11 'Old School' NJ Pizzerias Among America's Best: The Daily Meal

There are many things to love about New Jersey, with two of the most prominent things being it's wide selection of great food and its deep sense of history. Touching on both of those cornerstones, The Daily Meal has released a list of the 56 Greatest "Old-School" Pizzerias in America, 11 of which are in New Jersey.

Each location offers both a selection of amazing pizza, something New Jersey residents hear about often, and a sense of history to its "old-school" atmosphere.

Read more: 3 NJ 'Hole-In-The-Wall' Restaurants Listed Among Best In America

The pizzerias in New Jersey that made the list, accompanied by The Daily Meal's description, are:

• Benny Tudino’s (Hoboken): "Benny Tudino’s is best known for serving slices that are the size of a small child, as photos on display throughout the restaurant make sure you know. But it’s also been a Hoboken, New Jersey, landmark for more than 40 years."
• Conte’s (Princeton): "The Conte family decided to turn the ground floor of their family home into a bar and restaurant in 1950, and since then Conte’s has become a Princeton destination; a great old-school bar that also happens to serve some of New Jersey’s best pizza, thin-crusted and bubbly." Read more here...
• Papa’s Tomato Pies (Robbinsville): "Lombardi’s may be responsible for “America’s first pizza,” but as Nick Azzaro, owner of Papa’s Tomato Pies, isn’t shy about saying, Papa’s — established in 1912 — is America’s oldest continuously owned family-owned pizzeria."
• Patsy’s Tavern (Paterson): "A true neighborhood joint, Patsy’s (no relation to the New York mini-chain) serves a rare breed of pie: thin-crust pan pizzas. The crust is tough enough to hold up to loads of cheese and toppings, and the outer rim cooks up thin and crackery along the inside edge of the pan."
• Pizza Town USA (Elmwood Park): "Pizza Town USA is located right where the Garden State Parkway meets Route 46, and we bet that lots of people have pulled off of those highways for a slice after seeing its legendary, All-American signage, which dates back to the 1950s and glows in neon at night." Read more here...
• Reservoir Tavern (Parsippany): "Tucked away on a quiet side street near the Jersey City Reservoir ... is Reservoir Tavern, serving some of the state’s finest brick-oven pizza and Old World Italian fare since 1936." Read more here...
• Rome Pizza (Dunellen): "Rome Pizza has been in business for more than 50 years, and it’s basically the platonic ideal of a Jersey pizza joint: Some gumball machines up front, a long counter with stools, vintage wood-paneled walls, a drop ceiling, a few tables and chairs, guys making the pizzas in full view, and even a few old framed shots of Italy and newspaper clippings on the walls."
• Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza (Elizabeth): "Santillo’s is something you just have to experience for yourself. It’s basically located inside proprietor Al Santillo’s house — inherited from his father, who opened the pizzeria here in 1957 — and you enter down a narrow alley into the small, no-frills pizzeria." Read more here...
• Spirito’s Restaurant (Elizabeth): "If you’re from a certain part of Northern New Jersey, there’s about a 100 percent chance that you’ve heard of Spirito’s, and an equally good chance that you’ve been there. Owned and operated by the Spirito family since it opened in 1932, the dim, wood-paneled Spirito’s is a restaurant where time — and the menu — stands still." Read more here...
• Star Tavern (Orange): "In the annals of all things pizza, the bar pie is perhaps one of the most underrated styles, and one of the best places to sample it is Star Tavern in Orange, New Jersey. "
• Vic’s Italian Restaurant (Bradley Beach): "Serving classic Jersey-style pizza to beachgoers and locals alike since 1947, Vic’s has a warm and inviting vibe, and its exterior and neon signs would feel right at home in old Hollywood." Read more here...

The Daily Meal says the list serves as a contrast to an "era of gourmet, high-end pizzas, crafted in the traditional Neapolitan style and exorbitantly expensive."

Sometimes all you really want, the publication says, "is a classic, old-school slice just like the ones you remember from when you were a kid."

"Thankfully, plenty of old-school pizzerias still exist, and we tracked down the 56 best," the publication said.

To be considered for this list, the pizza itself needs to be "just one part of the overall experience."

"A classic old-school pizzeria (like any great hole-in-the-wall) has a comfortable, lived-in feel, whether it’s been around for decades or not. Maybe it’s a narrow storefront with a long counter, fresh pies on display in clear cases, and only a few tables (or even just a ledge) to enjoy your slice at."

Or, "maybe it’s a classic bar serving legendary pies alongside cheap pints."

See the full Daily Meal list here.