The New Jersey Pizza Hunt

Date: 1/18/2018 Location: Robbinsville, NJ Pizza ordered: Tomato Pie Website:  http://www.delorenzostomatopies.com/index2.html De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies is one of New Jersey's finest. Established in 1947, this pizzeria has the prestige and history to back up its consistent high reviews. The establishment is very accommodating with an upbeat and classy atmosphere. Adding to the authentic feel created by the pictures and history that lines the walls are the waiters, dressed very formally and serving patrons in a professional manner. The pizza is exquisite. Despite a third of the base of my pizza being burnt to a crisp, the quality was exceptional. The crispy thin base and crust meld beautifully with the sauce and cheese. The tomato sauce is rich, sweet, slightly chunky and some of the best quality sauce I've ever experienced. I anticipate that I will return to this establishment many times in the coming years and will always speak highly of it to friends and family tha...

Date: 2/7/2018 Location: Princeton, NJ Slices ordered: Plain, Zucchini, and Taco Website:  http://www.julesthincrust.com/ Jules Thin Crust is a trendy spot in downtown Princeton. Parking can be a bit tough, but there is street parking available and it's within walking distance of the main street of shops. I was seriously impressed by not only the large variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian pizza offerings but also the use of locally sourced ingredients. The taco and zucchini flatbreads both featured unique flavor profiles and had great sauce blends. The plain pizza was thin and crispy with a juicy sauce that had a sugary taste to it. The sauce was a bit watery, but overall the pizza at Jules is solid and I would definitely like to return and try some of their other options!

Date: 1/15/2018 Location: Easton, PA Pizza Ordered: Sweet and Spicy (Ham with honey drizzle) Website:  https://www.stokecoalfirepizza.com/  Stoke Coal Fire Pizza & Bar is one of my greatest finds to-date. My girlfriend and I stopped in after doing some work in the area. The restaurant had a cozy atmosphere with friendly servers and warm vibes. The pizza is tremendous and the options are some of the most unique I've seen. I tried an obscure pie that mixed spicy ham with a sweet and spicy honey. This is the most interesting combination I've tried so far and I have to say that I was pleasantly impressed. The sweetness and spiciness melded together nicely offering a full-tastebud experience that I won't soon forget. I also managed to convince my girlfriend to allow me to try a bit of her Margherita pie. It was beautifully made with delicious sauce, super-fresh cheese and the some of the best crust. Overall, if you are anywhere in the area, you must try this estab...

Date: 1/3/2018 Location: Skillman, NJ Slices ordered: Grandma and plain Website: verapizzanj.com Vera Pizza is located next to the iconic Montgomery Cinemas and shares their parking lot with a variety of other businesses including Thomas Sweets and Shop Rite. Parking is never usually an issue and there is plenty of interior seating available. The restaurant has a clean look and the decor is warm and inviting. There was a good selection of slices to choose from and I ended up deciding on the plain and the grandma. The staff seemed nice enough and I appreciated being served my slices on a ceramic plate. That's something I'm not used to and, though it was a small detail, it added to the homeliness of the restaurant. The pizza overall was not bad. The plain was a bit on the greasy side, but had a pleasant buttery cheese and good flavor. The Grandma slice featured good sauce and cheese with fresh basil that rounded out the taste nicely. The crust on both slices was just averag...

Date: 1/3/2018 Location: Skillman, NJ Slices ordered: Plain and Sausage ​Website: montgomerynjpizza.com/ Genteel's Brick Oven Pizza is located in a tiny storefront inside a busy strip mall. The parking lot has a decent amount of spaces, but can be nearly full during peak hours. Inside the restaurant, there are a few tables to sit and eat at, as well as a long wooden ledge you can sit at if you're getting slices. It's a small, but cozy restaurant. The pizza was pretty average. The base and crust were a bit dry and slightly overcooked. Sauce and cheese were okay, but nothing to brag about. The sausage slice was also generic and featured an uneven distribution of the topping. Overall, there are better places to go in the area for quality pizza, but if you're hungry and in need of a quick bite, this establishment will do.

Date: 12/20/17 Location: Somerset/Franklin Slices Ordered: Plain, Chicken Bacon Ranch, Margherita Website: piazzaorsillo.com/ Piazza Orsillo is located in a shopping center in between Somerset, Franklin, and Hillsborough. There is a large parking lot, but around lunch hours, this can fill up and it can be a challenge to find a place to park. Piazza Orsillo has a good amount of dining space, helpful and polite staff, and a tremendous assortment of specialty slices and foods available at the counter. I always give a lot of props to pizzerias that offer so many options at the counter, and Piazza Orsillo has one of the tastiest looking assortments I've seen in the area. The pizza overall is very good. The plain slice had a nice crispy base, good cheese and sauce, though a slightly burnt/dry crust. The chicken, bacon, ranch slice was packed with flavor and had great proportions of chicken to ranch dressing. The Margherita slice was also delicious and had more of the tasty sauce I ...

Date: 12/15/17 Location: Branchburg, NJ Slices Ordered: Plain and BBQ Chicken Website: ilfornorestaurant.eat24hour.com/ Il Forno Restaurant is tucked away in a small shopping mall by NJ-28. There is ample parking and a good amount of seating inside the restaurant. The decor and atmosphere are reminiscent of an Italian marketplace given the painting and the lights hanging from the ceiling. The staff was very nice and polite. The plain slice, while not appearing to look as appetizing as other pizzerias was actually quite fantastic. It had okay cheese, good sauce, and an excellent crust. The crust was pleasantly fluffy and definitely enjoyable. The BBQ slice was alright. It was light on the BBQ sauce, but overall the chicken and onions were decent, albeit lacking in flavor.