Vesuvio’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar in Mountain Top: A 50-Year NEPA Pizza Name Plants Its Newest Flag
The Mountain Top pizza scene has a lot going on right now.
Driving down Mountain Boulevard, I passed the gorgeous new sign being hoisted onto Adelina’s — the beloved Mountain Top spot that burned down last year and is now looking spectacular from the outside as it gears up for its return. (Can’t wait for that one.)
But there’s a brand-new player to talk about today: Vesuvio’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar, which just held its official grand opening and ribbon-cutting on Friday, April 24, 2026 at 195 S. Mountain Blvd. (Citizens’ Voice)
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Vesuvio’s has been serving Northeastern Pennsylvania since 1975 — and this is a name I’ve followed across multiple locations over the years.
As always, I walked in, ordered, paid the bill, and reviewed the pizza like every other customer. No heads-up. No comps.
My History with Vesuvio’s
This is actually my third Vesuvio’s location visit over the years, and each one has left a real impression.
Hazleton (years ago): I stopped at the original Hazleton location and ordered a New York Style cheese pizza and a sausage roll — both genuinely enjoyable, the kind of food that earns a return trip the next time you’re in town.
Wilkes-Barre (a few years back): I made it to the Wilkes-Barre location for a Detroit Style pizza and what I still consider the best Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak hoagie I’ve ever had in my life. That’s not hyperbole — I’ve been chasing that hoagie ever since.
Mountain Top (April 2026): Which brings me to the brand-new spot.
The Backstory: 50 Years of Vesuvio’s, A Family Operation
According to Citizens’ Voice’s coverage of the grand opening, Vesuvio’s is owned and operated by Jimmy Sabatino, Donald Sabatino, and Jennifer Bove. Jimmy summed it up perfectly at the ribbon-cutting:
“Vesuvio’s has been serving northeastern Pennsylvania since 1975.”
The Mountain Top location is the second active Vesuvio’s in the area — the other is at 366 W. Butler Drive in Drums.
This is the kind of NEPA pizza story I love telling — a family business pushing 50 years, still expanding, still investing in new neighborhoods.
How I Ended Up at Vesuvio’s
I was at Crestwood High School to watch the Pizza Princess’ lacrosse game and needed a spot to review on the way home.
I had the Pizza Prince with me too — my son continues to enjoy getting more involved in creating pizza content, and he’s officially become my new review partner.
When I saw Vesuvio’s was open on Mountain Boulevard, that was an easy call. I had a mission in mind: a Detroit-style pizza with pepperoni.
There aren’t a lot of places in NEPA making Detroit-style pizza. My goal is to review every Detroit pie in the region and rank them all — and Vesuvio’s just earned itself a spot on the leaderboard.
The Atmosphere: A Big, Bright Sports Bar Plus a Full Takeout Operation
The new Mountain Top complex is really large — and a little disorienting in the best way the first time you walk in.
We accidentally walked into the bar/restaurant side first, which is a huge, bright, open sports bar on the right side of the building with plenty of TVs, ten beers on tap, and a really happening vibe from the moment we stepped in. (Citizens’ Voice lists 100 seats in the restaurant and 30 in the sports bar — and it feels every bit that big.)
A hallway connects the bar side to the takeout side, which has another large dining room in the back. It’s basically two restaurants in one building, and they pull it off well.
The Pizza Guys
I have to call this out — the pizza guys at Vesuvio’s were gracious and generous with their time even while they were hustling pies in and out of the oven.
We ended up chatting about local pizza shops, the move from Wilkes-Barre to Mountain Top, and how excited they are about the new location. The Pizza Prince and I were a few minutes early too, so we got to watch our pie get dressed, baked, and sliced up in real time. That’s always a treat.
When they finally handed me the box, the first thing I noticed was the weight. This pie was notably, genuinely heavy for a 10×14 — the kind of heavy that tells you before you open the box that something serious is going on inside.
We snuck back into the rear dining room to give it a proper look.
The Detroit Style with Pepperoni — A Cheese-Heavy NEPA Beast
Here’s what we found when we opened that heavy box.
The Build
- Cheese: Very generously applied — and clearly responsible for the weight
- Pepperoni: Classic lay-flat pepperoni placed on top (not under the sauce)
- Sauce: Smooth, applied fairly evenly across the top of the pizza rather than the more familiar Detroit “racing stripes”
- Crust: Soft throughout the interior, with edges that caramelized to a really dark brown
The build is traditional Detroit in some ways (cheese to the edges, sauce on top, lay-flat pepperoni) but takes a slightly different sauce-application philosophy — even and full coverage rather than three defined stripes. I respect a kitchen that knows what it wants the pie to look like and commits to it.
The Cheese Pull That Was Taller Than My Son
The Pizza Prince and I split a corner slice — and if you ask me, the corner is always the best slice on a Detroit. You get two sides of that caramelized frico edge in a single bite. It’s the most rewarding piece on the tray.
When he lifted the slice, he got an epic cheese pull that was literally as tall as my son.
It was a fun pizza to unveil and photograph — exactly the kind of moment that reminds me why I started doing this in the first place. The kid in a candy store doesn’t get tired of moments like that one.
How It Tasted
The cheese was the clear star of this show.
I’m told it’s a 3-cheese blend, but I’m not at liberty to disclose the exact ratio — so I’d love to hear your guesses in the comments.
The flavors were awesome and the proportions were solid. The dough was dense and filling, which combined with the heavy cheese application made this an incredibly filling pizza — one slice was honestly enough to satisfy. Two slices and you’re done.
Overall? A delicious beast of a pizza.
Pizzaiolo’s Notes 🍕
A few things I noticed putting on my pizza maker hat — and a few honest notes on what would have pushed this score higher:
- The bottom of the pie could have been a little crispier. A Detroit lives or dies on that bottom crunch under the dense crumb, and another minute or two in the pan would have gotten there.
- The frico cheese edge was a little heavy for my taste — it caramelized beautifully, but a slightly thinner application around the perimeter would have given it that lacy, brittle-shatter texture instead of a denser, chewier wall of cheese.
- The pepperoni wanted another minute to crisp up. It was tasty, but I prefer those classic curled-edge cups, and the lay-flat slices stayed flat.
None of these are dealbreakers — they’re the difference between a really good Detroit and an elite one. Cheese lovers are going to absolutely flip for this pie, and it left me satisfied.
It’s also worth noting this was an opening-week visit on a brand-new oven setup — and ovens take time to dial in. I’m fully expecting the bake to tighten up over the coming weeks as the team gets reps on the new equipment.
What I’d Order Next Time
- 🥪 The Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak hoagie with ranch dressing — the same one that ruined every other buffalo chicken hoagie for me
- 🍕 The New York Style cheese pizza — it looked excellent in the case, just like the slice I had years ago in Hazleton
- 🍕 A second crack at the Detroit with extra time in the pan, just to see how it lands
Final Thoughts on Vesuvio’s Mountain Top
The Mountain Top pizza scene is heating up — and Vesuvio’s planting its newest flag here is a great thing for everyone who lives on or visits the mountain.
My Takeaways:
- 🏛️ Vesuvio’s is a 50-year NEPA name — third location I’ve reviewed across Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre, and now Mountain Top
- 🧀 The Detroit Style is a cheese lover’s dream — that 3-cheese blend is the clear star of the pie
- 🌽 The corner slice cheese pull was as tall as the Pizza Prince — pure pizza content gold
- 🏟️ The sports bar side is a real attraction — 100-seat restaurant, 30-seat bar, 10 beers on tap, plenty of TVs
- 👍 The team behind the counter was a pleasure — gracious, generous with their time, and clearly proud of the new spot
- 🥪 Don’t sleep on the hoagies and New York pies — both have impressed me at other Vesuvio’s locations
Want to know what the best pizza sauce is? I tested, ranked, and scored them all! Here are my Pizza Sauce Rankings!
Have You Been to Vesuvio’s Mountain Top?
If you’ve made it over to Vesuvio’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar in Mountain Top, I want to hear from you:
👉 What’s your guess on the 3-cheese blend in their Detroit?
👉 Team Detroit, team New York, or team Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak?
Drop it in the comments — let’s talk pizza 🍕
Want to know what the best pizza sauce is? I tested, ranked, and scored them all! Here are my Pizza Sauce Rankings!
Rating the Detroit Style with Pepperoni
- Restaurant: Vesuvio’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar
- Address: 195 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top, PA
- Dine In/Take Out: Take Out
- Pizza Ordered: Detroit Style Pizza with Pepperoni (10×14)
- Date: April 2026
| Rating Category | Rating Score |
|---|---|
| Crust | 7.1 |
| Sauce | 7.6 |
| Cheese | 7.7 |
| Taste | 7.6 |
| Crispy/Cooked Properly | 7.1 |
| Value | 6.8 |
| Overall Rating | 7.3 |
Rating of Vesuvio’s Mountain Top Detroit Style Pizza with Pepperoni
Pizza is Similar to: Franco’s Wilkes-Barre, Dino’s Pizza Wyoming Valley Mall, Serpico Pizza
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