Porta Asbury Park

Opened in 2011, they also have Porta establishments in Montclair & Jersey City, along with sister restaurants Homesick, Lovesick and Pascal & Sabine. This spot serves slightly larger than personal size, certainly shareable, Neapolitan style pizza. Among several options to choose from, I opted for their Margherita pie. Soft & doughy with light char, no flop, no crisp & essentially zero crunch in the pillowy crust, the dough is thickish & rather firm to go along with very decent flavor, somewhat typical of Neapolitan pizza. Despite a smidge of browned char atop, the fresh mozzarella isn’t melted thoroughly, with a colder & harder texture in the middle of the cheese, needing more time in the oven to ooze. With nice flavor, the mozz is just creamy enough; but the taste is definitely better than the consistency. Some Parmigiano Reggiano adds another layer to the tasty mozzarella, enhancing the flavor further. Made from San Marzano tomatoes, the sauce is super sweet, bursting with robust & saccharine flavor. However, not as hearty or thick as I’d prefer, the sauce is somewhat watered down; but it’s seasoned well & supported by a touch of basil & glazing of extra virgin olive oil. Overall, this is a slightly above average Neapolitan style pie with really good taste but very cookie-cutter & assembly line typically soft wood-fired Neapolitan pizza texture.