Hugo E.
Yelp
After travelling most of the USA, I made a pit stop in Newark, NJ as usual... and wow. What a find! Brazilians have a different twist on the almighty pizza (as if we needed to add more point-of-views on how to take on the pizza war) and the Brazilians come swinging hard...
On With The Review!
Pros:
Unbelievable amount of flavor combos
Completely new pizza experience
Inexpensive
Cons:
Parking can be difficult during work hours
Food:
Wow. Brazilian Pizza really breaks the mold when it comes to introducing a new way of making this favorite. You can choose from a multitude of toppings and combinations, If I counted they had around 40! And that's not including whatever combination you want. Remember - the idea with this pizza is finding the right combo that rocks your palate. They even have, get this, dessert like pizza of Chocolate, Strawberries or Bananas, Cinnamon and Sugar... yeah... it's $@* nuts but very tasty. What did I get? I went right for the jugular - 1 Pizza Slice, with EVERYTHING savory. And man they weren't kidding when they said "Ok". My "standard" slice came with black olives, green olives, italian sausage, Brazilian sausage, green peppers, onions, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, shredded chicken, corn, hearts of palm, pineapple, meatball slices (and I'm sure more that I can't remember) all topped underneath a perfect snake-like sliver of Brazilian Catupiry cheese. Catupiry is similar to a mild cream cheese that tastes like a combo of muenster, mozzarella and jack. There is tomato sauce (light) noted and the crust has a mildly crunchy outside with a chewy inside that reminds me a fresh baked bread. Exactly. The "Everything Slice" - eat your heart out Ray's Famous #120,441
For those of you that are counter-culture, they also have typical pasta dishes and sandwiches, but really? Are you really gonna go there? One of these monster slices and you're set. Simply Amazing! I can hear Chicago and New York gasping as I type this...
Price:
My monster slice with all of the above? $5. It's cheaper (and somehow healthier) than any value meal. Cha-CHING!
Staff:
The people here at Brazilian Pizza were polite, friendly and eager to please. Most workers will have a bit of an accent but everyone speaks English. Feel free to learn Portuguese though... it's just trendier that way.
Service:
Quick - very quick. It's a pizza spot so you really can't expect to waste a lot of time, but I waited about 10 mins for my ubertastic slice to cook... not a heartbreak in the least.
Ambiance and Crowd:
Basically a lot of locals (Brazilians, Portuguese) and people "in-the-know", but it acts like your typical pizza joint.
Location:
Brazilian Pizza is located right in the heart of the Ironbound on Wilson Ave, the slightly more Brazilian area of the neighborhood. Simple to get to off of Ferry St, 1-9, or Market. Be weary - street cleaning during the week makes parking an annoying feat, some come with as little vehicles as possible or simply be prepared to walk a block or two.
H-Cane's Final Spin:
I learned about the Brazilian pizza point of view when I visited the country a few years back (Highly Recommend it BTW) over in the state of Paraná. I love Brazilian people, customs, rum, food and of course PIZZA. When I was introduced to Brazilian Pizza in Newark, it brought me back perfectly. All I needed was some Samba music (and Samba dancers) and I wouldn't leave. Now this place ain't for the traditionalists - don't come here expecting the standard Italian style of heavy tomato flavor. Come here if you want to pull an ace on that "pizza know-it-all" - bring a date, if they like food twists and wonderful culinary invention. Muito Bom, Cara!