bait-and-switch tactics. In 2008, they got a full restoration. During that time, they ran a huge banner on the storefront that boasted "new management". That too is a lie. Just the other day the owner admitted that he'd been running the place since the 1970s. They probably claimed change in management as a lame attempt to bring back customers they'd lost due to poor service. My advice: NEVER go here!
(1)Howard U.
Great pan style pizza. Consistent in quality. Great cheese steaks. Lots on menu to order. Fried chicken they do good also.
(5)Lori H.
My firm, Keystone Concierge, offers front desk staffing for condominiums and I end up filling a shift here and there myself which lands me over in Bala Cynwyd with some frequency. I have yet to find a place that delivers that is beyond average but this one is sub-par based on the Antipasto salad that I had. It came with tuna salad, ham, and AMERICAN cheese. There is no way they had mistaken the square cheese for the round one. I will not order from this restaurant again.
(1)Queen W.
A nice place to eat before/after the movies. The cheesesteaks and pizza are pretty good. It usually isn't too crowded and serivce is decent.
(3)