While New York and Chicago are renowned for their iconic pizza styles, Maryland has its own distinct version. As first noted by the MoCoShow back in 2014, Maryland-style pizza is rectangular, features a biscuity crust, a sweet tomato sauce, and is topped with smoked provolone cheese.
The origins of this unique style can be traced back to 1955, when Ledo Restaurant, now known as Ledo Pizza, opened its first location in Adelphi, Maryland (Prince George’s County). At that time, circular pizza pans were becoming popular, but Ledo chose to use rectangular pans and found success with this approach, which has since become a defining characteristic of their pizza.
Several popular local pizza spots continue to honor this rectangular pizza tradition, including Stained Glass Pub in Glenmont, Continental in Kensington, Gentleman Jim’s in Gaithersburg, and 4 Corners Pub in Silver Spring. The tradition also has roots in the Cavalier Restaurant in D.C., which was owned by “Gentleman” Jim Hance before it moved to Twinbrook and became the first Gentleman Jim’s. While Gentleman Jim’s typically uses Swiss cheese, they also offer pizzas with provolone or mozzarella.
Although the original Ledo Restaurant closed in July 2010, it reopened a month later as Ledo Pizza in downtown College Park (Knox Road). The Ledo Pizza chain has since expanded to over 100 locations across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Flori
