Geno D's Pizza

A 1980s Jersey pizzeria that recently relocated to Charlotte, @genodspizza is run by Geno DiPaolo and his daughter Gina. I have tried a lot of Jersey pizzas over the last year & it’s a style that has really grown on me. Jersey style is superficially similar to New York style but has a slightly thicker crispy crust and tends to be very (sweet) sauce heavy.

We opted for a grandma style pizza on this visit (grandmas are popular in New Jersey). Grandma pies are square pan pizzas that are thinner than Sicilian or Detroit style (see @mytrophypizza for quality grandma pizza in Cincinnati). Here, the grandma style featured strips of pesto and thick red sauce on a fresh mozzarella background, mirroring the colors of the Italian flag (It really stirs your patriotism, thinking of our brave founding fathers like Giuseppe(s) Garibaldi and Mazzini). The crust was flavorful, airy, and very crisp - in the Jersey tradition. The toppings went very well together & I thought the quality of the fresh mozzarella was a standout. In the choice to use fresh mozzarella, rather than low moisture mozzarella, the cheese spread out and melted/seeped flavorfully into the crust. Overall, in the land of biscuits, gravy, and vinegar-based sauce, Geno Ds was an excellent find.