This Lesser-Known New York Pizzeria Is So Good People Drive Miles Just For One Slice

Would you add extra miles to a road trip for one really good slice of pizza? Plenty of hungry travelers in New York apparently would.

One pizzeria combines fresh dough, family recipes, blistered crust, garlic knots, and comforting Italian favorites with a setting that already makes the drive worthwhile.

Waterfalls and scenic roads nearby can turn lunch into the reward at the end of a full day outside.

That combination works almost too well! You explore first, then pizza finishes the job.

By the time the crust disappears, those “extra” miles may feel less like a detour and more like excellent judgment.

A Family Story Baked Fresh

Every great pizza starts with a great story, and this one begins in Sicily. Salvatore and Maria Purpura came from San Giuseppe Jato, Italy.

The natural surroundings of the Finger Lakes reminded the family of home. That connection helped turn this part of the Finger Lakes into a permanent base.

First came a pizza business in Montour Falls, New York, in 1994.

Three years later, the family expanded into Watkins Glen and opened Jerlando’s Ristorante & Pizza Co. in a former restaurant space.

The partnership remained closely tied to the family as the Watkins Glen location developed. Several expansions followed over the years, while the business kept its focus on casual dining and familiar Italian-American food.

Family recipes still appear directly on the menu. The Sicilian-style lasagna and stuffed red pepper are both identified as original family recipes.

The long-running goal has stayed straightforward: quality, value, generous portions, and a welcoming family atmosphere.

The Watkins Glen location remains at 400 N Franklin St, where it continues to operate as a full-service restaurant with a separate pizza and takeout area.

That Hand-Tossed Pizza Still Leads The Menu

Pizza remains one of the clearest reasons to stop here.

Each pie is hand tossed and cooked in deck ovens. Orders are prepared fresh, and the current menu asks guests to allow enough time for each pizza to be made properly.

The menu offers both standard pies and a substantial specialty selection. That keeps the pizza side flexible for groups that want familiar toppings or something more specific.

Across the state, plenty of pizzerias use their own formulas, but Jerlando’s keeps the process easy to understand: hand-tossed dough, deck ovens, fresh toppings, and made-to-order preparation.

The Margherita combines red sauce, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. The Bianca skips red sauce in favor of broccoli, sliced tomatoes, minced garlic, and whole-milk mozzarella.

The Supreme adds pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, sausage, and bell peppers. The Big Meat Pizza layers pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, sausage, and ham.

A 12-inch gluten-friendly crust is also available by request, giving diners another option without changing the rest of the pizza menu.

A Mile Of Chicken Wing Pizza

Here is a fun fact that sounds made up but is still part of the current menu. Jerlando’s says it makes more than a mile of chicken wing pizzas every year.

That claim has remained attached to one of the restaurant’s best-known specialty pies.

The Chicken Wing Pizza combines fried chicken, wing-style flavor, and whole-milk mozzarella on the same hand-tossed base used for the rest of the pizza lineup.

Want something gentler? The Margherita brings zesty red sauce, fresh basil, and creamy fresh mozzarella.

Garlic lovers should eye the Bianca. It skips the red sauce and piles on broccoli, sliced tomatoes, minced garlic, and whole milk mozzarella.

The Bruschetta Pizza tastes like summer in every bite. Fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, and mozzarella keep the combination straightforward.

Big appetites can tackle the Big Meat Pizza. Pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, sausage, and ham all share the same pie.

The current selection makes it easy for a table to order different styles and share slices without relying on one signature choice.

Garlic Knots Worth Adding To The Table

Garlic knots remain one of the most prominent appetizers on the current menu.

They are made to order rather than pulled from a ready-made batch, so a short wait is built into the process.

That timing matters because the kitchen is preparing them specifically for the order instead of treating them like a grab-and-go side.

The appetizer section also includes toasted ravioli, mozzarella sticks, bruschetta, calamari, and arancini, giving the table several ways to start before the pizza arrives.

House marinara accompanies several of those appetizers, including the toasted ravioli and mozzarella sticks.

Arancini adds a stronger Sicilian connection. Two hand-rolled rice balls are filled with beef and peas, coated with breadcrumbs, and served with ricotta and house marinara.

Garlic knots still make sense as the simplest companion to a pizza order, especially for a group planning to share several dishes.

Their made-to-order status is the important detail to remember. Warm bread arriving from the kitchen is part of the appeal, but the current menu does not support claims that every knot is stuffed with cheese or finished with a specific imported cheese.

Pasta Plates From Family Recipes

Pizza may lead the conversation, but the pasta and baked dishes take up a large share of the current menu.

Several dishes connect directly to the family history. Jerlando’s lasagna layers pasta with cheese and meat sauce, while the stuffed red pepper combines ground beef, Italian seasoning, fettuccine, marinara, and mozzarella.

Chicken Parmigiana remains a straightforward classic, with breaded chicken, house marinara, and mozzarella.

Tuscan Chicken takes a different direction with breaded chicken, mushrooms, onions, and housemade Alfredo sauce.

Then come the arancini, a true Sicilian favorite. These hand-rolled rice balls hold beef and peas inside a breadcrumb coating.

Mushroom ravioli is filled with portobello mushrooms and ricotta. Eggplant Parmigiana comes with marinara, mozzarella, and a side of spaghetti.

The menu also includes baked ziti with meatballs, manicotti, spaghetti with a choice of meatballs, sausage, or mushrooms, and several seafood and grilled entrées.

Most pasta and oven-baked dishes include garlic cheese bread and a side salad, which makes the meal feel complete without relying on oversized claims about portions or leftovers.

Dinner Inside An Italian-Style Dining Room

The Watkins Glen location is built for more than takeout.

A full-service dining room handles longer meals, while a separate pizza area provides smaller seating and a dedicated takeout setup.

The interior uses Italian-piazza styling and countryside murals, giving the dining room a more distinctive look than a basic pizza counter.

That atmosphere fits the menu without requiring exaggerated claims about how every guest reacts to it.

Families, couples, tour groups, and race teams have all been part of the restaurant’s customer base over the years.

Smaller parties are seated on a first-come basis. Reservations are currently limited to groups of nine or more, which is useful to know during busy Watkins Glen weekends.

The setup also gives visitors a choice between sitting down for pasta and entrées or keeping the stop shorter with pizza and takeout.

That flexibility matters in a town where a meal may be squeezed between hiking, shopping, lakefront time, and other Finger Lakes stops.

Local Flavor From Nearby Farms

Fresh ingredients do not always travel far to reach the kitchen.

Many breads, cheeses, produce items, and meats come from local partners in New York’s Finger Lakes region. That sourcing gives the restaurant a direct connection to surrounding food businesses.

It also fits the family’s history here. The landscape reminded the founders of Italy, and the business they built has remained tied to the region for decades.

Jerlando’s has operated in Watkins Glen since 1997, long enough to become part of the town’s everyday dining landscape.

The restaurant has expanded over time rather than staying frozen in its original footprint. The current operation combines full-service dining, pizza, takeout, catering, and a menu broad enough for groups with different appetites.

Local sourcing is easiest to appreciate in simple ingredients. Fresh tomatoes, basil, cheese, bread, and produce do not need elaborate treatment when the kitchen starts with good raw materials.

That approach also helps explain why the menu can move comfortably between pizza, salads, sandwiches, baked dishes, and familiar Italian favorites.

Plan A Watkins Glen Day Around The Meal

Watkins Glen State Park sits farther north on Franklin Street, making the restaurant a practical meal stop before or after the park.

The park’s Gorge Trail follows a dramatic route past 19 waterfalls and is one of New York’s best-known Finger Lakes walks.

The Gorge Trail is seasonal, generally operating from spring into mid or late October depending on conditions. The park itself remains open year-round, with rim trails available outside the gorge season.

Jerlando’s opens at 11 a.m. every day. Current posted hours run until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and until 8 p.m. on Sunday, although daily hours can change.

Because the restaurant and the park’s main entrance both sit on Franklin Street, visitors already exploring downtown can connect the two without complicated navigation.

The pizza area also handles takeout, which works well for anyone continuing through the Finger Lakes after the meal.

As of 2026, Jerlando’s remains a family-run Watkins Glen fixture with hand-tossed pizza, made-to-order garlic knots, house sauces, and a menu that extends well beyond pies.

That is enough of a reason to include it in a New York road trip without promising that every traveler will drive miles for one slice.