For years, it was accepted as part of pizza lore and legend that the nation's oldest pizzeria was Lombardi's in New York City.

Not so fast, says the owner of a Trenton pizzeria.

Nick Azzaro, owner of Papa's Tomato Pies on Chambers Street, says Lombardi's, which opened in 1905, closed for ten years, forfeiting its claim as the nation's oldest pizzeria.

"On their website, they claim they were closed for ten years between 1977 and 1987,'' Azzaro says. "They're not really the oldest pizza restaurant.''

Actually, Lombardi's, which opened as a grocery store in 1897 and started selling pizza in 1905, was closed between 1984 and 1994, according to its website (firstpizza.com). The pizzeria, originally located at 53 1/2 Spring St., is now located at 32 Spring St.

Papa's Tomato Pies in Trenton 8 Gallery: Papa's Tomato Pies in Trenton

Azzaro's grandfather, Joe Papa, opened Papa's in 1912, and the wood-paneled Chambers Street hangout has never closed down, unlike Lombardi's.

Azzaro, an outgoing type who works the crowd like a nightclub entertainer, recently taped over the word "second'' in the "Second Oldest Tomato Pie Restaurant in the United States'' signs in his restaurant. His business cards proudly proclaim Papa's as the "oldest pizza restaurant in the United States.''

Papa's, located in the capital city's Villa Park neighborhood, won an Award of Excellence for its plain pie in The Star-Ledger's Best Pizza in New Jersey competition last year.