Modern Forage: Scranton, PA
Old Forge (pop ~8,000) calls itself the 'pizza capital of the world.' A whole pizza is a 'tray', never a 'pie'; pieces are 'cuts', not 'slices'. The rectangular-pan, double-cheese, sweet-chunky-tomato preparation traces to Filomena Ghigiarelli feeding coal miners in the 1920s.
Old Forge in Lackawanna County is a town of roughly 8,000 people with about a dozen pizza shops on or near Main Street. The whole-tray rectangular-pan format with double cheese and sweet chunky tomato sauce is the structural lock; the local vocabulary (a “tray” is a whole, “cuts” not “slices”) reinforces the regional identity.
This list is almost certainly incomplete; Scranton and Lackawanna County hold further hyper-local dishes that have not yet surfaced in the survey.
A note on the Where-to-eat blocks. Every entry below carries a list of restaurants and, where available, star ratings as of the date this post was published. These are a snapshot. Verify hours and addresses before driving anywhere.
Old Forge Pizza — Old Forge, PA (near Scranton)
Rectangular pan pizza with a thick, bready crust (crispy bottom, chewy center), a blend of cheeses often including American cheese, and a sweet, chunky tomato sauce. Originated in the 1920s when Filomena “Grandma” Ghigiarelli baked pizza in large metal pans to feed coal miners. Old Forge (pop ~8,000) has ~12 pizza shops on and around Main Street and claims to be the “pizza capital of the world.” Unique terminology: a whole pizza is a “tray,” never a “pie”; pieces are “cuts,” not “slices.” A white version (no sauce, double cheese) is equally popular. The Lackawanna County Pizza Trail connects area shops.
Sources: The Takeout (2025); La Vida Nomad (2025); Family Vacations US (2026); PA Weekend Fun (2014); Cook Clean Repeat (2025). Six+ sources.
Where to eat: Arcaro & Genell, 443 S Main St, Old Forge (consistently top-ranked). Revello’s Pizza Cafe, 502 S Main St, Old Forge. Brutico’s Pizza, Old Forge. Salerno’s Cafe. Lackawanna County Pizza Trail maps the route.
More from the series
Browse the rest of the Modern Forage survey.
Research & primary sources
Methodology, validation logs, and the entries that didn’t make this post are in the modern_forage/ on GitHub. Every entry here passed a 2+ independent-source check; the citations under each dish list them.