Basile's Looks to Corner Pizza Market

Hoboken has a lot of pizzerias, but really, what's one more?

On Saturday, veteran pizzamaker and Hoboken native son Russell Basile opened Basile's Pizza at 89 Washington St., on the corner of Newark Street, with his new partners, who happen to be his neighbors in Woodridge, Tom Flynn and Mary Zocco.

Basile has been in business for over 30 years and owns eight pizzerias in Manhattan under the names Little Italy and Rosa's. He said many of his regular customers who work in New York but live in Hoboken had been asking if he was ever going to open a location in the Mile Square.

He had wanted to anyway, in that opening Basile's is a homecoming. Basile decided his first pizzeria in Hoboken needed a special name.

“I thought about my dad and mom and how it would be nice to bring the Basile name back to Hoboken,” he said.

Basile said he thinks the ingredients he uses will lend distinction to his pizzeria. The typical slice is baked with a thin crust mixed with Japanese bread crumbs. The pizzeria also features a slice with the cheese on the bottom and the sauce on top, while the Sicilian is baked with the recipe Basile's grandmother used.

“We want to give it that Tuscan taste, where my family is from,” he said.

Citing its proximity to the Hoboken Terminal, City Hall and tourist magnet Carlo's Bake Shop, Basile considers his downtown location great for business. He plans to stay open until 4am on the weekend.

“This corner is the place where people stop, look around and say, 'where are we going to go',” he said.

Coming soon: a bakery comes to First Street, a fashion lounge comes to Washington Street, and the Hoboken Cigar Shop relocates to the southwest corner.

The Business Beat covers businesses opening, closing and relocating in the Mile Square. Have a Hoboken related business tip? Send an email to alanskontra@hotmail.com.