Giovanni’s Pizzeria & Pasta House in Scranton: Green Ridge’s New Home for a Memorable Vodka Pizza

I walked in, ordered, paid the bill, and reviewed the pizza like every other customer. No heads-up. No comps.

Giovanni’s Pizzeria & Pasta House at 1554 Gardner Avenue in the Green Ridge section of Scranton had been open about five months when I visited. The building used to be Primavera’s Pizza, a great little Italian restaurant, and I understand it was a church long ago, along with a few other historic uses. The new owners put a lot of work into the remodel, and it looks great.

I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from readers about this spot. The first time I tried to review it, I pulled into the parking lot ready to order and found out they were closed that day. Instead of taking the loss, I snapped a photo of myself in the lot and asked my followers what they’d order. The top answers were the Margherita pizza, the garlic knots, and the vodka pizza, with a few votes for the white pizza with broccoli and plenty of Italian dishes. I was there for pizza and pizza-adjacent items, so I finally came back and ordered from that list.

Atmosphere

The remodel gave Giovanni’s more kitchen space, and the dining room uses its space more efficiently too. There are about 10 tables, and it feels like a real dine-in restaurant, the kind of place you’d go for a nice meal, but it works just as well for lunch.

From the moment I walked in, I felt welcomed. Everyone was super friendly and attentive, and not just with me. They checked on every customer who came in while I waited and ate, making sure they had what they needed and asking how they were doing. It’s a truly customer-first approach.

The slice case has about six gourmet pizzas to pick from, plus a huge bowl of homemade garlic knots.

The Margherita Pizza

I ordered a full round Margherita with fresh mozzarella, a punchy marinara, fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and plenty of Parmesan.

Crust

The crust was the standout. It’s a little different from a standard New York-style crust. The edge had tiny micro blisters, a slightly more yellow hue, and almost buttery notes. It was very crispy but super tender, with none of that tough, pulling chew. The bottom was a deep, beautiful golden dark brown.

I can see this crust being great on a regular New York-style cheese pizza, and I think it would hold up better for delivery than a lot of New York-style crusts, with a better shelf life in the box.

Sauce

The sauce was the other standout. In NEPA, most pizza sauces lean sweet, whether that’s on purpose or just from the tomatoes. This one wasn’t sweet at all. It was punchy and tangy, slightly acidic without overdoing it, herb-forward, and garlicky, with a lively, fresh character. It’s more of a marinara than a pizza sauce, and it leads the flavor of the whole pizza.

Overall, it made for a very good and interesting Margherita.

The Vodka Pizza

The vodka pizza caught my eye in the slice case, and readers had called it a favorite, so I ordered a cut. It’s built on a square crust that Giovanni’s doesn’t call Sicilian or grandma. It lands somewhere in between: a medium-thickness Sicilian that’s super light, super crisp, delicate, and tender.

A base of what I think was mozzarella went down first, then a beautiful blush-orange vodka sauce. It was rich and creamy without being too salty or too sweet, and it carried the same punchy tomatoes as the marinara, mellowed out with heavy cream. It was well balanced, full of flavor, and worked amazingly well on that thin Sicilian crust.

This instantly became one of the better vodka pizzas I’ve tried in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Great crust, great sauce, a beautiful bake, and well balanced. It’s everything I look for in a great vodka cut.

The Steak and Cheese Pizza

Readers mentioned the steak and cheese pizza too, so I added a cut of that on the same square crust. It ate like an open-faced grilled cheese on thick focaccia, topped with nicely seasoned sliced sirloin steak. The cheese blend was a little gooey and a little buttery, and the steak was well seasoned. The crust was the star here, light and crisp.

The Garlic Knots

The garlic knots looked phenomenal in the case. They have a unique shape, almost like garlic knot bagels, which made them stand out from any knots I’ve seen before. They were coated in butter, Parmesan, garlic, and herbs.

They came with a side of that same punchy, tangy marinara, and it paired beautifully. They’re super buttery and a little messy, so keep napkins handy. They were soft and light but still satisfyingly doughy. I like when knots are proofed and risen a bit before baking, and these were plump without turning into airy clouds of dough.

Pizzaiolo’s Notes 🍕

  • That crust is the signature. Micro blisters, buttery notes, and a crisp-but-tender texture showed up on both the round and the square crusts.
  • A punchy, unsweetened marinara stands out in a region full of sweeter sauces.
  • Running that same tomato through the vodka sauce ties the whole menu together.
  • Proofing the knots before baking gives them a plump, satisfying bite.

What I’d Order Next Time

  • The homemade meatballs
  • The GIO Stromboli
  • The chicken parm hoagie
  • Lobster ravioli with vodka sauce, to see that vodka sauce on pasta

Final Thoughts

The theme of everything I tried was balance and execution, served with respect for the craft and real care for the customer. Giovanni’s is a small pizzeria and restaurant, but it has a lot of heart. They’re not cutting corners, they want to do it the right way, and you can tell they’re always looking to improve.

The vodka pizza was super memorable. The crust on every pizza was super memorable. And the way I was treated, with that attention to detail and customer service, was just as memorable.

My Takeaways

  • 🍕 A crisp, tender crust with micro blisters and buttery notes
  • 🍅 A punchy, tangy, unsweetened marinara that leads the flavor
  • 🧀 One of the better vodka pizzas in NEPA, on a light, crisp Sicilian square
  • 🧄 Garlic knot “bagels” with butter, Parmesan, garlic, and herbs
  • 🤝 Friendly, attentive, customer-first service in a beautifully remodeled space

Have you been to Giovanni’s yet? Tell me your go-to order in the comments.

Pizza is Similar to:

Rating Table

Gut Ranking (in the moment)

  1. Square Vodka Pizza
  2. New York-Style Margherita Pizza
  3. Square Steak and Cheese Pizza

Technical Scorecard

Pizza Ordered: Square Vodka Pizza (Cut)

Style: Thin Sicilian Square

Visit: October 2026

CategoryScore
Crust8.2
Sauce7.9
Cheese7.8
Taste8.1
Crispy/Cooked7.9
Value7.5
Overall8.0

Pizza Ordered: New York-Style Margherita Pizza

Style: NY-Style Round

Visit: October 2026

CategoryScore
Crust7.8
Sauce7.6
Cheese7.7
Taste7.7
Crispy/Cooked7.9
Value7.5
Overall7.7

Pizza Ordered: Square Steak and Cheese Pizza (Cut)

Style: Thin Sicilian Square

Visit: October 2026

CategoryScore
Crust8.1
Saucen/a
Cheese7.2
Taste7.3
Crispy/Cooked7.7
Value7.4
Overall7.5

The story behind the scores: the gut ranking and the technical scores landed in the same order. The Square Vodka Pizza led at 8.0 Overall, with an 8.2 for Crust and an 8.1 for Taste. That light, crisp Sicilian square and a rich, balanced vodka sauce made it one of the better vodka pizzas in NEPA. The Margherita came in at 7.7, carried by its crisp, micro-blistered crust (7.9 Crispy/Cooked) and a punchy, unsweetened marinara. The Steak and Cheese scored 7.5, and its 8.1 for Crust shows that square dough was the star again. Across all three, crust was the common thread. I stand by my gut ranking of what I enjoyed most in the moment, and I stand by the technical scores I locked in 24 hours later.

Giovanni’s Pizzeria & Pasta House
1554 Gardner Avenue, Scranton, PA 18509
Green Ridge · Lackawanna County
Dine-in Italian restaurant · Gourmet slice case · Round and Sicilian square pizzas · Homemade garlic knots

Speaking of great sauce: if you want a punchy, tangy marinara like this at home, check out our Pizza Sauce Rankings and Amazon affiliate picks on NEPA Pizza Review. Every click helps keep NEPA Pizza Review independent.