Add This New Jersey Pizzeria To Your Food Road Trip After Dave Portnoy’s Big Praise

Word about a great slice travels fast, especially once it reaches people who take pizza seriously. This New Jersey pizzeria earned exactly that kind of attention recently, enough to land on plenty of food road trip lists.

Dough gets stretched fresh throughout the day, never sitting premade for convenience. Sauce recipes stay simple, letting the tomatoes speak for themselves instead of relying on added sugar.

Cheese melts just right, never greasy despite the generous amount piled on each slice. Regulars order the same slice every visit, knowing it will taste exactly like it did the last time.

This pizzeria proved that sometimes the best recognition comes from people who know good pizza when they taste it.

Dave Portnoy Handed Out A Monster Score

A 9.4. Pizza nerds still talk about that number like it is a sports record.

Dave Portnoy, the guy behind the famous One Bite pizza reviews, gave this Raritan shop one of the highest scores he has ever handed out.

He did not stop there either. Portnoy said the pie was 100 percent in the conversation for the best he had ever eaten.

He even claimed it was worth a three to four-hour drive, which is a wild thing to say about anything that comes in a cardboard box.

For context, Portnoy has reviewed thousands of pizza places. Most of them land somewhere in the sevens.

A score in the nines is rare enough to make fans plan entire weekends around it.

That review dropped in January 2022, and the effect was instant. A beloved local spot suddenly became a national bucket list item.

People from Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania started punching the address into their GPS.

Here is the fun part. The pizzeria did not change anything to earn the praise.

The recipe, the oven, and the family running the place were all the same as the week before. Portnoy simply confirmed what the town of Raritan already knew for decades.

So if you trust his taste buds, this is your sign to gas up the car. You will find this legendary stop at 3 1st Ave, Raritan, NJ 08869, United States.

The Bread Bakery That Started It All

Picture a horse and buggy rolling down a dirt road loaded with fresh loaves. That is how this whole story began.

Back in 1917, an Italian immigrant named Costanio DeLucia opened a bread bakery right here in Raritan.

Bread was the main business for years. Deliveries traveled by horse to nearby towns, reaching as far as Martinsville.

Imagine waiting all morning for your sandwich bread to clip-clop up the street.

Pizza showed up on the menu sometime in the 1930s. At first it was just a side project.

Then people got hooked, and the demand kept growing year after year.

By the early 1950s, the family made a bold move. They dropped the bread business and switched to an all-pizza menu.

Honestly, that might be one of the smartest decisions in New Jersey food history.

Today, Christian DeLucia runs the shop. He is the great-grandson of the founder, which makes this a fourth-generation family business.

Not many restaurants in America can say that with a straight face.

Think about everything that happened since 1917. Two world wars, the moon landing, the invention of the internet.

Through all of it, this family kept making dough in the same small town.

That kind of staying power is worth respecting. Every slice here carries a little piece of that immigrant dream, and you can almost taste the stubborn pride in it.

The Century Old Oven With No Flames Inside

Most brick ovens roar with wood or coal fires. This one plays by its own rules.

The original oven at DeLucia’s dates all the way back to 1917, and it still cooks every single pie.

Here is the strange and wonderful part. There is no wood, no coal, and no open flame inside while the pizzas bake.

Instead, heat gets built up by burning oils, and then that heat source gets shut off.

After that, the hot bricks do all the work. The pizza cooks from stored heat soaking out of over a hundred years of seasoned masonry.

Think of it like a giant stone battery that only charges up on pizza.

This method explains a lot about the final product. The bottom gets toasted and crispy while the cheese stays from burning.

It is slow science wrapped in old-school craft.

The staff has been known to let curious visitors peek at the oven. If you ask nicely, you might get a look at the bricks that have baked pizzas for generations.

It is like a museum piece that still clocks in for work.

Fun fact for your next trivia night. This oven was firing up bread before sliced bread even existed in stores.

That alone makes the trip worth it.

So when you take that first bite, give the bricks a little nod. They have earned it more than anyone.

Thin Crispy Crust With Zero Flop

Hold a slice straight out from your hand. Does it droop like a sad noodle?

Not here. The crust at this place is famous for having zero flop, which pizza fans treat like a badge of honor.

The pie is thin and crispy, almost like a cousin of the classic bar pie. The underside gets toasted to a golden brown without tasting burnt.

It is impossibly thin yet sturdy enough to hold its toppings.

Low-moisture mozzarella spreads all the way to the edge. You get cheese in nearly every bite, even near the crust.

The sauce leans savory instead of sweet, letting the tomato flavor speak for itself.

The cheese-to-sauce balance is the quiet hero. Neither one bullies the other.

The whole thing comes out light and not greasy at all.

A plain cheese pie became the top seller after the Portnoy buzz. Owner Christian DeLucia, though, has a soft spot for the Italian sausage.

Meatball, margherita, eggplant, and buffalo chicken pies are also on the menu for the adventurous.

One tip worth repeating. Eat it hot.

A crust this crispy is at its best fresh out of the oven, and it firms up fast as it cools.

Shake on some garlic salt or grated cheese if you like a little extra kick. Either way, you will understand the hype by slice two.

When Busy Turned Into Total Chaos

Christian DeLucia has a great way of describing life after the big review. Business went from busy to insane, nuts, crazy, unreal.

That is four words for one feeling, and every one of them fits.

Lines started forming out the door. Some people showed up before the shop even opened, standing on the sidewalk like it was a concert ticket sale.

Rain and snow did not stop them either.

Wait times could stretch for hours on the busiest days. Orders get filled based on your spot in line, so there is no skipping ahead.

Fair is fair, even when your stomach disagrees.

The shop also hits its pizza limit most days. That oven can only bake so many pies, and when the dough runs out, it runs out.

Showing up late can mean going home empty-handed.

Honestly, it is kind of a funny problem to have. A small family pizzeria suddenly had the crowd control issues of a theme park.

And yet the family kept the same recipe and the same pace.

For road trippers, this means patience is part of the menu. Bring a snack for the car, a good playlist, or a friend with funny stories.

Think of the wait as part of the adventure. Few things taste better than a pizza you had to earn.

Old School Mom And Pop Charm

Forget flashy neon and giant TV screens. This pizzeria keeps things simple in the best way.

It is a true mom-and-pop shop sitting in the little town of Raritan.

The dining room is small, with only about ten tables. Plain wooden chairs and tables fill the space.

The look is a classic old brick oven pizzeria, the type you see in old movies.

There is a real sense of history hanging in the air. You are eating in a place that has fed families for over a century.

That makes even a simple lunch feel like a small event.

Because seating is limited, takeout tends to be the easier route. A table might open up, but nobody should count on it during a rush.

Plenty of people happily eat in their cars in the parking area.

Here is a fun bonus. The shop stocks a lineup of craft sodas, from grape soda to root to Mexican Coke.

Pairing a cold bottle with a hot pie feels like a trip back to the 1950s.

The staff keeps things friendly even when the place is packed. Behind the counter, you can spot fresh basil and homemade sauce in the works.

It is not fancy, and that is the whole point. Some places try hard to feel authentic.

This one simply is.

Smart Strategies For Snagging A Pie

Winging it is a bad plan here. A little strategy goes a long way when a whole country wants the same pizza.

Think of it like planning a heist, except the treasure is cheese.

The shop works on a mix of phone orders and walk-ins. Calling ahead can save serious time, especially if you are driving an hour or more.

Just know that call-in slots can fill up fast too.

Arriving right at opening is the golden rule. Lunch and dinner each have their own window, and getting there early in either one boosts your odds.

Some folks show up a good twenty minutes before the doors open.

Weekdays tend to be calmer than weekends. A random Wednesday afternoon can mean a short wait.

A Saturday, on the other hand, can feel like a holiday rush.

Also keep in mind that whole pies are the deal here, not single slices. Ordering half plain and half with a topping lets you taste the classic and something extra in one go.

Check the official website before your trip for any rules or updates. The family posts helpful details there, and reading them first saves headaches later.

Finally, pay attention to where the line forms. Asking someone nearby where to stand keeps everyone happy.

A little courtesy goes as far as a good crust.

Why Raritan Deserves A Spot On Your Route

Raritan is one of those small New Jersey towns that most people drive past without a second thought. That is a mistake.

This borough in Somerset County holds a pizza treasure that locals have bragged about for generations.

For the people who live here, DeLucia’s is more than a restaurant. It is part of the town’s identity, like a hometown sports team that never loses.

Ask anyone nearby, and you will probably hear a story about birthday parties or Friday night family dinners.

The location also makes it easy to build a bigger road trip. Central New Jersey sits within reach of New York City, Philadelphia, and the Jersey Shore.

A pizza stop here can anchor a whole day of exploring.

Pair it with other famous pizza spots in the state for a full tasting tour. New Jersey has a deep pizza scene, and this shop gives you a perfect benchmark.

Compare, argue, and repeat.

There is something special about supporting a family that has stuck around for over a hundred years. Your visit helps keep a living piece of history going strong.

So when you map out your next food adventure, add one more pin. Raritan might be small, but its pizza carries a giant reputation.

Come hungry, come early, and leave with a story worth telling at the next pizza debate.