If ever there was a topic I feel qualified to write about, it’s pizza. I eat a lot of the stuff. I plan New England road trips so I can visit my favorite pizza destinations in New Haven, Connecticut on the way. I’ve eaten pizza all over the world, in places you'd expect, like Italy, and some places you wouldn’t, such as Tokyo and Lima, Peru. I also used to deliver pizza, so there’s that, too. 

Now that I've established my pizza pedigree, ahead of National Pizza Day on Sunday, I felt it was time to highlight some of the best pizza places in Pennsylvania. Given our state's size, there’s no way I could handle such an endeavor alone. So I’ve enlisted our Pittsburgh-based lifestyle reporter, Stacy Rounds, and our political reporter, Sean Kitchen, who’s in Harrisburg, for their input, along with recommendations from readers and friends.

I've tried to make this as thorough a rundown of Pa. pizza as possible, but it is by no means definitive. There are certain to be some fantastic pizza places in the state not mentioned here simply because I'm not aware of them.

To that end, if you agree or disagree with any of the choices, or if there’s a pizza place we missed that you want to tell me about, reply to this email and let me know!

John's Wildwood Pizzeria has been slinging pies and slices in Erie since 1979. (Photo: Stacy Rounds)

Stacy, who is an Erie native, said there is no signature style of pizza in the Gem City. But that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of great pizza there.

“Erie is home to some dang good pizza given our history of long-standing family-owned bakeries and Italian eateries,” according to Stacy. “My favorite pizza joint for many years is still my number-one pick in Erie. But there are other amazing pizza places that have popped up recently that I’ve had the privilege of sampling during my many visits with family and friends.”

So, what is Stacey’s favorite pizza in Erie? That honor goes to John’s Wildwood Pizzeria, which Stacy refers to as the O.G. of Erie pizza.

“With decades of praise from college students, locals, foodies, and Pennsylvania slingshots like me, John’s Wildwood continues a tradition of amazing pizza that people crave years after trying it,” Stacy writes.

Stacy’s got more on her picks for the best pizza in Erie, including Ippa Pizza Napoletana and Vintage Wood Fire Pizza, in this story.

A plain pie at the Subway Café in Harrisburg. (Photo: Beth Lennon).

My experience with pizza in the capital city is limited to one place, but that one place was fairly incredible: the Subway Café, a Harrisburg institution since 1948.

The Subway Café pizza is thin and crispy with provolone cheese and sauce on top, and small enough that a single person can house an entire pie and not feel guilty about it. If you’re familiar with the “bar pie” found in North Jersey taverns, this is quite similar. 

Elsewhere in the Harrisburg area, several readers have recommended the Margherita pizza at Tonino’s Pizza, which has several locations. And Sean suggests checking out Wild Rabbit (which features beer by Ever Grain Brewing Company) in New Cumberland, and Pizza Boy Brewing in Enola.

The double crust white pizza at Arcaro & Gennell in Old Forge. (Photo: Beth Lennon)

Full disclosure: the preferred pizza style in the self-annointed “Pizza Capital of the World” isn’t really my go-to. Having said that, if you ask, ‘You want to head up to Old Forge for some of that NEPA pizza?,’ I will likely answer in the affirmative.

In Old Forge, you order rectangular-shaped pizzas as a tray, not a pie, and dole them out by the cut, not the slice. Each spot along South Main Street and the adjacent area offers slight variations of red and white pizzas. The common denominators tend to be a cheese factor that’s creamier than what you’ll find in Philadelphia or New York, and a crust that’s lighter than similarly-shaped Sicilian pies served elsewhere.

I’ve had the double crust white pizza at Arcaro & Genell and a red pepperoni across the street at Revello’s Pizza and thoroughly enjoyed them both. Again, Old Forge pizza wouldn’t be my first choice, but if you’re serving it up, I’m putting it away, gladly.

Based on recommendations from readers and friends, other pizza names to know in Old Forge include Cafe Rianldi, Salerno’s, and Anthony’s.

In nearby Scranton, readers and friends recommend Samario’s, Pizza by Pappas, Armenti's, Maroni's Pizza, and, a name fans of “The Office” will surely be familiar with, Alfredo's Cafe. 

The pepperoni with hot honey red pie and a white pie with garlic and spinach at CJ and D's Trenton Tomato Pies in South Philadelphia. (Photo: Patrick Berkery)

No matter what part of the city you’re in, there is no shortage of amazing pizza in Philadelphia. And over the last decade, Philly’s pizza scene has gained national acclaim, thanks to the award-winning Pizzeria Beddia in Fishtown. 

Beddia is absolutely incredible, especially the seasonal pies which feature everything from ramps to cherry pepper vinaigrette. But these days, my favorite pizza in the city is CJ & D's Trenton Tomato Pies, which operates out of Cartesian Brewing in South Philly. They serve the Trenton, New Jersey-style take on pizza called a tomato pie (cheese on the bottom, crushed Jersey tomatoes on top, slight char, no flop), and they get it right. Since opening in 2023, they’ve won a loyal following and earned many comparisons to Trenton’s legendary DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pie, which has been drawing Bucks County residents across the Delaware River for generations. 

Another Philly spot I’ve been loving lately is Down North Pizza, which specializes in a Detroit-style pie — a rectangular pizza featuring a fried-like bottom and cheese that spills over the edges, baked in a heavyweight steel pan and is much lighter than it looks. They operate out of a small shop in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. Down North’s pies feature the shop’s signature Norf Sauce on top, which has just the right amount of heat. In addition to the pizza, I’m also a fan of Down North’s mission. Founder and owner Muhammad Abdul-Hadi exclusively hires formerly incarcerated individuals in an effort to give them culinary training at a fair wage, and reduce recidivism rates in North Philly.

Other Philly spots I highly recommend include Circles and Squares in Fishtown, the legendary Tacconelli’s in Port Richmond, and you can never go wrong with Santucci’s Original Square Pizza, which has several locations in the city, along with locations in Bucks, Chester, and Delaware counties, as well as with Mechanicsburg.

I’ve got more on my fave Philly spots for pizza in this story.

A pie from Pizzeria Davide in Pittsburgh, topped with fresh basil, broccoli, and pepperoni. (Photo: Stacy Rounds)

While Stacy hails from Erie, she calls Pittsburgh home these days. And of all the places she’s lived, Stacy said Pittsburgh’s pizza scene is by far the best, citing the varieties on offer in the Steel City.

Stacy enjoys Pizza Fiesta for its lack of preciousness. They serve simple New York-style pie that’s floppy and bubbly and they’re open late. She also likes the simplicity of Large Plain in McCandless, where the hand-tossed pizzas feature homemade dough and sauces prepared daily from scratch.

For something a little less traditional, Stacy favors Iron Born Pizza. As the name would imply, Iron Born’s rectangular pies are baked in an iron skillet, Detroit style, for a semi-deep-dish experience that’s crispy in all the right spots. 

Tops on Stacy’s Pittsburgh pizza list is Pizzeria Davide, where the dough is crafted using Molino Pasini flour imported from Italy and undergoes a 72-hour fermentation process, resulting in a crisp and flavorful crust. Toppings include house-made sauces, fresh vegetables, and premium meats and cheeses, such as locally made Salty Pork Bits sausage and fresh mozzarella. Stacy said their pepperoni is the most flavorful she’s ever tasted.

Get the rest of Stacy’s Pittsburgh pizza recommendations in this story.

Tina Fey discusses her love of Pica’s pizza with host Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show,” March 3, 2014. (Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBCU/viaGetty Images)

🍕 Delco people, like Upper Darby’s Tina Fey, will talk until they’re blue in the face about how much they love the square pie served up by Pica’s, which started in West Philly in 1941 and now has locations in Upper Darby and West Chester. 

🍕 For those who don’t feel like trekking across the Delaware for Trenton-style tomato pie at DeLorenzo’s, you’ve got two offshoot options in Bucks County: DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Yardley, and DeLorenzo’s The Burg Pizza in Levittown. Both highly recommended.   

🍕 Several readers have recommended Faccia Luna, a restaurant serving wood-fired pizzas in State College.

🍕 Several friends with excellent taste in pizza have also recommended Johnny’s Pizza in Bryn Mawr, with the disclaimer that it’s getting so popular that they run out of dough and the wait times are ridiculously long. Haven’t been yet, but it looks amazing.

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