Bivio Pizza Napoletana: New Jersey’s Best Pizza?
Nestled on the ground floor of a seemingly residential building in Montclair, New Jersey is a hidden treasure. You would never guess, but inside the doors of 107 Pine Street is a gorgeous, wood burning stove that churns out beautifully crafted Neapolitan pizza to a small number of hungry customers each day. While the number of customers is smaller than other Montclair mainstays, the demand is far greater. With no more than ten tables inside the cozy restaurant, it’s easy to see why you need to make reservations well in advance. However, I got very lucky last week and was able to snag a reservation for two, just hours before making my long-awaited return to Bivio.
A Little Pizza History
In 1968, my dad and his family immigrated to the United States from Napoli, Italy. For those of you who don’t know, pizza originates from Napoli dating back to 18th or early 19th century. My dad’s family quickly adapted to life in America, but still had strong ties to their roots; therefore, pizza plays a big part of my family’s life. In fact, my dad and his brothers owned and operated pizzerias here in the states before I was born. To this day, my Uncle Tony has a pizzeria and restaurant named Guy’s Restaurant in West Orange, New Jersey. But this post isn’t about them! Bivio’s owner Tommaso also is the son of an Italian immigrant and has remained committed to serving delicious and authentic Neapolitan pizzas.
Pizza Napoletana is characterized by the utilization of 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, and mozzarella di bufala or fior di latte. Another key factor that makes a great Neapolitan pizza is the way it is cooked. Bivio much like the best pizzeria’s in the world, utilize a wood-burning pizza oven that cooks every pie to perfection.
What to Expect at Bivio
As I’ve mentioned, do not expect to walk into Bivio and be seated for dinner. You MUST get a reservation and I can’t stress the importance of planning ahead. Reservations for a dinner at Bivio can be booked up for several weeks. Make sure you keep your party small because Bivio only accommodates up to parties of four. Fortunately, it’s simple and easy to make a reservation right through their website.
Now that you’ve gotten a reservation for yourself, we’ll take a look at their menu. The first thing that sticks out are the bold red words stating, “No Substitutions and No Takeaway”. Some might be put off by this, but to me it’s a beautiful thing. Tommaso knows his recipes are crafted in a way that his pizza need not be changed and is best enjoyed in the restaurant. The next noticeable bit of the menu is that much like the dining space, it’s small! With just two appetizers, five pizzas in addition to their special pizza(s), and a short list of Italian beverages you’d think ordering would be easy. But it’s not. Everything on the menu sounds so delicious that choosing one pizza seems impossible at times. However, no matter what is ordered you will not be disappointed. (Note that the pizzas are definitely sized for just one person)
The last thing you can expect to receive at Bivio is exceptional customer service. Since there are few tables there is usually only one wait staff member. They are friendly, efficient, and really know their pizza. My favorite customer service aspect of Bivio is not only do you get to watch Tommaso make your pizza right in front of all the diners, but he makes his rounds and spends a moment to chat.
My Meal
This time around, I kicked off my meal with a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water and a bottle of wine brought from home. Yes, Bivio is BYOB which is always great in my opinion. For an appetizer, we spilt the arugula salad. Definitely big enough for two, the arugula salad was a great starter and an opportunity to get some greens in before absolutely crushing our pizza.
The first was a simple yet delicious porcini pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, basil, homemade mozzarella bufala, and porcini mushrooms.. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention they make their own mozzarella in house! Our other pizza was a little more extravagant. We opted for one of two specials that day. A pizza topped with sweet soppressata, olives, fresh escarole, semisecco tomatoes, garlic, and the house made mozzarella bufala. Bivio does offer decadent desserts; however, just an espresso to fight off the food coma was what I needed after my meal. I would be interested in taking a peek at their dessert menu next time.
So, is Bivio New Jersey’s Best Pizza?
Any time a debate of best anything comes up, there is very rarely a definitive answer. With the question posed today, I would have to vote that “Yes! Bivio Pizza Napoletana has the best pizza in New Jersey.” My fellow New Jerseyans definitely have their favorites but if they tried Bivio, they would be hard-pressed to disagree with me. I highly highly recommend Bivio Pizza Napoletana and consider it to be a CERTIFIED JERSEY GEM!
What are you waiting for? Go and get your reservation set up today!