Opening a restaurant is a challenge. Opening a restaurant in the middle of a global pandemic is an entirely different obstacle. But that’s just what loads of new local eateries near your The Isle apartment have done this year, defying the odds and getting creative when it comes to showcasing their culinary skill while keeping their patrons safe. We’ve all been stuck at home for quite some time so, now that things are starting to get a bit back to normal, this is the perfect time to get out and about and see how the local restaurant scene has changed. 

A great place to do that is at Pizza Jawn. Located just one block from your The Isle apartment, right on Main Street, the shop has been a long time coming: Pizza Jawn operated for more than two years as a mobile pop-up shop, building such a dedicated fan base that it finally rolled out its brick and mortar shop—in the middle of the pandemic, no less!

Pizza Jawn operates a little bit differently than your standard pizza shop. For one, the business is all takeout (we’ve gotten used to that lately!). Also, you can’t just pick up the phone and place your order. The shop is open Thursday through Saturday and, one week ahead of time, it opens up ordering for the upcoming days, with 360 pickup slots available during that time. Then, the hungry get ordering! If you really want to check out Pizza Jawn, make sure to keep hitting refreshing until they start the ordering: Recently, more than 2,000 people tried vying for one of the slots, crashing the company’s website!

If you do find yourself one of the lucky few selected for a spot, you’ve got plenty of creativity to pick from. The shop has several different varieties of crusts, all made with dough that takes 40 hours to ferment: a thin-crust round pie, pan-roasted crust with caramelized cheese and rustic, sesame-seed coated square pizza. Then, add your base—cheese, margherita, white, marinara or vegan—and load it up with selections from its menu of more than a dozen toppings. 

If you’ve gotten weary of hitting up the same local spots, check out Pizza Jawn for a new way to support local businesses. 

Pizza Jawn

4330 Main St.

Philadelphia, PA 19127