Everyone loves pizza but there is never a shortage of controversy about who has the best pie and what is the “authentic” recipe. Especially in New Jersey with its rich Italian heritage, people don’t just go out for pizza, they have their favorite spot and they are extremely loyal.
Two of the most famous local pizza places are Papa’s Tomato Pies and Marcello’s Pizza-Grill. According to general manager Michael Azzaro of Papa’s in Robbinsville, “We still have three and fourth generation customers that still come. That is pretty amazing.”
Papa’s, family owned and operated since 1912, has the warmth of visiting your grandparents after many years. They’re known for their famous Trenton tomato pie: a lighter version of a regular pizza where cheese is added to the dough before the sauce. While it’s thinner, Papa’s crust is still wonderfully doughy and the sauce and cheese taste bright and more refreshing than your average pie.
“You can go to 100 pizzerias and get a plain slice of pizza,” says Azzaro. “You can have your favorite five in that mix and not be able to tell them apart. The tomato pie is different from pizza, so it does have a distinctive taste, flavor, texture. Papa’s is successful because the pie itself is made and constructed differently.”
Marcello Mandreucci, owner of Marcello’s Pizza-Grill in Hamilton, has big success with a different style of pizza; a hybrid of regular and Sicilian called the Corleone. As a boy in Sicily, Mandreucci was fascinated by a traveling man from the town of Corleone who sold pizza. In recent years, Mandreucci was given the blessing to use the recipe by the old man after his passing.
“I want everybody to try it because it’s a very, very unique experience,” says Mandreucci. “This is the best pizza you can ever have. Ever.”
The dough is like a cloud. You can really taste the freshness of the ingredients and the secret sauce is especially good. It’s hard to believe this pie is so light.
“That’s why people love it,” explains Mandreucci. “When you bite in, it’s like eating air. Then there’s a special sauce that’s better than pizza sauce. It’s a long procedure and that’s what makes the Corleone the best.”
While the Corleone remains a tough contender, the tomato pie’s reputation is hard to beat, and DeLorenzo’s is arguably the best know tomato pie purveyor.
“Sometimes on a Friday I see like the wait is like an hour, hour and a half,” says owner Rick DeLorenzo, Jr., adding “Trenton Tomato Pie is known throughout the country as being something special, like a Philly Cheesesteak or Sourdough bread from San Francisco.”
His family has been serving customers since the mid 1930s in Trenton. His uncle Joe DeLorenzo started the restaurant but World War II called him and his brothers to battle. Americho “Rick” DeLorenzo Sr. stepped up with his younger brothers to keep the pizzeria in business.
Visiting DeLorenzo’s Pizza is relaxed and friendly like dining at your best friend’s house. Their pie features a sauce that’s a little sweeter and tastes especially good with their delicious crust, which is an excellent balance between soft and crispy.
“I love making the people happy,” says DeLorenzo. “We’ve been making pies the same way for probably around 80 years. We never skimp on quality.”
Quality and integrity runs in the DeLorenzo family. In 1947, Alexander “Chick” DeLorenzo returned home from war and opened a pizzeria on Hudson Street in Trenton known as DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies.
The business was passed down to daughter, Eileen DeLorenzo, and her husband, Gary Amico. Gary and Eileen ran the business in Trenton until their retirement in 2012 and son, Sam Amico, added a location in Robbinsville in 2007. The branch in Yardley, Pennsylvania, followed in 2018.
“Chick was the recipe, Gary was the style, Eileen was the discipline, Sam was the vision and I was the machine,“ says Matthew Longo, owner and operator of DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Yardley. “I was lucky enough to walk in and start with a family like the DeLorenzo’s because they took me in as their own child.”
Dining it at DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Yardley feels like you’re at a huge family reunion. Their pizza has vibrant tomatoes that are strategically placed to pop in certain moments of each bite of this light and crispy pizza. It’s cut into square pieces using a clam knife to honor the signature style of Alexander “Chick” DeLorenzo.
“I just think this is our style and we stick to our style,“ says Longo. “I feel like we are Trenton style tomato pie. A good recipe, good ingredients, good style…and it’s carried us through.”
Travel to any of these famous pizzerias and you’ll discover it’s not just about the recipe. Each family’s approach gives a distinct uniqueness to their dishes, a secret ingredient that can never be replicated. Regardless of who you visit, you’ll always be welcomed as a member of the family.
