Six decades of the same standard. Fresh dough, hand-grated cheese, slow-cooked sauce, and butcher-cut meat — made here every day in Essex, MD, the way it's always been done. Our menu covers pizza, pasta, subs, platters, freshly stuffed cannolis, hand-dipped Hershey's ice cream, hand-spun milkshakes, and a full selection of beer and wine. Dine in across four rooms, carry out, or ship nationwide.

Still family-owned. Still #1 rated in Essex.

We seat 320 guests across four dining rooms with free parking right outside the door. Walk in, place your order at the counter, and we'll call your name when it's ready.

Carrying out? Call ahead at 410-687-7733, and it'll be waiting. Browse the full menu online, and follow us on Facebook for updates on what's happening at the restaurant.

Our History

In 1950, a 16-year-old left Abruzzo, Italy with nothing but ambition and a work ethic that wouldn't quit. John Coruzzi's first stop was a bakery in East Baltimore — but a bakery was never the destination. In 1966, he opened Pizza John's Carryout at 131½ Back River Neck Road in Essex, and within three months the place was thriving. Word traveled fast — all the way back to Italy. His younger brother Peter made the crossing to join him, and a year later, the youngest Coruzzi brother, Anthony, followed.

Three brothers. One kitchen. The same dream.

For the next ten years, the three brothers ran the kitchen seven days a week — long hours, no shortcuts, building something from the ground up. By 1977, the original 600-square-foot storefront couldn't contain what they'd created. Pizza John's moved just down the street to 113 Back River Neck Road — a 2,500-square-foot space that felt like a leap at the time. It's still home today.

The new space brought room to grow, and the menu grew with it. Still carryout only — but the foundation was being laid for something bigger.

In 1981, Pizza John's opened its first dining room — 80 seats, a new chapter. Four years later, the "greenhouse" took shape at the front of the building, converting windows into doorways and adding 44 more guests to the table. Through the 1990s, the kitchen grew, the counter expanded, and the operation kept pace with the demand that never let up.

Then in 2001, John and Anthony passed the torch, and a new generation of family stepped in to carry it forward. Between 2003 and 2004, Pizza John's was reimagined inside and out. The building took on a classic Tuscan character. One hundred seats were added. An ice cream bar joined the menu. The parking lot grew to match. Today, the next generation leads — honoring everything the brothers built while writing the next chapter of the story.

In 2012, the doors expanded once more — 100 additional seats, bringing the total to 320 across four dining rooms and 204 parking spaces. What began as a 600-square-foot carryout is now one of Essex's most recognizable landmarks, built one expansion at a time over more than half a century.

In 2020, Pizza John's reached beyond Essex for the first time — shipping Bake at Home pizzas nationwide and partnering with local Baltimore businesses to bring the same food people have been driving across town for, straight to their door.

None of it has happened by accident. Since 1966, the standard has been the same: meet the demand, never cut corners, and serve food worth coming back for. That hasn't changed. It won't.

To everyone who has been part of this story — thank you. The best chapters are still ahead.