After a brutal start to 2024, New Jersey’s pizza scene was in dire need of some good news.
The first blow came on New Year’s Day. Pizza Crime, the Haddonfield pizzeria that crafted No. 1 pizza on our list of 101 best pies, announced it was closing at the end of January. Days later, Elizabeth institution Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza suffered a debilitating fire. Al Santillo has pledged to be rebuild, but it’s anyone’s guess when his mythic oven will be fired up again.

