Our Passion
for Pizza
Sal's Pizzeria is a family restaurant that takes pride in preparing food the old, traditional way. Only the best ingredients are used in our homemade dishes, including sausage and meatballs. All dough and sauces are made fresh and we always use fresh vegetables. These qualities are just some of the many that have made Sal's Pizzeria one of Ithaca's favorite restaurants for over 35 years.
Salvatore Melice moved to Ithaca, New York from Canicaitti, Sicily in December of 1974.
Only one year later, he began working in the restaurant business. In 1979, he became a partner at Roma Pizzeria. After 10 years as a partner, Sal decided that it was time to embark on his own, opening Sal's Pizzeria in 1989.
Joe Tilton came to Sal's Pizzeria in 1990. He brought with him several years of restaurant experience, beginning his pizza career in 1982 at Napoli's. After almost a decade working together, Sal took Joe on as his business partner in 1999.
​
Together, Sal and Joe have over 80 years of experience in the pizza business, allowing them to bring you the best experience possible.
In 2020, Sabrina Tilton joined her father in the family business as his business partner just one year after Sal retired. Sabrina grew up in the pizzeria, helping wait tables and spending time with the customers. She has worked in several different local eateries throughout her adolescence and young adult life. She went off to school to earn her Physical Therapy Assistant degree. She worked as a PTA for a few years before deciding to return to the family business.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
In 2024, Joe decided to hang it up and enjoy retirement after many years behind the counter. Abbey became business partners with Sabrina.
​
Sabrina and Abbey have learned everything they know from the many years of experience of Joe and Sal, and wish to continue on the legacy of quality food, a friendly atmosphere, and exceptional service.
​
Here's to another 35 years feeding our amazing community.