So long, Jersey. Hello, Philly!
Pizza Bruno will fire its last tomato pie Saturday, Nov. 7, after three and a half years of serving College Park its Jersey-style pizzas.
Owner Bruno Zacchini says his focus now is to get back into the kitchen and make the original Pizza Bruno on Curry Ford even better.
“I’m returning to my Graceland and that’s where I’ll be,” Zacchini says, “so don’t expect another Pizza Bruno anywhere else anytime soon, if ever. I want one excellent restaurant that works.”
Zacchini cited personal issues for the closure, coupled with the expense of running the now-shuttered Pizza Bruno inside the Maitland Social, which impacted the profitability of the College Park location. The rising cost of delivery fees also didn’t help.
“They really outweighed the benefits,” he says. “There were lots of lessons learned in the past few years. Painful, but I learned a lot!”
Zacchini will hand off the store to Daniel Pacchioni of Pacchioni’s World-Inspired Cheesesteaks, now rebranded as Pacchioni’s Cheesesteaks & Pizza. Indeed, Pacchioni’s, a popular mobile operation since early 2025, will offer pizza when the College Park store reopens in early December. Pacchioni says they won’t offer Jersey-style pies but, rather, a “fusion of a few styles” that, like their cheesesteaks, may be “world inspired.”
Those cheesesteaks have lured throngs to local food gatherings and spaces including Tasty Takeover, Faire of the Dog, GB’s Bottle Shop, The Guesthouse and Market on Fifth. Pacchioni, who’s joined in the venture by friends/business partners Yeosh Bendayan and Jon Ruhff, says the College Park store will offer “new and improved” versions of the cheesesteaks sold from the food truck, including the bread.
So don’t expect Amoroso’s Rolls or any other frozen shipped bread to contain their boffo ingredients but, rather, fresh-baked rolls that Pacchioni is keeping mum about for now.
“Don’t worry, I have very high standards for bread,” he says.
Pacchioni’s cheesesteak menu, developed in collaboration with Michael Collantes (Soseki, Sushi Saint, Perla’s Pizza, Nomikai), fuses Korean, French and Caribbean flavors in such handheld jawns as:
- The O.G., a classic Philly-style cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz, grilled onions and provolone
- The K-Drama, featuring Korean-inspired bulgogi glaze, kimchi and sesame oil
- The Island Spice, with Jamaican jerk seasoning, curry aioli and jalapeños
- The Truffle Trésor, a French-inspired cheesesteak with truffle oil mix, mushrooms, dijon mustard, borsin cheese, fried shallots, onions and provolone cheese
- The El Dorado, a Colombian-inspired creation featuring egg, potato chips and mayo-ketchup
Loaded “Expedition Fries” will also be offered.
“It became really clear that if I was going to sell, I was going to sell to them and only them because of what they’ll bring to the neighborhood,” Zacchini says of Pacchioni’s. “They are so passionate about what they want to do and cheesesteaks are really close to my heart. So, to me, it was a no-brainer. They’re awesome. I love those guys.”
As far as the food truck, Pacchioni says it’ll be closed while they concentrate on opening College Park, but will roll into the Holiday Milk Mart Dec. 20 before commencing pop-ups in January.
“We love Bruno,” says Pacchioni. “He’s the best to ever do it. We’re especially honored to have his blessing and thankful for his support and mentorship. And who knows? Maybe there will be a few surprise collaborations in the near future.”
Follow @pacchionisfl and @pizzabrunofl for all the latest.
