Penn Avenue Pizza and Steaks — or PAPS — hasn’t officially opened, but the restaurant’s name has already been made into a verb.
“I got PAPSed today,” read a Reddit post earlier this month. “A gorgeous slice.”
“That lit us up,” owner Chris Firman told TribLive. “We’re happy to be here, happy to be a part of the neighborhood.”
Despite its slow-rolling soft opening, the pizza shop, located at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Main Street in Pittsburgh’s Central Lawrenceville neighborhood, has been drawing a steady stream of guests. A lunch rush brings workers from UPMC Children’s Hospital, construction workers from the Penn Avenue reconstruction project, and Lawrenceville and Bloomfield residents.
PAPS’ concept, said Firman, is simple enough: New York-style pizza and authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak — something he believes is missing in Pittsburgh.
But the restaurant has been quietly building buzz because it has assembled something of a pizza dream team, all in pursuit of the perfect slice. Along with Firman and his brother, Brandon Firman, PAPS is operated by Michael Mercurio, master pizzaiolo and co-owner of Mercurio’s, with help from Massimo Vozza, pizza chef at the former Etna Slice House.
The project came together in phases after the Firmans — whose grandparents once ran the landmark Poli’s restaurant in Squirrel Hill — began scouting locations for a concept near and dear to them, an “old school, retro vibe pizza shop.”
When space on Penn Avenue (formerly occupied by Black Lotus Pizza) became available at the beginning of last year, the Firmans asked Mercurio and Vozza to consult on their pizza recipe. But Mercurio, who has worked at his family’s pizza and artisan gelato shop for the past 15 years, connected with the Firmans and found himself drawn to their vision.
“I’m more than just Neapolitan pizza,” Mercurio said, referring to Mercurio’s signature pie. While he remains an owner at Mercurio’s, which has locations in Shadyside and O’Hara, PAPS is “my focus right now,” he said.
“Pizza’s my life,” he added. “I’ve traveled all over the world for pizza, and I believe in what we can do here. The pizza here can be at the top.”
As promised, PAPS’ signature slice is New York-style — thin-crust and foldable — and the result of months of culinary trial and error.
The pizza begins with starter dough pre-fermented for 16 hours, then cold-fermented for another 48.
“The dough that you’re tasting today has had time to let the gluten structure build, flavor profiles to develop,” Chris Firman said.
When TribLive visited, Mercurio was hand-stretching pie dough himself, then topping it with DiNapoli California-grown tomato sauce.
“Not much (sauce), very subtle,” he said. “Let the tomatoes do the talking.”
The pizza slice is finished with shaved parmesan cheese and basil leaves, reminiscent of Mercurio’s, and served on classic checkered wrap paper. In contrast to truly old-school pizza joints, the slices also are intended to be light and fluffy, a direction the pizza industry is moving, Mercurio said.
“We can’t fall into a category of just a cheese pizza,” he added. “We’ve got to make the best slice of pizza we can. So it’s not just a slice of pizza, it’s an experience.”
PAPS currently is operating with a limited menu by design, said the Firmans, to make sure they have perfected their dishes before officially opening. Currently on offer are eight-cut New York-style pies, pizza slices and hoagies, including the cheesesteak, also served on hand-rolled, in-house bread with Philadelphia’s own Cooper Sharp cheese.
For those skeptical of embracing Philly’s iconic dish, rest assured, “We’re not saying we’re Eagles fans,” PAPS’ owners said. “We’re all born and raised in Pittsburgh.”
Though the pizza naturally takes the spotlight, the second half of the menu, the owners said, is complementary and not to be slept on.
In another collaboration, PAPS’ meatballs, available on a sub or as a standalone dish, originally were developed by Massimo Vozza. The three-meat blend marinates in-house marinara and seasonings.
Their quest for pizza perfection notwithstanding, PAPS’ owners emphasized how grateful they are to be a part of Pittsburgh’s pizza community. The trio pointed to Dave Portnoy’s 2024 Pittsburgh pizza tour yielding some of the critic’s highest-ever ratings, adding to a growing sense the region is a rising star for pizza.
“We are excited to contribute our piece to it,” Chris Firman said.