"While visiting Philly doing some sightseeing and hanging out with friends, was in the mood for some Italian fare and had a decision to make at dinner time. Stay in town and wait 1+ hour for a table for four at a place in the Little Italy section of Philly or drive a bit further out to the 'burbs for smaller mom and pop place. A quick search on Yelp as well as input from my local guides, suggested rather than put our name on a list and wait in a cramped foyer, to make the short 20 minute drive to Norristown and check out Gino 's Pizzeria and Restaurant. There is a long history of Italian immigrants settling in Philly and it 's surrounding areas, so I had a sense the food would be good here. Gino 's is a typical old sKool Italian joint that used to dot neighborhoods in Manhattan, Baltimore, Philly, etc. and the other early cities that were popular with Italian immigrants. Gino 's has been run by the same family for 40 years; longevity is always a good sign. The interior is separated into two dining rooms after walking into a long hallway. Otherwise, the décor is fairly strip mall ish with drab carpeting, non descript tables/chairs, along with some Italian themed art work. But of course, you 're here for the food. Your meal starts off with a basket of warm bread, and be sure to ask for some olive oil, and skip the pats of butter. Take an empty plate, drizzle some oil mixed with salt and butter, and you have almost the perfect appetizer. And so many places are no longer doing this, but with most orders (we had 3 pasta dishes and one pizza), your meal also comes with a decent house salad. A base of Romaine and iceberg lettuce is topped with wedges of tomatoes and sliced cucumbers. It 's nothing fancy, but still a nice way to start your meal. Once the entrees arrive, you 'll be shocked at the portion sizes, which are HUGE. Like, one plate of pasta is enough for three adults huge; or enough for 2 1/2 meals huge. Take the server 's advice and get the baked ziti. The cyclindrical cuts of pasta were nicely baked mixed with ricotta cheese, sauce, and generous amounts of the house sausage. This is as old sKool as it gets. Even after a leisurely meal of two hours (since that 's what happens amongst friends and wine), my ziti stayed warm, unlike at some places where entrees immediately cool to room temperature after 15 minutes. I nibbled on some of the other dishes and they were equally good. Traditional fettuccini with spicy marina and meatballs definitely tasted like all day stewed sauce and the meatballs were moist and flavorful. Pizza was also tasty, albeit, I wish the crust was a bit crisper and not so chewy. It 's difficult if not impossible to find Italian restaurants like Gino 's anymore. Friendly service, tasty food at prices that won 't bust your eating out budget for the week. Our share of the check came out to $40 (with tax and tip). Super bonus in that like most places in PA, Gino 's has a BYOB policy, so we were able to split two bottles of wine at the table without having to pay a corkage fee either!"
