It was founded by Giuseppe "Joe" Papa in 1912 on South Clinton Avenue in Trenton, New Jersey.

[1][2] Papa's is the oldest family owned and longest continuously operating pizzeria in the United States,[3] as well as the second oldest pizzeria in the United States after Lombardi's Pizza (Lombardi's closed for a decade from 1984 to 1994 and was reopened under new management).

During the 1950s and 1960s Papa's would remain open until 3 am serving late workers and patrons who just left local bars.

[2] In 2013, Papa's moved to Robbinsville-Allentown Road in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

Azzaro has been making pizza for over fifty years and has worked for Papa's since he was 14.