The Top 20 Sweet Sauce Pizzas in NEPA — As Ranked by the Voters

Sweet Sauce Pizza is one of those Northeastern Pennsylvania specialties that can start an argument before the box is even open. Some people want just a touch of sweetness to balance the tomato. Others want a bold sauce swirled right over the cheese. And some pizza fans will tell you there should not be sweet sauce on pizza at all—right up until somebody offers them a slice.

Whatever your preference, the style has deep roots and devoted followers across NEPA. Luzerne County has a particularly strong sweet-sauce tradition, while Dunmore and nearby Lackawanna County communities have favorites of their own. This list reaches from Peckville and Scranton to Wilkes-Barre, Nanticoke, Berwick, and the Coal Region.

I asked the NEPA Pizza Review community to name its favorite Sweet Sauce Pizzas. The order below reflects their votes, with the closest finishes placed in the order selected for this list. My reviews add firsthand context about the shops and their pizzas, but this is the community’s ranking—not my personal top 20.

What Makes Sweet Sauce Pizza Different?

There is no single NEPA sweet-sauce recipe. At one shop, the sauce might have just enough sweetness to soften its acidity. At another, it is the defining flavor of the pie. Some pizzerias put it beneath the cheese; others swirl it across the top, so each bite gets a different balance of tomato, cheese, and crust. The pizza underneath matters just as much: a thin, crisp round and a soft Coal Region square offer two very different ways to enjoy sweet sauce.

That variety is part of the style’s history. Tony’s Pizza in Peckville carries a Chapman Lake family pizza tradition, and Neil “Dr. Sauce” DiBlasi loves sharing that story. When I visited, I watched him finish a pizza with Tony’s unmistakable squiggle of sauce from a squeeze bottle. The sauce was sweet, certainly, but I also found savory notes and a hint of heat that gave it more complexity than its reputation alone suggested.

Tony’s is a touchstone in the local sweet-sauce conversation, but it is not the only origin story. In the Wyoming Valley, Angelo’s Pizza in Wilkes-Barre developed a sweet-sauce option that also became associated with Gerry’s and Ricci’s, two connected family pizzerias. Shelley’s Pizza in Luzerne developed its sweet sauce separately. Rather than one recipe spreading unchanged across NEPA, we have several local traditions worth tasting on their own terms.

With that in mind, here are the Top 20 Sweet Sauce Pizzas in NEPA, as ranked by the voters.

The Community’s Top 20

1. Tony’s Pizza – Peckville

Tony’s was the clear favorite in the community vote, and a visit there is about more than picking up a pie. Photos of the family’s Chapman Lake and Olyphant pizza history help tell the story before Neil “Dr. Sauce” DiBlasi even begins talking—and once he does, you are likely to learn something while your pizza cooks. I watched the pie receive its first sauce before baking and its signature finishing squiggle afterward.

I went in knowing Tony’s had a famously sweet sauce. What I remember most is that the sweetness did not tell the whole story: there were savory flavors, a little heat, and a crust that let the sauce shine. Tony’s has the history, the personality, and the pizza to make its first-place finish feel distinctly NEPA.

2. Angelo’s Pizza – Wilkes-Barre

Angelo’s is one of the names most closely tied to Wilkes-Barre sweet-sauce pizza. Its sauce-swirled pies have attracted generations of local customers, and the shop has an important place in the Wyoming Valley’s sweet-sauce story. My review captured the thin, properly cooked crust and the way sauce on top changes the flavor from bite to bite. I ordered its regular sauce on that visit, but the voters’ strong second-place finish speaks specifically to the loyalty surrounding Angelo’s sweet option. They don’t call them Angelo’s “The One and Only” for nothing! Angelo’s is famously part of the “Ricci Trinity” which features Ricci family founders of Angelo’s, Gerry’s, and Ricci’s Pizza – all in Wilkes-Barre – and ALL on the top 20 list!

3. Gerry’s Pizzeria – Wilkes-Barre

Gerry’s gives Wilkes-Barre another podium finish and another piece of the Ricci family pizza story. On my visit, I chose the regular sauce and found a thin, crisp pizza with plenty of cheese and prominent streams of sauce across the top. That combination gives you a good sense of the pizza’s structure, even if the sweet version is the one voters came here to celebrate. Put Gerry’s and Angelo’s on the same pizza trip if you want to explore two closely connected, but distinct, Wilkes-Barre favorites. The most impressive thing I recall about my visit to Gerry’s was the insane volume of pizza they make in a day! They have multiple kitchens and people making pizza everywhere!

4. Mamma Mia’s Pizza – Scranton

Mamma Mia’s has been part of Scranton’s sweet-sauce conversation for decades. I tried both round and square pizzas when I visited and found a sauce that was sweet without losing its tomato flavor. The round pie was my favorite, with cheese that brought a welcome salty contrast. Its top-five finish shows that sweet-sauce loyalty extends well beyond the Wyoming Valley. Their famous sweet sauce has always been a great, affordable, value pizza over the years. Consistency is a also been a hallmark of their many years in business.

5. Shelley’s Pizza – Luzerne

Shelley’s is a longtime Luzerne favorite, serving the community since 1972. Its unmistakable red, white, and blue building is part of the experience, but the pizza is what keeps people returning. My review focused on the sweet sauce and crust that have built its following. Shelley’s developed its sweet-sauce option independently of the Wilkes-Barre Ricci family shops, giving this top-five finisher a story all its own. Beyond their famous sweet sauce, they’ve been recently super popular for their burnt American cheese pizza.

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6. Wicked Mushroom – Scranton

Wicked Mushroom brings a different energy to Scranton sweet-sauce pizza. Readers kept recommending the shop to me, and when I finally visited, I tried its round cheese pizza with a sauce swirl on top. The sweetness came with some heat, creating a pie with its own personality rather than a copy of an older local favorite. On my return visit, they started putting the sweet sauce under the cheese which I enjoyed even more! It’s a small shop with no online presence tucked away in a sideways shopping center, so I’d call it a true hidden gem.

7. Rosario’s Pizzeria – Clarks Summit

Rosario’s is known for a crowded slice case and a broad range of gourmet pies, so there is almost always something new to try. That variety has made the Clarks Summit shop a destination for pizza fans throughout the Abington area. Its place on this list shows that, amid all those choices, local voters have also developed real affection for its sweet-sauce option. I’m told it’s rapidly becoming one of their hottest selling slices.

8. Calabria Pizza – Dunmore

Dunmore has its own place in the regional sweet-sauce conversation, and Calabria is its highest-ranked entry here. My visit included an Old Forge-style red tray during a pizza outing through town. The voters have given me a reason to return for another order and explore the sweet-sauce side of Calabria’s menu. Bucktown has always been sweet sauce territory!

9. Nardozzo’s Pizza – Nanticoke

Nardozzo’s is a Nanticoke institution where the experience feels like a step back in time. During my visit, I got a behind the scenes look at the unique way they apply the sweet sauce on top of the pizza – through a hose! Crowds line up for pizza and pierogies, and the sauce-on-top pie gave me plenty to talk about in the review. A top-ten finish puts Nardozzo’s among the Luzerne County shops readers most want sweet-sauce fans to try.

10. D’Amore Pizza – Taylor

D’Amore is a newer Taylor shop that proved to be a rewarding stop when I visited. I found friendly service and a pizza menu with plenty of flavor, from crisp square cuts to thin New York-style slices. Earning a place in the community’s top ten alongside much longer-established shops is an impressive showing for this South Main Street pizzeria.

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11. Sabatini’s Pizza – Exeter

Sabatini’s has long been a major stop on the Exeter pizza trail. My most recent review found a thin, crisp cheese pie and a sauce that made a particularly strong impression. It lands just outside the top ten here, but it belongs on any trip comparing the distinctive sauce profiles of Wyoming Valley pizzerias. They sell crazy volume of pizza and also have the best craft beer bottleshop and bar in a large radius of NEPA!

12. Luca Pizza – West Pittston

The Pizza Prince and I stopped at Luca Pizza as the West Pittston shop approached its first anniversary. We tried both New York-style and sweet-sauce slices, which made it easy to appreciate the range Luca is building so early in its story. Its finish shows that readers are already putting this newer pizzeria into the same conversation as longtime local favorites.

13. Pizza Place – Frackville

Pizza Place brings Frackville into the ranking and gives the list another Coal Region entry. It is the one shop in this top 20 I have not personally reviewed, so I will leave the tasting notes to the readers who nominated it. Their support makes it a place to remember when your sweet-sauce travels take you south of the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area.

14. Ricci’s Pizza – Wilkes-Barre

Ricci’s completes the Angelo’s, Gerry’s, and Ricci’s presence in the results. My visit focused on a substantial Sicilian tray, whose tender, properly cooked crust stood out. The connected family history makes these shops a fascinating comparison, but each has its own pizza identity; Ricci’s earned its place here through its own supporters.

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15. Dino’s Pizza – Wyoming Valley Mall

This is the Dino’s inside the Wyoming Valley Mall, a longtime stop for generations of local shoppers. My review includes its Sweet Sauce Pizza: a thin, crisp crust with cheese beneath a thick, vibrant swirl of sauce. I liked that the sweetness came with bold tomato flavor rather than an artificial, sugary finish. Be sure you have the mall location in mind when following this ranking.

16. Pi on the Fly – Berwick

Pi on the Fly brings a mobile operation and a lot of creative energy to this list. My visit followed weeks of playful tagging on social media and ended with a flight of eight ambitious slices across several pizza styles. Its sweet-sauce support shows that Berwick deserves a place in this regional conversation, too. Check the trailer’s location before making the drive.

17. That Guy with the Dough – Moosic

That Guy with the Dough made a strong impression on me with its Sweet Sauce Pizza. The sauce kept a satisfying tomato character alongside its measured sweetness, and the thin, well-baked crust gave the pie structure. I rated it an 8.2 overall, making this Moosic shop a particularly worthwhile stop for readers who want sweetness without an overly sugary finish.

18. Centiole’s Pizza – Girardville

Centiole’s takes us into a different sweet-sauce tradition in Girardville. On my visit, I tried a square pan pizza with a soft, filling crust and smooth, gently sweet sauce, served with a side cup of hot sauce for anyone who wants to add heat. It is a useful reminder that “Sweet Sauce Pizza” can mean something quite different in the Coal Region than it does in Wilkes-Barre.

19. Dough Company – Wilkes-Barre

The Dough Company was a welcome find when I followed readers’ recommendations to Wilkes-Barre. My review found a light, crisp crust and a shop I thought deserved more attention. Its finish here gives sweet-sauce fans another stop to consider beyond the city’s most frequently discussed names.

20. Grotto Pizza – Harveys Lake

Grotto rounds out the list with a recognizable sauce-swirl style and a Harveys Lake location nominated by the voters. I reviewed Grotto Pizza in Wilkes-Barre, where I found its trademark swirl fairly sweet without being overly sugary. That review is useful background on Grotto’s pizza, but the community’s twentieth-place pick is specifically Harveys Lake, not the Wilkes-Barre shop I visited.

Final Thoughts

The results show that NEPA Sweet Sauce Pizza is not one uniform style with one agreed-upon recipe. Tony’s in Peckville dominated this vote, but the Wyoming Valley also made a powerful showing, led by Angelo’s and Gerry’s in Wilkes-Barre and Shelley’s in Luzerne. Scranton, Dunmore, West Pittston, Nanticoke, Berwick, and the Coal Region each add something different to the map.

If you have a longtime favorite, keep supporting it. But use this list as an excuse to try a sweet-sauce pie from a different town, too. Pay attention to where the sauce sits, how sweet it actually tastes, and what the crust and cheese contribute. You may find that the best sweet sauce for you is the one that balances all three—not simply the one with the most sugar.

Who makes your favorite Sweet Sauce Pizza in NEPA?

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