🍅BEST TOMATO PIE ALERT🍅 Established in 1991, this original Palermo’s is 1 of 2 locations, with the other in Roebling, NJ. Named after the capital of Sicily, where owner Giulio Padalino was born & raised, Palermo’s is located in Central New Jersey, also known as the tomato pie capital of the U.S. While they serve all kinds of scrumptious Italian fare, they specialize in old fashioned tomato pies. The dough is razor thin, similar to a bar pie thickness level, very light & shockingly soft, not nearly as crispy as I had anticipated. With mild char underneath, the dough is incredibly tasty & fairly firm, providing an excellent base for the other ingredients, despite the undercrisped texture. Beautifully blackened & exquisitely crunchy, the crust is outstanding, making up for the slight lack of crisp & the second best attribute of the pie next to the sauce. Also taking a backseat to the tomato sauce is the light smattering of mozzarella cheese. More of an accompaniment than feature, the cheese blend has just enough volume to create a presence & make its mark, while providing plenty of surface coverage with fabulous flavor & a consistency that’s just creamy enough. As for the star of the pie, the sauce is simply sensational, shining brightly, deserving of top billing. Sweet & sugary but not too saccharine, the sauce is scintillatingly spectacular, chunky & hearty, bursting with robust fresh tomato flavor & seasoned with spices that give it plenty of pizzazz & flair. Downright delicious, if the undercarriage was crispier, this pizza would skyrocket in to the legendary 9s. A tremendous travel-worthy pie as is, this pizza ranks among the top tomato pies in New Jersey as well as some of the best overall pizza in the Garden State.
