Sunrise over Lake Cheese d’Orange. P&M Pizza, Arnold
American cheese. Have wars been fought for less? Probably. At least…maybe.
As far as we can determine, the story goes like this: The original P&M Pizza goes back to 1947 in Arnold. Owners Lefty and Mooney Martz ran the place for over fifty years before finally selling and retiring in the late 1990s[1]. During that half-century, P&M became a landmark to locals with its unique pizza, distinctive in both crust and cheese blend (we’ll get to these).
At some point during the end of their run, the Martz’ trademark recipe was sold and is now reproduced across the river at Phillippi’s Family Dining and Pizzeria in Natrona Heights. Phillippi’s has rebranded both the pizza style and the restaurant, now calling itself the “Home of the Birdville Pie.”[2]
In the meantime, P&M was re-opened in the late aughts in the very same 5th Avenue building the Martz’ called home for half a century. The new owners–a pair of Arnold natives–now claim to serve “The Original P&M Pizza” and they clearly want to take back the glory of what they believe is rightfully theirs. P&M’s web site features the crossed-out image of Phillippi’s cartoon pizza-eating chicken aside the text Leave it for the birds! P&M will also accept your (Phillippi’s) “Birdville Pie” coupons.
P&M pizza
Whose pizza is really the most original? We have no idea. Sadly, we never got the chance to have a P&M pie cooked up by the Martzes. The Internet seems, as Internets do, both divided and unreliably-sourced on the topic. Technology-savvy Orbit readers can seek out opinions of each on their own, but suffice to say there are many reviews for both restaurants that include the cliché “you either love it or hate it” as well as the predictable accusations of “NOT the original…”
Regardless of how exact either P&M or Phillippi’s recreates the Martz’ formula, it’s clear they’re both working from a similar set of blueprints. As Zomato user Akvalleyfoodman–a self-proclaimed “expert” who’s “eaten (original P&M’s) thousands and thousands of times” since the mid-60s–says (of P&M), they’re “in the same zip code.”[3]
Coming late to the party, we’re just glad that there are two different establishments carrying the torch for micro-crust ambiguously-cheesed bar pizza located within minutes drive of each other. The Martz’ legacy–however approximate it may be–is alive and well.
P&M pizza: it’s not for everyone
So how do the two pies stack up? It’s been almost a year since The Orbit checked in at Phillippi’s, so we’re running on pizza fumes here. That said, we can attest that the two pies are very similar–at least, to tastebuds from outside the Alle-Kiski Valley.
Both are built on exceptionally thin crusts. In the previous report, we stated that Phillippi’s is “as wafer-thin as this eater has ever experienced.” Well, that may have been true last year, but P&M’s crust makes Phillippi’s look like deep dish. The crust is so thin that the cornmeal used to keep the dough from sticking to the oven becomes a major factor in the flavor. A pita looks thick by comparison. Heck, a Triscuit would need to get planed down to be this thin. [Carb-conscious dieters take note: P&M is a place you can get the thrill of hot, delicious pizza and barely consume any bread at all.]
The other thing that makes both places seem incomprehensible to all who didn’t grow up in greater New Kensington is the “proprietary cheese blend”. It’s electric orange and obviously contains some high percentage of American “cheese.” Now, we can get all snobby about our fromage, but gosh darnit if it didn’t taste absolutely gooey-great in the combination that P&M cooked up. Just editing the included photos is making this blogger hungry all over again.
Wafer thin and golden orange: a single cut of P&M pizza.
So which pizza gets the Orbit nod–P&M’s “original” vs. Phillippi’s “Birdville Pie”? We don’t want to disparage either establishment and it’s safe to say the two pizzas have a lot more in common than not. It’s also fair that both are definitely “acquired tastes” that you may have had to ingest in the womb to truly love. Curious outsiders: you’ve been warned.
All that said, in our very unscientific experience, The Orbit‘s guests at Phillippi’s declared that while it was an interesting experience, they didn’t really ever need to have another Birdville Pie. I couldn’t talk any of the bunch into trying their cross-river rival for comparison. The same was not true at P&M, where the entire table (O.K. just two adults and one narrowly-converted youth) was ready to go back for more the next day. Advantage: P&M.
Check out The Orbit‘s first half on this two-part Pizza Chase story: Phillippi’s, Home of the “Birdville Pie”.
[1] “P&M Pizza in Arnold delivers the classic goods”, 10 April, 2014, TribLive.com,
http://triblive.com/aande/diningout/3761321-74/pizza-mckinley-phil
[2] Phillippi’s Family Restaurant and Pizzeria http://phillippis.com/
[3] Zomato: P&M Pizza House, user reviews https://www.zomato.com/pittsburgh/p-m-pizza-house-arnold/reviews
Pittsburgh Orbit 
Looks great!
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Ate at Lefty and Moonies place for many years. They were a real treat. Remeber how sad I was when they retired. Have had both pzza’s and I definitely have to vote for P&M. Phillips is very good and P&M tastes more like lefty and Moonies to me.
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P&M prior to 2007 was the original. Phillippi’s was always the original as the two brothers were trained by Mooney & Lefty and branched off.
HOWEVER, the current P&M (after 2007) is a terrible attempt at a knock-off. Mooney and Lefty would be rolling in their graves.
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I know the history. The current P&M is fake. Read my YELP review. This offers history:
Fake Recipe
I ate this pizza at this location since the mid 1950’s through 2004. I don’t eat it anymore because when it opened under new ownership in 2008, the recipe is fake. Let me be clear that the owners are good people trying to make an honest buck. My problem is with the people who say 1) it’s the original 2) it’s equal to Phillippi’s who own the original Mooney & Lefty Martz recipe. The fake P&M recipe is not even close to Phillippi’s (the original).
It doesn’t taste the same, the cheese isn’t the same, the sauce isn’t the same, the crust isn’t the same, it doesn’t smell the same. They resemble each other from a distance…. IF you need to get your vision checked.
I’ve posted a link and some photos of the real pizza and the fake (P&M). I’ve also posted a link (and screen shots) of the original owners living relatives more or less saying that it’s fake.
If you like it, great. I don’t. I will only eat the original provided by Phillippi’s in Natrona Heights now named the Birdville Pie.
https://archive.triblive.com/news/pm-legend-not-true/
Cut and Pasted:
P&M ‘legend’ not true
Some of the information in the “Dining” review, “Delivering the secret recipe,” (Ticket, April 11) about P&M Pizza needs to be clarified. The article tried to tell the story of P&M’s origins to the present, but it mixed fact with fiction.
P&M was established in 1945 by our father, Mooney Martz, and a business associate. Mooney and his brother, Lefty, ran P&M for most of its existence. The creator of the original — and famous — P&M pizza pie recipe was Mooney’s wife, Teresa, who first made the pizzas in her home. P&M and the recipe were sold in 1995. To the Martz family’s knowledge, the recipe has not been sold nor replicated since that time.
The article said the local legend is that the current owner found the recipe behind a wall while remodeling in 2007. Anyone who knew Mooney knows the legend is not true.
Mooney was a man of honesty and conviction. Knowing that someone claims to have obtained that recipe without a sound basis is nothing Mooney would advocate.
And capitalizing on the memory of one of Arnold’s legendary men — with whom these owners have no personal connection — is quite disheartening to Mooney’s family, who cherish the mythical originator of P&M Pizza.
Carol Martz Ansani
Vonna Martz Horwitz
New Kensington
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I’m a little appalled by this article. There are historical facts and interviews that one should understand. P&M was authentic from 1945 to 2004. Two brothers (Mark and Scott Phillippi) owned and operated it and bought the business and recipe off of the inventors and original owners (Martz family). They branched out and served the original also under the Phillippi Birdville Pie name in Natrona Heights operating both businesses for a short time. Due to personal hard times, the Arnold location (P&M) closed down for good. When the McKinley family bought the building in 2007 and re-opened under the “P&M” name, they were never granted the recipe. Mr. McKinley was very vocal and OPEN about not having the recipe and about trying different things to duplicate it. He even joked that he found the recipe in the wall while remodeling. He never came close. No disrespect but Akvalleyfoodman is wildly incorrect. Here is some additional detail.
The traditional pizza here is solid and tasty, however, as others have pointed out, P&M doesn’t offer the original Mooney & Lefty P&M recipe, first created in this very establishment during the late 1940s. I concur with the sentiment that their version is a subpar imitation. When ordering this imitation, it often comes out white, riddled with patches of burnt cheese, sometimes even supplemented with Velveeta. It’s a far cry from the confidential, age-old blend of over 75 years.
The authentic Mooney & Lefty’s classic recipe can only be found at Phillippi’s in Natrona Heights, who acquired the recipe through a partnership with the Martz family. After two siblings set off to serve the original recipe, this establishment closed its doors in 2004/2005. A few years later, in 2008, the McKinley family purchased the building, acquiring the name but not the recipe. During the early McKinley days, they loudly pursued replicating the original recipe, even claiming to a newspaper that they had discovered the recipe hidden in a wall during renovations. Their claim to fame is the NAME, trademarked indeed, but not the cherished 1945 recipe.
To reiterate, it’s a warm family setting serving satisfactory traditional pizza, but if Mooney & Lefty Martz were to learn that people mistook this for their recipe, they’d be turning in their graves.
Now, let’s hear from the kin of Mooney and Lefty Martz:
Saturday, May 11, 2013 9:00 p.m. –Letter to the Valley News Dispatch:
P&M ‘legend’ not true
Some of the information in the “Dining” review, “Delivering the secret recipe,” (Ticket, April 11) about P&M Pizza needs to be clarified. The article tried to tell the story of P&M’s origins to the present, but it mixed fact with fiction.
P&M was established in 1945 by our father, Mooney Martz, and a business associate. Mooney and his brother, Lefty, ran P&M for most of its existence. The creator of the original — and famous — P&M pizza pie recipe was Mooney’s wife, Teresa, who first made the pizzas in her home. P&M and the recipe were sold in 1995. To the Martz family’s knowledge, the recipe has not been sold nor replicated since that time.
The article said the local legend is that the current owner found the recipe behind a wall while remodeling in 2007. Anyone who knew Mooney knows the legend is not true.
Mooney was a man of honesty and conviction. Knowing that someone claims to have obtained that recipe without a sound basis is nothing Mooney would advocate.
And capitalizing on the memory of one of Arnold’s legendary men — with whom these owners have no personal connection — is quite disheartening to Mooney’s family, who cherish the mythical originator of P&M Pizza.”
Carol Martz Ansani
Vonna Martz Horwitz
New Kensington, PA
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Ron, thanks for the additional detail. I’m not quite sure what you’re “appalled” by–the story is very upfront that we were never able to sample the Moooney’s original P&M and the two remaining heirs to the crown (new P&M vs. Phillippi’s) are working very similar formulas (to each other). That neither is the original original is understood … but it’s also all we’ve got today. Sure having two pizzerias working to preserve the legacy–albeit without an original recipe–is better than letting the pizza style die, isn’t it?
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Pittsburgh Orbit – Sorry for using the word “appalled” but you’re still not getting it my friend! Please take note: 1) Phillippi’s TODAY ***IS*** the original Mooney & Lefty recipe (or original P&M). I repeat “Phillippi’s is authentic as it was from 1945 to 2004”. Mark and Scott Phillippi bought P&M in 1994 and the original owners (Mooney & Lefty Martz) provided the recipe and trained them for months. For a short time BOTH P&M were BOTH making the original. 2) for approximately 3 years from 2004-2007 the P&M location closed and there was ONLY Phillippi’s – again REAL, ORIGINAL recipe! 3) The McKinley family opened it up but WITHOUT the recipe. I believe it went up for sheriff sale and they were able to get the name, but not the recipe. They were very open about trying to knock it off. 4) the two recipes are not in the same zip code. Your photos above do it justice but the Arnold (new, fake P&M) are currently using white Schreiber Swiss-American Cheese that burns profusely (check out the photos on Yelp, or grab a pie recently) The original uses a secret blend of 3 cheeses.
Again, you’re being a neutral journalist writing a great story and I applaud you for that. The problem is what you right is mostly fiction. I know both families. I’m a purist for the original. I knew Mooney and Lefty. I knew their relatives. I know the McKinley’s and I know the Phillippis. If you want the real story feel free to reach out. But they are not in the same zip code and Phillippi’s is the real deal. Take care.
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