Which Pennsylvania borough uses the nickname Pizza Capital of the World? Old Forge.
Old Forge, a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, uses the nickname “Pizza Capital of the World.” The title reflects the community’s unusually strong pizza culture and the regional identity built around Old Forge-style pizza, rather than an official claim that every ranking or authority recognizes as universally definitive.
Italian immigrants who came to the area to work in the coal mines helped establish the local tradition. A commonly cited early figure is Nonna Ghigiarelli, who served homemade pizza to people gathered at her family’s bar in the 1920s. The style later expanded through local restaurants, particularly during the borough’s pizza-business growth in the 1960s and 1970s.
Old Forge pizza is usually rectangular, cut into trays or “cuts,” and made with a thick, crisp crust, a balanced tomato sauce, and a cheese blend that may include mozzarella with mild cheddar or white American cheese. It is not the same as New York-style round pizza or New Haven apizza.
Nearby Scranton and Wilkes-Barre are larger, better-known cities, which makes them tempting wrong answers. The nickname belongs to the borough itself: Old Forge.