NEW JERSEY— A New Jersey pizza shop is getting national attention from food writers who set out to find some of the best pies in America.
Brooklyn Square Pizza, with multiple locations across Monmouth and Ocean counties, is among the standout pizza destinations selected by USA TODAY Network food writers for a new nationwide guide.
Writers singled out 27 pizzerias in 20 states that they considered worth seeking out, from neighborhood institutions to newer shops specializing in regional and traditional styles.
The New Jersey pick comes from Sarah Griesemer of the Asbury Park Press, who highlighted Brooklyn Square's signature Upside Down Pizza, a thick, airy pie with crisp edges, fresh mozzarella and housemade tomato sauce.
"If you had an Italian grandmother who made pizza from scratch — or wish you did — the upside-down pizza at Brooklyn Square Pizza delivers that taste," Griesemer wrote.
The pizza's unusual construction has helped make it one of Brooklyn Square's signature dishes.
The restaurant puts the cheese on the dough before adding the tomato sauce, a method that owner Peter Grippo has previously described as helping the cheese cook into the crust.
Brooklyn Square Pizza has locations in Jackson, Manalapan, Toms River, Shrewsbury, Oakhurst, Bradley Beach and Marlboro.
The selections show just how far American pizza has moved beyond the old New York-versus-Chicago argument.
The list includes New York-style and Neapolitan pies, Detroit-style and Chicago-style pizza, bar pies, brick-oven pizzas and sourdough creations, along with restaurants putting their own spin on familiar styles.
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