Where to Find Amazing Fried Sicilian Pizza in NEPA

Pan Fried Sicilian Style Pizza, or “Fried Sicilian” is a unique style of rectangular pizza that is commonly cooked in peanut or blend of oils to give the thick crust a crispy, deep fried texture.  This genre is sometimes referred to as “Back Mountain Fried Pizza” or “Victory Pig Style Pizza.” The moniker stems from the original creator, Victory Pig Pizza and BBQ which opened in 1942.  Exclusively made in Luzerne County Pennsylvania until recently, this style can be found just a couple miles south of the “Pizza Capital of the World” Old Forge, PA.

What is Pan Fried Sicilian?

Sicilian pizza, characterized by its thick, spongy crust, typically baked in a rectangular pan, became a cornerstone of Sicilian-American cuisine. However, the NEPA twist on this classic involves pan frying the pizza. This results in a crispy, golden-brown crust that adds a delightful crunch to each bite. “Pan frying” is achieved by pouring a very generous amount of oil in the bottom of the pizza pan. In excess of a cup of peanut or other high smoke point oil is applied to the pan prior to the dough being pressed in.

Locals refer to Pan Fried Sicilian (PFS) pizzas as “square” and they call a whole pizza a “tray” and a single slice a “cut.”  One unique feature of the Fried Sicilian Pizza is that it generally comes with diced onions under the cheese by default, but it’s up to you if you want it with or without sort of like a Philly Cheesesteak!

Want to make PFS at home? Check out My Easy Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza Recipe!

Map of All the Pan Fried Sicilian Pizzerias in NEPA (and the World)!

So that’s 50 different pizzerias where you can find this style of pizza which is unique to a concentrated area of Northeast Pennsylvania!  I received several more suggestions of restaurants which may have this style pizza, but was unable to verify they do offer it after checking websites, social media, menus, and sending messages to pizzerias.  If you know of any other places that offer Pan Fried Sicilian Pizza, please message me ASAP!

This article was written, researched and compiled by Jim Mirabelli, Owner of NEPA Pizza Review.

Copyright NEPA Pizza Review Inc 2024

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