About us

We custom-blend it all right here in our Italian kitchen. Our dough is made from a secret, memorized family recipe. Sausage is spiced and blended just the way the Pagliai family has made for over 60 years. Our sausage and beef are happily prepared on site so we can make ultra-premium old school quality for your pizzas, calzones, pastas or sandwiches. Our old school meat pasta sauce simmers all day long waiting for a chance to delight your taste buds!

We love what we do. Travis Vander Weerdt owns and operates Pagliai's in Johnston, and has been eating Pagliai's Pizzas since he was a child. Between Travis, Manager Robert (Bobby) Betts, we have 40 years of dedicated work under the Pagliai family. You'll find us on site every day pursuing our passion. We will make sure everything is being prepared to perfection, and our creations exceed your expectations.

Pagliai's is locally owned and operated. you will enjoy friendly service from our professional staff every time you walk in our doors. Thank You, patrons for your love and support.

About Our food

Pagliai's Fresher, Healthier Food Tastes Better

We noticed something a few years ago. Our pizza crust was different than it used to be. A few of our long time customers noticed it too.I was puzzled by this because our recipe and methods have stayed the same since 1957 when we opened our doors. So I started digging. What I discovered is that the flour on the market today is markedly different than what we used in years past. The world's wheat crop was transformed in the 1950s and 60s with the development of high-yielding varieties of wheat. Most wheat on the market today is bred to get as much yield as possible and to do everything reasonably well instead of doing specific things incredibly well. As a result, the pizza made from this wheat simply didn't taste as good and the texture was markedly different. That was not acceptable to us.

What we did about it... We found flour from Italy made from wheat that is bred and processed specifically to make a perfect pizza crust. Italians invented pizza and they know what they are doing! It is also processed cleaner making the flour much healthier. Better yet, it tastes wonderful and it gives us a crispier crust - like our crust was in 1957. This flour is much more expensive, but we think our customers are worth it!

But it is about more than our flour - Our sausage is made from whole pork roasts and made with a secret in-house recipe. We use lard. Lard is higher in monounsaturated fats, which are good for cardiovascular health. Lard is also rich in oleic acid, the same fatty acid that is in olive oil and praised for its health benefits. Our pepperoni and cheese is of the highest quality and our spices come from Europe, Egypt and Africa. Yummmm. We slice our peppers in house, so they are fresher and not full of preservatives. OK, so most people don't go into a pizza parlor thinking about health food. We get it. But doesn't it make you feel good that at Pagliai's, our food IS healthier, fresher, and tastes better to boot!