Reviews, Papa's Tomato Pies, Trenton, NJ

An article about Papa's in PMQ Pizza Magazine, January/February 2011: "Time Capsule *The oldest family-owned pizzeria in the United States, this landmark is on the cusp of celebrating 100 years in business:* There were already other pizzerias in Trenton, New Jersey, when Naples transplant Giuseppe (“Joe”) Papa decided to open Papa’s Tomato Pies (papastomatopies.com) in 1912, but this institution is the only one from those early days that’s still standing. Joe was only 17 years old when he opened his doors, and made dough by hand, cooking the pies in a coal oven; his wife, Adalene, made the meatballs and pasta sauce. After a couple of moves within Trenton, the location landed at Chambers Street in 1945, where it remains today. As years passed, new generations took over the business: After Joe and Adalene, their daughter Teresa Azzaro ran the pizzeria with her husband Dominik; later, her son Nick (who still mans the pizzeria almost every day) took over, and today he and his son Dominick (“Donnie”), along with Nick’s cousin Chip, are the only ones who make the famous tomato pies. “There are people who make pizzas, and then there are people who what they’re doing,” laughs Nick. “I’ve made more than three-quarter million years in the business, but I put a lot of care into it—that’s really the secret.” Nick says that “tomato pies” became increasingly known as “pizza” in the ’50s when neon manufacturers charged by the letter and operators wanted to keep costs down, but the Trenton tomato pie remains its own style, starting with a thin crust that’s topped fi rst with cheese, then tomato sauce. At Papa’s, the menu even offers a mustard pizza, a dough spread with Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard and topped with cheese and tomato sauce (“Some people love it,” says Nick). Meanwhile, the interior of the restaurant hasn’t changed since 1963, which regulars and new customers love—and they come in droves from all over the country to experience this much-lauded pizzeria. “People will come from 70 miles away to get our pizza—it’s just amazing,” Nick marvels. “If I wasn’t making good pie, I’d retire, but I’m still healthy and it’s hard to give it up!” –Tracy Morin" Papa's was featured as the first restaurant in the new series "The Dish", by Trentonian reporter, Jeff Edelstein. Included is a short video of the creation of a sausage tomato pie, featuring Donnie's masterful handling of pizza dough! http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2010/08/17/news/doc4c69faf015af2794093393.prt

Papa's was featured in the January 2010 issue of "New Jersey Monthly", in their special "Pizza Issue"! http://njmonthly.com/articles/restaurants/the-original.html To read more about Papa's official status as the oldest continuously-owned pizza resaturant in the USA, visit our "The Oldest!" web page, with links articles by the New York Times, National Public Radio and other authorities! Some of the best reviews, though, are on the Papa's Facebook page, from happy customers. Some people describe the experience in words, but others find it more descriptive to just post photos of their pizza! Become a Fan of Papa's on Facebook! Papa's Tomato Pies Promote Your Page Too		A review of Papa's on the "Hidden Trenton" web site, it made "Editor's Pick for Best Tomato Pie"! http://hiddentrenton.com/wordpress/?p=15 Pizza blogger Ed Tseng gives Papa's a 9.5 in this video review and tour of the restaurant: http://www.viddler.com/explore/ed10s26/videos/30/ PART OF A REVIEW ABOUT PIZZA PLACES IN TRENTON by "SLICE AMERICA", May 2007: "Our last stop was Papa's, which opened in 1912. We ordered a pizza and asked our teenaged waiter if the owner was around. Ten minutes later, Abie, a man who looked to be in his 70s,... wandered out of the kitchen with our pizza. As we started to eat, Giancarlo said, "This is real food, honest food, it smells real, feels real, looks real. I see a lot of heart in this place." The pizza is similar to DeLorenzo's, with a little less cheese and a little thinner crust. I asked Abie to tell me about the pizza. He said, "It's not pizza, it's tomato pie."He told me that he took over the place from his father-in-law. "Has the pizza changed over the years?" I asked. Abie replied, "You did it again. It's not pizza, it's tomato pie." He explained that the ovens used to be coal-fired, and that they changed over in the '50s to gas. Other than that, the pizza—I mean tomato pie—is the same.I asked Abie if he ever thought about getting out of the pizza-making business. He said, "You know, about 30 years ago, a nice fellow came in and offered to buy this place. He said that he had a few pizzerias in the Midwest called Domino's. He seemed like a nice fella, but we didn't want to sell. Making this 'pizza,' in this way, is what we do. This is what we're all about. I don't know if it makes us special or not. I just know it makes us feel good to make it this way." Home About Us The Oldest! Menu Picture Gallery Reviews Directions Links

Reviews of Papa's