De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies

Sad, sad news — the beloved DeLorenzos at Hudson St. will be closing in a week, on January 15^th, 2012. One of the best pies in the United States will, fortunately, live on at the Robbinsville location — but a living slice of NJ and Italian American culinary history will be lost. Thanks for the memories, DeLo’s — see you at the new location.

Just ate my last Delorenzo’s pie before they close next Sunday. The end of an era.

If you’re a fan of thin-​crust pizzas… err tomato pies (purists will tell you that there’s a difference lol), you’ll like DeLorenzo’s.
Personally I like their other location on Rt 33 because it’s much more diner friendly but if you want to check out an old Trenton landmark, be forewarned that there are no restrooms at this location and that they take only cash.

We need a De Lorenzo’s (real pizza) on the Left coast;
I am in CA now.
haha …just dreaming.

Top of their game. I just get frustrated when I drive by on the way back from the shore and it’s closed half the week.
The (locally made) sausage, peppers and crust combination is unlike any other.
I can eat a whole pie myself — it’s thin
No bathroom

I adore this place! Old school Trenton, NJ family run business where nothing has changed because the old way of serving pizza is perfect!
The birch beer was perfect as was the thin crusted pizza with sweet peppers, onions & mushrooms! The service us polite and has am old world family feel. I kept wondering if Sinatra had ever eaten here.
Fantastic.

OK so I am a pizza snob (there is an oxymoron for you), so when I walked into De Lorenzo’s after waiting outside for half an hour for the place to open, I was taken aback at the sight of a standard, run-​of-​the-​mill pizza oven. As old as this place is and with the raves it gets, I was sure I was going to find a decades old, coal-​fired, brick oven ala Pepe’s in New Haven or Lombardi’s in New York (whose oven is actually less than 20 years old since it moved to its new location in ’94). Nope, a standard Baker’s Pride pizza oven. I was prepared to be disappointed… I wasn’t.
The pie was very reminiscent of of the thin, crisp pizza’s I’ve had at the places mentioned above. Actually probably crisper, it was almost cracker-​like, without crossing the line into being crumbly. The pie was also nicely charred, like a pizza you’d get from a super-​high temperature, brick oven, but what made the De Lorenzo’s pie stand out for me was the sauce. The tomatoes were left chunky, sweet and delicious. The other highlight was the large pieces of sausage used for the sausage topping. Mmmm, I love italian sausage, I know one day it will kill me, but I know also it will have been worth it.
This is an old-​school, neighborhood pizza joint, in a lousy area, that hasn’t been updated in the last 40 years (or longer) …I mean seriously how can you run a restaurant and not have a bathroom… but you are coming for the pizza, so make the most of it and enjoy the kitschy ambiance circa 1949.
And don’t forget the wine, it’s BYOB.

Best pizza in New Jersey, hands down. Thin, sweet, crispy while somehow still being chewy. It’s soooo good. It’s one of two pizza places that makes me say, «this is DEFINITELY the best pizza I’ve ever had» every time I eat there. The other place is Taconelli’s in Philadelphia, PA
Pizzas are a bit expensive and they are thin so you may need to order a bit more than you are used to but it’s totally worth it.
The place is VERY SMALL and if you go during prime hours you will most likely need to wait in a line. The smell will keep you from leaving though!

I’m going to make this as straight forward as possible:
I grew up in a part of the country where specialty pizza was a very big thing. Each pizza had it’s own unique flavor based upon the excellent combination of ingredients placed on top.
So when I got to De Lorenzo’s, after having it hyped up by friends from the area as the best pizza on earth, I was somewhat disappointed. It wasn’t the cardboard crust that bothered me, the dingy restaurant with no restroom, crap service or mean wait staff. The pies were just plain. There is absolutely nothing unique about this pizza whatsoever. The tomato pies tasted like the sausage pies tasted like the mushroom pies and they were all ghastly expensive for the size and quality.
All in all, I’d go back but this time with poor expectations. Would NOT recommend it to a friend visiting from the midwest where I am from.

Amazing. Best Pizza in the world. I used to work there and would like to share an insider story that few know about: Foreign diplomats used to fly in on private jets from all over the globe, land on the roof, and slide down a secret chute to their VIP booth. And I’d spill soda on them, just like everyone else.
Also, there’s a members only disco tech in the basement.
Make sure you do your business in the car. No bathroom.

The best pizza place hands down.
I’ve been to both DeLorenzo’s locations, on Hudson and Hamilton streets and they are pretty similar. If you are used to getting your pizza from Dominoes or Pizza Hut and you actually think they have good pizza then I would not even recommend you go to DeLorenzo’s because all you’re going to do is waste precious seating room.
The Hudson street location is a real dive. It’s in an awful area and doesn’t look like it’s been changed much since it opened. The place is very small with five or so tables in the front of the store and maybe another six in the back. The service is awful and you might have to wait awhile before anyone even comes to bring you water and the lady that takes your order is a curmudgeonly old ogress that hates the world.
The place doesn’t have a bathroom, so make sure you go beforehand, and they do not accept credit cards, so bring cash. Their drink selection is very sparse and it all tastes like watered down Gatorade. I’d just stick with water. Also, don’t try to call them on the phone, they frequently leave it off the hook.
So far I’ve made the place sound awful, but everything I’ve said is true and is a must know for the DeLorenzo’s tenderfoot. The ONLY reason it manages to get five stars in my book is the pizza. The pizza is otherworldly. It’s not loaded with heavy toppings or gloppy, stringy cheese, instead it relies on simple ingredients and proper preparation. I could write a doctoral dissertation on their crust alone, it’s so perfect. Its extremely thin and crispy with a slight charring around the edges. The sauce is a perfect compliment to the crust with its freshness and real bites of tomato chunks. Also, order more pizza than you think you’ll need. You’ll definitely want it.
They do have toppings, but don’t expect to order anything too avant garde, they might throw your ignorant ass out.

I have eaten at both locations and I can say they are both excellent. Best thin crust pizza ever!
For the uninitiated, do not expect your normal pizza. do not expect every inch of pizza to be covered with toppings.
The toppings LOOK sparse, but they are loaded with flavor and in the end are really just perfect. Expect the crust to be really crust and have a cracker like crunch.
When you go; buy double what you think you need, If not you will be kicking yourself when your looking for that midnight snack and you realize they dont open till 4pm, ask me how i know.

I read all reviews about this place and decided to go there with my wife. We arrived about 3:50PM. They were still closed. Business hours posted in front are 4PM-​9PM (Thu-​Sun). They are closed Mon-​Wed. When they opened, I ordered sausage and garlic to go. I went to my car for 15 – 20 mins. When I came back, there were at least 20 people there dining. And I am talking 4:20PM on a 24 °F bitter cold day. The «tomato pie» was very tasty. It’s not a generic pizza pie. They won’t even slice the pie as usual. If you like super thin crust pizza, this is the place to go. They use crushed tomatoes instead of regular tomato paste. The place looks very old but it’s charming.
I would give ⁴⁄₅ for the taste, but the place overall deserves ⁵⁄₅.
UPDATE: I tried their clam pizza and it’s superb. It’s expensive though. About $ 26 and the size is less than an average large pizza.

This is the best pizza I’ve ever had in MY LIFE!!! Big slices, just the right amount of sauce! Perfect EVERY TIME!
This is one of the things I miss most about not living in NJ anymore. I have YET to find pizza this good in Philly!!!

I’ve been coming here my entire life and I’ve grown attached to this pizza. The ambiance is old fashioned, but the pizza is what you should be focused on.
Each «tomato pie» is (usually) cooked to perfection. They use tomato CHUNKS (not the sauce), which gives it a unique taste. We enjoy getting extra tomato, extra sausauge and garlic which is excellent.
They don’t take reservations, which means you’ll probably have to wait a while (on a busy night). They do take-​out, but they sometimes take the phone off the hook when they’re very busy; you’ll have to go there yourself to place the order.
The downside? There’s no bathroom!
This place is one of the best pizzerias in the area, and I always look forward to their crunchy and tasty pizza.
DeLorenzo’s is accessible from Route 129 (which connects to US 1 and Route 29/​I-​195). Take 129 to Hamilton Avenue east, and take the third right onto Hudson Street. DeLorenzo’s will be approaching on the left.
DELORENZO’S IS NOW CLOSED AS OF SUNDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2012.

Just a little heads up folks. I was in over the weekend and had one of the best pizza combination ever tasted. Clams with tomato and cheese!
We had planned on the clam in white sauce pie and were distracted when we ordered and our waitress asked «tomato and cheese?» Not knowing which we were agreeing to. What a happy mistake!
Take their amazing tomato pie, add some cheese, CLAMS, garlic, herbs, and a hit of olive oil out of the oven and one will be rewarded with this treasure!
What I am saying is if you like pizza and you like clams then you should get this! I can’t make it any more plain for you people!

To all of you who don’t know about this place and to all of you who know about this place but for some reason haven’t been:
We need to talk.
Get over it if you live in Philadelphia and are too lazy to drive. The pizza is worth it.
Get over it if you’re annoyed that this place has frequent lines out the door. The pizza is worth it.
Get over it if you’re hesitant about going to a place that has no bathroom. The pizza is worth it.
Get over it if you live in Philly and think there is no life beyond Tacconelli’s. This pizza is better.
This place is true to its roots. The place is family owned and family operated. The pizza is the real italian style thin crust tomato pie.
So get your tush to the ATM, then the liquor store, then up to Chambersburg for the best pizza of your life.
Trust me. You’ll be singing the same tune afterward.
I’m gad we had this chat.

Clearly the best Pizza in all of Jersey/​NYC, but not the Tri-​State Region. That award goes to Frank Pepe’s in New Haven. Who would have thunk that Trenton of all places has the second best pizza in all of the world, well, at least in my eyes.
I took my family there while en route to Sesame Place one Friday afternoon. The place just opened and we were the first customers. The guy who took our order was very helpful. We decided to get a pepperoni/​sausage pie, as well as a clam pie. Both pizza’s are top notch. I can’t find the words to express how shocked, amazed, and excited my taste buds were for me introducing this pizza to them.
Just recently, I took my boys from NYC to de Lorenzo’s while en route to our semi-​annual Philly trip. Needless to say, they loved it and they too were surprised how great the pizza in Trenton is. Let’s just say that one of my boys is a vegan and he couldn’t pass up trying a Trenton Tomato Pie. On top of that, they are born and raised New Yorkers and for them to concede to a Jersey Pie must really burn. BURNS, DON’T IT!!!
Details on the food… sorry almost forgot. Best thin crust. So crispy, and the toppings were superb. When they say tomato pie, they mean tomato. Instead of pizza sauce, they use huge chunks of canned tomatoes, slammin’. I can compare it to a neapolitan-​esque crust with Chicago-​esque hearty toppings. Just perfectly made.
I also recommend (2^nd best tomato pie in Trenton)
Top Road Tavern & Pizza
(609) 393‑5911
1042 Brunswick Ave, Trenton, NJ 8 638

Meandered my way through the streets of Trenton to get a taste of «the best pizza in Jersey», De Lorenzo’s came damn close. I’d give them 4.5 stars for the 3 tomato pies and one mushroom, sweet pepper, and onion pie.
The thing I like the best about De Lorenzo’s pies is the crust, it’s baked just perfectly, extra thin and crispy with a nice balance of cheese and sauce that is mouth watering for sure. We enjoyed the pies to the very last slice, incredibly delicious and certainly recommended, I know I’ll be going back.
The restaurant itself isn’t much to look at, it’s a small place that looks like the first floor of a house, a few pictures of celebrity fans on the wall with a tiny kitchen and antique cash register. You’ll know you’re there when you see the nice cars parked on the street in front of it, obviously they are doing something very right because the place was crowded at 4:30pm on a Sunday. I paid $ 14 a piece for plain tomato pies and $ 17 for the veggie pie, they were all well worth the money.

I take back everything that I wrote in my review of the Delorenzo’s on Hamilton. I didn’t realize that there are two places with similar names (owned by cousins). Folks, this is ground zero for North American pizza. Don’t even think of going to the other place.
And watch for an upcoming move to a commerical strip mall. Details in De Lorenzo’s. Will the quality stay as high? Stay tuned.