Pizza Mixta blends beloved cuisines

The new East Passyunk Crossing eatery has combined Italian and Mexican offerings as its staples.

Given his recent display of patience, Isidro Medina could give a discourse on the benefits of keeping one’s composure. He was set to open Pizza Mixta at 2000 S. 12th Street in early 2020 with his brother Bulmaro. The opening was delayed by COVID-19, but both brothers are now happy to be running the month-old spot. 

“The timing of everything was bad, but we’re feeling confident because we know what we’re doing,” Medina said. “We put love into what we do.” 

Since November 27, that passion for creating irresistible options has won local regard thanks to a massive menu that has pizza as its focus, but also includes a commendable amount of appetizers, cheesesteaks, burgers, cold and hot sandwiches, hoagies, wraps, chicken choices, pasta selections, risotto dishes, and pork and salmon platters. The brothers decided to sell Italian and Mexican pizzas because of their respective tenures at places that peddled pies that won favor for their flavor. 

“I think a draw is the blend of food here,” Medina, a Girard Estate resident, said of his family’s labor of love. “Everything is special to us, but the pizza is definitely the main thing.”

Medina singled out Pizza Mixta’s The Works, whose $12-to-$18 price points cover pies topped with pepperoni, sausage, ham, tomatoes, green and hot peppers, and onions, as one the best. Another highlight from the specialty pies includes Eggplant Florentine. The Birria and Al Pastor choices top the Mexican pizza options. The Birria features slow-braised beef as its centerpiece. The Al Pastor (shown below) places pork in the limelight. 

“By the middle of January, we will have different sauces for the pizza, too,” Medina stated, noting that arrabiata and arugula and pesto will become a part of the mix, along with square, or Sicilian, pizzas. Aside from the Birria Ramen appetizer, the Mexican influence ends with the pizza section, but the Italian connection lasts throughout the menu, with Medina explaining that the Puttanesca and Pescatore pastas are the must-haves. 

“They’ll enjoy the salmon platter, too,” he said of the sizable treat-yourself dish accompanied by sauteed spinach and mashed potatoes, and topped by a choice of sauces, and capers, tomatoes, and kalamata olives. “I’m happy that people have said nice things about it and the other stuff, too, because we waited a long time to bring this food to them.”

Catering is also available through Pizza Mixta, which offers delivery and takeout options and will soon add a website to complement its Instagram page. The seven-day business also gives a 10-percent discount to police officers and firefighters.