Editor’s note: This piece was originally published in July 2022 and has been updated.
New Jersey’s pizza reputation has never been louder. But while everyone debates which shop makes the best slice, or which tavern serves the best razor-thin variety, one style from the capital region has been quietly doing it differently for over 100 years. The Trenton tomato pie, Central Jersey’s most delicious secret, is hiding in plain sight.
What Is a Tomato Pie?
What is a tomato pie? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Philly natives will describe it as something similar to a Sfincione—a square, focaccia-like pizza topped with tomatoes, salt, and extra virgin olive oil. Served cold. In New England, you’ll get more-or-less the same, with slight variation.
In Trenton, the answer couldn’t be further from that. Trenton tomato pie marries styles together. It is a culmination of pizza excellence, and the locals wouldn’t have it any other way. Round, thin-and-crisp dough is sprinkled with cheese and toppings first before being splattered with the highest quality crushed tomatoes, like Jackson Pollock flailing his paintbrush at a canvas on the floor. And for over 100 years, this abstract, tomato-forward pizza has maintained its cult following.
The History of the Trenton Tomato Pie
It all started around the turn of the 20th century with Joe’s Tomato Pies on South Clinton Ave in Trenton. Along with being the first establishment to dish out the tomato pie, Joe’s is significant because of one man who spent time working there.
Giuseppe “Joe” Papa immigrated to the U.S. from Naples, Italy and began making pies at Joe’s when he was just 15 years old. Two years later, at the young age of 17, Papa opened Papa’s Tomato Pies in 1912—thus beginning the legendary story of the Trenton tomato pie as we know it today.
114 years have passed by, and Papa’s remains operational—making it the oldest family-owned and continually run pizzeria in the country. Originally housed on Butler Street in Trenton, Papa’s moved to Chamber’s Street in 1945 where Papa’s son-in-law, Dominik “Abie” Azzaro, eventually took over the operation with his wife and Papa’s daughter, Teresa Papa.
They dished out tomato pies from this location for nearly 70 years. In 2013, the restaurant moved just outside of Trenton to the quaint and unassuming Robbinsville, NJ where they are still located to this day—owned and operated by Abie and Teresa’s son, Nick Azzaro.
Moving to the Suburbs
A range of factors went into the decision, but what seems to have been a driving force was a rival shop doing it first.
Alexander “Chick” De Lorenzo opened De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies on Hudson Street in Trenton in 1947. Alongside his wife, Sophie, the couple operated the pizzeria for nearly 40 years before retiring and handing it off to their daughter, Eileen Amico, and grandson, Sam Amico.
Like Papa’s before it, De Lorenzo’s is an institution. It is a place for regulars to come and enjoy the tomato pie they grew up on. For pizza aficionados across the globe, it’s a place to travel to for a slice of history.
While still slinging pizzas in Trenton, Sam Amico opened a Robbinsville location in 2007, expanding the reach of the tomato pie into the suburbs. It was no longer a commodity only obtained by traveling into New Jersey’s capital. When Sam’s parents decided to retire in 2012, the Trenton location retired along with them. Later on, a De Lorenzo’s opened just over the river in Yardley, PA as well.
The Tomato Pie ‘Rivalry’
In the Trenton area, you are either a Papa’s family, or a De Lorenzo’s family. Food rivalries like this are anything but abnormal in New Jersey. Rutt’s Hut versus Hot Grill and White Mana versus White Manna are other examples of such. These clashes are the result of a natural competitive attitude that seems to be intertwined throughout the DNA of everyone who spends even a lick of time in the Garden State. A competitive nature that attracts two foes to one another. But what these rivalries also present is two masters of their craft dishing it out to create something even greater than the pizza: a story.
That is why less than a year after the original De Lorenzo’s closed in Trenton, Papa’s followed them to Robbinsville. Because what is either establishment without the other?
Same Style, Notable Differences
Papa’s and De Lorenzo’s remain busy and beloved. And while technically serving the same style of pizza, the tomato pies between the two do differ substantially.
At De Lorenzo’s, it’s rich and, well, tomato-forward. The crust is well-done and crispy, sprinkled with charred bubbles of dough. The pizza is cut in a unique style with a steak knife instead of a traditional slicer. The rough, irregular slices are alluring to many, making for a vastly different experience with each bite.
At Papa’s you get a similarly indulgent pie when it comes to the cheese and tomato, with a crisp, albeit lighter cook on the crust. The slices are cut in the classic style. But perhaps the most famous thing Papa’s does is the source for much of their acclaim: the mustard pie.
Pizza dough is stretched out and covered with a thin layer of spicy brown mustard before being topped with cheese and tomatoes. Seriously. This strange pizza combination has garnered a cult following. And though it sounds weird—maybe even unappetizing to some—the mustard pie is a must-try for anyone who is serious about their love for all things pizza.
The truth of the matter is that it’s subjective. Mustard pie fans are always going to drift toward Papa’s, and fans of a more well-done pie might take refuge at De Lorenzo’s. There is no wrong answer. Tomato pie is a story first—a pizza second.
Beyond these two staples are dozens of other joints dishing out Trenton tomato pie. Check out our New Jersey pizza guide to see where else you can grab one.
Trenton Tomato Pie: A New Jersey Original
The Trenton tomato pie represents the terroir of the Garden State’s capital. The luscious cheese and the dollops of tomato serve as a history lesson into Mercer County, where so much of this state’s history has been written. Decades of rivalry and pizza excellence have led us to this moment.
The tale dates back over 100 years—passed down from generation to generation. And though nothing is for certain, if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Papa’s and De Lorenzo’s dishing it out for 100 more. Just as they always have.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
