The New Jersey Pizza Hunt

Date: 8/22/2017 Location: Manville, NJ Pizza Ordered: Plain and Chicken-Bacon-Ranch Website: www.manvillepizzaest1969.com/  Manville pizza is located along the Main Street in Manville with some street parking and a lot around back. There are two entrances for the customer's convenience. The restaurant itself was clean and there were plenty of decorations across the walls to give the restaurant a pleasant, neighborhood feeling. The staff was helpful and there was a tremendous selection of specialty slices behind the class at the counter. I decided to go with my usual plain slice and one of my preferred specialty slices, the chicken-bacon-ranch. The plain slice was pretty average with a crispy base and crust, and a good cheese-to-sauce ratio. Side story: I may be misremembering, but I believe the bowling alley that once existed behind where the pizzeria is now used to source their slices from this establishment and I always remembered that pizza being the greatest, most delicio...

Date: 7/12/2017 Location: Whitehouse Station, NJ Pizza Ordered: Plain and Penne Vodka Website: www.sorellaspizzerianj.com/ ​Sorella's Pizza and Pasta is located in a small strip mall along Route 22 in the Whitehouse Station/Readington area. There is plenty of parking outside and the atmosphere inside is warm and friendly. It seemed like the owner knew everyone's name and was a very engaging. He was genuinely interested in the customers and how their day was going and it's awesome to have an owner that cares so much about the customer. The pizza was fantastic. The plain slice featured quality ingredients with a flavorful crust. The pasta slice was out-of-this-world. Seriously, the pasta was awesome and the vodka sauce was delicious. The slice was overflowing with pasta and it definitely filled me up. Sorella's is a must try for anyone in the area or even the person just passing through.

Date: 7/12/2017 Location: Hillsborough, NJ Pizza Ordered: Plain and Sausage Website: www.bellapizza1.com/ Bella Pizza is tucked away in a small mall across from the YMCA. It is one of the last for me to review in Hillsborough, despite their aggressive social media presence that displays their delcious looking pizza all over my news feed. There is ample parking and a modest amount of indoor seating. There's also a fish tank inside, not something I'm used to seeing in a pizzeria, but a pleasant surprise. The selection of slices when I visited wasn't very large, but it had the staples which I was satisfied with. I went with a sausage slice and a plain slice. Also, bonus points for having Stewart's Birch Beer! The plain slice is a good representation of what your average pizza slice should be. Good sauce to cheese ratio, a tasty sauce, a crispy but also slightly fluffy crust, etc. It's exactly what you'd want in a slice. The sausage was pretty good too! It was...

Date: 7/25/2017 Location: South Orange, NJ Pizza Ordered: Plain and Works Website: www.startavern.net/ Star Tavern is a busy bar and pizzeria in South Orange, New Jersey. There is some parking at the actual building and there is a lot next door with additional parking (which you'll need to use if you go around dinner time). The wait staff is very helpful, polite, and works quick! The atmosphere is very cool and somewhat retro but also quite noisy as you'd expect a popular bar to be. There are arcade games, booths, plenty of posters, neon signs, and a bar seating area. The pizza is fantastic. Star Tavern has some of the thinnest crust I've ever experienced on a pizza. The base was super thin and pleasantly crispy. The ingredients were all delicious and I find myself agreeing with Pete Genovese when he calls this the gold--standard of thin crust pizza in NJ. Just remember that because the crust and base is so thin and because the pizza tastes so good, you'll likely ...

Date: 7/12/2017 Location: Branchburg, NJ Slices Ordered: Plain and Margherita Website: www.stefanospizzabranchburg.com/ Stefano's is a wood burning pizza restaurant tucked in the corner of a busy shopping mall. Fortunately, there is plenty of parking by the actual restaurant. The interior atmosphere and ambiance is perfect for a romantic dinner or lunch. The lights are dimmed and the restaurant feels very warm and inviting. The pizza was alright, but I expected better. The plain slice had good cheese and a thin, flavorful base and crust, but was lacking in the sauce department. The margherita slice seemed overseasoned to me, which should be unnecessary if you have a tasty sauce and quality basil. To me, it seemed as if they were trying to mask the flavor, which doesn't really make sense because the slice was perfectly fine. Perhaps I came at a bad time. I really loved the atmosphere and perhaps getting a fresh pie would change my mind.

Date: 07/10/2017 Location: Morristown, NJ Pizza Ordered: The Signature (Coal-Fired) and Margherita (Wood-Fired) Website: www.milliesoldworld.com/  The Margherita Pie, Wood-Fired The Signature Pizza, Coal Fired ​ Millie's Old World Meatballs & Pizza lies on a busy street in the middle of Morristown. The pizzeria is unique in the fact that it offers an interesting outdoor/indoor seating area. The outdoor seating area was packed during the lunch hour, but there was ample seating inside. Another cool feature of this establishment is that they offer both wood-fired and coal-fired pizza. After being seated inside by the friendly staff, my girlfriend and I decided to sample one wood-fired pie and one coal-fired pie. For the wood, we went with a standard Margherita. For coal, we couldn't pass up on the signature pie. Both pies came out excellent, but we decided that the coal-fired signature pie had the better flavor. The sauce seemed to be richer in flavor and the ...

Date: 6/24/2017 Location: Seaside Heights, NJ Slices ordered: Plain and Margherita Website: www.marucaspizza.com/ Maruca's Tomato Pies is the Seaside Pizza hot-spot. My friend from Brick swears by this place, as do many others who share my love for pizza. This boardwalk pizzeria is very busy during beach season and for good reason. These slices are huge and come with the right amount of sauce. The Trenton-style tomato pie features delicious cheese and a rich, tangy and flavorful sauce. The base was pleasantly crispy and the crust had good crunch. The margherita slice was also quite good and featured splotches of fresh mozz and plenty of sauce. Though there was some room to eat inside, it was quite crowded and the slices are much better enjoyed while soaking up some sun. The staff was very friendly and quick with their service. I know this will be my usual spot if I'm ever in Seaside Heights.