We’re here for all your summer vacation pizza needs.

For the last edition of Pizzavania, I wrote about some of the best spots for pizza at the Jersey Shore. This time around, Pizzavania correspondent Kalena Thomhave is highlighting her favorite pizza destinations in The Poconos. 

Just one quick thing before we get to all that…

We close each edition of Pizzavania by asking if you would pass this newsletter on to your pizza group chat, which you can answer by selecting the ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ buttons. Thankfully, the ‘ups’ consistently outnumber the ‘downs.’ Regardless of how you answer, there’s always room for improvement so I’d like to know: What do you think I could be doing better with Pizzavania? Anything you’d like to see more of? Less of? Got an idea for something you’re not seeing here? I welcome any and all feedback you may have—tell me what you think here.

A few homeroom announcements:

🍕 Please continue spreading the word about Pizzavania to all your pizza-loving friends!

🍕 Bookmark this page for all Pizzavania content, like this video of my recent trip to check out some of the best pizzas in the Lehigh Valley.

🍕Thank you to Philadelphia’s Grid magazine for writing a few words about Pizzavania. You can check out the story here.

Since summer is the season of so many great things from gardens and farms across Pennsylvania, last time around we asked: What is your favorite farm-fresh summertime pizza topping? 

The results were pretty much a photo finish: Tomatoes came out on top with 20% of the vote, followed by eggplant (19%), mushrooms (18%), greens (16%), peppers (15%), and zucchini (12%).

Sticking with the summer theme, this time we’d like to know:

I’m going with ice cream all day long on this one—chocolate-vanilla soft serve twist, to be specific.

What dessert are you chasing pizza with in the summer? Pick your fave and we’ll run the results in the next edition.

The Michaelangelo brick oven pizza at Sorrenti, a vineyard and pizzeria in Saylorsburg. (PoconoMountains.com)

Like the Jersey Shore, the Pocono Mountains region is a popular summertime destination for Pennsylvanians. Though it’s a little further removed from the shadows of New York City and Philadelphia, the influence of those two pizza meccas—not to mention that of the ‘Pizza Capital of the World,’ Old Forge, Pa.—can be felt in the mix of family-run pizzerias with decades-old recipes, modern wood-fired joints, and neighborhood mainstays that fuel local debates about the best pizza in the Poconos.

Pizzavania contributor Kalena Thomhave has done her homework and assembled this list of 10 must-try pizzerias across the Pocono Mountains’ Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties. Some are straight-up pizzerias, while others are destinations unto themselves beyond pizza, because there are many different venues where you can enjoy pizza in these mountains.

And if your favorite Poconos pizza spot didn’t make Kalena’s list, feel free to reach out and let us know.

🍕 50 Top Pizza, Italy’s highly-regarded guide to the global pizza scene, just released its annual list of the 50 best US pizzerias for 2026, and a mere one Pa. spot made the cut. Was it your local pizzeria? Find out here.

🍕 In New York, a looming ban on the food additive potassium bromate, a key component of thin-crust pies, may soon force thousands of pizzerias to tweak generations-old recipes. A similar measure was proposed in the Pennsylvania Senate last year. Find out about it in this story.

🍕 Mike Stantzos, owner of the Crazy Tomato in West York, was looking for something to set his pizzeria apart. After four years of experimentation he arrived at the pretzel boli, a stromboli made with pretzel dough, that he’s since trademarked and licensed to other pizzerias. Learn Mike’s story here.

The floor’s yours: tell us about your favorite Pa. pizzerias!

“My family has been going to Sabatini’s in Exeter since I was a kid in the 80s. No one in NEPA does it better, IMHO.”

— Johnny T.

“Thank you for turning me on to Affinito in Emmaus. I’ve probably ordered from there five times in the past few weeks. Unbelievable pies, especially for this area.” 

— E.J. (Editor’s note: We featured Affinito in our recent roundup of the Lehigh Valley’s best pizza)

“When are you getting out to Pittsburgh? You HAVE TO try Spak Bros. It’s the best pizza I’ve ever had in the city and I’ve tried them all because I’m old A.F.”

— Lenny Quigley (Editor’s note: I’ll get out there one of these days before too long)

“We love going to Mezzaluna in Kennett Square. Their fig and prosciutto pizza is out of this world good.”

— Beth

“Our family swears by Pizzeria Luca in Lancaster. We do a lot of Sunday dinners and it’s got something for everyone. Beautiful space too.”

— Mary Jane Carvelli

**You can find plenty more reader recommendations right here.

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery. It was edited by Brook Bolen.

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