Joe’s Pizza Nanticoke is a small pizzeria that’s rich in history. The pizza is fantastic, and you’re always sure to have a great conversation with the owner, Joe. He is a one man operation. Joe loves to talk and interact with his customers and share stories. He learns about you and your family and never forgets you. He remembered me and my wife after nearly 10 years when I stopped in recently! Be sure to keep scrolling to read that 2014 experience at the bottom of this article!
I teamed up with Bob Kalinowski of The Nanticoke Newsroom to go on a “Pizza Tour” of Nanticoke. The journey included four of Nanticoke’s oldest pizza making establishments. We visited Ruby’s Inn, Nardozzo’s Pizzeria, Joe’s Pizza, and Larry’s Pizza and Pub. It was a great day filled with delicious pizza and great conversation. The owners, staffs, and customers were all wonderful people. It was so interesting to hear how these businesses all support one another. It was also refreshing to learn about how committed the folks of Nanticoke are to history and telling stories about their roots. Really cool town, amazing people, and great pizza with unique characteristics everywhere!
Comparing/Contrasting Joe’s Classic and Artigiano Pizzas
During this tour stop, we tried Joe’s classic and Artigiano pizzas. He explained to us that both pizzas were made from the exact same ingredients: same dough, sauce, and cheese. But looking at each pizza and tasting them, you wouldn’t necessarily know that. A few tweaks in proportions, preparation, and baking method creates an entirely different experience.
Both pizzas feature a thin, crispy, and sturdy crust with no flop. They both have a slightly sweet and savory smooth sauce that is vibrant and delicious. And they both use a cheese with a plenty of flavor, a mild sharpness, and a hint of saltiness. The Artigiano eats like a thicker pizza where the crust and cheese are the dominant components. The classic really features the sauce as the star.
So What’s the Difference?
The main difference between the two is that the Artigiano features more cheese on it, making it a heavier pizza. It also changes the proportions of the dough, sauce, cheese ratio. This ratio causes the sauce to take a back seat and an opportunity for cheese lovers to enjoy more of that cheesy goodness! There is also a difference in how the pies are baked. One is placed in the oven once and baked to completion. The other is baked with certain components on it to start, removed, topped again, and then goes back in the oven to finish baking. Can you tell which one?
Reviewing Joe’s Original Pizza
- Restaurant: Joe’s Pizza
- Location: 5 W Church St, Nanticoke, PA 18634
- Date: March 2014
- Pizza Ordered: Large Classic Pizza
- Eat In/Take Out: Eat In
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 8.1 |
| Sauce | 7.9 |
| Cheese | 7.8 |
| Taste | 8.1 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.2 |
| Value | 7.5 |
| Overall Rating | 8.1 |
Pizza is Similar to: Stuccio’s, Angelo’s, Jerry’s, Dough Co.
Reviewing Joe’s Artigiano Pizza
- Restaurant: Joe’s Pizza
- Date: June 2023
- Pizza Ordered: Large Artigiano Pizza
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.9 |
| Sauce | 7.6 |
| Cheese | 7.6 |
| Taste | 7.7 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.1 |
| Value | 7.5 |
| Overall Rating | 7.8 |
My Review of Joe’s Pizza in 2013 – The Story of How Nothing Has Ever Changed (and that’s a good thing)!
Joe’s Pizza – The Little Pizza Shop That Could
I first found out about Joe’s Pizza in Nanticoke when he was generous enough to respond to my open request on social media to pizzeria owners to donate 100 free slices of pizza to NEPA BlogCon 2013, which is a local blogger and social media conference. Joe stepped up to the plate and came through with 100 slices for the BlogCon attendees who enjoyed their cuts. Joe’s Pizza is one of the most active NEPA pizzerias on facebook, and his webmaster has made Joe an online celebrity of sorts, so I follow along with his antics and watch what’s going on, but I don’t get to Nanticoke much so it took me about 6 months to get down and actually review the pizza.
The first lady my girlfriend (now wife!) heard and read so much about Joe’s generosity that she finally made an executive decision and said we are making the trek south to try Joe’s Pizza out once and for all. When we arrived, we walked into a simple dining area with about 5 tables, several coolers with various cold adult beverages available for takeout, and of course Joe standing in his kitchen in front of the ovens. The half wall surrounding the pizza making counter allowed us to be greeted and entertained by Joe himself as he went about his business handling all aspects of the operation.
Pizza and a Conversation With a Legend
When Joe took our order, he recommended that we try the Artigiano pizza, which is essentially the traditional pizza with a little more cheese and sauce but tastes a bit different because it’s baked “the old way.” As a fellow pizza maker, I couldn’t agree more, that you can take the same exact ingredients and prepare two pizzas each just a little differently, and both will taste unique from the other pizza. And who were we to pick any other pizza besides the owner’s choice?!
While Joe was making the pizza, we learned a lot about pizza, life, his business, family, and a whole lot more. Eating at Joe’s may not be a formal dining experience, but it’s a wholesome, fun, engaging, and neighborly excursion which we very much enjoyed. The dining area’s simplicity is filled with Joe’s charasmatic and friendly personality and that makes all the difference.
Joe the One Man Show
When the pizza was done, Joe “the one man show” himself brought it to our table and awaited our reaction. I tried the first slice noting that the pie had a little weight to it because of the extra cheese and slightly dense dough. I took my first bite and there was a very satisfying crunch and texture to the pizza. I very much enjoyed the hearty sauce that wasn’t too chunky, but wasn’t too smooth either. It had a lot of body to it, was well seasoned, and nicely balanced. I have to consider this to be one of the more unique sauces I have come across.
Since the sauce consumed so much of my interest, I unfortunately didn’t pay much attention to the cheese so I will have to visit again to determine what Joe’s secret cheese is. The crust reminded me of a dense bread, sort of like a sourdough because it had such a nice crunch and great flavor. Overall we very much enjoyed the pizza, especially the first lady. After our evaluation, we gave Joe our honest verbal report of what we thought and he informed us that he had something special for us to try before we left – it was his signature stromboli which apparently is quite popular.
The Stromboli of All Stromboli’s!
I thought, well how unique can a stromboli be? It’s just a pocket of dough with cheese, meat and vegetables in it. Boy was I wrong. Joe served up a perfectly browned stromboli packed with various meats, vegetables, and seasonings in such a way that I immediately knew I was going to be impressed before I even tried it. I wouldn’t do this super stromboli justice if I tried to name the ingredients, but give Joe a call and he will let you know what’s in it.
The diverse flavors and textures were so wonderful, it wasn’t greasy, it wasn’t overwhelmed with cheese, and every bite was like a new flavor adventure. Coupling this stromboli with Joe’s signature sauce to dip in made for what I would consider to be the perfect boli. I’ve made a few strombolis in my day, but none that were anywhere near this caliber! I highly recommend that the NEPA Nation give the “Little Pizza Shop That Could” a try. Whether you are a pizza lover, stromboli enthusiast, or simply want to be entertained by Joe himself, stop over and say hello. You won’t be sorry!
Reviewing Joe’s Pizza in 2014
- Restaurant: Joe’s Pizza
- Location: 5 W Church St, Nanticoke, PA 18634
- Date: March 2014
- Pizza Ordered: Large Artigiano Pizza
- Eat In/Take Out: Eat In
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.8 |
| Sauce | 8.2 |
| Cheese | 7.5 |
| Taste | 8.2 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.9 |
| Value | 7.6 |
| Overall Rating | 8.1 |
