A quick disclaimer before we begin: this ranking is one local’s deeply personal, entirely arguable opinion. Pizza loyalty in Lakewood runs deeper than sports loyalty in most cities. People have strong feelings. Your cousin will disagree with this list, your neighbor will be offended by it, and that’s exactly how it should be.
That said — as a public service to visitors who just want a good slice without conducting a six-month research project — here is the definitive, totally debatable ranking of Lakewood pizza shop archetypes, from solid to sublime.
The Categories
Rather than naming names (I’ve learned my lesson after the Great Pizza Debate of last summer), let’s talk about the types of pizza joints you’ll find in Lakewood, ranked by what they do best.
#5: The Reliable Workhorse
Every neighborhood has one: the solid, no-frills slice shop that’s been there forever. The slices are consistent, the falafel is fresh, the owners know half the customers by name. Is it the best pizza of your life? No. Is it exactly what you need on a Tuesday night when nobody feels like cooking? Absolutely. The workhorse gets points for reliability, affordability, and the fact that it’s a three-minute walk from wherever you’re staying. Never underestimate the value of a pizza shop you don’t have to drive to.
#4: The Fancy One
Then there’s the upscale spot — the one with the wood-fired oven (or the brick oven, or the oven they imported from somewhere with strong opinions about ovens). The crust has those beautiful charred bubbles, the toppings are creative, and the prices make you do a small double-take. Is it worth it? For a date night or a special family dinner out, yes. The kids might prefer the workhorse, but the adults will appreciate this one. Order the specialty pie, don’t ask about the price until after, and enjoy.
#3: The Late-Night Hero
Every town needs a pizza shop that’s open when nothing else is, and Lakewood’s late-night spots are legendary. Post-simcha, post-night-seder, post-“we just got into town at 10 PM and the kids are starving” — the late-night hero is there. The pizza at midnight somehow tastes better than pizza at noon; scientists have not studied this, but every Lakewood local can confirm it. Keep the number saved in your phone. You will use it.
#2: The Hidden Gem
This is the one the locals don’t tell tourists about — the small place in the unassuming strip mall, the one with no website and a hand-painted sign, where the pizza is somehow transcendent. Every Lakewood resident has their own hidden gem and guards it jealously. The crust, the sauce, the cheese ratio — everything is just right, and you can’t quite explain why. Finding yours is a rite of passage. Ask a local (gently, respectfully) and they might share. Or do what the rest of us did: try them all until one ruins all other pizza for you.
#1: The One You Grew Up With
Here’s the truth about pizza rankings: the best pizza shop in Lakewood is the one you have history with. It’s the shop your father took you to after yeshiva. It’s where you celebrated every birthday. It’s the taste that’s wired into your childhood memories, and no amount of wood-fired artisanal crust will ever beat it.
For visitors, this means something important: you can’t rank your way to the perfect slice. You have to build the memories. Pick a shop near your rental, go back three times in one week, let the kids develop fierce loyalty to it, and congratulations — you’ve found the best pizza shop in Lakewood. It was yours all along.
How to Conduct Your Own Pizza Research
If you’re visiting and want to do this properly, here’s the methodology:
- Try at least three shops. One visit is an anecdote; three is research.
- Order the plain slice first. It’s the control group. If the plain slice is great, everything else will be.
- Try the falafel too. A pizza shop’s falafel game tells you a lot about the operation.
- Go at different times. The 6 PM slice and the 9 PM slice can be different experiences.
- Involve the kids. Their rankings will be hilariously confident and completely wrong, and you’ll treasure them.
The Real Winner
At the end of the day, the best pizza in Lakewood is the pizza you eat together as a family, in a place with room to spread out, after a day of actually enjoying the town. And that last part — the room to spread out — is where we come in. Grab your pies, bring them back to your LakewoodHosts villa, and eat around a real table instead of balancing slices on your lap in a hotel room. The pizza tastes better when there’s space to enjoy it.
Now go argue about this list. It’s tradition.
