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 2005.

More than a decade later, their daughter, Alivia Tagliaferri, an author, entrepreneur and creative professional, created Tag’s Foods, LLC in 2016, bringing the recipes and foods people remembered back to Williamsport. What began as a pop-up business eventually grew into Tag’s Take Out & Italian Specialty Store at 1116 Market Street.

Today, Alivia continues the Tag’s tradition as its third-generation owner, remaining faithful to the recipes and methods passed down through generations of her family while continuing to find new ways to share them.

In 2026, Tag’s entered another new chapter. Daily takeout service concluded in April, allowing the business to focus on specialty retail products, Tag’s on Tuesdays, pop-up events, catering and new opportunities for growth.

That evolution now extends beyond Williamsport. Through a partnership with Delivered Fresh, Tag’s Original Sauce, Meatballs, Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, handmade pastas and other favorites are reaching customers throughout a growing region of Pennsylvania and Southern New York.

The way people experience Tag’s may continue to evolve, but what matters most has never changed: the food, the recipes and the memories shared around the table.

Tag’s — The Taste You Remember.