The Top 12 Grandma Pizzas in Northeastern Pennsylvania showcase one of the fastest-growing pizza styles in NEPA over the last two decades. Originating on Long Island, grandma pizza is a thin, square pan pizza traditionally made by pressing dough into a well-oiled pan rather than letting it rise thick and airy like a Sicilian. The result is a crispy bottom, light chewy texture, and balanced layers of sauce, cheese, garlic, and olive oil that make the style incredibly addictive.
While grandma pizza has been a staple in New York for years, it really wasn’t common in Northeastern Pennsylvania 25 years ago. Around NEPA, square pizza traditionally meant Old Forge trays or thick Sicilian cuts. But as more New York influences made their way into the area, pizzerias like Basilico’s and Napoli’s helped introduce grandma pizza to local menus. Since then, the style has exploded in popularity and become a must-order item at pizzerias all across the region.
Methodology in the Rankings
Rankings were determined by “votes” from comments on multiple polls of locals on NEPA Pizza Review social channels. The question “Who makes the best Grandma Pizza” was asked and commenters submitted their favorites in the form of comments. I use comments instead of formal online polling because calling it a poll leads to ballot stuffing and wild sharing that typically amounts to a competition that skews results in who works hardest to turn out the vote. I seek out natural comments to really get a pulse of what is popular in NEPA! It’s significantly more work to go through the comments and manually record votes, but it provides a more reliable result than a structured and advertised online poll in my opinion.
The Top 12 Most Popular Grandma Pizzas in Northeastern Pennsylvania
It’s worth noting that the votes for pizzerias 1-5 was exceedingly close, so if we re-ran this poll on a different day, perhaps we’d see a slightly different ranking, but we’d almost certainly see the top 5 still in the top 5 as they were overwhelming favorites in this sample! I can validate the list in saying, outside of the polling, the top spots have traditionally been frequently mentioned as having fantastic grandma pizza over the last decade by NEPA Pizza Review readers.
1. Napoli’s Pizza – Pittston
One of the first pizzerias to offer Grandma style pizza in NEPA, this downtown Pittston pizzeria serves up a grandma style with love. Antonio the pizza man greets every customer and can carry a conversation with anyone while he works his magic at the pizza station creating these beautiful square pies with sauce on top!
2. Rosario’s Pizzeria – Clarks Summit
Rosario’s Pizza has been creating elite grandma style pizza for around 15 years. Their chunky tomato sauce with slow simmered caramelized onions, fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and Italian seasonings all create a robust flavor profile that’s easy to enjoy. Their grandma crust is like a thin Sicilian dough that’s tender with a satisfying chew and can be customized to your liking. I like to add fresh basil if it’s available!
3. Dino’s Pizza & Italian Bistro – Shavertown
There are a number of pizzerias with the name Dino’s in NEPA, some related, some not related – but one thing is clear, locals really love the grandma pizza from Dino’s Pizza & Italian Bistro in Shavertown. This Back Mountain pizzeria combines a thin crust, a generous amount of cheese, naturally sweet tomato sauce, and a drizzle of pesto sauce to create a memorable pizza you won’t forget.
4. Luca Pizza – West Pittston
Luca Pizza may be a relative newcomer to the NEPA Pizza scene in name and location, but the owner is no stranger to crafting mouth-watering grandma pizzas. Formerly of Angelo’s Pizza in the Viewmont Mall, this pizzaiolo has been putting his spin on this pizza for many years. Luca has a sturdy, medium thickness square crust, which they uniquely cut into triangles for a different look and experience!
5. Basilico’s – Dickson City
For me, Basilico’s Pizzeria is responsible for popularizing and putting grandma style pizza on the map in NEPA. Owner Pete Montana moved from New York City to Dickson City in 2003 and brought that signature Long Island Grandma to NEPA. The high volume slice shop gave the pizza broad exposure and helped popularize the style of pizza into the mainstream. In the video below, Pete explains that customers didn’t understand the pizza at first. Check out the interview with NEPA’s OG Grandma pizza guy!
6. Lino’s Pizza – Kingston
Lino’s Pizza in Kingston is always mentioned by Luzerne County locals as having great Grandma style pizza. It features a sturdy crust that is thicker than many on this list, a sweeter pizza sauce, drizzle of pesto, and just the right amount of cheese. If you order it by the slice, they usually slice it in half like a grilled cheese sandwich which is a unique way to serve it!
7. Milan Coal Fired Pizza – Dallas
Milan Coal Fired Pizza in Dallas is a newcomer to the NEPA pizza scene, but their grandma pizza stands out. Interestingly, one of the best grandma pizzas I have ever tried was from the former Annarella Pizza which was located precisely where Milan now operates. I learned that the owner used to work at Annarella and you can tell he brought some of what he learned into this version of grandma pizza. The signature “elephant ear” crust that’s pulled over the corners of the pan gets extra char from the coal fired oven. The crust is impossibly thin, likely the thinnest of all on the list. They have plenty of cheese, lots of garlic, a thick pesto drizzle, and a lively tomato sauce on top.
8. Pi on the Fly – Berwick
Pi on the Fly food truck often operates in and around Berwick and is a relative newcomer making a ton of noise with lots of fanfare on the NEPA pizza scene. They make crazy gourmet pizzas sold by the slice, but also create some of the classics as well. Their grandma pizza is more often ordered as a “Tipsy Grandma” made with vodka sauce to deliver even more signature attitude and flavor that Pi on the Fly is known for.
9. Antonio’s Pizza – Nanticoke
Antonio’s Pizza in Nanticoke is doing something a little different with their grandma pizza! Sure, no two grandma pizzas on this list are alike, but the cheese blend that they use definitely sets it apart from the rest. Watch the video above to see what’s unique about it!
Want to know what the best pizza sauce is? I tested, ranked, and scored them all! Here are my Pizza Sauce Rankings!
10. Benito’s Restaurant & Lounge – Hazleton
Benito’s Restaurant and Lounge makes a classic-looking grandma pizza with fresh basil, sauce on top, plenty of garlic, creamy cheese that’s caramelized nicely on a thin and crispy crust. Many Hazleton locals swear by it!
11. D’amore Pizza – Taylor
D’Amore Pizza in Taylor is a little pizza shop tucked away on Main Avenue that you need to stop by for a few slices! Their grandma pizza is one of locals’ favorite slices, but after sampling a number of slices from D’Amore, you really can’t go wrong with any pizza they make!
12. King’s – Mountain Top
King’s Pizza in Mountain Top makes an excellent grandma pizza. It’s thin, cheesy, has plenty of saucy stripes and nicely balanced with garlic, olive oil, and Italian seasonings. It’s a classic grandma that’s thinner than most and really delivers on the flavor!
Final Thoughts
Grandma pizza has gone from a niche New York style that few people in NEPA knew about to one of the most sought-after square pizzas in the region. Whether you like them ultra thin and crispy, loaded with garlic and olive oil, or topped with sweet sauce and pesto drizzles, there’s no shortage of incredible grandma pies across Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Did your favorite make the list? Which grandma pizza spot deserves more recognition? Drop your picks in the comments because the best part of NEPA pizza culture is always the debate. And if you enjoyed this article, please share it with your fellow pizza lovers and tag someone who needs to try one of these grandma pizzas next. 🍕
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