Passing through tonight on I-95. Where should we go for dinner?
To me only one place fits your goal: http://www.delorenzostomatopies.com/index2.html
heading south on “95” (NJ Turnpike) take exit 7A west (195)…less than ten minutes from the intersection. Be prepared to wait. This place is more of consensus “Best” of almost any category I know of. And…I’ve been there lots and lots over the last30 years…at this and their old location, so I can confirm.
Always a treat.
Nothing nearly as good in Maine or MA, IMO.
Report back.
Further north in no particular order, Santillo’s in Elizabeth, Razza in Jersey City, Vesta in East Rutherford are all very good. None beat the best in Brooklyn or Manhattan though.
Star Tavern in Orange.
Going to Star next weekend. (It’s actually in “Orange”, not West Orange.)
Think DeLorenzo’s “beats” all other pizza from MA to Phila, inclusive. IMO, next on my to “beat” list is one of the places in New Haven…then Totonno’s…
All very subjective, of course.
I have nowhere near the experience necessary to comment on best in NJ but I can say that my 2 favorites out of those I’ve tried are Razza in Jersey City for Neapolitan and Kinchley’s Tavern in Mahway for thin crust.
Stuart, thanks much for the timely recommendation. We stopped in at De Lorenzo’s at about 8pm last night. We had a fantastic time. I imagine the old location had an even better atmosphere, but the waiters and host/owner? and clientele definitely made us feel both welcome and like we got to experience an old school New Jersey kind of place.
Also, the pizza was fantastic. Best pizza I’ve ever had in NJ. While it’s also the only pizza I’ve ever had in NJ, I can confirm it’s better than anything in Maine and at least as good as (although enjoyably different from) the best places in San Francisco.
Thanks again. Carry on with the debate by the way; maybe we’ll try a different spot on our way back up. Or maybe we’ll just go back to De Lorenzo’s.
Thanks for reporting back, Jay…given your criteria: “near 95” and “Best NJ pizza”…it was a no-brainer. Glad you enjoyed it. I’ve taken every opportunity to get there over the last 25 years.
The old place was full of character: no bathroom; only lunch on Friday; no credit cards. A real “mom and pop” operation with about 20 tables. I miss that, but…really like the “new” place too.
It is a unique style of “pizza”. They call it “tomato pie” in the Trenton area: crisp, with cheese under the chopped tomatoes, for extra crispness. My holy grail to emulate…with the pizza oven I have in my garage, and for me, that’s the “holy grail” of cooking. (I can come pretty close; enough to satisfy me and my brood.)
On your return, if you’re into Bruce Springsteen, you can have great thin crust pizza and visit his hometown (and mine)…and stop at Federici’s in Freehold (14 miles off of Exit 8 of the Turnpike). Fed’s has been around almost a hundred years now; even longer than DeLorenzo’s. As Bruce said in an interview once, everyone’s car had Federici grease dripped in it…when he was growin’ up. Freehold NJ’s Federici’s—Springsteen’s Favorite Pizza Still One of Jersey’s Best | The Pizza Snob
Nothing comparable in Maine that I’ve found, though I recently enjoyed the gargantuan thick slice at Micucci’s in Portland…and there is a guy in Spruce Head who hails from NJ and makes pizza by the Ocean for the warm months who gets raves. Otherwise, the pizza I’ve had in Maine is forgettable.
Thanks for the additional recommendation, Stuart. I’ll post if we make it to Federici’s.
I also like the Micucci’s pizza slabs, although I think it has at least something to do with the fact that I really like Micucci’s in general. It’s amazing that an old-school ethnic grocery like that has survived into 2015 in Maine. I imagine if you are a laborer/dock worker who needs a filling lunch, it’s pretty hard to beat a slab from Micucci’s for $3.50.
If you are in the Portland area and want “regular” pizza (as opposed to the Sicilian slab-style at Micucci’s or Slab, another good place in Portland), the best option by far is Otto’s. I’d never try to convince you that it’s on par with the best places in NY/NJ, but it’s genuinely good pizza. I wouldn’t be embarrassed to take a friend from New Jersey or NYC there.
Razza’s gets a rave review in today’s NYT
3 stars is nuts. wow. very impressive.
We play weekend golf nearby and are always looking out for good lunch places. Do they allow BYO?
Ramon, last time I was at Razza’s, their corkage was $15. They are not open for lunch and closed on Sundays. Their sister restaurant is Arturo’s in Maplewood. They are open all week and open for lunch. They have no liquor license, so you can BYO. Neither takes reservations. Be prepared to wait at both unless you get there at opening. I was at Arturo’s for lunch about a month ago on a Saturday. Wait for 3 people was about 30 minutes. Food, other than pizza, is also very good at both.
Cool. Thanks, Paul. Both are in my radar. Maplewood seems to have a couple of other good BYO places.
Ramon, Lorena’s in Maplewood is excellent.
A big +1. And Arturo’s is very good. Midweek dinner is rarely much of a wait.
Yep, been to Lorena’s 2 or 3 times. Enjoyed everything and the seared foie gras dish was always ordered.
We got a Santillos pizza last night, the 2011 with San Mariano’s and cheese, 8 minute. Excellent flavoring, the style was similar to Delorenzos for this one. Crust was super thin, cracker like but a bit oily (crust not the topping).
What Paul said. For the above reasons I usually just get takeout from them. Not as good as fresh from the oven but a lot more convenient.
Can’t wait to try this. Also can’t wait to get back to Razza.
As an aside for the group. I called them last week and corkage has been raised to a still very reasonable $18.