Joe’s Pizza King

For four generations, the Lombardo family has woven a web of pizzerias in western Michigan, creating an impressive pizza dynasty that now spans 12 locations. When Sicilian immigrant Giuseppe Lombardo arrived in the United States in 1957, he worked various odd jobs to make ends meet—and one of those happened to involve making pizza. After…

Regina’s Pizza

This Ohio pizzeria, started by old-school Italians and hustled into the 21st century by a second generation, celebrates 50 years in 2020. In the mid-1960s, two best friends, Steve Catalano and Louie Bamonte, were running a modest tavern in Orrville, Ohio. But when the state bought the property, Louie decided to take a stab at…

Candlelite Chicago

Since 1950, this pizzeria and tavern has become a familiar landmark in the Windy City—and it’s now selling more pizza than ever during the pandemic. Italian immigrants Frank and Lena Maiale, the original owners of Candlelite Chicago, opened the doors of their tavern-style pizzeria in 1950, serving up thin-crust pies and libations to neighborhood locals….

Dunwoodie Pizzeria & Restaurant

This popular Yonkers hangout, celebrating 50 years in 2020, strikes an impressive balance between old-school traditions and of-the-moment innovations. Only one day after arriving in the United States, Frank Fiorino was already employed at a pizzeria in the Bronx, New York, where the owner, Fred Greco, was a childhood friend in Italy. Soon, the pair…

Colony Grill

Four boyhood pals step up to keep their favorite hometown pizzeria thriving—and are growing it far beyond their predecessors’ dreams. Though details are fuzzy from Colony Grill’s earliest years, the tavern was established by Irish Americans in 1935 in Stamford, Connecticut, and introduced bar pies in the late ’40s. With a superthin crust and snackable…

Riverview Inn

A vintage recipe unearthed from an old toolbox meets a brand-new larger-than-life mascot in this quaint Wisconsin pizzeria and tavern. Arthur Wille’s wife, Darlene, wasn’t initially sold on the abandoned building the couple spotted in Saukville, Wisconsin, in the early ’60s. Once a tavern somewhat disguised as a residential home, it had been sitting vacant…

Pizza Garden

This Queens-based pizzeria, founded by a Polish immigrant, launched in 1960 but still feels fresh to younger generations. Phil Ejnes may have come to America with no English or knowledge of Italian food, but he was sharp enough to foresee the benefits of partnering with a big-dreaming pizza man, Tony Scarselli, to open up Pizza…

Letizia’s Pizza

Joseph Letizia’s pizza recipe, emulating the indomitable man himself, has persisted through three generations of ownership—and some astonishing twists and turns in the road. As a young man, Italian immigrant Joseph Letizia shined shoes and mopped saloon floors; honed his skills as a WWI army chef; and, determined to be a good American, attended night…

Yetty’s Pizza & Pasta

At just 21 years old, a sole female proprietor boldly earned her nickname as the “pizza queen” of the Mohawk Valley, transforming a six-table hangout into a thriving two-story empire. Felicia Netti, owner of Yetty’s Pizza & Pasta in Herkimer, New York, isn’t 100% sure when the business opened—though some old timers estimate 1952, the…

Louie & Ernie’s Pizza

Third time was a charm for the founder of this Bronx basement hangout—and, 60 years later, two brothers who joined the team as teenagers keep the pared-down pizzeria hopping. In the 1950s, Patsy Ottuso tried his hand at pizzeria ownership in Harlem and Florida before returning to New York and opening up Louie & Ernie’s…