The New York Times released a list yesterday highlighting 22 of the best pizza places in the US right now. The list, which highlights a variety of pizza styles, includes pizzerias in New York, Alaska and, yes, New Jersey. The Garden State possesses just one spot on the list (as compared to Alaska’s two), but so does New York—so we can’t really complain too much.
So, which NJ spot made the list? Well, you don’t have to be a genius to guess that the New York Times named Jersey City’s Razza as one of the best pizzerias in the US right now. Times’ Food Critic Pete Wells writes: “What if New Jersey is really a lost province of Italy? This is the question asked by Razza, Dan Richer’s locavore pizzeria in Jersey City. The flour is milled nearby. Milk for butter and cheese is contributed by local cows. What may be Razza’s most famous creation is a white pie topped with honey from New Jersey bees and toasted, blight-resistant hazelnuts grown in East Brunswick by plant biologists at Rutgers University.”
This isn’t the first time NYT has praised Razza. In 2017, Pete Wells begged the question: Is New York’s Best Pizza in New Jersey? when he first reviewed the wood-fired pizzeria. Since, Razza has exploded in popularity, serving as a pizza Mecca of sorts for aficionados who make their way across the varied NJ pizzeria landscape.
In 2023, we named Razza one of NJ’s 40 best pizzas. You can read that list here.
If you’re tired of hearing about Razza, you really shouldn’t be. Owner Dan Richer has crafted a pizzeria that perplexes diners without ever overcomplicating anything. It starts with a stellar pizza dough and is complete by toppings that epitomize what it means to use the best possible ingredients. Think margherita pies made with NJ tomatoes and NJ cheese, white pizzas with English peas and guanciale and so on. However, Razza isn’t the only New Jersey pizzeria worthy of national recognition. Not even close. There’s always next year, though.
Love NJ pizza? Read all about the Jersey Shore pizzeria that’s dishing out some of the best pies in the state here.
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.
