Curioni’s Pizza
80 Liberty Street
Lodi, NJ 07644
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curionis/170829696284447
(973) 473-7934
Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Thursday 6:00am-4:00pm/Friday 6:00am-7:00pm/Saturday 7:00am-6:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
Eating at Curioni’s Pizza is a real local experience. The fun part about eating at this family run business is that if you want to meet the residents of Lodi, NJ, just sit at one of the ten stools inside the pizzeria and you will know all the town gossip. The customers come up and talk to owner, Walter Curioni Jr., while he is making his pies and his son, Ryan, who is usually running around behind him popping in pizzas into the pizza oven and preparing sandwiches. It is a real family atmosphere here as people come in to talk to one another and air their problems and concerns in the town and in their lives.
The business was opened by Mr. Curioni’s grandparents in 1923 as a grocery store that catered to the local growing Italian-American population. Mr. Curioni said in an article that when his father took over the business, he felt there would not be enough money in groceries so he put in a pizza oven and the rest is history. The pizzeria almost closed a few years ago as Mr. Curioni wanted to cut back in his hours but lucky for the community, he adjusted the restaurant hours and now closes early during the week. Now into the fourth generation, his son Ryan, cooks alongside with him.
Walter Curioni Jr. minding the business
On the many occasions that I have eaten there, the food is wonderful, very flavorful and well-spiced and the portion sizes are very generous for a fair price. Everything I have ever been served here has come out sizzling hot.
The pizza is delicious and a slice here ($1.75) is larger than your average slice. It can be cut into two for light eaters. Their pizza sauce is spiced very nicely with hints of oregano, basil and garlic. There is a nice zip to it. It is loaded with cheese and has a nice gooey consistency to it.
The pizza slices at Curioni’s are very generous
The regular pizzas are very fairly priced with a twelve slice Sicilian at $13.00 and a 24 slice Sicilian at $22.00 with an extra $1.50 each for toppings. A regular round pie is $10.00.
The large cheese pizza at Curioni’s Pizza
The ravioli can be ordered with either meat or cheese and served with their delicious sauce. A small portion is $4.50 and a large is $8.00. These pillowy little delights are perfectly cooked and come steaming to the counter with a side of fresh crusty bread, perfect for dipping.
I recently had the meatball hero and for a small hero at $5.50 (the large is $8.00) it was larger than the average sandwich. Served on a fresh hoagie roll that had just arrived from a bakery in Garfield, NJ, six homemade pork and beef meatballs were served with a generous portion of mozzarella cheese on the bottom and a large ladle of sauce on the top that oozed out for dipping the sandwich. It was like heaven in every bite. You could taste the rosemary and basil in the meatballs on top of the flavor of the sauce.
The meatball sandwich is delicious
The service here is very personal and friendly as Walter and his wife and their son talk to the guests in between customer orders, cooking the food and serving guests at the counter about everything from local politics and how the sports teams are doing to family matters and asking about parents and grandparents. If you want a “Cheers” type of experience in a local restaurant, then stop into Curioni’s for a slice of Lodi, NJ.
Its a real Jersey experience!
Dining on a Shoestring in the New York City area and beyond. 