NJ pizza joint named one of the best in the nation

Is there a pizza shop equivalent to Jersey’s own Meryl Streep? She’s been nominated for more Oscars than anybody and won three times.

Then there’s Razza.

The Jersey City pizza place has been recognized by PizzaToday.com, The New York Times, 50 Top Pizza and other sites.

Dan Richer, who runs Razza, has been a James Beard regional semi-finalist six times and a “Rising Star Chef of the Year” semi-finalist in 2011.

In 2019, Razza was named Best Pizza in North America by 50 Best. The awards and accolades have piled up faster than Streep could slip into Prada.

Best pizza in New Jersey

So add this to the list.

Razza

Their artisan thin-crust pies have just been named one of the 25 best pizza places in the United States by The Infatuation.

Here’s what they had to say:

Razza is making the best wood-fired pies in New Jersey. Just about everything here is made in-house or acquired from a place you can reach via The Turnpike or The Parkway, and it’s the Garden State’s produce that puts Razza on top.

Their stellar red sauce is made from two types of tomatoes, resulting in a base that’s delightfully sweet with a slight acidic twang. And even though the Panna pie is draped in a blanket of cow’s cream and mozzarella, the heaping pile of arugula is the best part.

Razza was named the best pizza

But the ingredients really shine in the seasonal pies—in the summer, that means local corn with caramelized onions and fermented chili paste

All this praise isn’t happening by accident. Dan Richer says it’s not only hard work, but pizza is one of the hardest foods

In my opinion, pizza is one of the most difficult foods to make, start to finish. We have to be bread bakers and cheese makers. And we have to get all the ingredients to line up at just the right moment in an oven—and we’re baking the pizza in a wood-fired oven,” he told NJ Monthly.

So we have to manage fire and fermentation, and all of these ingredients must be just at their right moment when you put them in the oven. It’s very challenging.

Razza has clearly risen to the challenge. You’ll find them at 275 Grove Street in Jersey City. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

MORE: Dave Portnoy’s pizza fest — These NJ pizzerias will be there

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

Report a correction 👈