A specific hallmark of not only New Jersey but specifically Hillsborough is the pizza. I don't know which is more noteworthy: the amount of pizza places we have or the quality of those pizza places. These pizza places, like Applebee's and Hillsborough Cinemas, are popular late night places to go for young people in Hillsborough, places that have created a lot of memories for anyone who grew up here or is growing up here today.
In honor of that, I set out the task to eat at every single one of the )_ places and rank each of them. To make it a control group, I only had cheese pizza over the two weeks that I did my research, and I'm ranking them on strictly that, not the service, not the place itself, and not any of the other flavors of meals.
Before we start, I'd like to thank all of the pizza places. The workers at each and every one of them were courteous and welcoming, and it made this experience and even more pleasant one.
Quoting from the Senior Stars and Stripes spirit night video, "let's gooooooo!"
12. Victor's
Victor's is known for it's big slices, but I think it should be better known for their dependence on marinara sauce. There was so much sauce on my slice that the pizza almost tasted sour, which is a shame because all other aspects of the pizza were great. The cheese was tangy, the crust was serviceable, but just too much sauce.
11. Bella Pizza
One of the lesser known pizza places in Hillsborough, Bella's is certainly not a hidden gem. What it has in excessive cheese it misses in flavor, giving you a a taste of just cheese. Although this wasn't bad at first, the slice got harder to eat as it went on.
10. Portobello Pizza and Restaurant
Portabello's was interesting. For one, there were so many spices on top that it almost tasted, well, spicy. However, the crust had little crumbs sprinkled throughout that hindered the experience. As Tallahassee said in Zombieland, "it's not the taste; it's the consistency."
9. Alfonso's Pizzeria and Restaurant
The first slice I had here that wasn't ruined by a specific facet, Alfonso's is at nine because it's cheese pizza simply doesn't have a strong taste, giving me a lukewarm experience.
8. Roman Gourmet
In my research, this was by far the hottest slice I received, which was to its detriment because the taste seemed very muted. I could sense that it was a good tasting pizza, but the heat overpowered it. Also, the cheese was a little thin and absent for my taste, but it was made up for by a chewy dough.
7. Sal's Gourmet Pizzeria and Restaurant
A big slice with an eclectic sauce that doesn't wow, nor disappoint. It's pretty good, but the marinara sauce sticks out just a bit too much, not as bad as Victor's but still worthy enough of getting knocked down one or two spots.
6. Domino's
The only chain restaurant in Hillsborough, it succeeds because it knows it isn't pizza. Pizza Hut thought it's pizza, and there's a problem with that: there's just too much competition. You just can't imitate real pizza with pizza from a chain restaurant. Well, at least you can't in New Jersey. That's why Domino's is still prevalent in Hillsborough: it provides a distinction from the other pizza places. The pizza I had was different from any one I had before: spicy and hot with a cheesy dough. However, this method levels it off with it's lack of ambition, sitting it comfortably in the six spot.
5. Lenny's Pizza and Pasta
The most recently opened of the pizza places in Hillsborough, I'm not surprised it's still up because the pizza was pretty good. Well, maybe that's the restaurant part of it, but I digress. Though the taste was understated like Roman Gourmet's, it was not because of heat but because of conservative flavoring. Because of which, the the taste seemed to echo in your mouth like pop rocks, and it only got better as I went on. Although I would prefer a taste that was more prevalent, I did enjoy the pizza, and it might have been in my top 3 if the crust didn't remind me of cardboard.
4. Joe's Pizza and Restaurant
The cheese was the sweetest of the 11 which might have turned me off like it did with Victor's. Luckily, the over-baked quality of the slice gave me smoky undertones, making it a nice balance.
3. Mariana's Pizzeria and Latin Grill
Another one of Hillsborough's lesser known pizza places, this one is definitely a hidden gem. The cheese is white, even tangy, and the crust is chewy, providing a full slice that shouldn't work but totally does.
2. Angelo's Pizzeria
The fan favorite, Angelo's has a thick cheese that gets made up for by it's delicious sauce. Nothing more to say than it is a fantastic slice of pizza.
1. Pizza Brothers
The upset of the century, Pizza Brothers swoops in to take the title of best pizzeria in Hillsborough. I ordered a whole pie for the family, picked it up, drove it home, opened the box, and, when I cut slices, the cheese would get a little messy. However, while that might sound like a knock against them, it's all about the taste with this list, and a messy cheese makes for a great slice of pizza. It overpowers you, it tells you you can run a big boy or finish construction on the bypass or get drunk at the football games. It's a testament to what pizza can do.
