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Al Santillo shapes the pizza at his Elizabeth pizzeria.

(John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger)

Nothing starts a food argument quicker than debating who's got the best pizza.

It is the world's most popular food, after all, and we all know our favorite pizzeria is better than anyone else's.

While I applaud Thrillist's 33 Best Pizzas in America, it smacks of pretty much every "best of'' food list out there.

They work like this: Ask a few "experts'' to name their favorite burger or hot dog or ice cream place, and make those the best in the state or country. Wow, that was easy.

Thrillist's ranking is predictably democratic — let's make sure every part of the country is represented. Thus, you have pizzerias from South Carolina, Missouri, Texas and Louisiana, among other places. Missouri?

There are exactly two from New Jersey — Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City and Conte's in Princeton. Razza is a worthy choice, but Conte's? I'm guessing one of those Thrillist experts is a Princeton grad.

Dan Richer inspects a pizza at Razza.

What, no Star Tavern (Orange), no Santillo's (Elizabeth), no De Lorenzo's (Robbinsville), no Patsy's (Paterson)?

The list of worthy New Jersey contenders could go on and on.

I have an opinion or two about pizza. I headed up The Star-Ledger's Pizza Patrol for several years (we visited and sampled 375 pizzerias around the state). I wrote the only two books devoted solely to Jersey and New York City pizza — "A Slice of Jersey'' (Pediment Publishing) and "Pizza City: The Ultimate Guide to New York's Favorite Food'' (Rutgers University Press). For the latter, I reviewed 250 pizzerias in all five boroughs.

My list of the best pizza in Jersey and NYC? Here goes. Let the debate — or arguments — begin. Each list is in alphabetical order.

Pies with different toppings in the oven at Star Tavern in Orange.

NEW JERSEY

Antonio's Brick Oven Pizza, 453 Main St., Metuchen; (732) 603-0008. The Brainy Boro is smart to have a pizzeria like Antonio's in town. The deep-dish margherita - not deep-dish like Chicago, but deep enough - is a tomatoey, crusty winner.

Big John's Pizza, 90 Commerce St. east, Bridgeton; (856) 455-3344. To anyone who will holler about Bridgeton being on this list, I will reply: You need to get out more. The state's guiltiest pizza pleasure is the double thick pizza here: it is a thick, chewy and cardiac-inducing delight. Pizza purists will take one look at it and run away, screaming in terror.

Bruno's, 1006 Route 46 west, Clifton; (973) 473-3339. My colleagues order from Nino's in Harrison all the time. Nino's makes a decent Sicilian, but it's no match for the puffy-crusted, tomatoey goodness that is a Bruno's pizza.

Cafe Bello Ristorante, 1044 Avenue C, Bayonne; (201) 437-7538. Bayonne's best pizza can be found in this neighborhood restaurant, where pizzas are cooked in an oven practically hidden behind the bar. The white pizza is outstanding.

De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies, 2350 Rt. 33, Robbinsville; (609) 341-8480. This Trenton native was crushed when De Lo's on Hudson Street closed early last year, but the name, and the pizzas, live on. The Robbinsville location is owned by Sam Amico, whose parents ran the Hudson Street De Lo's for many years. The pizza is thin-crusted, tomatoey, burnt around the edges. De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies is not to be confused DeLorenzo's Pizza (notice the difference in spelling), once in Trenton, now in Hamilton.

Fratelli's Restaurant Pizzeria, 500 Route 35, Middletown; (732) 747-4737. Sure sign that a pizzeria knows what it's doing: when it doesn't allow one of its brick oven pizzas in a takeout box. You can get a pizza from the regular oven, but when the brick oven pizza is this good, why would you?

La Sicilia Pizza & Ristorante, 155 Washington Ave., Belleville; (973) 751-5726. The restaurant is under new ownership, but they were smart to keep the Palermo, the pizzeria's most popular pie, a heavenly mix of mozzarella, marinara, garlic and grated cheese.

Maruca's Tomato Pies, 21 Boardwalk, Seaside Heights; (732) 793-0707. Sandy forced this boardwalk legend to move just up the boardwalk, from Seaside Park to Seaside Heights. But the quality hasn't changed; try either a plain or margherita, and you'll swear off all other boardwalk pizza forever.



Mr. Bruno's, 439 Valley Brook Ave., Lyndhurst; (201) 933-1588. The sauce on the pizza here is so good they bottle it. Order the Sicilian; it's one of the state's very best.

Osteria Procaccini, 4428 Route 27, Kingston; (609) 688-0007. Nomad Pizza in nearby Hopewell is more acclaimed; one critic called the pizza "the best this side of Naples.'' Well, Osteria Procaccini, in tiny Kingston, is better. Highly recommended: the Nonna Cesina pizza, a white pizza with gorgonzola, mozzarella, ricotta, provolone, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and basil.

Palermo's Restaurant & Pizzeria, 674 Route 206 South, Bordentown; (609) 298-6771. Forget the dreary strip-mall surroundings and dive into a margherita pizza, with its sassy sauce and oh-so-fresh mozzarella.

Patsy's Tavern & Pizzeria, 72 Seventh Ave., Paterson; (973) 742-9596. Atmospheric, old-school bar with a crackery-crusted, pleasantly greasy pizza. Not easy to find, and well worth a wrong turn or two in getting to.

Sam's Pizza Palace, 2600 Boardwalk, Wildwood; (609) 522-6017. Mack & Manco, on Ocean City boardwalk, is now Manco & Manco; neither is to be confused with Macks Pizza in Wildwood. Avoid the confusion and head to Sam's, more open air seaside cafeteria than palace. A plain cheese slice will fix you up nice.

Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza, 639 S. Broad St., Elizabeth; (908) 354-1887. There's no place to sit down, but there are "approved'' restaurants and bars nearby you can eat your pizza in. "Approved,'' that is, by Al Santillo, the talkative owner of this screen-doored pizzeria, located just off the Bayway Circle. Get in Al's good graces - it's not difficult - and he'll invite you behind the counter to check out his oven.

Star Tavern, 400 High St., Orange; (973) 675-3336. No one does true thin-crust pizza like Jersey; what New Yorkers call "thin crust'' bears no resemblance to the wafer-thin pizza on this side of the river. And no one does thin-crust better than Star, which opened in 1945. They turn out an amazing 7,000-10,000 pizzas a month.

Villa Barone, 753 Haddon Ave., Collingswood; (609) 858-2999. Collingswood is South Jersey's trendy food destination, and Villa Barone is the best pizzeria in town. Try the Capricciosa, with prosciutto, kalamata olives and fresh mushrooms; you'll thank me later.

NEW YORK CITY

The only thing harder than making a best Jersey pizza list is making a best New York City pizza list; the Big Apple is merely the center of the pizza universe. Here are my top 15 for now; I'll expand it to Top 20 later. Five are in Brooklyn and five are in Manhattan. God forbid I give one borough or the other the edge; I'd never hear the end of it from the pizza purists.



Best Pizza, 33 Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 599-2210. Dig the paper plate art on the walls - messages and images created by adoring customers. Best pizzas here: a plain and the Grandma, with its crusty, buttery top.

Di Fara Pizza, 1424 Avenue J, Midwood, Brooklyn; (718) 258-1367. Di Fara's created major waves in the pizza world when it introduced the city's first $5 slice in 2009. You'll have to wait in line, and the dining room is cramped and austere-looking, but any serious NYC pizza pilgrimage starts here.

Forcella La Pizza DiNapoli, 485 Lorimer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 388-8820. Brick-walled dining room, wooden tables and two of the city's most distinctive pizzas: the montanara - a fried margherita - and the Calzone pizza, blackened at the edges and jammed with sopressata, ricotta and smoked mozzarella.

Gino's Pizzeria & Restaurant, 158-46 Cross Bay Blvd., Howard Beach, Queens. New Park Pizza is a city pizza legend. Gino's, several blocks away, is better. Order a square slice; I'd recommend one with fresh mozzarella and basil.

Il Porto Ristorante Wood Brick-Oven Pizza, 37 Washington Ave., Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 624-0954. This brick-walled restaurant is out of the way, and you won't see it on any best-pizza lists. But the grandma pizza is a standout, and so is the Supreme pizza, with mozzarella, Parmigiano and crushed tomatoes.

Joe's Pizza, 7 Carmine St., Manhattan; (212) 366-1182. A classic slice joint with exactly one table; standing is a Joe's tradiition. The high turnover here means you're almost guaranteed a fresh, hot slice.

La Villa, 8207 153rd Ave., Howard Beach, Queens; (718) 641-8259. Another out-of-the way pizzeria, but one taste of the margherita round pizza, with its sassy sauce and nice chewy crust, makes it worth the drive, or subway ride.

Lee's Tavern, 60 Hancock St., Staten Island; (718) 667-9749. Joe & Pat's, and Denino's, get most of the pizza publicity on the island, but Lee's is the best, in my opinion. Lee's is more bar than pizzeria - the mounted deer heads clinch that - but the thin-crust here rivals Star Tavern's in Orange. It may even be better.

Lil' Frankie's, 19 First Ave., Manhattan; (212) 420-4900. My vote for the city's most fun pizzeria, with its corner bar, back patio and kooky pizza boxes. Excellent pizza, especially the Pizza Funghi for all you mushroom lovers out there.

Louie & Ernie's, 1300 Crosby Ave., The Bronx; (718) 829-6230. Subterranean pizza joint in a residential neighborhood; look for the neon sign out front. The funky wood-paneled dining room looks like someone's den - from the 70s. The plain slice is among the city's best.

Motorino, 349 East 12th St., Manhattan; (212) 777-2644. There's no shortage of high-end pizzerias in the city, with Lucali's, Keste and the rest. But Motorino, the first of that breed, remains the best. The dining room is small and spare, but the pizzas rock; the margherita is especially recommended.

Nick's Pizza, 108-26 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, Queens; (718) 263-1126. Classy bistro-like pizzeria that can get crowded on weekends. Cash only and no slices; you order pizzas by kind (regular or white) and then toppings. Try a half white, half red if you can't make up your mind.

Sac's Place, 25-41 Broadway, Astoria, Queens; (718) 204-5002. I'm particular about my sauce - get that weak, canned-tasting stuff out of here. Sac's red sauce is packed with flavor and attitude. The plain and marinara pizzas are both first-rate.

Totonno's, 1524 Neptune Ave., Coney Island, Brooklyn (718) 372-8606. An atmosphere straight out of the 50s, with faded newspaper clips on the wall, an ancient cash register and don't forget the rest room, hidden behind a curtain. Classic cheese pizza, and don't you dare ask for a slice; whole pizzas only.

Valducci's Pizza Truck, varying locations, Manhattan, check Twitter for updates. Some of the city's best slices come from this red-trimmed truck. They're tomatoey to the max, and huge besides.

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