Pepper’s Pizza in Scranton: From a Quiet 2014 Discovery to NEPA Pizza Madness Champion to a Viral 2025 Steak & Cheese Beast
I walked in, ordered, paid the bill, and reviewed the pizza like every other customer. No heads-up. No comps.
There are a few pizzerias in NEPA where I can map out my own journey as a reviewer just by walking through the door. Pepper’s Pizza on Theodore Street in Scranton is one of them. I’ve been pulling up to that little corner shop since 2014, back when this whole NEPA Pizza Review thing was still finding its voice and I was still very much the dishwasher-turned-pizzaiolo with a notebook and a healthy appetite. More than a decade later, I’m still walking in the same way — like a kid in a candy store, ordering, paying, and trying to figure out what makes the place tick.
Pepper’s has a way of pulling you back. You don’t go there for white tablecloths or a curated playlist. You go because the pies hit, the portions are honest, and the family behind the counter has been quietly building something that locals brag about to their out-of-town friends. This article is my attempt to tie all of those visits together — the early discovery, the championship run, and the viral 2025 visit that introduced Pepper’s to a whole new audience.
A Quick Note Before We Dig In
I’ve decided to retire my older Pepper’s posts (2014, the 2019 NEPA Pizza Madness Championship feature, and the 2020 Old Forge follow-up) and consolidate the entire Pepper’s story into this single comprehensive review. The old links will redirect here so the full arc lives in one place — the way it should.
Atmosphere: A Neighborhood Corner Shop with a Loud Personality
Pepper’s sits at 814 Theodore Street in Scranton’s Green Ridge section, tucked into a residential block where you’d almost miss it if you weren’t looking. The shop itself is compact, no-frills, and unapologetically a takeout joint first. There’s a counter, a few stools, the rhythmic thump of dough being slapped, and the kind of cross-talk between the staff and regulars that tells you everyone here knows everyone. You can hear orders being called over the kitchen, smell the sauce hitting the deck, and watch boxes stack up faster than the customers can grab them.
What I love about Pepper’s is that none of the energy is performative. Nobody’s trying to put on a show — they’re just genuinely cranking out pizza they’re proud of, and you can feel it the second you walk in. The walls have collected a few accolades over the years (rightfully so), but the vibe is still very much the same neighborhood shop I walked into in 2014.
2014: My First Pepper’s Pie
My first review of Pepper’s went up in May of 2014. I was still in the early innings of NEPA Pizza Review back then — the writing was rougher, the photography was definitely rougher, and I hadn’t yet locked into the six-category rating system I use today. But the bones of what I do now were already there: walk in anonymous, order what looks good, pay the bill, take notes, and tell the story honestly.
What I remember most from that first visit was the surprise factor. I’d heard the name passed around in Scranton circles for years before I finally pulled up, and the pie I ate that day made me wonder why it had taken me so long. The crust had character, the sauce had a little kick (the name’s not just for show — there’s pepper energy in this kitchen), and the whole pie ate like something cooked by people who actually cared. It planted a flag for me. Pepper’s was now on the list.
2019: NEPA Pizza Madness Champion
Fast forward to 2019, and Pepper’s didn’t just stay on the list — it went on a run. That summer, Pepper’s Pizza was crowned the NEPA Pizza Madness 2019 Champion, an honor decided by the readers of NEPA Pizza Review through a bracket-style vote. Locals showed up, voted, campaigned, and dragged Pepper’s all the way to the top of the bracket. It was one of those NEPA moments where you could feel a neighborhood spot graduate into a regional name overnight.
I came back for a championship-celebration visit and ordered a three-pie tasting flight to put the crown to the test. Here’s how that visit landed:
The NY Style
A clean, classic Scranton-style NY round — wide slices, foldable, structurally sound. Sauce was bright, cheese had a nice pull, and the bake was even from edge to edge. It was the kind of slice you’d hand a New Yorker as a peace offering and watch them reluctantly nod.
Crust: 7.4 · Sauce: 7.6 · Cheese: 8.3 · Taste: 8.2 · Crispy/Cooked Properly: 7.5 · Value: 8.4 · Overall: 7.9
The American Cheesy
This is the one that surprises people. American cheese on pizza can go very right or very wrong, and Pepper’s plays it right. Salty, melty, a little tangy, with the cheese pulled all the way to a clean caramelized edge. It’s a pie that feels like a love letter to growing up eating American cheese on everything — and somehow, on pizza, it works.
Crust: 7.4 · Sauce: 7.6 · Cheese: 7.5 · Taste: 7.9 · Crispy/Cooked Properly: 7.5 · Value: 8.3 · Overall: 7.7
The Old Forge
When you’re operating in the Scranton orbit, the Old Forge tray is non-negotiable, and Pepper’s holds its own. Square cut, double-crust style, with the white American/cheddar lean that marks a true Old Forge red. The bottom crust crisped up beautifully, and the corner pieces did exactly what corner pieces are supposed to do.
Crust: 7.3 · Sauce: 7.4 · Cheese: 7.5 · Taste: 7.8 · Crispy/Cooked Properly: 8.1 · Value: 8.3 · Overall: 7.5
That 2019 visit cemented Pepper’s as a NEPA heavyweight. Champion. Multiple styles. Real consistency.
2020: A Quick Old Forge Check-In
I came back in December 2020 and grabbed an Old Forge tray on its own. The score landed right in the same neighborhood as the championship visit — 7.6 overall — which told me the kitchen wasn’t slipping during a season when a lot of shops were dealing with chaos. Pepper’s just kept doing Pepper’s.
April 2025: The Viral Visit
Here’s where this story pivots in a big way. In April 2025, I rolled into Pepper’s for what I expected to be a normal catch-up visit and ended up filming what would become one of the most viewed TikTok and Facebook videos in NEPA Pizza Review’s entire history. I’m talking about the kind of view counts and comment sections that make you check your phone twice. The reason? Two absolute beasts on the counter:
- A Steak and Cheese Double Crust Pizza that looked like a structural engineering project
- A Hot Wing Stromboli that came in around four pounds of stuffed, sauced, baked-off glory
I’m not exaggerating — when these two came out of the oven and landed on the counter, the entire shop turned to look. They were that big, that loud, and that photogenic.
Steak and Cheese Double Crust Pizza
This is what happens when a pizzeria treats a steak and cheese pizza like a real pizza and not an afterthought. Two crusts, layers of seasoned steak and gooey cheese tucked between them, the top crust browned and crisped, the bottom holding up under the weight without folding. There’s no red sauce on this one — the steak and cheese do all the talking — which is why the Sauce category gets an N/A on this scorecard. The Taste score is where this pie really ran away with it. I took the first bite, paused, and gave the kitchen a thumbs-up across the counter. It’s that good.
Crust: 7.8 · Sauce: N/A · Cheese: 7.9 · Taste: 8.6 · Crispy/Cooked Properly: 8.1 · Value: 7.5 · Overall: 7.9
Hot Wing Stromboli (The Four-Pound Beast)
I’m not scoring the stromboli on the pizza rubric — it’s not a pizza, and I want to keep the rating system honest. But it absolutely deserves a paragraph. This thing was massive. Four pounds of dough wrapped around hot wing chicken, sauce, cheese, and the kind of heat that builds slowly and stays with you for the rest of the meal. Cut it into thick rounds, dip it in extra blue cheese or ranch, and you have a tailgate centerpiece. It is the single most viral piece of food content I’ve put out in years for a reason — it’s the kind of thing people see and immediately tag a friend.
Pizzaiolo’s Notes 🍕
A few things I keep coming back to on Pepper’s, especially viewing the full arc:
- Crust consistency across styles is the real flex. Most shops are good at one style and tolerable at another. Pepper’s holds the line on NY round, Old Forge tray, and double-crust specialty pies. That’s not easy. It tells me the dough program is dialed in and the bake times are respected.
- The Steak and Cheese Double Crust is a signature item now. It started as a fun specialty and has earned its way into “you have to order this” territory. The double crust gives it a structural integrity most steak pizzas can’t pull off.
- Value has always been a Pepper’s calling card. Look back at the 2019 championship scorecards — the Value column was an 8.3 or 8.4 across every pie. In 2025, the specialty pies pulled Value down a touch (7.5), which is what I’d expect when you’re loading a pie with steak and cheese and double crusting it. You’re paying for the ingredients, and you’re getting them.
- The hot wing stromboli is a content magnet, but it’s also legitimately good. Sometimes viral and good are not the same sentence. In this case, they are.
What I’d Order Next Time
I want to go back to Pepper’s and put the NY Round and the Old Forge tray side by side again now that I’ve got more reps with both styles across the region. I’d love to see how those 2019 numbers shake out with 2026 me holding the notebook. I’d also be curious to try a half-and-half custom build — mixing the American Cheesy with a traditional red — because Pepper’s has earned the right to a mix-and-match attempt.
Final Thoughts
Pepper’s Pizza is one of the best examples I’ve got of a NEPA pizzeria that has grown without losing the plot. From a quiet 2014 first visit to a 2019 championship run to a 2025 viral moment that put two beast-mode pies on screens all over the country, the through line is the same: real people, real pizza, real consistency. If you’ve never made the trip to Theodore Street, this is your sign.
My Takeaways
- 🍕 Pepper’s earned NEPA Pizza Madness 2019 Champion status by being legitimately good at multiple styles, not just one
- 🧀 The American Cheesy is a sleeper pick — order it once and you’ll get it
- 🍅 Old Forge tray game is consistent across multiple visits years apart
- 🥦 The Steak and Cheese Double Crust is a destination order in 2025 and beyond
- 🍕 Don’t sleep on the Hot Wing Stromboli — bring friends, it’s a four-pound team event
Have you made it to Pepper’s yet? Drop a comment and tell me what you ordered — I want to hear what’s pulling you in. If you’ve tried the Steak and Cheese Double Crust or the Hot Wing Stromboli, tell me where you ranked them on your personal NEPA list.
Pizza is Similar to:
- The big-flavor specialty pies coming out of Cosmo’s Cheesesteaks in Throop
- The Old Forge red tray traditions of the Old Forge classics we’ve covered for over a decade
- The neighborhood-corner-shop energy of Basilico’s in Dickson City
Rating Tables
Steak and Cheese Double Crust Pizza — April 2025
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.8 |
| Sauce | N/A |
| Cheese | 7.9 |
| Taste | 8.6 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.1 |
| Value | 7.5 |
| Overall Rating | 7.9 |
NY Style — July 2019 (NEPA Pizza Madness Championship Visit)
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.4 |
| Sauce | 7.6 |
| Cheese | 8.3 |
| Taste | 8.2 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 7.5 |
| Value | 8.4 |
| Overall Rating | 7.9 |
American Cheesy — July 2019
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.4 |
| Sauce | 7.6 |
| Cheese | 7.5 |
| Taste | 7.9 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 7.5 |
| Value | 8.3 |
| Overall Rating | 7.7 |
Old Forge Pizza — July 2019
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.3 |
| Sauce | 7.4 |
| Cheese | 7.5 |
| Taste | 7.8 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.1 |
| Value | 8.3 |
| Overall Rating | 7.5 |
Old Forge Pizza — December 2020 Follow-Up
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.5 |
| Sauce | 7.5 |
| Cheese | 7.4 |
| Taste | 7.6 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 8.1 |
| Value | 8.3 |
| Overall Rating | 7.6 |
Hot Wing Stromboli — April 2025
Not scored on the pizza rubric (not a pizza), but absolutely worth the trip. Four pounds. Stuffed. Saucy. One of the most viral food videos in NEPA Pizza Review history.
Pepper’s Pizza
814 Theodore Street, Scranton, PA 18508
NEPA Pizza Madness 2019 Champion
Speaking of sauce — if you’re curious how Pepper’s stacks up against the NEPA sauce field, check out our NEPA Pizza Sauce Rankings for the running leaderboard. And if you make pizza at home and want the gear I actually use, our Amazon affiliate picks are linked on the site — every click helps keep NEPA Pizza Review independent and ad-light.
