Joes Famous Pizza

Trying this place for the first time. We walk in, ask if we have to be seated or sit ourselves? Girl sitting by front door looking/​texting into her phone, makes quick eye contact with me and points at tables and says «sit wherever you want». Waitress doesn’t greet us, just takes pad out and asks what we want to order. I tell her it’s our first time there… no reaction from her, no suggestions, no welcome… you get my point. We ordered pizza and wings. Wings were ok, fried and drowned in Pete’s hot sauce pretty much. Pizza was ok at best. Waitress never came back to see if we needed refills on our drinks, OR if we liked our food (remember, I told her it was our first time there). Come to find out they only accept cash, but conveniently told there’s an ATM machine inside. I’m assuming it was Famous Joe that rang our bill at cash register (he looked like guy in charge there), he didn’t ask if we enjoyed our food either. Poor service, ok food, inconvenient «cash only» policy (get with the times)! Never again… not worth spending your hard earned money there… ONE and done!

Great thin pizza. You can’t go wrong. If you have an attitude, you might get it back.

Tasty garlic-​ey thin crust pizza. Unique in this area. The mushrooms seemed canned, so I just get it plain, but it’s my go-​to.

Nasty pizza, nasty owner/​employee? making the pizzas. This was my second visit, having eaten there 5 yrs prior with pretty much the same experience. Never again.

I called and was placed on hold and was forgotten, I notice when I was there NOONE
was wearing gloves, I saw a lady touching food and handling money, and a man use his phone place it back in his pocket and continue to make pizzas!

Visiting for the first time, the staff was extremely welcoming and friendly! Service was excellent and I loved their tiramisu! Additionally, the owner was friendly and all smiles :) Can’t wait until I visit again!

This was the best pizza! It was actually the place that my family went when I was a kid, and nothing compares to this place. If I ever visit the area, I will definitely go back.

Solid pizza, just takes awhile to make. Always give yourself extra time, as they take awhile.

The pizza is good but the service is surly and unwelcoming. I have literally dined in or ordered out nearly 50 times and the owner is still gruff. How much does it cost to smile?

Pizza is very flavorful and consistent. The pan pizza provides a distinguishing flavor and texture which is good too. My complaint is that they are a bit pricey and cash only and the owner seems a bit arrogant and less than inviting. Parking is convenient though.

This pizza is definitely on the money! Fast, delicious, piping hot and well done with extra cheese when requested. 14.00 dollars for a large pie. Totally worth every penny

Yes, there is oil on top of the pizza… and since I was a kid, I have taken a paper napkin and let it fall gently on the top and carefully lift it off– voila! No grease… but highly flavorful pizza slice! Love the artichoke pizza, especially when there are some bubbles in the crust. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their Italian Hotdogs, The fresh bread they use is magical… what else can I tell you? Sure, on the double with extra potatoes, (well done & crsipy), there is still not enough dog compared to the amount of bread. SO, next time, I am going to ask them to put in an extra dog, Woof, Woof!

The best!!! As good as it gets. If I could have one source of pizza on a desert island this would be it. Thank God the birch beer is back

Me: «Yeah, I just moved here from California. We don’t have this in California.»
Joe: «California, huh? HA! California pizza… what’s a California pizza?! You Californians put all kinds of…» this and that and blah blah blah…
During that conversation, I was basically thinking one thing: «Joe, this better be the best damn pizza my taste buds have had in a while.» The verdict: It was a pretty good pizza.
The pizzeria looks more like a diner from the outside – step on in and you will notice that the place has one of those classic but casual vibes to it. The people are friendly and nice to talk to. The menu has a solid selection of items; there are twenty eight different kinds of pizzas available, a couple of salads, a number of appetizers, heroes, calzones, and pasta. Of course, for a place that prides itself in being called a «pizzeria,» I’m guessing pizza is the way to go.
Joe’s Special ($ 21) (B+): The toppings on Joe’s Special are pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and black olives. Two things stand out to me. First, the freshness of the ingredients is crucial to any dish. The distinct difference between Jersey pizzas and «everyone else» (other states) is that *usually* fresh vegetables and meats are used – don’t expect frozen meat or store bought cheese and tomato sauce. Also, Jersey pizzas don’t seem to overload on toppings. The first thing you see as you walk into this place is a table with two guys hurling fresh pizza dough in the air so you know they are made from scratch. Pizzas are made to order and are served piping hot.
Best pizza ever? Nah, too early. Best pizza in town? The Vauxhall/​Union area has plenty of competitors, so to be fair, three stars is just right for my first time having pizza here. Let me see what Joe is up against first.

Absolutely the best pizzeria I’ve been to, in NY, NJ or anywhere else, including Italy! I’ve been going for the last 30 years and the pizza is just as good today as it was 30 years ago. Amazing that the taste hasn’t changed at all! The service is usually pretty bad, the location is in a pretty bad neighborhood, and the pizza is a little greasy and burnt, but still the tastiest with the best slightly crunchy, but still soft crust! And now they even have gluten free pizzas!

If you love their food, you would likely say that the place and the staff «have character.» Otherwise, you might consider it an atmosphere devoid of charm and courtesy. I’d have to give it a solid «meh» personally, and though I like the thin crust quite a bit, the toppings and impersonal-​bordering-​on-​rude counter service make this much less of an attraction — particularly with Pizza Rustica so close by.

Pizza is great, food is wonderful but customer service is lacking big time. Rude from the phone call to the pick up. I wish businesses in NJ would appreciate their customers instead of giving off an attitude like they’re doing me a favor by taking my order. Customer service is more then half of a businesses success.

Cash only, and no drink refills. (full 1-​star deduction)
Otherwise, a perfectly good albeit surprisingly (and deliciously) greasy New Jersey-​style slice! There’s something oddly appealing about the grease oozing off of the pepperoni here. The toppings and cheese are all-​the-​way to the pizza edge, definitely a regional characteristic of this thin-​crust classic.
Regarding the crust, it is a little more crispy/​crunchy than chewy. Almost a Tombstone Pizza texture — but strangely appealing. Do not expect a NYC slice here — this NJ pizza is in a class by itself, and worth trying.
Truth is, this may be a 5-​star slice to some, and a 4-​star slice to many. I do not intend to mislead anybody so I will maintain a very strong 3-​star recommendation for those who aren’t locals (myself included.)
Super nice waitstaff. We actually ordered two full pizzas. Ate all of it. The pizza pans were almost completely orange with pepperoni/​cheese grease when we were done. All good, though — I would totally go back.
Quick Tip: pizza mushrooms mostly come from cans in New Jersey (I knew to ask) so don’t get mushrooms on pizza in New Jersey if you prefer fresh ‘shrooms. The national chains (Domino’s, Papa John’s) and local wood-​fired pizza bistros (Arturo’s) are exceptions to this rule.

We visited this restaurant for the first time last Monday. My 12 year old and her 2 friends love pizza and we wanted to try a new place. My husband and I joked that we were taking them to Chuck E Cheese and they quickly protested that they are no longer babies. We ordered 2 pies; one plain cheese for the girls and the second a specialty pizza (½ Hawaiian, ½ Buffalo Chicken). The girls were starving so I was relieved when the cheese pizza came out first. However, this pizza was over-​cooked and the bottom was burned. The girls complained but stated that they did not want to wait an additional 30 minutes for another pizza and would eat a slice as is. I let our server know right away about the burned pizza and she asked if we wanted to order something else. I explained to her that we did not want to wait. I expected to not have to pay for this pizza. We left the remaining pie for her to dispose in the trash. However, when we got the bill we were charged full price. That’s just unacceptable customer service! I apologized to the girls for their awful pizza dinner and one of the girls stated that they would have had better pizza at Chuck E Cheese!
By the way the specialty pizza was decent in taste (not burned) but definitely not great.

The décor is a little Jersey. But that’s not what you’re here for is it? You’re here for the slice. And oh my, what a slice! Sized just right. A little wider and a little short than normal, so that you can fold the slice and eat with one hand with wild abandon and without worrying about dripping grease down your shirt.
The tomato sauce is just right and the toppings yummy. The crust is thin enough to be crispy while thick enough to not collapse under the weight of the generous toppings.
We tried the margarita, the broccoli rabe, a Sicilian and a buffalo chicken. Delicious. Thin crispy crust. Tasty sauce and excellent toppings.
We initially thought the Broccoli rabe was a Spinach slice and were surprised to taste that sharp bitter, yet delicious bite of rabe. What a wonderful treat.