Peppino’s was founded by Giuseppe (Joe) Pallante in 2019, his sixth Italian deli and pizzeria in the Philadelphia area. Joe grew up in the Abruzzo region of Italy and moved to the Frankford section of Philadelphia when he was 12. He started making pizza when he was 14 at a place called Ponze’s Pizza, at 5th & Tioga. In 1984, Joe opened his first restaurant called Peppi’s. He incorporated family recipes into all six of his restaurants. When we asked Joe what the secret was to his success, he said “the best olive oil, flour, and tomatoes are key.” Joe is credited with inventing our Old Fashioned Tomato pie with cheese on the bottom. It’s certainly our favorite, but don’t take our word for it! Ask Dave Portnoy from OneBite—he rated it a 7.8 in November 2023!