A Brick-Oven Legacy Lives On at Tacconelli’s in Haddon Township

Along a lively stretch of Haddon Avenue, where South Jersey’s dining scene quietly rivals any in the region, Tacconelli’s Pizzeria has carved out a reputation that feels both storied and deeply personal. The Haddon Township restaurant, located just minutes from Collingswood, represents generations of Italian-American baking tradition translated into one of New Jersey’s most respected thin-crust pizza experiences.

Tacconelli’s is not designed to chase trends. Instead, it leans into a philosophy that values restraint, craftsmanship, and time-tested technique. The result is a dining destination that consistently draws devoted locals, regional pizza enthusiasts, and first-time visitors eager to understand why this family name carries such weight in conversations about great New Jersey pizza. For readers exploring standout pizza destinations across the state, Explore New Jersey’s curated coverage of local favorites can be found through its dedicated pizza section.

The restaurant sits at 164 Haddon Avenue and operates as a cash-only, BYOB establishment, a choice that reinforces its old-school approach. An on-site ATM provides convenience, but otherwise the focus remains squarely on the food and the experience. Dinner reservations are strongly encouraged, particularly for guests planning to dine in the private party room, as the intimate space fills quickly during peak hours.

Tacconelli’s Haddon Township location maintains a concise weekly schedule, closing Mondays and Tuesdays. From Wednesday through Saturday, the doors open at 4 p.m. and service runs through 9:30 p.m., while Sundays offer a slightly earlier start and close at 8:30 p.m. These limited hours only heighten demand, especially among diners who understand that the kitchen prioritizes quality over volume.

At the heart of the menu is the pizza itself: thin, crisp, and deliberately cooked well-done in a brick oven that delivers a subtle char without overpowering the toppings. Each pie reflects a balance of simplicity and precision, allowing the crust to remain the star. Among the most talked-about options is the Signature Pie, a white pizza layered with spinach and chopped tomatoes that highlights how restraint can elevate flavor. The Margherita, equally revered, leans on classic proportions and freshness rather than embellishment.

Beyond pizza, the menu expands into a thoughtful selection of homemade pastas that feel more like a family Sunday dinner than restaurant fare. Gnocchi and other house-made dishes showcase the same attention to detail found in the oven. Salads arrive with scratch-made dressings, while dessert options, including house-prepared gelato, provide a fitting close to a meal built on tradition.

The atmosphere inside Tacconelli’s mirrors its culinary philosophy. The dining room is casual and welcoming, designed for conversation rather than spectacle. Large windows offer views of Haddon Avenue, reinforcing the restaurant’s connection to the neighborhood and its role as a community gathering place rather than a destination built solely for hype.

The story behind Tacconelli’s stretches back more than a century and begins far from South Jersey. In 1918, Giovanni Tacconelli emigrated from Chieti, Italy, to Philadelphia, bringing with him the baking knowledge of his homeland. By the 1920s, he and friends had constructed a massive brick oven to support a growing bread business. That operation paused during World War II when Giovanni’s sons were drafted, but the oven itself remained.

In 1946, with his sons moving into other professions, Giovanni repurposed the oven to make tomato pies using a recipe passed down from his mother in Italy. That decision laid the foundation for what would become one of the most recognizable pizza names in the region. The business transitioned through generations, first to Giovanni’s son Anthony, then to Anthony’s son Vince, preserving the original approach while gradually expanding its reach.

A major turning point came in 1998, when Vince and his wife Barbara retired and entrusted the Philadelphia location to their son, Vince Tacconelli Jr. Five years later, Vince Jr. and his wife Doris opened the first New Jersey outpost in Maple Shade, bringing the family’s brick-oven style closer to their home. That location later moved to West Main Street in 2014, and in 2021 the Haddon Township restaurant opened, marking the family’s second New Jersey presence.

While the Philadelphia and New Jersey locations are now operated independently by different branches of the family, they remain united by Giovanni Tacconelli’s original vision. The thin-crust, brick-oven tomato pie remains the backbone of the menu, while the New Jersey restaurants have expanded to include pastas, salads, and desserts that reflect the same heritage-driven philosophy.

In a dining landscape often dominated by reinvention and novelty, Tacconelli’s Pizzeria in Haddon Township stands out by doing the opposite. It honors a century-old legacy, delivers consistency without compromise, and continues to prove that some of New Jersey’s most compelling food stories are written not through reinvention, but through preservation done exceptionally well.