Circles and Squares
Pizza restaurant · Fishtown
2513 Tulip St, Philadelphia, PA 19125
Highlights
Specializing in crispy-edged square pan pizzas with fluffy dough
Specializing in crispy-edged square pan pizzas with fluffy dough
"Circles + Squares started as a one-man operation in the back of a coffee shop, which made it nearly impossible to get one of their square-shaped, pan pizzas. Now, it’s located in a small corner shop in Olde Richmond. There's a chance you'll still see the “out of stock” alert when trying to preorder online. Keep trying. The crispy-edged, fluffy square pan pizzas are always worth a hassle. We typically go for the plain with just cheese and tomato sauce, which complements the charred crusts coated in even more crispy cheese. If it's super hot outside or you can't imagine taking down a thick slab of dough and dairy, the round pies are also great." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"Known for its pizza (get it? Circles and squares?), this Olde Richmond shop also makes cheesesteaks so good we think it should be renamed Circles, Squares, and Soft-Cornered Rectangles. The $13 meaty creation layers thick, house-shaved ribeye and gooey cooper sharp on a soft 10-inch seeded Liscio's roll. It’s one of those rich and creamy cheesesteaks that’s almost too good—it’s as if A.I. has been tracking your cheesesteak intake for years and crafted this one just for you." - candis mclean, alison kessler
"The square pan pizza from Circles and Squares lies somewhere between New York style and Detroit. Whether you opt for tomato pie, standard cheese, a white pie, or the wild-card Buffalo chicken variation, they’re all topped with freshly grated Pecorino Romano." - Annemarie Dooling
"There are now four places around the city where you can get pizza from Dan Gutter, the guy behind Circles + Squares a.k.a. the best pizza in Philly. Besides his shop in Olde Richmond, you can now find these excellent pizzas at Pizza Plus, Bourbon & Branch, and most recently at The Commodore in Mt. Airy. The menus at these places offer more than just ridiculously delicious pies too, like tendies and burgers at Pizza Plus, chopped chicken parm sandwiches at Bourbon & Branch, and braised Guinness beef stew at The Commodore. In a year like 2020, having more access to pizzas that are this good is one hell of a silver lining. -CM" - carlo mantuano, candis mclean
"It was a big year for pizza in Philly - so much so that places specializing in the cheese, bread, and tomato sauce combo make up almost a quarter of our Best New Restaurants. And both of the two pizza places on this list started in pretty much the same way. Circles + Squares is essentially identical to the counter-service spot that Beddia used to run, with a walk-in-only policy and waits that regularly last an hour or more. But the pizzas they’re known for here - Detroit-style pan pies - are nothing like Beddia’s thin-crust ones. Circles + Squares dough is thick, fluffy and topped with not-too-sweet tomato sauce, and cheese that creates a crispy, caramelized crust on the outside of every slice. There are thin-crust circles here too, but the squares are the best pizza in the city - and the best we’ve had anywhere in a long time." - sydney mcelwee
