For many years, we delighted in the fact that a pizza place at 43rd & Baltimore thought it was a good idea to call themselves "Wurst House Pizzeria." And it was definitely a sad moment for us back in 2006 when new ownership came in and inaccurately renamed the place "Best House Pizzeria." While it was indeed a house of pizza (and beer), there was little about the place that could be classified as best, unless you were looking for the best place near 43rd & Baltimore to snag a mediocre slice of pizza. In that sense, the name was very apt indeed. But none of that matters anymore because Best House Pizzeria has closed its doors.
According to West Philly Local, the folks behind Local 44 and Memphis Taproom will be taking over the place and renaming it Clarkville Beer. There's no additional info on the concept as of yet, but if history is any indication based on their transformation of Kelliann's into Local 44, they will do a solid job creating a beer destination for the neighborhood. Hopefully, the place will continue to serve food.
The future Clarkville Beer is located directly across the street from Clark Park, and catty corner to the large vacant lot we revisited yesterday. Hopefully it will be the residents of a 132-unit mixed-use building patronizing this new establishment, not the residents of a 92-unit student housing building. While that project remains in flux, the future seems set for the former Wurst House Pizzeria. It's good news sprinkled on top of bad news for this intersection.