Last year, I chatted with Philly musician and chef, Mariano Mattei, about his appearance on the Food Network’s “Cooks vs. Cons.” At the time, he revealed his plans to open a pizzeria in Point Breeze and we even got to see the space before renovation began. Flash forward to this year and the Mattei Family Pizza is officially open to the public and while it may look like your standard pizza place from the outside, the pizza itself will blow your mind.

“For over 15 years, my family’s been making pizzas at our house in Italy — just two hours north of Napoli,” Mattei reveals. “My father built a brick oven and we’ll have big parties there and cook all weekend. He and I have a rivalry about who makes the best pizza — him or me.”