#bar pie

Paul has been telling me to check out Riko’s for months now and on a recent trip to Long Island I had the chance to stop on my way to Massapequa. I made sure to not eat a lot earlier in the day since I knew Riko’s was a pie only place so I went in hungry for some slices. I know LI likes to jack up their prices so I was pleasantly surprised to only be spending $11 on a pretty big personal pie. I was able to finish all 6 slices, but would have been more than content with 4.

I went for the hot oil pizza (Paul’s recommendation) which is Riko’s claim to fame. It’s a plain pie made with spicy oil and a stinger pepper in the middle. I had mixed feelings about the hot oil. While it did have a nice kick, it was not distributed very well, leaving some bites with no spice and others with way too much. Honestly I might have preferred a plain pie because the cheese and sauce were great! Thin crust with a nice layer of cheese and that light, unseasoned sauce that I love. I would like to return eventually to try some other items, I hear they have a dope hot oil hot dog....

                                       this one’s from Paul’s visit!

I saw Chimney Rock Inn getting some hype online from people claiming it to be among the best pizza in Central Jersey and, seeing how I work just a town over, decided it was a must-try. First off, I am always a little put off by these full pie only places.They always seem to get way overhyped online and turn out to be average pizza that's overpriced and not really unique at all. Chimney Rock unfortunately met the stereotype. While it was good, nothing truly stood out for me. Cheese was fine. Sauce was pretty generic tasting but again fine. The crust stood out a little more because of how soft it was and how it just pulled apart when I bit it, but then it got all crackery and crumbly at the end and so that was just fine too. At $13 for a small pie (that I was able to finish on my own just barely) I can't say it was worth the hype.

I recently saw Barstool Sports list of the best pizzerias in NJ and had some time to kill, so I decided to visit Princeton Record Exchange and check out a Princeton spot from the list - Conte's. Let's just say, I have no idea why this place made the list. First off, what a ripoff. I paid $15.50 for a small plain pie, and it wasn't even good! Nothing had any flavor to it. It was like I was eating dense, stretchy cheese with no flavor on top of crackery crust. It was pretty filling, but maybe that was just because I was sick of eating what tasted like nothing. This is just further proof that Barstool's reviews are whack. Don't waste your time.

I had Cryan's come highly recommended to me by some co-workers who live by it and again, decided I had to try it for myself. Looking at their menu, you can see that they have a ton of specialty pies that sound DOPE but I decided to stick with a margarita for my first go around. Now an Irish tavern does not strike me as a place that would have good pizza, but Cryan's can definitely hold their own. Cheese was good, but the crust had that cracker-thin thing going on and the sauce was a little over seasoned for me. However, if you're less picky with your sauce than I am, you might love Cryan's. At $12 for a small pie though, I'm a little less thrilled. However, I am definitely interested in going back at some point to try a specialty pie because seriously some of them just sound awesome. I seriously need to try a Reuben pie from an Irish tavern.

The first time I tried Jimmy Geez, I thought the chicken vodka pie wasn’t too bad. However, this buffalo chicken was atrocious. The chicken was way overdone and practically burnt, and the bleu cheese was way too strong. I don’t even know how to describe the crust. It was dry, stiff, and overly fluffy. Considering I paid almost $14, this pie was totally unacceptable. A total waste of time and money.

I’ve lived a 10 minute or less drive from Jimmy Geez North for over 20 years but have never bothered going. Recently, my wife and I decided to try some of their wings and pizza out for dinner, and I was excited to finally give it a shot, but we were unfortunately left less than impressed. First off, this place was rated as having some of the top 25 wings in NJ….. which they did not. They were way too expensive and were severely lacking in sauce. Luckily, while the pizza had some similar problems, it was better. I got a chicken vodka bar pie and overall enjoyed it. Lots of chicken, good (albeit a little light) vodka sauce, seasoning that added instead of detracting from the flavor, and fluffy, doughy, crust. The biggest downfall was the price. A bar pie was $12.85, which is a lot considering I could get a full plain pie for $10 down the street at Pizza Station (link), and honestly it was not good enough to be worth the higher price. Eventually I will probably try another pie from Jimmy Geez, but I can’t fully recommend it at this point.