Francisco’s Pizza: a northside pizza joint with something extra (Lebanon Valley Food Critics)

Editor’s Note: In 2021, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!

The time had come once again. I was not in the mood to cook and was getting hungry.

And I knew just the place to try thanks to one of our followers, Rene, who messaged us to let us know there is a spot on the northside that has great empanadas. So, I ventured over to 10th and Lehman streets and hopped on into Francisco’s Pizza.

The restaurant offers a few tables inside for dining but also serves take-out.

They did not have a menu posted online so I had to go in and take pictures of the menu to share with our critics.

Though they are not on the menu, the restaurant does offer a beef and cheese empanada ($3.50 each), so we got two for today’s order. We wanted to get something else, so we settled on a pie that we had never had before: the Mexican pizza ($16).

The empanadas were fried to a nice golden brown and had a fresh, flaky crunch to them. The cheese stuck out the most as I was biting my way through. I will not say I am a connoisseur of empanadas, but this savory treat got my approval.

The Mexican pizza was a pepperoni pie topped with steak, Spanish sausage, hot red sauce, a hot green sauce, onion and cilantro. They also offer jalapeno, but you should only do that if you can handle the heat. We ordered the medium size; they also have a large one.

The first thing we noticed was the sheer weight of this pie; it was loaded. But the homemade dough was strong enough to hold all the toppings.

This was not our healthiest option for dinner tonight, and the grease from the pie made that clear. We didn’t see a need to clean any of it up, it just added to the flavor.

This was good to the last bite, and it took a while to get to it, as these slices warmed up nicely for a second and third meal later in the week. The cilantro also added a great taste to each bite and there was plenty on top.

Our take: Francisco’s Pizza sits on the corner of an intersection and can easily be missed, which is a shame because the friendly faces working behind the counter make a pretty good pie. They also have some other tasty-looking treats, including empanadas. With that being said, we would have liked for them to have a few more empanada choices. The prices are fair and, telling by what we got tonight, it is more than worth the money.

We give this place .

If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.