We celebrated 80 years in 2025… We can not express our appreciation for all our loyal customers. Or there's Old Forge-style, known for it's thick, crusty dough and goopy American cheese topping. And then there's Andy's Pizza. The Peckville mainstay has been an area favorite since it was first sold out of the original owner Andy Todero's home in 1945. Todero had to upgrade to a bigger space at 528
Main St., the site of a former hotel and police barracks. Decades later, the business has changed hands a few times, but the name and the recipe haven't changed, and the pizza's popularity hasn't waned. "He made Andy's what it was. He had a great product, and people loved it," said Joan Mikloiche, a current co-owner along with her husband, Jeff. Mikloiche's parents, Tom and Carol Nunes, together with another couple, took over the pizza shop in 1978. Her brothers helped operate the restaurant during their tenure, but it was Mrs. Mikloiche who took over in 1993 when her parents retired. Having worked as a cook, waitress and bartender, Mrs. Mikloiche knew the ins and outs of the business, and has worked her hardest to keep true to the old philosophy of quality and customer service. "It's amazing how they ran it," she said. Cheese was grated to order, and the pizza baked in brick ovens, Mrs. Mikloiche explained. Some of those methods have been updated, but the layout and decor have remained largely the same, which customers seem to appreciate. "For me, it's all about nostalgia ... coming back to where you came with your grandfather when you were 5," Mrs. Mikloiche said. "It's very family-oriented, really laid back." Just pizza
Simplicity is key at Andy's, which serves only pizza. Mikloiche and her daughter, Samantha, who runs the ovens and is the third generation of family at Andy's, had a hard time categorizing their fresh dough pizza. "It's a dish pizza, not hand-tossed, with a thick, crispy crust, and it's cheesy," Mrs. "I've never had our pizza anywhere else. You either like it or you don't." Specifying how you want your cheese prepared is important, too. "You have to say how you like it: light, dark, well done, burnt, because the cheese browns a certain way," she added. The plain, round red- sauced is the signature at Andy's, though the double-crust white with rosemary and onion is a big seller. The menu also offers specialty versions, such as Taco and BLT pizzas in the summer, Potato or Tomato and Ricotta for Lent, and the hugely popular Hot Wing, Hawaiian and Chicken Barbecue varieties. Mikloiche pointed out that even though she hasn't altered the recipe for the pizza, manufacturers and cooking techniques have changed over the years, leading to heated debates among customers about whether the food tastes exactly the same or not at all. Even weather conditions such as temperatures and humidity can affect the pizza, she said. The main dining room seats about 50, and the bar area accommodates another 20 or so customers. The restaurant is plastered with sources of local pride, including historical photos and mementos. Collects the past
An avid antique collector, Mrs. Mikloiche has been diligently gathering hometown memorabilia of local football teams of old, such as the Blakely Bears, or photographs of schools and coalbreakers in Olyphant. "People come in and say, 'That's my aunt' or 'That's my grandmother!'" Mrs. Mikloiche laughed. The familiar faces are a comfort to customers who have been coming into Andy's for decades, whether it's in the yellowed pictures hanging in frames on the walls, or the staff that serves them. "People watched me grow up here," Samantha said. "I like it." "My dad always said, 'Joan, don't change nothing. People do not like change. They like it the way it is. People like comfort,'" Mrs. Andy's has such an enduring loyalty among customers, some choose to buy it and ship it to family who no longer live in the area. Sometimes, people wait in lines out the door for their trays on busy nights. "I don't understand it, but I'm grateful," Mrs. "It's a valley secret." Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/lifestyles-people/nostalgia-and-comfort-served-with-andy-s-pizza-a-midvalley-favorite-for-66-years-1.1226834
