Even during coronavirus, New York is still obsessed with N.J. pizza
So many things have changed during the coronavirus crisis. But one thing has luckily stayed the same — New Jersey pizza is amazing, and our neighbors across the Hudson River are still taking notice.
Popular food website The Infatuation posted a “NYC Pizza Showdown” bracket on Monday, a terrific idea at a time when we’re all starving for content (and pizza! We’re always starving for pizza.)
But among the 16 pizzerias vying for the crown are 14 New York pizza spots and… two New Jersey pizza restaurants.
Anyone paying attention to where New York’s pizza attention has been in recent years won’t be surprised at all that those two spots are located a short PATH ride from New York in… Jersey City, aka the town quickly becoming New Jersey’s haute pizza capital.
You guessed it. New York Times darlings Razza and Bread and Salt both made the field, squaring off against the likes of Big Apple pizza royalty like L&B Spumoni, Lucali, Roberta’s and Scarr’s.
A year ago I may have found this to be pizza pandemonium. “If your pizza is so great, New York, why are you claiming two of our spots as your own?!?” I’d scream across the Hudson between bites of a burrata pie from Razza.
I could go on a red-saucy rant about how there is terrific pizza in New Jersey that Pete Wells hasn’t given the The New York Times stamp of approval. I could point out that Santillo’s in Elizabeth won NJ.com’s Jersey Eats New Jersey Pizza madness competition (Al Santillo texted me, “they’re trying to get in on the action! What are you going to do about it?” when he saw the NYC pizza bracket).
I could remind everyone that Star Tavern is a short drive into Essex County.
But that would be getting further away from New York, and further from the point. New Jersey and New York are hurting worse than anyone during coronavirus, and maybe it’s time for a pizza ceasefire. Jersey City is going to need New York visitors when it’s safe to travel again, and vice versa. We’re gonna need to break sauce and cheese-covered bread, and eat each other’s pizza.
So we’re flattered you think this highly of our pizza, New York. Some of your’s is pretty great, too. But the next time you try to argue who has the best pie, just remember we have the pizza receipts.