Alex’s Pizza Plans New Ocean City Boardwalk Spot in 2026

Alex's Pizza, a beloved Roxborough restaurant known for its thin-crust pies with a swirl of red sauce, is expanding next year to the Ocean City Boardwalk.

The new Ocean City location for Alex's Pizza will be situated in the former Pizzeria Eataly space between 12th and 13th streets, with renovations and an opening ahead of peak shore season next year.

According to PhillyVoice, Alex's Pizza passed hands among several owners before a team of investors purchased and renovated it a few years ago. These individuals all grew up in the surrounding neighborhoods. The same restaurant group owns The Rook, a bar and restaurant that took over the former East End Tavern on Cresson Street in Manayunk in 2020, and which expanded to Wildwood earlier this year.

"Our core group grew up on Alex's Pizza," said Rich Ennis, one of the five partners in the restaurant group, in a statement shared with the PhillyVoice. "We see so much development going on in the Roxborough, Manayunk, and East Falls areas, and the last thing we wanted was for a staple like Alex's to get in the hands of a developer and just become another rental unit."

According to Ennis, the Ocean City shop will slightly adjust the original Alex's recipe so that their pizza can be used to sell individual slices, which doesn't happen in Roxborough. The Ocean City pizzas will be slightly larger, but they'll still have the signature thin crust and swirl made by boardwalk giants Manco & Manco Pizza and Prep's Pizzeria & Dairy Bar.

Ennis also believes the Ocean City shop will sell smash burgers and fries that are popular at The Rook.

In addition to Alex's Pizza, Ennis and his partners own The Rook on 4th takeout spot in Olde Kensington and The Rook Catering Company.