Baltimore Avenue in West Philadelphia is an evolving area.  Greater numbers of university students and professors as well as hipsters have gravitated to the area.  Summer farmers markets at Clark Park have become big draws. 

Over at 50^th Street and Baltimore Avenue, in a converted fire station, is Dock Street Brewing Company.  Dock Street has a long and storied history in the Philadelphia beer scene.  Founded in 1985, it was the city’s first microbrewery.  It continues to brew some pretty exceptional craft beers, such as its pilsner and Rye IPA. 

At the brew pub, beer, of course, is the specialty.  The food menu, and specifically, the pizza, is also worth checking out.   There’s a pretty good menu selection of pizzas and calzones as well as appetizers, burgers, wraps, salads.  Dock Street offers twelve different pizzas, each of them hand thrown, using stone ground flour and heated in a “hardwood-fired” oven. I ordered the Barbecued Chicken, which is marinated chicken,  mozzarella, red onion, barbecue sauce and cilantro.  The “small” is $8.95, while a “large” is $18.50.  Expecting a small serving, I was pleasantly surprised to have a sizable pie (larger than a Neapolitan pie) delivered.  This pizza has a pretty attractive appearance, with the toppings spread out evenly.  Even with the number of toppings and ingredients, the thin pizza held up well.  The soft and chewy crust was notable, and the barbecue chicken was tasty.  There was also a beautiful char on the bottom.

Dock Street is a good bet for the beer alone, and the pizza is another good reason.  Try to come during good weather to take advantage of the plentiful outside seating, though unfortunately, it’s not open on Sundays.

• Dock Street Brewing Co.
• 701 S. 50th St., Philadelphia
• 215-726-2337
• http://www.dockstreetbeer.com
• In a nutshell: Surprisingly good and well-priced, wood-fired pizza to go along with the brew pub’s beer.