Pontillo's Pizza Brighton

Pontillo's Pizza Brighton is a family-owned pizzeria at 1822 Monroe Avenue in the Town of Brighton, Rochester, NY. The Pontillo's chain traces its roots to 1947, when Tony Pontillo opened the original location in Batavia, New York — at a time when pizza was still unfamiliar to many Americans outside Italian communities. The Rochester area got its first Pontillo's about five years later, in the early 1950s. Today the brand operates more than 20 locations across Western New York, most of them independently owned by local residents. The Brighton shop serves the busy Monroe Avenue corridor with both delivery and carryout.

The menu centers on pizza with a wide range of toppings and styles:

• Traditional mozzarella pies and white/garlic pizza
• Specialty pizzas such as buffalo chicken, Hawaiian, and The New Yorker (thin-crust spicy pepperoni)
• Cauliflower crust as an alternative base (note: not suitable for those with celiac disease due to shared prep surfaces)

Beyond pizza, the Brighton location carries hot subs (meatball, chicken parmesan, Philly cheesesteak), calzones, wings in both traditional and cauliflower varieties, pizza logs, mozzarella sticks, garlic bread, salads, and chicken tenders with fries. Carryout hours run as early as 10:00 AM on weekdays and delivery is available seven days a week, with Friday and Saturday service extending to 9:30 PM for delivery and 10:00 PM for pickup.

Pontillo's is one of Western New York's longest-operating pizza chains, with nearly eight decades in business. The Brighton location carries on a tradition built around straightforward, toppings-heavy pizza and extra-large slices. The availability of cauliflower crust alongside conventional dough reflects the shop's effort to keep pace with dietary trends while maintaining the same core recipes the family has used since the late 1940s.

The shop sits on Monroe Avenue just steps from the Twelve Corners intersection, where Monroe Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, and South Winton Road converge in one of Brighton's main commercial hubs. This stretch of Monroe Avenue functions as Brighton's unofficial main street, lined with independent shops, restaurants, and services. Street parking is available along Monroe Avenue, and several small plazas nearby offer additional lot parking. Brighton High School and Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church are both within a short walk.