I’m a big time Grotto Pizza fan.
With several locations all over Coastal Delaware and massive popular appeal, Grotto has become almost synonymous with one of my all time favorite places; the Rehoboth Beach area.
I’ve been eating Grotto Pizza ever since I was a kid. When we make the 3 hour drive to Coastal Delaware, Grotto is often the first (and last) meal of the trip. Sometimes we go twice a day!
Their slogan is – The Legendary Taste; and I agree with that.
So when news broke last fall that Grotto would be opening a new restaurant in my hometown of Lancaster, PA, I was………not very excited.
In fact, I felt just the opposite; bothered, mildy annoyed, a little bummed out.
Part of what makes Grotto Pizza so special for me is that you can only get it when you’re at the beach. (I know there are several other locations too, but in my area, most people’s experience with Grotto comes via beach trips.) So I should be happy about having one 6 miles from my house.
And yet- I find myself saying:
Grotto Pizza- I love you….but stay away!
I don’t want Grotto to become just another pizza place in an area that already has too many.
I also don’t want to shift any of my pizza-eating dollars away from the great local places we already frequent.
Plus, having daily access to Grotto is kind of like having Christmas morning everyday. It might be great at first, but after several months, it’s just another day- nothing special.
I fear that in order for Grotto to remain special, it has to stay out of town. But since it’s already almost here, I’ll have to do my best to visit the local one sparingly, if at all.

No need to shift your allegiances away from your local favorites; only visit Grotto when you’re in Delaware.If Revello’s or Arcaro & Genell’s opened up a branch in LanCo I might visit once to see how close to right they got it, but you can be assured that I would otherwise confine my patronage to their Motherships in Old Forge when I’m heading through NEPA and craving a White Pizza.And NO! – what local shops call white pizza is a pale (pun intended) imitation…
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It’s totally true that places around here do not know how to make white pizza. A trip to Old Forge is on my to-do list-thanks to your good tip from one of my previous pizza blogs😎😎
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I agree 😊
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Thanks Mom! 🙂
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Well, they say familiarity breeds contempt, so you should probably stick to enjoying Grotto away from home.
I have a similar story about Beaver Tails. They are deep fried pastries and oh so delicious. (I think they’d be similar to the elephant ears Americans get at fall fairs.) Anyway, for years Beaver Tails were only available at tourist destinations, so they were a special treat. Then, they opened a location in the shopping area near our house. I try not to go there unless we have visitors from “away”.
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Thanks for your support Michelle! 🙂
That’s a great story about the Beaver Tails. I had one of those for the first time this summer. Guess where? ByWard market in Ottawa. We also saw them in old city Quebec.
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I think the first Beaver Tail I ever had was at the ByWard Market when we were there on vacation when our girls were small. 😂
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Haha excellent!😁🤩
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This makes total sense – special things need to stay special! We can’t go around messing up our memories and associations!
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Thanks for your support Wynne! I’ll need it because chances are I’ll end up getting weak going there sometimes anyway 😁
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❤
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Oh geez Louise…I totally get this. When we moved away from Ohio there was a pizza chain I adored and although I really wanted one closer to home, here in Illinois, I knew it wouldn’t be as special to have it “any old time”. I feel like I jinxed them somehow…not long after every location closed. Whoops! 😜
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Haha oh no! Every location?!? Can you use these powers at will and if so, are you for hire? There’s a mini market chain here called Turkey Hill that needs to be put to rest😁
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Haha! Too funny! Let me see what I can do! 😳❤️😜
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Yes!! 🤩🙏❤️
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I get it. We don’t want our memories to become “commercialized!”
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Thanks Dana!
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