Germantown Pizza, Germantown at 4th St., Phila.

I like Germantown pizza. It's probably my favorite regional pizza place in the city. It easily beats out El Greco (four blocks away, here http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and maintains a lead over Kristina's (a block or two further, here http://www.yelp.com/bi...). It doesn't really compare with Rustica (seven blocks away), but that's Northern Liberties - a vastly different landscape than the three competitors I'm considering here.

So anyway, it's the neighborhood best - the neighborhood, here, being the American Ave Industrial area. A fine feat, no doubt.

One of Germantown's best features is its location. Germantown makes a great corner with 4th St., and Germantown Pizza occupies its acutest corner. They use their narrow lot well - a small shop with a long, slender parking lot in front. The parking lot was the first thing that I noticed about Germantown Pizza. They've painted the lot with a palm tree and some funny lettering, and it's a sign of the kind of attitude I have whenever I eat there.

The pizza is good. It has a fluffy but crispy crust, a balanced sauce, and good not-too-gooey cheese. It's thinner, more flavorful and less stratified than El Greco, and has a crust that isn't as crackery as Kristina's. It's flavorful, fulfilling and inexpensive. Fantastic.

Plus the crowd - the neighborhood - is great. The employees are friendly and quick, and the clientèle is diverse and interesting. The block is cool. At Germantown and Jefferson is an Islamic primary school which is clean and well detailed, with an active yard. At Germantown and Oxford is the beautiful (and badly neglected) Gretz brewery. And 4th St. is a block that is sunny and alive. The whole scene is a pleasure to experience.

As I said, I like Germantown Pizza. Going there is a treat.

Kristina's Pizza, Mascher and Berks, Phila.

Kristina's Pizza is on a cool block, and it serves some pretty good pizza. The crust is a little thin, and it often cracks at the perimeter and drips a wonderful touch of oil. There's not much sauce - the whole slice is pretty thin altogether - but what they give you is pretty good overall.

The staff is a little brisk at Kristina's, especially when after having eaten outised, I walk back in and hand them my paper plates to discard (there are no garbage cans on the block or in the customer area inside). But it's nice going there. Across Mascher St. is a tire shop (always a lively spot), and across Berks is a very nice handball court and gym. The El is just a little down Berks, and there's a stop right there. The neighborhood is lively. A building on Berks between Mascher and Hancock advertises curled hair on its old brick walls.

I gave the neighborhood (The American St. industrial neighborhood) to Germantown, but Kristina's holds its own in its own way. Big up to that, you know?