Tuzzi’s Baking Co in Berwick: 107 Years of Family Baking, Legendary Pagash, and a Summer Tomato Pizza That Tastes Like Summer

I walked in, ordered, paid the bill, and reviewed the pizza like every other customer. No heads-up. No comps.

Some pizza shops are pizza shops. Tuzzi’s Baking Co in Berwick, PA is a family bakery that happens to make some of the most legendary sheet pizza and pagash in the entire region — and it has been doing so for over a century. Founded in 1919 by Angelo and Maria Tuzzi, Tuzzi’s is now 107 years young, still family owned and operated, and still turning out fresh-baked bread, rolls, pizza shells, pastries, and sheet pies from the same neighborhood counter that generations of Berwick and Columbia County families have grown up walking into.

I’ve made the drive down to Tuzzi’s several times over the years now, and every visit deepens my respect for what this bakery is doing. This is the updated, comprehensive review — the multi-visit chronicle of a NEPA pizza institution — including the one pie that made me look at this bakery through completely new eyes: the Summer Tomato Pizza.

A Berwick Institution: 1919 to 2026

Let me set the stage properly, because Tuzzi’s context is a big part of what makes the pizza special.

Tuzzi’s Baking Co was founded in 1919 by Angelo and Maria Tuzzi. The bakery is still family owned and operated to this day, four generations later. They specialize in fresh-baked Italian bread, rolls, pizza shells, and pastries — with sheet pizza and pagash taking on almost legendary status among regulars. If you’ve never read Tuzzi’s About Us page, do yourself a favor and give it a read. It’s a fascinating window into a Berwick family business that has quietly outlasted almost everything else on the block. 107 years and counting in 2026.

Berwick isn’t a town I get to often, but it’s a town my readers have been pushing me toward for a long time — Tuzzi’s is one of the handful of Berwick pizza spots that comes up over and over again in reader recommendations, right alongside heavyweights like Bricktown Pizza and Pi on the Fly. Every time I share a Tuzzi’s post, the comment section fills up with locals saying the same thing: “get the pagash,” “get there before they sell out,” “wait ’til the tomato pizza comes out in the summer.”

They were right on all three counts.

Atmosphere: The Bakery Counter Experience

Tuzzi’s is a bakery first, and that identity shapes everything about the operation. Walk in and the smell hits you before your eyes adjust — fresh dough, baking bread, hot pizza, sweet pastries all at once. It’s an aroma that hits different from a standard pizzeria because it’s coming from a working bakery with generations of muscle memory behind it. That smell is the smell of Berwick history.

The pagash situation deserves its own callout because it’s the single most important thing to know about Tuzzi’s: the pagash sells out daily. Not “sometimes.” Daily. If you want a Tuzzi’s pagash sheet, you either order ahead or you get there early — and even then, no guarantees. That kind of consistent daily sellout only happens when the product is legitimately great and the customer base is legitimately loyal. Tuzzi’s has both.

The Multi-Visit Story: Building a Full Picture

I’ve now sat with Tuzzi’s pizza on multiple occasions, across multiple visits, across multiple pies — and I want to walk through the full history because each visit added something to the story.

Visit 1 (March 2020): The Introduction — Sheet Pizza and Pagash Two Ways

My first Tuzzi’s experience actually came during a period when I couldn’t get down to Berwick myself. Big shoutout to Pizza Ron and the gracious Tuzzi’s ownership, who together made it possible to get the pizza up to me for that first tasting. I tried three pies:

• Pagash Pizza no Onions — 7.5 Overall. A first look at the classic Tuzzi’s pagash — a bakery pizza built on that great fresh-baked crust, topped with the potato-and-cheese pagash filling that Northeast Pennsylvania Italian bakeries have been perfecting for generations. Comforting, hearty, honest.
• Regular Half Sheet Pizza — 7.4 Overall. The standard Tuzzi’s sheet pie — fresh-baked dough, sauce, cheese, and a really strong 8.2 Value score on the rubric. This is pizza built for feeding a family for not a lot of money, and it delivered exactly that.
• Pagash Pizza w/Onions — 7.3 Overall. The classic pagash with onions worked into the filling. A slight step down from the no-onion version for my palate, but personal preference plays a role there — plenty of pagash lovers prefer it with the onion in the mix.

That first round told me Tuzzi’s was a solid, honest bakery pizza operation with a real value story and a real regional signature in the pagash. Good scores across the board, high value marks, and a clear identity.

But the story kept getting better.

Visit 2 (November 2023): The Sheet Pizza Refined

Three-plus years later I circled back to Tuzzi’s for another look at the Sheet Pizza, and the pie had noticeably grown into itself. The updated scorecard:

• Sheet Pizza — 7.8 Overall. Crust up to 7.7, Sauce at 7.8, Cheese at 7.7, Taste at 7.6, and — the big one — Value at 8.6. A pizza that was already good in 2020 came back sharper, more balanced, and even more affordable in relative terms. That value score is one of the highest I’ve handed out to any sheet pizza in NEPA, and it reflects what Tuzzi’s really is at its core: an accessible neighborhood bakery pie that punches above its price point.

Both visits told me Tuzzi’s floor was solid. What I didn’t yet know was where the ceiling actually lived.

Then came the summer tomato pizza.

Visit 3 (August 2024): The Summer Tomato Pizza Changes the Game

The Summer Tomato Pizza is a seasonal, summer-only exclusive at Tuzzi’s — it only appears during peak tomato season, and when it’s gone, it’s gone until the next summer. Locals had been telling me for years, “you have to be here for the tomato pizza.” I finally showed up during the season.

Fresh Tomato Pizza — 8.0 Overall. The single highest-scoring Tuzzi’s pie I’ve ever put on the rubric.

Let me walk you through what I experienced, because a numerical score doesn’t tell the story on its own.

The smell. Before I even took a bite, the aroma coming off this pizza was doing serious work. The whole bakery filled up with it. It’s the kind of smell that puts you in a good mood before you’ve even eaten anything.

The context in my head. Going in, my mental reference point for great NEPA fresh tomato pizza has been Colarusso’s — a pizza with huge, bold, tomato-forward flavor that had been my north star for the style. I was really curious how Tuzzi’s version would stack up.

The first bite. Two things happened simultaneously that I want to name specifically:

• The cheese hit first as sheer volume. This pizza is generously cheesed to the point where the crust is downright cheesy at the edge. As I put it in the moment: “you get punched in the mouth” on the cheese pull. Big-league cheese pull energy. The Pizza Prince would approve.
• Then the tomatoes led the way. Here’s where I was surprised. Looking at this pizza and smelling all the garlic in the air, I expected the garlic to hit first. It didn’t. The fresh, vibrant tomatoes are what hit my palate first, and they carried the entire experience. The garlic was actually very mild — present, aromatic, supportive, but not overpowering. The tomatoes were the star from bite one to bite last.

The crust. You could see the little micro-blisters on the crust — the visual signature of a properly-baked bakery dough with real fermentation character. That’s not something you can fake or manufacture. That’s what happens when a bakery bakes bread every day for a hundred-plus years and applies that same dough craft to pizza.

The overall verdict, live and in the moment: “That’s banging. I can see what all the hype is about. This only exists in the summertime, and I’m not sure for how long — so goodness, if these are available to you, you’ve got to get here.” It tastes like summer.

On the rubric: Crust 7.7, Cheese 7.9, Taste 8.5, Crispy/Cooked 7.7, Value 7.8, Overall 8.0. That 8.5 Taste score is the highest single-category number I’ve ever put on a Tuzzi’s pizza, and it earned every point.

Pizzaiolo’s Notes 🍕

A few observations from the pizzaiolo seat after multiple visits over the years:

• This is bakery-craft pizza, and that identity is a strength, not a limitation. Tuzzi’s isn’t trying to be a Naples pizzeria or a New Haven apizza shop or a New York slice joint. It’s a fresh-baked Italian bakery in Columbia County that has been making sheet pizza and pagash for its neighbors for over a century, and the dough craft coming out of that bakery discipline is what makes their pies work.
• The pagash sellout is real, and it’s the reason to order ahead. If you want a Tuzzi’s pagash sheet, call ahead or get there early. The daily sellout isn’t marketing — it’s the actual reality of the shop.
• The Value scores across every Tuzzi’s visit are consistently among the highest I hand out. The Sheet Pizza pulled an 8.6 Value in 2023. The Regular Half Sheet pulled an 8.2 Value in 2020. Both pagash versions pulled 8.1 Value. This bakery is a value machine, and that consistency across five years and multiple pies isn’t an accident.
• The Summer Tomato Pizza is the ceiling and the destination pie. If you’re planning your first Tuzzi’s visit, plan it during summer tomato season. The fresh tomato pizza is the highest-scoring pie in my Tuzzi’s history and one of the best fresh-tomato-forward pizzas I’ve had anywhere in NEPA to date — right in the conversation with Colarusso’s for that specific style.
• 107 years of family ownership is a story by itself. I don’t take multi-generation family business tenure lightly. That kind of durability is the sign of a bakery that has earned its community’s trust every single day for a century — and it shows up in the product.

What I’d Order Next Time

• The Summer Tomato Pizza — every single summer, without fail. This is a “set a calendar reminder” pie. Get on the summer tomato season, place your order, drive to Berwick.
• A Pagash sheet with the whole family in mind. Order ahead, no exceptions. The pagash sells out daily and it’s a Northeast Pennsylvania bakery classic worth planning around.
• A hot half-sheet of the regular pizza. The 2023 refined version scored 7.8 Overall and holds up as a serious value-driven family sheet.
• Fresh Italian bread and rolls to take home. This is a bakery first, and it would be a mistake not to walk out with fresh bread and rolls alongside the pizza.
• A pastry or two for the drive back. The bakery case has been quietly excellent every time I’ve walked in.

Final Thoughts: A Berwick Institution That Deserves a Bigger Spotlight

Tuzzi’s Baking Co is doing something in Berwick that almost no other pizza operation in NEPA can claim — it is a 107-year-old family bakery consistently delivering high-value, high-craft, fresh-baked sheet pizza and pagash to its community day in and day out, and it is quietly making one of the best fresh-tomato pizzas in the region during summer season. This is not a flashy operation. It is not marketing itself as a destination. It is not chasing pizza trends. It is doing what it has done since 1919: bake fresh, bake honestly, and take care of the neighborhood.

I’ve now visited Tuzzi’s three times across a five-year window, and every single visit has left me impressed. The Summer Tomato Pizza is the single most exciting seasonal pizza on my NEPA calendar. The pagash is the sold-out-daily local legend. The regular sheet pie is one of the most consistent value plays in NEPA pizza.

If you are anywhere near Berwick, especially during summer tomato season, this is a bakery you owe yourself a trip to.

My Takeaways

• 🍕 Tuzzi’s Baking Co has been family owned and operated in Berwick since 1919 — 107 years and counting
• 🍅 The Summer Tomato Pizza is only available during peak tomato season and it tastes like summer — my highest-scoring Tuzzi’s pie at 8.0 Overall
• 🍕 The Pagash sells out daily — order ahead, no exceptions
• 🧀 Bakery-craft cheese pulls that punch you in the mouth — Pizza Prince approved
• 🍕 Value scores across every Tuzzi’s visit are among the highest I’ve handed out in NEPA
• 🥦 Micro-blistered crust from real fresh-baked bakery dough — the hallmark of a shop that bakes bread every day
• 🍅 Right in the conversation with Colarusso’s for best fresh-tomato-forward pizza in NEPA

Have you had Tuzzi’s Summer Tomato Pizza during tomato season? Are you a pagash-with-onions or pagash-no-onions kind of person? Drop your Berwick pizza rankings in the comments — and if there’s a Tuzzi’s pie I haven’t tried yet that you think I need to get to next, tell me what to order.

Pizza is Similar to:

• The other legendary NEPA fresh tomato pizza tradition at Colarusso’s — my previous benchmark for the style
• The Old Forge summer-only fresh tomato tradition at Mary Lou’s Pizza in Old Forge
• Fellow Berwick pizza standouts like Bricktown Pizza and Pi on the Fly
• Other Northeast PA pagash traditions like Gold Crown Pizza in Dunmore

Rating Tables

A quick note before the table: the descriptions above are my gut read across multiple visits — the in-the-moment flavor experiences from each stop over the years. The scorecard below is my technical scoring on the standard six-category NEPA Pizza Review rubric — Crust, Sauce, Cheese, Taste, Crispy/Cooked Properly, and Value. Both are honest. I stand by my gut takes of what I enjoyed most in each moment, and I stand by the technical scores I locked in after careful reflection.

Rank	Pizza Ordered	Visit	Crust	Sauce	Cheese	Taste	Crispy/Cooked	Value	Overall
1	Summer Tomato Pizza (seasonal)	August 2024	7.7	N/A	7.9	8.5	7.7	7.8	8.0
2	Sheet Pizza (refined)	November 2023	7.7	7.8	7.7	7.6	7.4	8.6	7.8
3	Pagash Pizza (no Onions)	March 2020	7.4	N/A	7.5	7.4	7.5	8.1	7.5
4	Regular Half Sheet Pizza	March 2020	7.4	7.6	7.5	7.2	7.5	8.2	7.4
5	Pagash Pizza (with Onions)	March 2020	7.4	N/A	7.3	7.2	7.5	8.1	7.3

The Summer Tomato Pizza is a seasonal-only pie and the highest-scoring Tuzzi’s product in my review history. The Sheet Pizza has improved a full 0.4 points across visits between 2020 and 2023, reflecting a bakery that is quietly refining its craft even after 100+ years. Consistent 8.1–8.6 Value scores across the entire lineup make Tuzzi’s one of the most consistent value plays in all of NEPA pizza.

---

Tuzzi’s Baking Co
504 Washington St #2818, Berwick, PA 18603
Website: tuzzibakery.com
Family owned and operated since 1919 · 107 years strong · Home of the daily sold-out pagash and the summer-only Fresh Tomato Pizza

---

Speaking of sauce — the fresh tomato sauce on Tuzzi’s Summer Tomato Pizza is one of the most vibrant tomato experiences I’ve had in NEPA. If you’re curious how it stacks up against the rest of the NEPA sauce field, check out our NEPA Pizza Sauce Rankings for the running leaderboard. And if you make pizza at home and want the gear I actually use, our Amazon affiliate picks are linked on the site — every click helps keep NEPA Pizza Review independent and ad-light.

A sheet pizza made on fresh baked dough with toppings.  Photo Credit: Tuzzi Baking Co Facebook Page.

Pagash Pizza at Tuzzi Baking Co. sells out daily so don’t wait to pick up your sheet! Photo Credit: Tuzzi Baking Co. Facebook Page.