Margherita’s Pizza and Café

740 Washington Street

Last Sunday after a particularly long romp in Fire Island, I ventured with my beloved Chelly bean off to get some sustenance. We were both famished and positively couldn’t pick a spot – until we came upon Margherita’s and decided that anywhere pizza, pastas served with heavy cream, and abundances of cheese covered the menu, we might satisfy our been-at-the-beach-all-weekend-and-need-some-real-food-now appetites. In we went.

Upon being seated, the waiter must have noticed us drooling excessively at the other patrons dishes, so he graciously brought us some bruschetta. Very nice; delicious tomatoes. It took a long time to decide what to order – our neighbors chicken parmigiana looked fantastic – but ultimately we settled upon the restaurant’s namesake pizza and the penne alla vodka. The hearty portions hit the spot and we were served some great comfort food. The pizza reminded us of a delicious childhood pizzeria, Buffos, and thus we were in Highwood-heaven with the more bready crust and thick layer of cheese. The penne alla vodka was creamy and rich – and served in quite the quantity.

Five star Italian cuisine? I think not. But this is a solid neighborhood spot for a post-beach feast, or a dinner when the calories just aren’t counting. The restaurant is very simple yet lively and the tables are very close, so it feels like you are dining with extended family (the Jersey side…). I would recommend this place for a nice family dinner, or a date with a long-term partner that you no longer need to impress with a nice, slender figure. Unfortunately, my family lives in Chicago and I do not fall into the later category (unless you count Chelsea), so I will hold off on Margherita’s for the time being. But to those of you that do visit - Buon appetito!

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria

133 Clinton Street / 201-792-0800

I’ve always been a softie and rooted for the underdog. So when everybody raved about Grimaldi’s having the best pizza, I was skeptical and felt the need to defend my love for Benny Tudinos. (Don’t ask why a pizza place would incite such deep emotions…it’s a slippery slope.) So I decided to order in a mushroom pie one Sunday morning and test this so-called winner out.

The pizza was pretty good, but I wasn’t wowed. It must have cooled on the journey and in doing so the crust lost all crunch and instead had a hard pull to it. The cheese was still fresh and delicious, and there are no complaints on the tomato sauce—so I decided that judging them based on delivery might not be responsible journalism.

A few weeks later, with Chelsea in tow, I headed to Grimaldi’s to test the pizza in its natural environment. Hey – its only fair. Though Chelsea is a phenomenal dining companion, she often times dulls my senses by insisting on drinks (hehe – stick to the truth, Chel)but seeing that she’s my only known companion in Hoboken, I comply. So we order a large pitcher of beer along with a medium mushroom pie and wait. To my disease and sorrow, I realize all of the raving is justified. The crust is thin and crispy, the cheese tasts rich and delicious, fresh mushrooms as they should be and delicate sauce. Loved it. All four slices. And though I do love pizza, that my friends, does not happen very often ;)

So in all – Grimaldi’s is delicious pizza, though probably best enjoyed when dining in, which works out nicely because this restaurant is probably the nicest pizza joint in Hoboken.

Benny Tudinos

622 Washington Street / 201-792-4132

Meet my BFF Benny. We’re tight. He serves by far and away the LARGEST slice of pizza I’ve ever seen. Not only is it the largest – but it is also one of the more delicious slices I’ve had in my life. I’m not going to call it the ‘B’ word yet—but I’m inching ever closer.

I have visited Benny Tudinos a number of times since this pizza tour commenced, all in the name of the contest of course, and am yet to leave feeling disappointed…or hungry. The pizza is spectacular – a substantial crust that crunches, flavored tomato sauce that isn’t too sweet, cheese…lots of delicious cheese and most notably the sheer magnitude of the slice. BT’s also offers a number of other dishes, but I am a loyal devotee to their pizza.

The only draw backs are some of the shadsters that this establishment employs. My little sister, 18, stopped in alone one Monday and was joined by a large, 30-something employee. He chose to plop himself down in her booth, uninvited, and comment on the color of her eyes. Then there’s Chelsea. Lovely Chelsea. Stumbling in quite often at 2am, she is often solicited for her phone number by Benny’s pizza makers. Yikes! So, I personally prefer to take my pizza to go. I walk down the street and as I maneuver the massive slice, people stop and stare in amazement. Then a few seconds later I hear, “where did she get that pizza?!?!”

Mario’s Classic Pizza

742 Garden Street

Not Good.  I ordered a slice of cheese pizza (total $2.68) to go at this little corner shop and though it was livelier than others, with a TV playing sports and a few people dining in, the pizza itself was pretty horrible.  The crust was flaky—not exactly crispy, but flaky like a pot pie crust—and the inner crust was still a bit gooey and undercooked.  The tomato sauce wasn’t very noticeable and the cheese was the sort of translucent, greasy cheese that doesn’t really melt like normal, but gets a funny, runny consistency.  All in all, this pizza was a big disappointment…I didn’t even finish my slice (which is truly a remarkable thing) even though the slice was significantly smaller than most of the others I’ve had.

 

7 Star Pizza

7 Star Pizza

342 Garden Street

Good pizza.  Though this will not be considered the best, I think it’s a solid contender and stand up well to the competition.  As the first official stop on my pizza tour, I entered the small, undistinguished store front very hungry (which also might be a reason that the pizza was as good as it was…) and ordered one slice of mushroom pizza and a can of diet coke.  Total $4.25.  The pizza slice was huge—larger than the paper plate—and had a nice crispy crust, yet wasn’t too thin for my taste. My gripes: the tomato sauce was quite sweet and the mushrooms were canned.  All in all, the pizza crust was perfect, not too thin and yet still very crispy, but the pizza was a bit sweet for my liking.  On to the next…