Pizzeria with Local Roots Coming to Downtown State College

In 1976, Angelo Pistone opened Brothers Pizza at 204 E. College Ave. in State College. Now 47 years later, his son is bringing the Brothers legacy back to the same location.

Joseph Pistone plans to open Giuseppe’s Pizzeria by Brothers later this summer in the storefront that was most recently occupied by Weirdoughs Custom Pizzeria, which operated for two years until its lease was terminated in April.

“I’m going to try to restore what my dad had there,” Pistone said. “It’s going to be set up differently because needs are different now. What worked then may not work now. But he did very well there.”

While there are a number of similarly named restaurants in Centre County, many of them connected to the three Pistone brothers who opened a series of pizza shops around the area, Joseph Pistone owns Brothers Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Wingate and co-owns the the Benner Pike location with his sister and brother-in-law Rose and Eddie Nicolosi (who own the Centre Hall location).

Giuseppe’s will have a “slice shop” feel, with glass cases displaying the various specialty pizzas and available toppings, Pistone said. He also plans to offer a selection of subs and wraps, gluten-free options and some other specialties, like a “walking stromboli” for the diner on the go.

Pistone signed the lease last week and will be doing extensive renovations to the space.

“We’re putting a lot of money in it,” he said. “We’re going to really upgrade the spot and hopefully bring something to downtown that hasn’t been there in a long time.”

Sicilian immigrant Angelo Pistone and his two brothers opened their first pizza shop in New York in the 1950s. In the 1960s, they moved to State College and opened the area’s first Brothers Pizza at the Nittany Mall.

A decade later, Angelo took over the former Pop’s Mexi-Hots on College Avenue and opened the second Brothers. After a health issue made it difficult to keep up with the long hours, he sold that location and it underwent a series of ownership changes before closing in 2020.

While the family would go on to open multiple successful locations, Joseph Pistone said the downtown State College restaurant has always held a special place for him. He recalled Penn State football players stopping in regularly in the lates 1970s and early ’80s, and he remembered watching from the restaurant as fans carried goalposts from Beaver Stadium down College Avenue following the Nittany Lions win over Nebraska in 1982.

“There’s sentimental value to me. That was my dad’s place… I thought to myself ‘I’d really like to buy this some time,’” he said. “Over the years the idea’s been in the back of my mind, but the opportunity never presented itself. Everything just kind of fell into place.”

Giuseppe’s Pizzeria, he added, is in a way an “homage” to his father.

“I’m really excited about getting back in there,” he said. “I’m putting my heart into it, and I know it’s going to do well.”

Pistone is hoping to open Giuseppe’s Pizzeria by Brothers in late August.

It will be the second new pizza shop coming to State College this summer. Stage West owner Steve Masterson is planning to open 8 Mile Pizza, specializing in Detroit-style pizza, in the former Gumby’s location at 300 S. Pugh St.