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As you can see, I did my homework before moving from the northeast to here. Some may rant and rave about J&S, Anna's, Lilly's, etc...but let's hear it, which ones are good, and why?
For me, growing up in NJ, it was all about real Italians making your pie, the red/white checkerboard table cloths, old fans blowing around, baseball game on in the corner, lots of loudness, great music playing, and pies everywhere on the counter so you can do your inspection of what slice sounds good for the day (white, sausage/onion, pesto, ziti, etc). Not to mention the real calzones, strombolis, garlic knots, and zeppolis. So, the sauce, cheese, and crust have to be perfect with the right amount of oil dripping from your slice of goodness onto your paper plate.
There may be some other ones I've had here, maybe in a full-fledged restaurant or at some event, but these are the ones I listed. Any place with red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and oregano already on the table automatically is a start in the right direction for me. Two points if you have plain Italian bread with your pasta dishes where you just break a hunk off, not the kind with all of the stuff on it and dipping it in this and that.
J&S - Fuquay Varina liked it a lot, reminds me of a real pizza place
Amante Gourmet Pizza - Morrisville (it has the word "gourmet" in it, plus it wasn't good)
Anna's Pizzeria - Apex I like it a lot, crowded, good specialty pies
Bella Mia Coal Fired Pizza - Cary coal fired is good, best is in CT
Bella Monica Flatbread - Raleigh had flatbread pizza back up north, was cute....not pizza
Brixx Wood Fired Pizza - Everywhere ew, no thanks
Brooklyn Boys Pizza - Cary I did enjoy the pie here
Cozzolino's Pizza - Cary not yet tried
Daniels - Apex is this place ever not crowded? it was just decent, don't get the big fuss, must be locals
Dominic's NY Pizza - Raleigh not yet tried
Fuhgeddaboudit Pizza - Cary good but would definitely not drive here to go out of my way for it
Georgina's Pizzeria - Morrisville wow, the absolute worst both times, gave it two shots, real shame
Jet's Pizza - Cary chain I remember from Michigan, MI and pizza don't sound right together
Lilly's Pizza - Raleigh heard good things, haven't tried yet. hope it's not a college boy hangout with just a cutesy name attached to it
Loop Pizza - Cary not yet tried
Lubrano's - Morrisville was decent and is close by
Mambo Italiano - Apex nice inside, pizza was ok i guess. good music playing usually Sinatra, not hip hop
Mellow Mushroom - Everywhere it's ok for hippy and earth food, but the crust has seasoning on it
Namoli's Pizza - Apex used to be good, went back and it seemed as if I was in the wrong place
NY Pizza - Everywhere not bad, can get a slice when close to one
Paradise Pizza - Apex have not tried it
Ruckus Pizza - Cary/Morrisville was good, except the x-large pie cut into cracker sizes
Roma's - Cary heard a lot of good, then a lot of bad. never open when I'm near there
Rosati's Pizza - Morrisville good if you like Chicago style, but I do not
Sal's Pizza - Durham actually like this place, especially the sausage and onion pie
Salvio's Pizza - Cary i have down that i liked it on my spreadsheet, but don't remember it hmmmm
Tomato Jake's Pizza - Durham pleasantly surprised with this place, thumbs-up
Z Pizza - Cary hahaha no.......
My 'to-do' list this weekend includes trying a new ice cream and pizza place, so help me out here, please.
Oh God. Not another thread about the best pizza. Haven't we beat this to death already?
I know! I wish these people would quit clogging the forum with stuff like this so we can concentrate on griping about the Wake County school assignment system(s) and yelling at people for even considering moving here without a job!
Anyhow, another one I would recommend, pizzasnob, is Roma's in Raleigh (not affiliated with the Roma's in Cary), tucked away in the corner of a colorful but strip mall at Brentwood Road and New Hope Church Road on the northeast side of Raleigh. It's not purely a pizza joint, and they also do an excellent job with a lot of the standard downhome red-sauce-based and pasta-oriented Italian food. But to me, the pizza is the real star, and in my opinion it's one of if not the best New York-style pizza that I've had in the Triangle. The place is nothing fancy, and in fact it's a little bit of a dive, but to me that's actually part of its charm. Simple, fun, delicious pizza and related foods. Who could ask for more"?
Salvio's is my go to pizza place when I'm missing pizza from up north. Also the high schoolers they have doing delivery must have warp drive installed in their cars. I'm always amazed how fast they get to my house.
You really need to direct your question to people from New Jersey who have moved here.
I, too, grew up in an area with a high population of Italians. But it was western New York, not New Jersey -- totally different worlds, pizza-wise.
We never said "pie" or "slice" (as a standalone word); it's just "pizza." And being able to fold a big floppy thin slice of pizza is not a good thing.
We like thicker pizza with chewier crusts. That's how the best Italian pizza makers in western New York made it. That's how Italians I know made it in their own homes, too.
Lily's has been in Raleigh for years, and it is an institution, and college kids have nothing to do with it. It is the only place worth buying pizza. It's not quite like western NY pizza, but it's close enough. (Its gluten-free option is excellent, too.)
I've tried other pizza recommended by NJ'ers who relocated here, and the pizza was truly awful. But you may like it because that's what you're used to.
Okay, commence discussing the Wake County school reassignment system and don't move here without a job.
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