Our History

La Nostra Storia

World War II was still raging when Aldo Larue Tagliaferri came home for a visit from his station in England as a Sergeant in the Army Air Corp (Aviation Ordenance) supporting the United States and Allied Forces’ aerial warfare operations.

Ilivia “Leah” Taddeo saw him and commented to her friend, Joannie Nicolosi (Fetzer), “I’m going to marry him someday.”

And she did.

Upon his return home after Victory Day, they married and had two children — Mary Ann (Rowe) and Anthony, also known as “Honey Boy.” Together, they operated the Tagliaferri family’s neighborhood store on Sherman and East Third Street for several years.

In 1959, they purchased a building on Memorial Avenue across the street from the Pajama Factory, and opened up Tag’s Bar and Grille to serve the factory workers and blue collar families of the city’s west end.

Primarily a bar with sandwiches as light fare (The Garbage Sandwich among them), the catalyst for Tag’s becoming one of the city’s most popular restaurants was the day Leah made sauce and meatballs and offered Tag’s Meatball Subs to the customers. They loved it. Next she made Spaghetti & Meatballs. They loved that, too. So a full menu was offered and seating was established for seventy people at a time.

With the help of family (LOTS of family — including Mary Ann) and friends, Tag’s became a place where people gathered weekly with their families, their friends and their coworkers to share in the camaraderie of great food, kissed hands, hearty handshakes, uproarious stories and genuine friendship.

Aldo and Leah operated Tag’s together until her death in March of 1999.

At that time, Aldo transferred ownership of Tag’s to Anthony and Theresa Tagliaferri, who operated the restaurant until Anthony’s premature passing in June of 2005.

Twelve years later, their daughter Alivia Tagliaferri, an author and business woman, created Tag’s Foods, LLC and opened up Tag’s Take Out, a “pop-up” business offering the traditional fare and fan-favorites from the old Tag’s on the first Monday of each month at The Carriage House. Soon thereafter, Aldo Louis Tagliaferri, the only son of the family, came on board and the business took off.

Today, Alivia and Aldo operate Tag’s Take Out & Italian Specialty Store at 1116 Market Street in Williamsport as third-generation owners of Tag’s. They work hard to stay faithful to the recipes handed down to them by their parents and grandparents, and to extend a warm, friendly atmosphere to ensure customers enjoy a wonderful experience.

Open weekdays from 11am - 6pm, visit them at their new location and enjoy Tag’s — The Taste You Remember!