Pappou's Pizza Pub, the Morton tavern known across Delaware County for its wings and its late founder's Greek nickname, will pour its last pint this Sunday. The bar, which has anchored Baltimore Pike since 1979, told customers this week that the closure came down to circumstances "beyond our control," ending a run of nearly five decades.
The announcement went out Wednesday in a social media post, according to CBS News Philadelphia, which reported that Pappou's will close for good this Sunday. Beyond its wings, the pub had built a following for its bottle shop, which stocked more than 400 craft and domestic beers for takeout alongside its bar menu, per the station's report.
Founded by a Boeing Veteran in 1979
The pub traces back to 1979, when Alfred A. Giomboni, a Ridley High School graduate and Boeing veteran, opened Pappou's and ran it with family members for more than three decades. Giomboni continued working the bar until his death in November 2010, according to an obituary published by the Delaware County Daily & Sunday Times. "Pappou" is the Greek word for grandfather, a name that stuck with the Morton bar long after its founder passed.
Wings, $2 Burgers and the 'Original ISOP'
Pappou's built a loyal following on comfort food that punched above its price tag. Back in 2014, the pub was featured in a regional burger crawl for serving $2 bar burgers that held their own against larger suburban chains, per PA Eats. The bar was also home to the "Original ISOP," an Inside Out Pizza folding cheese and toppings into fried or baked dough, a specialty found at a handful of Delco pizzerias, according to a LoopNet commercial listing for the property.
Pappou's also doubled as a neighborhood social hub, hosting weekly trivia nights, karaoke, comedy shows and biweekly open mic nights, according to Giftly. The tavern operated under the corporate name Pappou's Kitchen, Inc., in Springfield Township, per Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board records.
A Property Already on the Market
The closure wasn't entirely unforeseen. The 3,000-square-foot building at 415 Baltimore Pike had been listed for sale since May for $859,000 as a turnkey package, according to a LoopNet listing. That price included the real estate, the business, kitchen equipment, an extra lot and an "R" liquor license valued at $250,000 - the kind of retail license that frequently accounts for $250,000 or more of a Delaware County property's total price under Pennsylvania's county quota system, per the same listing.
It remains unclear who might purchase the Baltimore Pike property or whether the liquor license will transfer to another local business, questions the listing does not answer.
Part of a Broader Delco Pizzeria Shift
Pappou's exit follows a familiar pattern for Delaware County's old-guard pizza spots. Upper Darby's Pica's Restaurant, open for 70 years, closed in 2025 before relocating to a smaller takeout concept in Broomall this past July, as reported by Philadelphia Magazine. Rising operating costs and shifting dining habits have pushed several classic Delco eateries to scale down or shut their doors entirely, the outlet reported.
For now, Morton regulars have just days left to grab a slice of the Original ISOP or a last round from the bottle shop before Pappou's closes its doors this Sunday.
