Pizza Superbowl

[Rich Pawlak]

Speaking of boardwalk pizza, I need to add:

Mack's in Wildwood, NJ (several locations on the boardwalk

Mack & Manko's in Ocean City (also several shops on the OC boardwalk

And in Trenton:

Top Road Tavern, Brunswick Ave., North Trenton

Keeps the tomato pie tradition strong with an amazingly crackly crust, great tangy sauce and judicious use of cheese.

[TheMan,TheMyth]

best thing crust:  kinchley's.

almost the best thin crust:  brooklyn's in hackensack (not the other locations).

best boardwalk pizza:  the sawmill in seaside.  i could eat this stuff every day.

How about Nellie's place in Waldwick??

I do like Kinchley's but Nellies is the best thin crust in North Jersey!!!

Notice I said North Jersey. The best thin crust in New Jersey is Carmen's a.k.a. Pete and Elda's in Neptune City, followed by Maria's in Manasquan.

The Man, The Myth

TapItorScrapIt.com

[tommy]

TMTM, i'm on board with you a bit with Nellie's. a really good bar pie. thin, crispy, and tasty. i just don't think it's better than kinchely's. plus i like the whole vibe at kinchley's. don't get me wrong, i love nellie's, and i'm glad you reminded me of the place!

[hillbill]

Has anyone ever visited the pizzeria in Perth Amboy that was ignominiously shut down by the city while there was a campaign to save it?  It supposedly had exemplary pizza.  I read about it just about when they closed it, sometime this summer.

I found the name of the place: Sciortino's Pizzeria

Perth Amboy looks past relocation struggles

Perth Amboy to pay landmark pizzeria $775,000 - City to demolish property to make way for public safety complex

SAVE SCIORTINO'S!

[WHT]

Three brothers of Italy -  off of route 9 - Lakewood, NJ  -  the pizza I grew up eating.

Good luck on your search

I thought they’re where several of the Three Brothers places in the Ocean County area. I can think of two near rout 9. 1 is off 9 in Lakewood and the other is on 9 almost in Toms River. Both tend to run hot and cold. Again this is almost 10 years ago.

Red Lion Pub in Brick does a good pie as did Parkway on Burnt Tavern road. The Hub outside Ft. Monmouth was good too.

[=Mark]

Vic's in Bradley Beach.

[thereuare]

My Favorites: Pizza in New Jersey

(mods, how about merging threads?)

Edited November 8, 2003 by thereuare (log)

[steakas]

My top 7 list for "NJ Restaurants I Want To Try This Year" in 2004:

Saddle River Inn

Moonstruck, Asbury Park

Mignon, Rutherford

Frankie and Johnnie's, Hoboken

Kinchley's Tavern, Ramsey

Whispers, Spring Lake

Rat's, Hamilton

My first stop was Kinchley's.

I was so excited during the 1hour-&-15min trek to Ramsey. Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

The appetizer: Muscles. They came in a bland marinara and one was bad - I ended up spitting it on my plate. No big deal... shit happens, it wasn't the first time. What a way to start my new year

… then the pizzas came, which completely and thoroughly disappointed me.

My latest thing is I order pizza with sausage and garlic. I typically always a second plain so I can savor the true meaning of the pizza they produce. Then it arrived, with sliced sausage! I dipped my head in shame and said, "What the hell is that?"

The garlic is the first thing sprinkled onto the sauce, and then the cheese. The cheese therefore cooks and the garlic doesn't. The result is a garlic taste whose flavor isn't cooked nor spread throughout the pie. Instead one just eats raw crunchy garlic. It looked and tasted like the minced garlic you buy in the big glass jar at price club, which isn't fresh.

The plain pizza just added to my disappointment... I was now able to taste an authentic tin flavor in the sauce.

I guess the quality would reflect in anyplace that serves $7.99 all-you-can eat meals. I'm not going to drag this out - it's only pizza

I know everybody has their own reasons on where the best pizza is, Kinchley's isn't mine; their pizza just sucks.

I'll continue trekking to Trenton.

[jo-mel]

Don't forget "the world famous" Star Tavern in West Orange. (thin crust)

[thereuare]

Steakas,

If you 'travel for pizza' as i do, i'd suggest giving the white pie at Denino's in Staten Island a try. Their regular pie is great too, but if you're a garlic lover, the white pie is unlike any other white pie i've seen... rioctta, mozzarella, olive oil and GARLIC!

I think they have the best pizza in the tri-state area (white or otherwise).

[jo-mel]

Steakas,

If you 'travel for pizza' as i do, i'd suggest giving the white pie at Denino's in Staten Island a try.  Their regular pie is great too, but if you're a garlic lover, the white pie is unlike any other white pie i've seen... rioctta, mozzarella, olive oil and GARLIC!

I think they have the best pizza in the tri-state area (white or otherwise).

Now THAT is a white pie I'd really like!! Is the garlic sauteed first, or just spread raw, and allowed to cook in the oven?

Too often white pies are studded with broccoli. I do not like broccoli on my pie, Sam I Am!

[steakas]

I went to DeLorenzo's tonight. Their pizza is simply my favorite. If you've never been there, I suggest you give it a try … at least once.

We waited 1/2 hour outside, and another 20 minutes inside. Be prepared.

[Rich Pawlak]

I went to DeLorenzo's tonight.  Their pizza is simply my favorite.  If you've never been there, I suggest you give it a try … at least once.

We waited 1/2 hour outside, and another 20 minutes inside.  Be prepared.

It is still amazing to me, after living here for 7 years, that so many people are willing to wait OUTSIDE at both the Hudson St. Delorenzo's, as well as the Hamilton Ave. Delorenzo's (try the white pie with asparagus and red peppers---wow!). Until, of course, you taste the pies. It's all worth it then.

When the wait at either place seems unreasonable, I've been heading over to the Top Road Tavern, 1142 Brunswick Pike, in North Trenton, whose tomato pie, to me, is a very close third place to the two Delorenzo's places. Thin, crisp crust, that perfect mix of tomato and cheese, and a retro atmosphere that is very welcoming. Good, simple antipasto too. It is one of the places I intend to drag our next meeting of PIZZA CLUB ( scroll/ skip to the latest posts, for details of our next outing, Jerseyites) . This will spoil our happy group forever.

[Andrew Fenton]

It is one of the places I intend to drag our next meeting of PIZZA CLUB, and that will spoil our happy group forever.

Yeah yeah. You're all talk... When's this Trenton trip going to happen, anyway? I've gotta see how this NJ version compares to the Philly variety. Er, varieties...

[Andrew Fenton]

Holy cow! Now that's what I call instant service. Can I make you do other things just by posting about them?

[Rich Pawlak]

Holy cow!  Now that's what I call instant service.  Can I make you do other things just by posting about them?

Yeah, well, you're the one with the creepy, hypnotic eyeballs (see , third, from the right), you tell me. Positively creepy.

[Andrew Fenton]

Good point. Actually, that's the look of somebody being hypnotized BY the magic of pizza. Free will goes out the door in the presence of a magnificent tomato pie like that; I become a pizza pod person.

[Jeff L]

Bumping up this almost 4 year old thread, I just had lunch in Princeton yesterday at a relatively new place called Magma Pizza. Really bad choice of name but the deal here is that they bake your pizza (and some sandwiches) on a volcanic stone and lava rocks.

The kitchen area looks like something from the set of Star Trek featuring a volcano like structure rising from the oven/rotisserie to the ceiling. Peculiar to be sure but the pie was amazingly good. I chatted with the owner, Gabe, who hails from Damascus (who knew Syrians knew about pizza?) and learned that he is looking to open in another similarly densely populated area. I tried to convince him to consider Newtown in Bucks County but he passed.

We ordered a large pizza with fresh garlic and fresh basil. It came out in under 5 minutes. The crust was impossibly thin and light and airy but full of crunch and great flavor. They put whole leaf basil on every other piece and sprinkled whole garlic cloves. The pie was inhaled in about the time it took to cook it. Excellent in all respects and a close 2nd to Delorenzo's (Really)

It is located a few doors down from the Sam's Club on Nassau Park Blvd just off Route 1 south of Princeton. Here is their website:

http://www.magmapizza.com/

[Shmily]

Don't forget "the world famous" Star Tavern in West Orange. (thin crust)

←

At the risk of my life...I have a question...I have lived in West Orange for many years and have eaten at Star Tavern many time...and while it may be heresy to some...I do not think their pizza is so great...pools of oil on the pizza do not make my pizza great...and then mushrooms look just like the ones I have taken from a jar or can and the salty, salty anchovies left me longing for better...so pl-e-a-s-e splain why some say Star makes the best pizza...thanks...

[Rich Pawlak]

Bumping up this almost 4 year old thread, I just had lunch in Princeton yesterday at a relatively new place called Magma Pizza. Really bad choice of name but the deal here is that they bake your pizza (and some sandwiches) on a volcanic stone and lava rocks.

The kitchen area looks like something from the set of Star Trek featuring a volcano like structure rising from the oven/rotisserie to the ceiling. Peculiar to be sure but the pie was amazingly good. I chatted with the owner, Gabe, who hails from Damascus (who knew Syrians knew about pizza?) and learned that he is looking to open in another similarly densely populated area. I tried to convince him to consider Newtown in Bucks County but he passed.

We ordered a large pizza with fresh garlic and fresh basil. It came out in under 5 minutes. The crust was impossibly thin and light and airy but full of crunch and great flavor. They put whole leaf basil on every other piece and sprinkled whole garlic cloves. The pie was inhaled in about the time it took to cook it. Excellent in all respects and a close 2nd to Delorenzo's (Really)

It is located a few doors down from the Sam's Club on Nassau Park Blvd just off Route 1 south of Princeton. Here is their website:

http://www.magmapizza.com/

←

I've sampled the pizza at Magma several times now, and I find it quite good, too, Jeff. Terrific thin crust with a good yeasty chew, and best of all, FLAVOR in the crust. They also make a superb pita bread and hummus. I suspect that they employ some farina and semolina in thier pizza dough, as some Syrians and Egyptians in the pizza biz like to do. It resembles very closely the pizza I used to enjoy in Baltiumore at the old, original Al Pacino in Fells Point, founded by an Egyptian fellow who grew up in Rome. His secret was the addition of farina and semolina into the dough mixture and it also produced a superb yeasty, chewy crust, very very similar to Magma's.

[ELA]

In my area - Bergen - I like:

Fort lee Pizza - best regular pies

Donnas Pizza in Leonia - best sicilian

Kincheleys - best thin crust

Burks - in Westwood - same as Kincheleys - I think someone from Kincheleys makes the pies for them.

←

Excellent choices. I also used to very much like Pizza Chef (in Fort Lee). I remember Donna's also and I've always liked Sicillian pizza (actually, more than regular pizza). I now live much closer to Kinchley's, and I've always liked it, but I've never been fanatical about thin-crust pizza -- once in a while, change of pace, etc., nevertheless, Kinchley's is top-notch.

Eric

[clumsycook]

I know you were going for expediency, but there's a wealth of pizza info on eGullet already. A simple search for 'best pizza' (limiting the search to the NJ forum, with the date range changed to 'any') will yield several useful threads, including one about DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies.

←

DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in Trenton is BY FAR my favorite pizza in NJ. They have two locales in Trenton, one on Hamilton and one on Hudson. Hamilton is always on the mark, always great, while Hudson is sometimes a little off. But when Hudson's good, they are soooo good. However, one reason to go to Hamilton instead is that Hudson doesn't have any restrooms!

[steakas]

I know you were going for expediency, but there's a wealth of pizza info on eGullet already. A simple search for 'best pizza' (limiting the search to the NJ forum, with the date range changed to 'any') will yield several useful threads, including one about DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies.

←

DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in Trenton is BY FAR my favorite pizza in NJ. They have two locales in Trenton, one on Hamilton and one on Hudson. Hamilton is always on the mark, always great, while Hudson is sometimes a little off. But when Hudson's good, they are soooo good. However, one reason to go to Hamilton instead is that Hudson doesn't have any restrooms!

←

DL Hudson St will offer you sanitary service if needed; you just have to ask.

[TomDel]

Everyone is familiar with the two Delorenzo’s in Trenton (Hudson & Hamilton Aves.). They both make excellent pies. However, there are a number of other places in the Trenton area that are arguably as good or better depending upon your taste. There’s Papa’s on Chambers St., Jo Jo’s at five points, Top Road on Brunswick Ave and the Ivy Tavern on S. Broad St. to name a few. A lot of locals think that Papa’s and/or the old Bartolini’s (now Champions) were better than Delorenzo’s.

[steakas]

Steakas,

If you 'travel for pizza' as i do, i'd suggest giving the white pie at Denino's in Staten Island a try.  Their regular pie is great too, but if you're a garlic lover, the white pie is unlike any other white pie i've seen... rioctta, mozzarella, olive oil and GARLIC!

I think they have the best pizza in the tri-state area (white or otherwise).

Now THAT is a white pie I'd really like!! Is the garlic sauteed first, or just spread raw, and allowed to cook in the oven?

Too often white pies are studded with broccoli. I do not like broccoli on my pie, Sam I Am!

←

Denino`s Pizzeria opened in Strathmore plaza, Rte. 34, Aberdeen, NJ. Finally... great pizza close to home. What a great pie! I only had the sausage... it was unique... great. It's a must-try for all of you guys. I hope they remain consistent.