Bayonne Pizza Tour
Earlier this week, I had an errand to run in Bayonne New Jersey (about 20 minutes from Hoboken). Before heading down, I decided to do a little web research on the Bayonne pizza scene so I could pick a place for lunch. I wasn’t finding much information to go on, so I decided to cast a moderately wide net and picked three places to try.
The plan was to work my way up Broadway (the main business artery in Bayonne), and visit three spots: San Vito Pizzeria, Pompei Pizza and Mama Rosa Cucina Pizza.
Given how little I was able to find online, I didn’t get my hopes up that I was going to find any superstars in hiding. I did, however, hope to find some solid pie in a fairly populous (60,000+) east coast city.
I started my trip at San Vito Pizzeria, a family-run spot serving pizza and other italian fare. I sauntered up to the counter and found a few slice pies to choose from. I requested a plain cheese slice and took a peek at the menu. When I saw that there were bar pies available, I quickly ordered a cheese pie, too.
The guy behind the counter (he told me he’d only been there two weeks, so I won’t call him a pizzaiolo) gave me my reheated slice and told me the bar pie would be about 10 minutes.
I grabbed a seat and took a nibble. Ugh, one bite in, I knew that I was 0-1 on my trip. The slice was overloaded with cheap, flavorless mozz that slid off onto the plate when I picked it up. The crust had a decent texture, but offered little in the way of flavor and the sauce tasted like it was probably straight out of the can. Bummer.
I still had decent hope for the bar pie. I don’t know a lot about bar pies, but it is my understanding that they are generally smaller pies with thin crispy, thin crust. What the counter guy set in front of me did not match that description.
Granted, it’s not a horrible looking pie, but the problems from the slice were duplicated here. The cheese poured off when I lifted a slice and the crust could barely support the weight. Again, flavor was non-existent.
There’s no point waxing on about it. On to the next spot…
Next up was Pompei Pizza. Right away, two things about Pompei gave me the impression that I was in for a better slice: (1) the pizzaiolo looked to be experienced in the craft and (2) they were selling the last slice from a fresh pie as I came through the door. A few minutes later another fresh pie came out and I had my slice (at a mere $1.75, mind you).
My first impression with Pompei was right on. This was definitely a better slice than the offering at San Vito. The crust was thin and crispy and the cheese wasn’t piled on to the point where it was goopy. The cheese and sauce combined for a nice flavor and my stomach was beginning to forgive me for my trip to San Vito. The outer crust tasted a little under-done and there was definitely a little too much grease, but this is a solid, quick slice.
My final stop was Mama Rosa Cucina Pizza. I wanted to end strong and Mama Rosa was the only place I had decent data on (good ratings on Yelp and a recommendation from a Hoboken Post Office employee). Considering the difference between San Vito and Pompei, expectations were running high.
Mama Rosa’s has a big “Brick Oven” sign outside, but they had pies on display so I just ordered a slice. The friendly dude behind the counter threw a cheese slice into the gas deck for a reheat and I sat down. A waitress brought my slice over:
Looks pretty good, right? Sigh… if only. Like San Vito, there was way too much cheese present on this slice. There was so much that the crust couldn’t support it and I had to use two hands to hold the slice up. The outer crust was dense (i.e. cardboard-like) and had a strangely bitter aftertaste. It was unpleasant to say the least.
After I “finished” eating my slice, I stood up to take some pictures. It was at this point that I noticed the “brick oven” was not turned on and was actually being used as a storage shelf for trays and things. While I was snapping pictures, a girl behind the counter yelled at me and told me I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in there. I obliged, but was still curious. On my way out, I asked my waitress when the brick oven is used. She said “whenever someone orders a brick oven pizza.” I asked about how long it took to fire up and she wasn’t sure.
It’s one thing to serve bad pizza, but a totally different beast to lie about how you’re preparing it. Maybe they only fire up the brick oven on weekends or something, but that wouldn’t change the fact that I didn’t get what I was expecting.
Overall, my trip to Bayonne was pretty disappointing. I definitely won’t be making a trip back specifically for pizza any time soon, but if I was in town and hungry, I’d be sure to stop into Pompei and grab a quick slice.
San Vito Pizzeria (Rating: 1 slice)
406 Broadway (at 18th)
Bayonne, NJ
(201) 858-2448
Pompei Pizza (Rating: 2 slices)
480 Broadway (between 22nd & 23rd)
Bayonne, NJ
(201) 437-5408
Mama Rosa Cucina Pizza (Rating: 1 slice)
795 Broadway (at 36th)
Bayonne NJ
(201) 823-0500
