Mack's Pizza Of Stone Harbor

Short for “Mackrone’s,” this is the spawn of the original Mack’s in Wildwood that was established in 1953 and an offshoot of Mack & Manco (now Manco & Manco) in Ocean City that opened in 1956. A family business for almost 70 years, the grandson of Tony Mack established this joint in Stone Harbor in 1987. While the pie is very similar looking to Manco & Manco, it has a much different texture & taste. The dough is thinnish, a little more crispy, definitely firmer with no flop and a stronger, dry undercarriage. The cheese is spread and melted very well, a tad oily, but manageable, with a sharp and much better than generic taste. Despite a terrific sauce-to-cheese ratio, the sauce is virtually the same as Manco & Manco, as if they share the secret family recipe. Lacking in sweetness, it’s semi-tangy, slightly bitter, seemingly oregano-based, underwhelming tomato sauce. A sweeter sauce that tickles the taste buds would probably boost this overall score into the 8s; but as it stands, this sauce just doesn’t dazzle. The crust is excellent in both taste & texture, very good flavor and crunch. At the end of the day, this is definitely better than your standard Jersey Shore pizza, probably the best in the Stone Harbor/Avalon area. However, it just misses the cut for a travel pie, but certainly worth a try if you’re in a half hour radius.