Gallery Pizza: Old World Recipes, New Owner

A good pizza has three ingredients that never change: flour, tomatoes and cheese.

owner Giuseppe "Pino" Barone says mixing those three ingredients with a dedication to old world, traditional pizza recipes and cooking styles have been the keys to his pizzeria's success for 30-plus years.

The Barone family has owned and operated Gallery, located in Garwood Plaza in Erial, since 1981. Pino took over the restaurant from his cousins in 2011, but remained true to old standbys. 

“Gallery Pizza has not changed the flour or cheese it has used for over 30 years. We remain loyal to our customers by keeping the same recipes,” said Barone, who noted that the restaurant prepares 800-900 pizzas a week, going through 600 pounds of flour. 

Barone says 90 percent of Gallery’s customers have been coming to the establishment for years—many since they were children. Those customers now bring their own children in for pizza.

“As kid we ate at Gallery Pizza almost every Friday night and I still bring my kids there," said Michele LeMasney, who lives in Sicklerville and grew up in the Fox Chase development in Gloucester Township. "The favorite in our family is the Sicilian Special, which we nicknamed garbage pizza because it had everything on it." 

The Sicilian pizza, one of Gallery's specialties, is a thicker-crusted square pizza baked in pan rather than prepared by stretching the dough. If you want a fresh Sicilian, plan ahead and allow at least 45 minutes. 

"We make our Sicilian the old-fashioned, traditional Italian way through a slow baking process with low oven temperatures," Barone said.

In addition to the Sicilian, Gallery also offers thin crust and deep pizzas with a variety of toppings ranging from broccoli to buffalo chicken to the works. Barone, who studied hotel and restaurant management in Italy before coming to the United States in 1996, has kept the Gallery menu nearly the same with one addition: the Margherita pizza.

Named for Italy's Queen Margherita, this pizza is the classic blend of fresh mozzarella, olive oil, basil and tomato sauce. 

“Margherita pizza has its origins in Naples, where my family comes from. This pizza is part of our history and our heritage,” said Barone. 

But Barone isn't afraid to move Gallery into the 21st century. He started offering coupons and discounts, including a Gallery Pizza smartphone app that gives customers an automatic 10 percent off coupon. 

"We want to say thank you to our customers for their loyalty,” Barone said.

Gallery Pizza is located at 2905 Erial Rd. in Garwood Plaza. Food is available for take out or dine in only, no delivery. (Delivery could threaten the quality and freshness of the final product, according to Barone.) The restaurant is open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from noon-9 p.m.