The Best Pizza Slices in New Jersey

Let's get one thing straight before we start: New Jersey is the pizza state. Not New York. Us. The tomato pie was born here, the bar pie was perfected here, and the wood-fired pies coming out of Jersey City right now are getting co-signed by Bobby Flay. This isn't a debate, it's a victory lap.

So here's the guide. Eight slices worth driving across the state for, region by region, with exactly what to order at each one. Save this.

Razza — Jersey City

You already know the name. Dan Richer's wood-fired pies are the reason a celebrity chef is on TikTok trying to reverse-engineer Jersey pizza. The crust is blistered, airy, chewy in a way that makes you rethink every pie you've ever had. Order the margherita and don't overthink it. Get there early, because the wait is real and it's worth every minute.

De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies — Robbinsville

The Trenton tomato pie is a religious experience and this is its cathedral. Around since 1947, thin, charred, cheese under the sauce the way God intended. It's BYOB, it's always packed, and you'll wait over an hour on a Friday without a single regret. Order the plain tomato pie. That's the order. Don't get cute.

Papa's Tomato Pies — Robbinsville

Yes, two Robbinsville spots. That's how serious the tomato pie belt is. Papa's has been run by the same family for over 110 years, and the move here is the mustard pie — a thin smear of spicy brown mustard under the sauce and cheese. Sounds wild. Tastes like genius. Dave Portnoy called it a bucket list pizza place and for once he's right.

Star Tavern — Orange

The thin-crust conversation in Essex County starts and ends here. Cracker-crisp bar pies, cheese all the way to the edge, cold beer, zero pretension. This is the spot you bring out-of-towners to prove the point. Order the pepperoni — the little cupped slices crisp up perfectly — and thank me later.

Maruca's — Seaside Heights

Boardwalk pizza is its own food group and Maruca's is the valedictorian. There's something about eating a tomato pie slice with salt air and arcade noise in the background that makes it hit different. If your Shore day doesn't include a Maruca's stop, your Shore day is incomplete.

Santillo's — Elizabeth

This place is a time capsule in the best way. The menu board hasn't changed in decades, Al Santillo is still back there doing his thing, and every pie comes out with that old-school brick oven character you can't fake. Order whatever's on the board and trust the process. Some spots chase trends. Santillo's buried them.

Kinchley's Tavern — Ramsey

Serving ultra-thin pies since 1937 — same recipe, same red-checkered tablecloths, same everything. The crust shatters like a cracker and the sauce has that sweet tang that keeps you reaching for one more slice. It's cash only, no delivery, and the Garbage Pie is the signature move. Bergen County doesn't play around.

Lillo's Tomato Pies — Hainesport

South Jersey had to be on this list and Lillo's carries the flag. Proper tomato pie territory down here — thin, crisp, sauce-forward. If you're south of Trenton and driving north for pizza, stop doing that. Lillo's is right there.

That's the list. Eight slices, four regions, zero misses.