The Best Pizza You’ve Never Heard Of Is Hiding in a Pennsylvania Mining Town

Meet Old Forge, the 8,500-person town that invented its own pizza style.

There’s a place in Northeast Pennsylvania where pizza isn’t just food—it’s religion. And no, it’s not Philly or Pittsburgh. It’s a former coal mining town called Old Forge (population: about 8,500 humans, an untold number of pizza ovens). And somehow—against all pizza logic—it might just be one of the best pizza cities in the entire U.S.

Here, pizza doesn’t come in slices. It comes in cuts. You don’t ask for a pie—you ask for a tray. It’s not New York. It’s not Chicago. It’s Old Forge. And yes, it has its own full-on style of pizza named after it.

Vodka Sauce Special with Whipped Ricotta Drizzle Photo From: Mary Lou's Pizza Facebook

So, What Exactly is Old Forge Pizza?

Imagine a rectangular, bakery-style crust that’s light, chewy, and just thick enough to hold its own. There are two main variations: the red and the white. The red is the more “traditional” one—sweet tomato sauce, melted cheese, and a soul-warming, hometown vibe. But the white? Oh, the white. It’s basically a grilled cheese sandwich pretending to be pizza. We’re talking double crust, molten cheese blend, a hit of herbs—sauceless, scandalous, and totally swoon-worthy.

People drive hours to get their hands on it. One diehard fan even confessed: “The most delicious white pizza I’ve ever had. I can’t recommend it enough. I actually drove two hours just to get a pie.”

Where to Get the Goods?

Start with Mary Lou’s Pizza—a cult favorite with a 4.6-star Yelp rating and reviews like this gem: “Mary Lou’s white pizza may very well be some of the best pizza in the world, and I’m a pizza snob.”

Then there’s Salerno’s Café, whose crust gets described as “light, fluffy, and crisp without being greasy”—aka crust goals. One local even crowned it, “the best ‘Old Forge’ style pizza around.” And considering Lackawanna County is bursting at the seams with pizza joints (we’re talking 160+), that’s saying a lot.

A Little Slice of History

Old Forge was founded back in 1871, built on coal, iron, and grit. But in the 1920s, Elio Ghigiarelli changed the game. Inspired by his grandmother’s rectangular pizza—served to hungry miners like an edible hug—he created what would become the signature Old Forge style. Anchovy paste and spicy peppers in the sauce? That was the move back then. By 1962, spots like Arcaro & Genell were helping the style gain serious momentum.

Fast-forward to today, and pizza is still the heart and soul of this town. So much so that there’s a full-blown Pizza Trail through Lackawanna County, complete with a pizza passport. Yes, really. You can get stamps at participating pizzerias like it’s a cheesy scavenger hunt (and honestly, where do we sign up?).

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Old Forge is proof that you don’t need a massive population or flashy skyline to serve up legendary pizza. You just need passion, tradition, and a double-crust white pie that tastes like heaven.

Seems to me, there’s not a bad pizza in Old Forge. And if there is, we haven’t met it yet.