The Finger Lakes Pizza Landscape

The Finger Lakes food scene has grown faster than most visitors expect. Farm-to-table restaurants, winery kitchens, and chef-driven bistros now dot a region that a decade ago ran mostly on diner food and fish fry. Pizza has followed the same trajectory. The region has old-school Italian-American joints that have been making pies since before the wine industry existed, and it has newer wood-fired operations using locally milled flour and seasonal toppings from the farms down the road. What it does not have — yet — is a reputation. People come here for wine and waterfalls and do not think to ask about pizza. That is a mistake.

This is a town-by-town breakdown. Every place on this list has been operating long enough to have a track record, and every recommendation is specific: what style they make, what to order, what to expect when you walk in.

Ithaca

Bickering Twins

Style: Wood-fired Neapolitan-inspired, seasonal menu
Price range: $14 to $20 per pie
Setting: Small, casual storefront on North Cayuga Street near the Ithaca Commons

Bickering Twins runs a wood-fired oven at high heat and turns out blistered, chewy pies with a charred crust that holds up to aggressive toppings. The menu rotates with the seasons — a spring pie might feature ramps and local sausage, a fall version might pair roasted squash with brown butter and sage. The Margherita is the baseline test, and it passes: San Marzano-style sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil, a crust that puffs and spots in the right places. The dining room seats about 30, and there is no reservation system — expect a 15- to 30-minute wait on Friday and Saturday evenings. Beer and wine available.

Pieous

Style: Roman-style (rectangular, thick, airy crumb)
Price range: $5 to $8 per slice, $18 to $24 per full tray
Setting: Counter-service shop on South Meadow Street, near the Ithaca Farmers Market

Pieous makes Roman-style pizza al taglio — rectangular slices cut to order from large sheet pans, sold by weight or by the piece. The dough is a long-fermented, high-hydration recipe that produces a thick, airy interior with a crisp bottom. This is not the thin Neapolitan style; it is the style you find in the bakeries of Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood. The toppings change daily. A typical display case might have a potato-rosemary slice alongside a sausage-pepper, a Margherita, and a seasonal special. Pieous recently started accepting credit cards after years as a cash-only operation — check before you go, as policies may shift. The shop is small and counter-service only, with a few seats inside and a couple of benches outside.

Joe’s Restaurant

Style: Old-school Italian-American
Price range: $12 to $18 per pie
Setting: Classic family restaurant on West Seneca Street, operating since 1932

Joe’s has been making pizza in Ithaca since before most of the city’s current restaurants existed. The pies are Italian-American standard: medium-thick crust, sweet tomato sauce, generous mozzarella, toppings piled without restraint. This is not artisan pizza, and it is not trying to be. It is the pizza that generations of Cornell students and Ithaca families grew up on. The pepperoni pie — simple, greasy in the right way, with a crust that has enough structure to fold — is the order. Joe’s also serves a full Italian-American menu of pasta, chicken parm, and veal dishes at prices that feel anachronistic ($12 to $22 for entrees). The dining room has booths and the atmosphere of a place that has not redecorated since the 1970s, which is part of its appeal.

For more on what Ithaca offers beyond the pizza, our guide to Ithaca covers the full food and activity scene.

Watkins Glen

Jerlando’s Ristorante and Pizza

Style: Thick-crust, heavy-topped, American-Italian
Price range: $14 to $22 per pie
Setting: Two-story building on Franklin Street in the village center

Jerlando’s is the pizza that Watkins Glen locals eat. The crust is thick and bready — closer to a Sicilian style than a Neapolitan — and the kitchen does not hold back on toppings. The specialty pies pile on combinations that would collapse a thinner crust: sausage with peppers and onions, a white pizza with ricotta and spinach, a loaded supreme. A large pie feeds three to four adults comfortably. The restaurant occupies a historic building with a second-floor dining room that looks out over Franklin Street. Service is casual, and in summer, the wait on Friday evenings can run 20 to 30 minutes without a reservation. Full bar, pasta dishes, and calzones round out the menu. This is the place to eat after a Gorge Trail hike — filling, unpretentious, and a 5-minute walk from the park entrance.

Our guide to Watkins Glen beyond the gorge covers more dining options in the village.

Geneva

Stomping Grounds

Style: Wood-fired, craft beer focus
Price range: $14 to $19 per pie
Setting: Brick-walled taproom on Exchange Street in downtown Geneva

Stomping Grounds pairs a wood-fired pizza oven with a rotating selection of 20-plus craft beers on tap, many from New York State producers. The pizzas are thin-crusted with a slight char from the oven, and the toppings lean toward the thoughtful rather than the excessive. The Bee Sting — pepperoni with Calabrian chili and a drizzle of hot honey — has the right balance of heat and sweet. The house Margherita uses fresh mozzarella and a sauce that does not overwhelm the crust. The setting is a converted storefront with exposed brick, high ceilings, and a bar that takes the beer selection seriously. Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, with a weekend brunch that includes breakfast-style pizzas. The location puts you within walking distance of the rest of Geneva’s restaurant row on Exchange Street.

For the broader Geneva dining scene, see our guide to Geneva restaurants.

Corning

Hand + Foot

Style: Wood-fired, seasonal, small-batch
Price range: $15 to $21 per pie
Setting: Intimate restaurant on East Market Street in the Gaffer District

Hand + Foot runs a wood-fired oven in a small dining room and produces pizzas that treat the crust as the main ingredient rather than a delivery device. The dough is made from locally sourced grain when available, fermented long, and baked fast in a hot oven. The result is a thin, slightly chewy crust with blistered edges and a flavor that holds up even without toppings. The menu is short — usually five to seven pies — and changes with the seasons. Expect combinations like local mushroom with fontina and thyme, or a simple tomato pie with good olive oil and flaky salt. This is the most ingredient-driven pizza in the Finger Lakes, and the space reflects it: 30 seats, no television, an open kitchen where you can watch the pies go in and out of the oven. Reservations are recommended for Friday and Saturday evenings.

Corning’s Gaffer District is a 20-minute drive south of Watkins Glen, and the Corning Museum of Glass is a 5-minute walk from Hand + Foot — an easy combination for a half-day trip.

Canandaigua

Mac’s Philly Steaks

Style: New York-style thin crust
Price range: $12 to $18 per pie
Setting: Casual counter-service spot on Main Street

Despite the name, Mac’s makes a solid New York-style pizza with a thin, foldable crust and a simple tomato-mozzarella base that lets the proportions do the work. The slices are large, the cheese has the right pull, and the price is right. It is not reinventing anything — this is the kind of no-frills pizza that satisfies when you want a slice without a 30-minute wait or a $20 price tag. The cheesesteaks are the other draw (this is, after all, the namesake), but the pizza holds its own. Counter service, takeout-friendly, open late by Canandaigua standards.

Hammondsport

The Village Tavern Restaurant and Inn

Style: Tavern-style, thin to medium crust
Price range: $13 to $19 per pie
Setting: Historic tavern on the village square overlooking Keuka Lake

Hammondsport’s dining options are limited by the village’s size — population 700 — but the Village Tavern has been serving the community and winery visitors for decades. The pizza is tavern-style: thin to medium crust, cut into squares, with a slightly crisp bottom and a roster of classic toppings. It is the kind of pizza that works with a pint of local beer after a day of tasting on the Keuka Lake wine trail. The setting, in a building on the square that has housed a tavern for over a century, adds character. The outdoor patio in summer looks south toward the lake. Open for lunch and dinner; hours are reduced in winter.

What the Pizza Scene Says About the Region

A decade ago, pizza in the Finger Lakes meant Domino’s or a local Italian-American joint with a decades-old recipe. Both still exist, and the Italian-American places — Joe’s in Ithaca, Jerlando’s in Watkins Glen — are part of the fabric of their towns. But the arrival of wood-fired ovens, local grain sourcing, and chefs who treat pizza as a serious craft has added a layer that did not previously exist. The Finger Lakes food scene benefits from the same forces driving its wine: a population that values what comes from the land, a growing number of visitors willing to pay for quality, and a community of producers and chefs who take the work seriously.

If you are planning meals around a wine trail day, pizza is the ideal pairing. It is quick, it is shared, it is filling without being heavy, and the crust and char of a good wood-fired pie stands up to a Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc or dry Riesling. Build a lunch stop around one of these places, and the day improves.