12 Pennsylvania Pizza Places Locals Say Are The Absolute Best In The State

Pizza opinions are not casual in Pennsylvania. People defend their favorite shops like family heirlooms, argue over crust with complete confidence, and somehow know exactly which place is worth the extra drive.

That is what makes a “best in the state” list so tempting. It is not just about cheese, sauce, and dough.

It is about loyalty, neighborhood pride, and that first bite that makes everyone at the table stop pretending they are neutral.

The best pizza places earn their reputations slice by slice, usually through years of locals sending hungry friends there with strict instructions.

I take those recommendations seriously, because when people start ranking pizza with this much passion, there is almost always a great meal waiting at the center of the argument.

1. Pizzeria Beddia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cult followings are usually reserved for rock bands, but Pizzeria Beddia has earned one slice at a time.

Located at 1313 N Lee St, Philadelphia, PA 19122, this Fishtown gem has been making waves since long before the neighborhood became a food destination.

The space is intentional, polished, and completely focused on the craft of pizza-making.

Beddia’s pies are built on a long-fermented dough that produces a crust with serious depth and a satisfying chew. The tomato sauce is bright and clean, letting the quality of every ingredient speak for itself.

Each pizza feels like it was thought about carefully rather than thrown together.

Fun fact: Pizzeria Beddia was once named the best pizza in America by Bon Appetit magazine, which sent lines around the block and turned a quiet Philly spot into a national conversation.

The reputation has only grown since then, and first-timers almost always leave planning their next visit before they even finish the last bite.

2. Angelo’s Pizzeria, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

South Philly pizza has a personality all its own, and Angelo’s Pizzeria captures it perfectly at 736 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147.

Sitting right in the heart of the Italian Market neighborhood, Angelo’s brings a level of pizza obsession that locals describe as almost spiritual.

The shop atmosphere is no-frills and completely unpretentious, which only adds to the charm.

The Sicilian square pies here have become legendary in Philadelphia food circles. That thick, airy dough develops a crisp bottom that holds up beautifully under layers of cheese and sauce.

Angelo’s also does a New York-style round that earns its own devoted fans.

I have spent more time than I care to admit thinking about the exact texture of their crust. It hits that perfect balance between soft interior and crispy exterior that most pizzerias chase but rarely catch.

Angelo’s opened on South Ninth Street in 2019 and quickly became one of the most talked-about pizza spots in the entire city, proving great pizza does not need decades of history to become iconic.

3. Tacconelli’s Pizzeria, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Reserving your dough in advance is not something most pizza lovers expect to do, but Tacconelli’s Pizzeria at 2604 E Somerset St, Philadelphia, PA 19134 has operated that way for decades.

This Port Richmond institution recommends calling ahead to claim dough in advance, which tells you something important about how seriously they take the process.

Walk-ins are a gamble, and regulars know better. The pizza here is an old-school Philadelphia tomato pie, made with fresh dough, little cheese, and plenty of sauce.

The crust is thin, slightly charred, and remarkably light for something baked in a brick oven whose roots reach back well before 1946.

Tacconelli’s really is the kind of place that makes you appreciate simplicity.

Fun fact: the family has been making pizza in this exact location for over 75 years, and the recipes have barely changed. That consistency is part of the magic.

Tacconelli’s does not chase trends or reinvent itself for social media. It just makes exceptional pizza the same way it always has, and Philadelphia loves it unconditionally for that.

4. Santucci’s Original Square Pizza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia already has its own square pizza style, and Santucci’s at 901 S 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 serves one of the city’s best-known versions.

The concept is deceptively simple: cheese goes down first, then sauce is ladled over the top. The result is a pizza where the cheese melts directly into the dough and the sauce stays bright and fresh-tasting.

Santucci’s has been serving this style since 1959, when the first shop opened in Northeast Philadelphia’s Juniata Park.

The Italian Market location keeps that tradition alive today with busy family-friendly energy and the kind of comfortable noise that means people are genuinely enjoying themselves.

Growing up eating pizza, I never understood why some places got so much more excited about sauce placement until I tried the Santucci’s method.

That fresh tomato flavor sitting right on the surface changes everything. The square format also means more crispy edge pieces, which is never a bad thing.

Santucci’s has expanded over the years across the region, but the original recipe remains the heart of the operation.

5. Circles + Squares, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Some pizza spots are born from a love of debate, and Circles + Squares at 2513 Tulip St, Philadelphia, PA 19125 leans right into the great round-versus-square argument. The name says it all.

Located in the River Wards rather than on East Passyunk, this pizzeria offers both styles under one roof, which sounds obvious but is actually a rare and welcome move.

The round pies here lean toward a classic thin-crust style with a nicely balanced sauce-to-cheese ratio.

The squares channel Detroit-style tradition with a fluffy focaccia base and crispy caramelized cheese edges. Both styles are executed with care and attention to texture, which shows in every bite.

Philadelphia is one of America’s most vibrant pizza cities, and Circles + Squares fits right into that energy. The space is straightforward without being chaotic, and the menu is focused enough to feel intentional.

Fun fact: the pizzeria opened during a period when Philadelphia was experiencing a serious pizza renaissance, and it helped push that conversation forward in a major way.

Locals in the River Wards consider it a neighborhood anchor today.

6. Down North Pizza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pizza with a mission is a powerful thing.

Down North Pizza at 2804 W Lehigh Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19132 does not just serve exceptional Detroit-style pies, it operates as a social enterprise that employs returning citizens from the criminal justice system.

The food is outstanding here, but the story behind it adds a layer that makes every visit feel meaningful.

The Detroit-style pizza here features that signature caramelized cheese edge and a thick, focaccia-like base that somehow manages to be both airy and substantial.

Toppings are creative and generously applied, with combinations that feel fresh rather than gimmicky. Down North takes the Detroit format and brings Philadelphia personality to it.

The North Philadelphia location has become a genuine community hub, which is exactly what founder Muhammad Abdul-Hadi intended.

Fun fact: Down North has received national media attention not just for its pizza but for its workforce model, earning recognition as one of the most purposeful restaurant concepts in the country.

The pizza alone would be worth the trip, but knowing what the place stands for makes it taste even better.

7. Mineo’s Pizza House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh pizza loyalty runs deep, and in Squirrel Hill, that loyalty has belonged to Mineo’s for generations.

Located at 2128 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, Mineo’s Pizza House has been a neighborhood institution since 1958, which means plenty of Pittsburghers grew up with this pizza as their baseline for what good should taste like. That kind of history is hard to compete with.

The pies here are classic Pittsburgh-style: a medium-thick crust with a slightly crispy bottom, generous cheese coverage, and a sauce that is sweet and savory in equal measure.

Mineo’s does not overcomplicate things, and that restraint is a big part of why it has lasted so long. Simplicity done right is always in style.

Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill is a lively stretch of independent shops and restaurants, and Mineo’s anchors it with decades of credibility.

Fun fact: the original Mineo family recipe has been passed down through the years with minimal changes, which means a slice today tastes remarkably similar to what customers were eating in the 1960s. That consistency is the whole point.

8. Fiori’s Pizzaria, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Brookline might not be the first neighborhood that comes to mind when people think about great Pittsburgh pizza, but Fiori’s Pizzaria has been quietly making the case for decades.

At 103 Capital Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15226, this beloved South Hills staple has built a devoted following through consistency, generous portions, and a no-nonsense approach to the craft.

Locals here do not feel the need to explain why they love it. They just do.

The pizza at Fiori’s is thick-crusted and satisfying in that deeply comforting way that only neighborhood pizza can be.

The cheese is applied with a heavy hand, and the sauce underneath has a richness that keeps people loyal. Every element is calibrated for maximum enjoyment rather than maximum Instagram appeal.

Fiori’s describes itself as family- and locally owned, with more than 30 years of restaurant experience. Fun fact: the name is Italian for flowers, though there is nothing delicate about the portions.

The place operates with a straightforward confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and exactly who your customers are. Pittsburgh’s South Hills claims Fiori’s as its own today, proudly.

9. Aiello’s Pizza, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Squirrel Hill has gone through plenty of changes over the years, but Aiello’s Pizza has remained a constant.

At 2112 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, Aiello’s keeps the focus on what made Pittsburgh neighborhood pizza famous in the first place: honest ingredients, a trustworthy crust, and enough cheese to make the whole thing feel like a genuine treat.

The place does not try to be trendy, and that is its greatest strength.

The pies here have a satisfying weight to them, with a crust that holds its structure without becoming tough or bready. Aiello’s sauce has that slow-cooked depth that shortcuts simply cannot replicate.

Regular customers will tell you the pizza tastes the same as it did years ago, and they mean that as the highest possible compliment.

I find something genuinely comforting about a pizza place that has clearly decided it does not need to change. Aiello’s has been operating in Pittsburgh since 1978, building loyalty one pizza at a time.

Fun fact: the Murray Avenue location sits in a beloved Squirrel Hill pizza corridor with a famously loyal local following, and Aiello’s has kept its original identity completely intact through all of it.

10. Arcaro & Genell, Old Forge, Pennsylvania

Old Forge calls itself the Pizza Capital of the World, and Arcaro and Genell at 443 S Main St, Old Forge, PA 18518 is one of the main reasons that claim holds up.

The Old Forge pizza style is unlike anything else in Pennsylvania: rectangular trays, a thick and chewy crust, and a choice between red and white pizza that has sparked passionate debates at family tables for generations.

Arcaro and Genell has been serving this style since 1962, though current service is centered on its take-away kitchen rather than regular indoor dining for most visitors now.

The familiar smell of baking dough still greets you around the open kitchen area during visits. The white pizza here, made in the Old Forge tradition, is especially worth seeking out today.

Fun fact: Old Forge pizza uses distinctive regional cheese blends that you cannot easily find outside of the Scranton area, which means the pizza genuinely cannot be fully replicated anywhere else.

Arcaro and Genell leans hard into that regional identity, and visiting feels less like eating out and more like participating in a living food tradition unique to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

11. Revello’s Pizza, Old Forge, Pennsylvania

A few blocks from Arcaro and Genell, Revello’s Pizza at 502 S Main St, Old Forge, PA 18518 holds its own corner of the Old Forge pizza universe with equal conviction.

The rivalry between Old Forge pizza spots is friendly but fierce, and locals tend to have strong opinions about which side of the street they belong on.

Revello’s has earned its loyal camp fair and square. The pizza here follows the same Old Forge rectangular format but has its own distinct character.

The crust at Revello’s leans slightly thinner than some competitors, giving it a crispier base while still maintaining that signature chew.

The red pizza sauce is tangy and robust, coating every square inch of the tray with satisfying coverage.

Revello’s has been part of the Old Forge food landscape since 1967, after beginning as Pelosi’s Restaurant, and that long history speaks to a golden era of pizza culture in this small Lackawanna County borough.

Fun fact: Old Forge has more pizza restaurants per capita than almost any other small town in the country, making Main Street a genuine pizza pilgrimage destination for food travelers from across the Northeast.

12. Angelo’s Pizzeria, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Not to be confused with its Philadelphia namesake, Angelo’s Pizzeria in Wilkes-Barre operates in a completely different world geographically and stylistically.

At 445 Hazle St, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, this Wyoming Valley institution has built a reputation based on consistent, crowd-pleasing pizza that has kept locals coming back through decades of change in the region.

The Wilkes-Barre food scene is fiercely local, and Angelo’s sits comfortably at the center of it.

The pizza here is known for thin, crisp round pies, including a distinctive sweet sauce option that has its own devoted following across Northeastern Pennsylvania among longtime fans.

The crust has serious crunch, the sauce is memorable and often sweet, and the cheese coverage is generous without overwhelming the other flavors on each order.

Wilkes-Barre has a proud food identity tied to its working-class roots, and Angelo’s reflects that spirit completely.

Fun fact: the Wyoming Valley area, which includes Wilkes-Barre, has a surprisingly deep pizza culture influenced by the same Northeastern Pennsylvania Italian immigrant communities that shaped the Old Forge style just a short drive away.

Angelo’s carries that regional legacy with every pie it bakes today, too.