Who has the best pizza at the Jersey Shore?

Pizza at the Jersey Shore.

Is there anything better than walking the boardwalk and getting a nice hot slice of pizza?  Of course not.  However, who has the best?

Well Peter Genovese and the team at NJ.com did their annual countdown of the best pizza at the Jersey Shore, coming up with the 44 best for the summer of 2024. 

First up is a Wildwood institution, coming in at No. 40 on the list is Mack's Pizza on the Wildwood boardwalk.

There are two locations on the Wildwood boardwalk. The plain slice, nicely seasoned and sauced, has what most boardwalk pizza lacks — personality. The white is one of the three or four best on any boardwalk.

Next up at No. 36 on the list, we head to West Cape May to Panico’s Bistro.

For the best pizza in the Cape May area, you need to go to church. Panico’s is housed in a restored church on Broadway, across from the Westside Market.

 

Right after Panico's we stay in Cape May County and head to North Wildwood to Dolce Italia, which came in at No. 35 on the list.

I’ve never seen the words “Sicilian tomato pie" together, but the pizza by that name at Dolce Italia is a saucy success. It’s not as thick as your usual Sicilian, and the sauce is slightly sweet and majorly tasty.

 

In Ocean City, we get to No. 33 on the list, Primavera Brick Oven Pizza on the Ocean City boardwalk.

The plain — sauce alert! — boasts a crackly crust, but the standout here is the tomato pie (photo). Thick and saucy, it’s a shining star in a murky, muddled pizza universe.

 

Staying up on the Ocean City boardwalk and coming in at No. 21 on the list, is GiGi New York Pizza, at thw Promenade Food Court.

Located in a not-exactly-promising-looking food court, GiGi’s serves up better pizza than Ocean City legends Manco and Manco and Prep’s (I know, pizza heresy, but the truth hurts). The plain slice is spryly seasoned (amazing what a sprinkling of herbs can do), and the Sicilian is the second-best on any boardwalk.

Off the boardwalk, over in Atlantic City and coming in at No. 17 is Tony Boloney’s.

There’s a classic New Jersey cheese pie on the menu, but after that, buckle your seatbelt.

 

Back over in Cape May county, in Wildwood, is Poppi’s Brick Oven Pizza & Kitchen, No. 14 in the list.

You can’t go wrong with any of the pizzas; the margherita and the Calabrese (San Marzano tomato sauce, sausage, homemade sausage, Parmesan, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions) are recommended.

 

Next up is an Atlantic City institution, Tony's Baltimore Grill, which came in at No. 13 on the list.

The 12-inch thin-crust pizza is among the state’s best.

 

Coming in at No. 10, we have Piccini of Ocean City.

Tomato pies are not just a Trenton thing; you can find them throughout South Jersey (North Jersey, not so much). The one at Piccini is packed with tomatoey goodness; I could happily sip the slightly sweet sauce with a straw. The margherita is cheesier than most, but the plump fresh tomatoes also make it better than most.

 

The highest ranked pizza from our area was down in Sea Isle, De Nunzio’s Brick Oven Pizza, coming in at No. 3 on the list.

Best boardwalk pizza? De Nunzio’s, and it wasn’t all that close in my ranking of all 54 boardwalk pizzerias. What separated De Nunzio’s from the often-sorry pack? Sauce. There was more sauce on the plain slice than all the 100-plus slices sampled combined. OK, I exaggerate, but you get the point. The margherita is also first-rate. De Nunzio’s is the best boardwalk pizzeria in one of its least likely locations.

 

So whats your go to Jersey Shore pizza shop? Did your favorite spot make the list?