Join us as we venture through Madison, NJ on the hunt for the town’s best pizza. Our journey takes us to FireHouse Pizza, Romanellis, and Italian Village. All were recommended by students at Madison High School- these were the top three choices.
Pizza is a staple in the New York and New Jersey area, as this is where immigrants introduced the slice when they settled from Italy. With that in mind we knew there would be some delicious slices, and fierce competition. We sampled the classic cheese slice at each establishment and based our ratings on the crust, sauce, and cheese. In addition, customer service and overall cleanliness of the restaurant were taken into account in our review.
Firehouse Pizza was crowded on the hot and sunny day we visited. We were greeted by the lady behind the counter, the aroma of the oven, and the history of the building in the decor around us. A fresh pie was just coming out of the oven when we arrived, so we sat down and waited eagerly. The slice was piping hot, and had our stomachs’ growling. Upon first bite, we tasted the fresh and flavorful sauce, felt the stretch of the cheese, and the soft, yet crispy dough. Our ratings are as follows: Greg Randall:8.2/10, James Amorosi:8/10, Jack ODonnell:7.9/10.
Our next stop was Romanelli’s, the oldest pizzeria in Madison, known for its dough mastery. As we entered, we saw skilled workers twirling and stretching the dough to our left, sparking a hope for a delicious pie. However after sitting down, our hopes faded, as the pizza arrived at our table greasy and soggy. Looking past the initial impression, the pizza was crispy but the cheese couldn’t compete with the pull and taste at Firehouse. While the sauce was decent in taste it gave views that it was old and dry. Overall our experience at Romanelli’s left us feeling somewhat disappointed. Rankings: Greg Randall:5.2/10 James Amorosi:5.5/10 Jack ODonnell:5.3/10
Finally on to, Italian Village Pizza, located on the outskirts of Madison. As we entered, we were greeted warmly by the staff with hellos and nice conversation. The pizza finished baking, it was hand delivered by the staff, and had a radiating steam and an aroma of garlic. After our first bite, it was clear that Italian Village makes a good pie. Perfect cheese pull, warm sauce, and only a minimal amount of grease with a great crisp and nice crunch between the teeth. Ratings: Greg Randall:7.5/10 James Amorosi: 7.9/10 Jack ODonnell:8.3/10
Of these pizzerias Greg and James truly loved the taste and atmosphere FireHouse had to offer while I disagreed with them and sided with the folks at Italian Village Pizza. All of the pizzerias we visited didn’t struggle with losing their ancestors’ recipe and it was obvious that the New York, New Jersey area doesn’t disappoint with their pizza.