We asked, you delivered: Top 5 pizza slices at the Shore
Readers weigh in on where to find the perfect pie
We asked, you delivered: Top 5 pizza slices at the Shore Readers weigh in on where to find the perfect pie Check out this story on app.com: http://on.app.com/1BZenrz
Sarah Griesemer, @sarahegriesemer Published 12:05 a.m. ET Jan. 14, 2015 | Updated 1:39 p.m. ET Nov. 20, 2017
A pizza with sausage, roasted red peppers and roasted green peppers at Carmen's Pizzeria at Pete & Elda's in Neptune City.(Photo: FILE PHOTO)Buy Photo
Editor's Note: We asked readers to rate the top pizza at the Jersey Shore, and Carmen's Pizzeria at Pete & Elda's in Neptune City was the winning slice.
We went inside the pizzeria to uncover the flavor behind the legend - and take a pizza challenge.
Here's the story on the top 5 pizzerias:
You're from New Jersey, so you know about the great debate in the Garden State. It's an ongoing one, with no end in sight. It pits friend against friend, husband against wife, brother against sister — and there will never be one right answer.
The question? Who makes the best pizza?
We conducted a deliciously unscientific survey on the topic, asking readers to share by email and on Facebook where they enjoy their favorite slice. You more than delivered. You had favorite spots for thin crust, for boardwalk pie, for gourmet slices. You shared your memories, your traditions. You agreed with each other — and disagreed, too — while defending your favorites. But one thing was clear — the people of this state truly love their pizza.
The top five slices, starting with the restaurant that received the most votes, are as follows:
1) Carmen's Pizzeria at Pete & Elda's in Neptune City: As for Pete & Elda's, "it's almost 54 years, striving to give consistent, quality food to keep customers coming back," said Chris Andretta, a manger at the restaurant and bar started by his grandfather, Carmen, and owned by his father, George. Andretta said they never have changed their recipe.
"To have a good, strong recipe like that and good family values, it's going to keep going for years to come," he said.
2) Vic's Italian Restaurant in Bradley Beach: "I think the secret to our success is two-fold," said Travis Semblewski, co-owner and partner of Vic's. "We have a very unique recipe for our sauce and dough, and we have been consistent in our product for 68 years. That is to say the recipe and our methods of making it never changed.
Ellen Gatta of Wall brings a sausage and pepper pizza to the bar at Vic's in Bradley Beach. (Photo: FILE PHOTO)
"Not to mention we have a dedicated group of chefs who have been with us for 15, 25 and 40 years," he said, "so this helps maintain our consistency."
3) The Federici's restaurants in Freehold and Belmar:
Mike Federici, whose family owns the namesake restaurant, opened Federici's on 10th in Belmar last year. He attributes the success of his family's pizza to the fact that a family member is almost always at the restaurant, a happy staff that is properly trained, and his commitment to quality ingredients.
A broccoli, tomato and garlic pie from Federici's in Freehold. (Photo: COURTESY OF FACEBOOK)
"Because of all these things, we are able to keep our product consistent," Federici said, "which is the most important to securing the future of Federici's and keeping us at the top of best pizza at the Shore."
4) Maruca's Tomato Pies on the Seaside Heights boardwalk: "Maruca's — Seaside! I remember Mrs. Maruca freezing and wrapping each individual slice so I could take it back to Arkansas in my suitcase! Amazing pizza and great family!" writes reader Cindy L. Smith, who currently resides in California.
5) Denino's Pizza Place in Aberdeen: "Denino's (South) is by far the best pizza in the area. It is thin-crusted, crispy, and the dough (one-of-a-kind) is extremely tasty. The consistency is unbelievably shown with every pizza. I should know, my family has made pizzas since 1939. Our pizza is excellent but cannot compare with Denino's!" writes Joseph Acerra of Lakewood.
Readers dish on these tops picks and others
"I'm a big fan of all kinds of pizza, but when you have to pick "The Best of The Best", my go-to is Freddie's (Restaurant & Pizzeria) in Long Branch. Thin crust, crispy toppings and traditional and true to the roots of their ancestors, Mark and his team consistently serve the best sausage and pepperoni anywhere, in my opinion. (By the way, I eat pizza at least once a week.) I have to give kudos to Luigi's (Famous Pizza) in Little Silver as well. Their large, square pies can feed an army, and the quality of the sausage and pepperoni is right up there. I also make mention of the personal-size pies that The Bistro at Red Bank serves. The hot soppresatta with San Marzano tomatoes with mozzarella and homemade ricotta is excellent. My wife loves the wild mushroom as well."
Ken Dillon, Little Silver
Freddie's pizza in Long Branch. (Photo: FACEBOOK)
"Vic's, they have been the best for me for over 30 years, and I am a hard person to please. Sausage, cheese and green peppers. With a side of French fries and onion rings, pitcher of water with lemon."
Mylie DonVera, Toms River
"I have the winner! I have tried the new places and I have been a regular of the established area restaurants featuring pizza. There is one undisputed standout and that is Front Street Trattoria. Here is my favorite pie: tomatilla, tomato and poblano pepper pie. It was hard to choose one pie out of the excellent and creative selection of thin-crusts they offer, but if I have to, the tomatilla is it. Reason: consistency. Every time I go, my pie is excellent — it is never a hit-or-miss experience. The ingredients are so fresh, the corn, peppers, roasted tomato seem like they just came in from the farmer's market. The crust is always crisp and tasty. The seasoning is perfect. A very strong runner up is "Val's Favorite" — delicious eggplant, ricotta and tomato sauce. Sometimes we get both and take home the rest for a treat later. Pizza can be thought of as an indulgence, and Front Street's pies are certainly rich and delicious, but their emphasis on fresh, unprocessed and top-grade ingredients make their pies more than a guilty pleasure."
Patricia McMahon, Little Silver
Michael Federici, owner of Federici's on 10th in Belmar, is a third-generation owner of the family business. (Photo: TOM SPADER/Staff Photographer)
"Best pizza, hands down, is at Federicis in Freehold, the family-owned restaurant for many generations. They have now opened in Belmar, also, which my family and friends and I are thrilled about. Same quality and closer to us here in Brick. We drove to Freehold because the craving for that thin-crusted, delicious pizza hits us very frequently and we couldn't find a match here in Ocean County. When I say we have been going there for 18 years, it is not an exaggeration.
The Bailey Family, Brick
"I grew up the fifth of six kids, on Seventh Avenue in Belmar. During the early 1970s, money was tight, yet every now and again my dad would "treat" us to a "pizza pie," which was delivered to our house (way before anyone else did this) by Don's Pizza King. The kids ate plain, and the adults ate sausage. When I had my own money to spend, my friends and I would go for a lunch treat in senior year, choosing our favorite songs on the juke box and hurrying back to school before the bell tolled. Two slices of plain, with pepper sprinkled on it, and I'd be set for the rest of the day. Sadly, I now live (a long drive) from Belmar. The last time we were in New Jersey, we went straight to Don's and enjoyed his new white pizza in addition to his epic plain, gazing at the vintage surfboards and skateboards of Belmartians gone by in time."
Eileen Day Cytryn, Fairfax, Virginia
"If you are looking for the best pizza, then go no further than Denino's in the Aberdeen Shopping Center in Aberdeen. Their thin- crusted pizza is the very best, and not just for the perfectly cooked thinness but the right amount of sauce (Michael, the owner, it is his grandma's recipe) and cheese. They also have a wide variety of different kinds of pizza; their Margherita is one of my favorites. When you dine at Denino's, it's like eating home.
Cliff Miller, Aberdeen
Pizza from Ninette's in Shrewsbury. (Photo: FACEBOOK)
"My favorite pizza is from Ninette's in Tinton Falls. For the over 32 years I've lived in New Jersey, their pizzas have been consistently fresh-tasting and delicious. This is mainly due to their sauce, which they have always made fresh from scratch. I was there one day when the bushel baskets of plum tomatoes were being delivered, and the owner confirmed they made the sauce in the kitchen by hand. Coupled with a thin crust with just the right crunch and tasty cheese, the sauce sets Ninette's apart from the fare in the many other pizza places I've tried.
Glen Puhak, Shrewsbury
"The best special pizza on the Jersey Shore is at TJ's Pizza in Asbury Park. The Coney Island square pizza is a thin, square pizza with plum tomato, fresh basil and pecorino Romano cheese. This pizza has it all, to die for. They are in business for 32 years.
Anne Xenakis, Ocean Township
Pizza from Zachary's in West Long Branch. (Photo: FACEBOOK)
"Zachary's Restaurant in West Long Branch has THE best pizza! Thin or thick crust, white pie or a traditional pie with red sauce. It is terrific, and they have a pizza special on Monday nights. Buy one, get one free. You have to try this place. It serves all kinds of foods, but their pizza is really amazing!
Kathy Kelly, West Long Branch
"Naples Pizza on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River. The sauce is amazing, and their chicken parm pizza the BEST! Whenever I'm back in town, it's a place I gotta stop into. The guys that work there still know me from my high school years."
Laura Malinowski, Atlantic City (originally from Toms River)
Carmen's Pizzeria at Pete & Elda's: 96 Woodland Ave. in Neptune City; 732-774-6010
Vic's Italian Restaurant: 60 Main St. in Bradley Beach; 732-774-8225
Federici's: 14 East Main St. in Freehold; 732-462-1312
Federici's On 10th: 705 10th Ave. in Belmar; 732-681-3337
Maruca's Tomato Pies: 21 Boardwalk in Seaside Heights; 732-793-0707
Denino's Pizza Place: 1077F Route 34 in Aberdeen; 732-583-2150
A SECOND SERVING
Our pizza survey yielded more than 300 votes and represented pizza places up and down the Shore. Here are a few more that made high marks:
Don's Pizza King: 811 Main St., Belmar; 732-681-6373
Denino's South: 869 Mantoloking Road, Brick; 732-262-1313
Freddie's Restaurant & Pizzeria: 563 Broadway, Long Branch; 732-222-0931
The Sawmill: 1807 Boardwalk, Seaside Park; 732-793-1990
TJ's Pizza: 709 Main St., Asbury Park; 732-988-1657
Vesuvios: 1303-1305 Beaver Dam Road, Point Pleasant; 732-899-4495
Read or Share this story: http://on.app.com/1BZenrz
Newark Airport makes TSA's top 10 list of most unusual finds of 2019
'Jersey Shore': Is Jen Harley a midnight stalker, or did Ronnie break a restraining order?
Sam Springsteen becomes Jersey City firefighter while Bruce Springsteen, Patti look on
NJ mansion built by the Isley Brothers sells for $3M
Can a visit from a celebrity chef help Shore restaurants thrive?