
Address and Contact Information
Address: 3515 McClelland Ave, Erie, PA 16510
Phone: (814) 240-6224
Website: http://passalinquaspizzeria.com/
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Reviews
GOOD: cheese and toppings are flavorful, fair prices if you avoid premium pies
BAD: wet noodle crust and store logistics – line back ups, no paper receipts offered
I wanted to like PP as most of the reviews were glowing. The toppings and cheese were flavorful (can’t go wrong with a greasy meat meat combo). The price is reasonable on a per size and per topping basis.
Unfortunately, a good stiff crust is nearly half of quality pizza. The middle-bottom portion sags immediately and you need two steady hands to catch the toppings. Aside from the crust, there is one register and operator, so on a busy take out night, one chatty customer phone call handcuffs the entire takeout operation. They need two registers to alleviate the take out pressure in case of a phone order (or write the phone order and allow someone else to process take out orders).
Finally, I was forced to take a email or text receipt. Basic business operation should consist of offering a paper receipt. Older folks, buying for someone else, expensing meals all work better with paper receipts. I only hope their printer was broken. If your local, give them a try, but it’s probably not worth a long drive East.
I’m always on the hunt for a solid locally owned pizza joint when visiting my parents in Erie. My last favorite sticks-and-bricks place is still “temporarily closed,” which, as we all know, is Google Maps code for “gone forever but too polite to admit it.”
Passalinqua’s caught my eye not only for the promise of pizza but because it’s located inside Presque Isle Pickleball. Yes, you can eat a slice while watching grown adults shout about kitchen violations. If you don’t know pickleball, the “kitchen” is not where the pizza is made—it’s a no-volley zone on the court. And yes, I half expected to see a ref call me for a fault when I stepped too close to the counter.
First good sign: they close at 9 p.m. My rule of thumb? “Open late, not great.” Second: they hand-toss the dough right there in the dining room, behind the counter. The small dining area has about six tables plus a perfect sightline to the courts, so you can watch dinks, drops, and smashes while waiting for your pie. There are even a few tables court-side, in case you want to eat to the rhythmic soundtrack of paddles thwacking plastic balls.
I ordered a cheese pizza and a pepperoni-and-olive. True to their tagline—“We’ll curl your pepperoni”—each slice of pepperoni was cupped to perfection, like tiny meaty bowls holding drops of flavor. I wasn’t sure if that slogan was about their toppings or a more personal challenge. I asked for light cheese, which they nailed on the pepperoni, but the cheese pizza still came with double the amount I wanted. I get it—most people think more cheese equals more value. But in my opinion, half the cheese equals half the grease and twice the glory.
The crust? Chewy rather than crispy—what I’d call “football pizza,” the kind you can fold over and eat in one hand while yelling at a TV. Not artisan-level blistered or charred, but if Passalinqua’s was your neighborhood joint, you’d never need to look elsewhere for pizza night.
Service was refreshingly upbeat. I could hear the counter staff smiling through the phone when I placed my order. When I met her in person, she was still smiling—apparently that’s her default setting, which pairs nicely with good pizza.
Bottom line: come to Passalinqua’s for the pizza, stay for the pickleball. Just remember—no eating in the kitchen, and if your pepperoni isn’t curled, it’s out of bounds.
Thank you!