Papa's Tomato Pies

Surely a legendary spot, Papa's has been operating since 1912. The tomato pie remains the best I've had -- ever --especially the remarkable sauce. I recall being at the previous location in Trenton and seeing 2 fellows hovering over a fresh batch, as though it were as important as a newborn child. The dedication remains today. The pizza is perfect with the magnificent sauce, crispy crust and superb cheese. Also a humble and comfortable dining area, excellent service and plenty of parking in the "new" location in Robbinsville, New Jersey. A must for everyone.

One of my best pizza experiences in New Jersey. Went with the regular & enjoyed every single bite. Crunchy & thin with delicious sauce cheese combo. I can't wait to come back.

An insult to Italians. Pasta E fagioli tasted like campbells soup. My husbands clam pasta was extremely watery and bland he had to drain the pasta and add handfuls of their craft Parmesan cheese. I don’t recommend this place at all. Pizza was even watery in the center!! First time trying pizza in New Jersey and it makes me never want to try pizza in this state again considering this pizza place has been “ The oldest tomato pie restaurant in the United States”. A refund couldn’t even fix the insult that this place has to offer.

A New Jersey institution! Classic pizza restaurant serving delicious tomato pie! We ordered a plain and a sausage and garlic. Both were excellent as evidenced with the fact I ate four slices! With a crisp thin crust, is unique creation topped with a tangy sauce. Our hostess was friendly was very attentive providing us with great service! Papa's is a great alternative to Delorenzos also located in Robbinsville, walking distance nearby. I recommend Papa's, it's affordable and BYOB!

Excellent service by our waiter, Julian, plus nice energy from the rest of the staff as well. We got a mustard pie with sausage and garlic and a tomato pie with basil. The mustard pie was so singularly good! The sausage helped fill out the flavor profile and the garlic wasn’t overly powerful. The tomato pie was nice but I recommend the mustard pie as a first choice given how unique it is. The rest of the menu looked uninteresting. They have outdoor seating, the inside has a warm retro vibe, and they’re BYOB. Overall we felt right at home but probably wouldn’t order much else off the menu besides a pie.

Love this place! Pizza was pretty good! A little overcooked and dry but I enjoyed it! Service was great! 🍕 8.1 out of 10.

Old fashioned place, old fashioned tomato pies, excellent waitress, great vibe!! Established in 1912! We love these places that have been around forever ❤️ Thin crust, lots of tomatoes. Our pizza had sausage and hot peppers. The three olive salad was so good, with lots and lots of olives 🫒 Great place to take the team after a ballgame. Excellent prices. The restaurant is accessible♿️, lots of space inside. Booths and tables - and outside seating too. Pick up “window” for take away orders. Lots of parking.

Authentic Trenton Tomato Pie- crispy crust, deep red tomato sauce and great blend of flavors. We added fresh garlic and sausage. The sausage was delicious and nice that it was chunks instead of sliced. Perfectly cooked Great place, great food!

We ate there on Thursday night. The 4 of us ordered a large antipasto salad and 2 Trenton Tomato pies. We both had half mustard pies with toppings. The best!! Service is good and the place is always nice.

I heard from a friend that there was a Trenton-style pizza (but also a mustard pizza), I knew I had to make the long drive to Papa's. I really liked the sweet chunkier pizza sauce with small pieces of tomato. The mustard flavor is not over-powering, and at times it's even hard to pick up on. The sauce was chunky and slightly sweet for my taste. The pie had more cheese than average for tomato pies, which I liked. The edges were crispy, but the middle was soft and a little floppy. The portions are huge, I got small which definitely could feed two. Overall I think it was very good not great as another establishment down the street from them, but worth a visit if you like tomato pies!

We've heard a lot about this pizza place so while we were in the area we gave it a shot Ordered one mustard pie with sausage and one plain with pepperoni I thought the crust was delicious and the mustard although different was an interesting topping. Not sure having the cheese on the bottom and tomato in top is my favorite Although I'm glad I stopped in and tried it it want one of my favorite pizzas Glad we tried it. Nice place, welcoming and helpful and patient waitress. She was awesome

Love this place. Like an old fashion pizza place that has great thin crust pizza and other great Italian food. The antipasto is great. It's BYOB but they have soda etc also. It's not a big place so get there early if you don't like to wait.

Perfect pizza every time. thin crust, great sauce, no flop. The mustard pie is a thing of wonder. Every topping is top flight, the salads are awesome. Papa's is old school. Simple, consistent, and always perfect.

Tried their classic mustard pie. Very delicious combination of a well made tomato sauce combined with a hint of a spicy mustard. I would definitely order it again.

No frills old school pizza place. I really enjoyed the pizza. We got a couple regular dishes that were average at best. Comparing their pizza to delorenzos- delorenzos better crust, papas better sauce and cheese

Ok, imho, don't go out of the way for this mustard pizza. I thought maybe there would be some slight spin on the sauce or in the dough, but it's just mustard squirted back and forth over the pie. Pass. The regular is good, but if you're used to NYC pizza, prepare. The crust is very tough and dry. It's basically a handle for the pizza. I can't imagine biting into this with a loose filling. What do I know, maybe the crust is some old world style, but nah. I prefer my Brooklyn regular. Cheese is perfect, the best mozz ever, perfect sauce, staff is sweet, and it's a slice (heh) of pizza history. Might as well see it for yourself at least once.

Attitude from the host and flop from the pizza. The previous reviews really hyped up the place so we were excited to try it. I dont care about your attitude lady, but the flop was not appreciated.

Very very very good! So delicious it's a Friday night delight in our house. Especially with the kids.

I usually go to tomato pies every 2 months. The store is all the way from 1912! More than a century ago! Which makes me feel like i'm in a vintage store. Outside, there is a 2 doors in the front. There is a door for dine-in and another door for order to go or pick up. I personally haven't done dine-in but I always go for to go or pick up. Whenever I go, the staff is always so sweet and are always accurate for the time left. The only thing I dislikd is the time if takes to make the pizza. The pizza was delicious and stayed pretty warm when handed to me.

They have over a century of experience making delicious pizzas. I had the tomato pie and it was delicious. If I lived closer it would be one of the pizza spots I visit regularly. The tomato pie is up there with the nation's best tomato pie. If you are in the area it's a must try pizza destination.

One of the best pepperoni pizza's I've ever eaten and I ate a whole pie by myself ! 5 stars for sure! I want to try the mustard pie next time. Papa's is the real deal!

Old school family style restaurant with amazing prices, delicious pizza and attentive staff

First time here and I am sure there will be many more. The tomato pie is a must try, the sauce is sweet and savory. It is a thin crust so you will probably eat an extra slice than your normal. It was crispy and had that brick oven flavor and hot when it got to us. I def recommend this place even if it's a bit of a drive. The closest NY style pizza in NJ without the traffic, tolls, and parking issues LOL. I think if this place was in NY it would be on the list of top must try pizza places. They had a unique mustard pizza which we didn't try yet. The ambience gives you that old school vibe from like the 70/80s. I genuinely liked it. It's cash only!

Pizza is crispy and tomato sauce is fresh! Mustard pie is brown mustard fyi. The service is limited so expect to wait to be helped.

*The mustard pizza is not life changing, get a half pizza if you must try Listen, I'm not going to trash an Italian-American family business that's been opened since 1912. I was intrigued by the mustard pizza and decided to walk on the wild side. Here's my issue and I mentioned this in my review for Louis Lunch in CT. It's the 21st century, you're in charge now. If you don't like making mustard pizza then don't! Let's break it down: Award winning crust Pizza tomato sauce that's kissed from padre pio High end cheese No human in their right mind says, hmm.. lemme add mustard to this pizza party. Is there even mustard in Italy?? I wanted to play with ingredients that would complement the mustard so I had my pizza topped with homemade sausage and cherry peppers. It helped but I wanted the mustard out of the way. It's not a good combination. I understand how these mash ups can happen. Someone 100 years ago said: let's take marshmallows and add them to a baked sweet potato. Eureka! Maybe in 1912 there was a German community that needed to be coaxed into trying pizza. Brah, those folks are gone and moved far far away. It's time to put the lid back on the mustard jar. If neighborhood folks like mustard pizza then you keep making it for them. Someone passing thru? Leave off the mustard. Otherwise it's a fantastic pizza being made a papa's. And don't send me hate mail you Jersey a-holes! Enjoy your mustard pizza

An institution in the Trenton area. The mustard pie is a unique and surprisingly tasty twist. They spread a little brown mustard on the dough before the sauce and cheese. Try it at least once. Cash only, so come prepared!

This was the oldest family-owned pizzeria in the USA. The atmosphere gave off that feel with the wood booths and pictures. There was an outdoor area to eat too. They served more than just pizza including some classic Italian dishes. The service was friendly, and the food came out very quickly. To start, a large antipasto salad ($10) was ordered. It contained lettuce, tomato, beets, salami, provolone, hard boiled eggs with oil and vinegar. This was fresh and was a good start to the meal. It was interesting to see beets in an antipasto, but it worked for the most part. The large mustard pie ($19) was ordered. This was the reason I went here. It was a classic tomato pie with a thin layer of spicy brown mustard under the cheese and sauce. The pizza overall was tasty. The thin crust was slightly crisp while the tomato had a tad of sweetness, but not too much. The mustard could be tasted in a few bites, but not as much I would have expected. I enjoyed the bites that featured the mustard and would have liked more to be used underneath the cheese and sauce. Will I go back? Yes.

The BEST tomato pie around!! Crispy crust and never burned, just enough cheese! Date night was every Saturday night on Chambers St. for at least 10 years!!

Walked in at 9:10 because we've been driving all day and stuck in traffic, but the website says they close at 9:30. The girl inside looked at me like I was insane that I would be seated, but another said I could do pick up at the window. I go around and ask to order a pie and was turned away saying they close the kitchen at 9:00! Well then, why does everything say you're open until 9:30? This is why I'm so happy I live in Georgia now: if a place says it's OPEN, they seat and feed you!

Excellent! We were going to go to DeLorenzo's for a clam pie, but it wasn't open yet, so we went to papa's and I'm glad we did. Mustard pie with sausage was the bomb. And the margherita pie was really good - super tomato taste. Friendly service too

I like the simplicity of this place, and the fact that I'd be happy to be the place hasn't changed in over 30 years. I've had pizza but never tomato pie, and after this visit, I'm not sure what the difference is. We had a half cheese half pepperoni pie. Thin crispy crust, just enough cheese and plenty of sauce. It was a decent pie. I'd of liked a few more pepperonis, but it worked. Service was fast and friendly. When it comes to the mustard pie, I have some questions. If I'm ever in the area, I might swing in and give it a try.

Very good food and nice customer service. I would go there again and their tomato pies are really good!

The plain pie and old school Italian fare is a classic. I've always enjoyed the crisp crust sauce and cheese on their regular pie. In my opinion I'd tried the mustard pie once but not a fan. Still worth checking out for an old school tomato pie!

Service was great, food came out fast and the server was friendly. Perfectly cooked pie just the right amount of crunch and the cheesesteak was great too!

I love going to historical places, however this place just smells mildewy. The employees are nice enough, but I can tell you this NJ spot is not anywhere near the best pizza around. The mustard pie is unique, and while good, probably needs its own category. As far as ordering in, you must order pies, and we were given dirty water glasses. Old and dirty are not synonymous, but here I believe the line is blurred a bit.

I have heard so much about the mustard pie. My family was like yuck yet I dragged them out there today. Have to say I wasn't a big fan. I really expected to be. I prefer a crispier crust. The sausage on half the pie was big chunks that were yummy but oddly only on 3 slices. The mustard was not to my taste. The fried ravioli and chicken tenders with fries appetizers were quite good. Everything was served hot! Service was fine. We got our pizza before the appetizers which was odd and our waitress didn't even notice. The ambiance is pretty typical for an old pizza place. A little work at the edges. Surprised to see no free refills on the drinks. I haven't seen that in decades. Overall, it was ok. Not sure we will be back.

It's very easy to figure out why Papa's has been around since 1912. The plain tomato pie we had was delicious. Quality cheese and a tasty sauce make this one of the top pizzas in NJ. Prices are reasonable. So glad I was able to finally try Papa's.

True Score: 3.75 Stars Finding ourselves in the Robbinsville area on a Monday, we decided to check out the cute little Tomato Pie place called Papa's. Priding itself on longevity - the original Trenton place having opened in 1912 - its banner boasts "#1 in New Jersey" by FOX News. Happily, unlike so many restaurants & cafes, Papa's is open for business on Mondays and has a menu that offers a variety of choices, including tomato pies made with the cheese on the bottom & the tomato on the very top, sandwiches & entrees. We ordered our usual - tomato pie with mushroom & sweet sausage - and found it to be flavorful, its crust on the thin side but a bit chewy rather than crisp...and by the 2nd slice a bit droopy. While we enjoyed the entire pie, I still believe its nearby competitor, DeLorenzo's, offers a superior product. Thanks

tl;dr don't shy away from this historic pizzeria's off-the-wall Mustard Pie but stick with standard topping offerings rather than the more-gimmicky ones For the uninitiated, the "Trenton tomato pie" refers to a circular, thin-crust pizza with tomato sauce dolloped above the cheese and other toppings. The historic Papa's Tomato Pies has been slinging this regional delicacy since 1912, making it the second-oldest pizzeria in the country (behind only NYC's Lombardi's). Today, Papa's serves an extensive menu of fast-casual Italian-American eats highlighted by their signature Mustard Pie -- which sports a thin layer of spicy brown between the crust and cheese. Papa's has dinner-time parking aplenty in a strip mall otherwise occupied by a realtor and a nail salon. The wood-and-brick shack proudly displays its status as the oldest tomato pie restaurant in the country. The L-shaped dining room is warmly lit, sepia toned, and gaudily decorated. Retro stained-glass lamps hang from the low, dilapidated ceilings; worn, pink vinyl tablecloths cover the many 4-seater tables; and laminated plastic booths hug the walls. The off-white walls are decked sparsely with black-and-white photographs and a single plasma screen. Sixties tunes hum unobtrusively from speakers in each corner. Our party arrived at 5PM for early weekend dinner and our pick of the countless vacant tables, but Papa's quickly began to fill up. Service throughout the meal was friendly and appropriately attentive. We opted for a Sweet and Savory Salad and 2 pies: a Large 16" Plain (with 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 sausage) and a Large Mustard (with 1/2 meatballs and 1/2 pork roll). The bleu cheese-centric salad was quickly brought out, and it split 4 ways into small-to-moderate portions. Although it gave us something to nibble on while awaiting our main course, the greens were light on the toppings and otherwise forgettable. The first pizza arrived about 20 minutes after ordering, while the other lagged another 5 minutes. The thin crust was sturdy and as crisp as a cracker -- while I preferred it to the classic floppy crust, my partner was not a fan. Further, our waitress generously obliged our request for 2 sides of the rich and tangy gravy to dip the cornicione. Gooey cheese was spread neatly across the crust, and the mustard rendition was surprisingly approachable, offering an unoffensive essence of spicy brown that complemented the other pizza flavors more than I was expecting. Conversely, other toppings were haphazardly strewn across each pie, such that some slices were heavily loaded while others were curiously bare. The sausage chunks were far and away the superior of the 4; meanwhile, the pepperoni slices were inoffensively neutral, the meatball pieces were subdued in flavor and mushy in texture, and the pork roll gave off deli sandwich-esque vibes. Finally, the lauded tomato sauce, caked atop everything else, conferred a tangy, tomato-forward flavor to most bites. Papa's large pies (equivalent in size to Domino's XL) each ran about $20 -- a fair price considering that, when freshly piping hot, the sausage slices could hang with top-tier (and far pricier) NYC pizzerias. Notably, while the mustard pie was not earth-shatteringly superior to Papa's plain pizza, it was an enjoyable and novel take on the classic tomato pie.

Oh my what can I say about papas. Most delicious pizzas. Any type. They will create for your asking. Also their chopped antipasto is so delicious with their homemade dressing be sure to order it w ur pizza.

I know, this is a local institution. I know, the misogynistic meathead from a well-known sports outfit that reviews pizza in "one bite" loved this place. I'll be charitable and say "different strokes for different folks." If you're cool with paying $20 for a smallish sized "large" pie that flops more than an pancake, with crust reminiscent of cardboard (yes it's a cliched comparison but you know: not the good kind of well-done crunch. I mean crunchy like matzoh and bland), and in the case of the margherita: has cheese that looked like leather and had basil and cheese that must've been a mirage, this is your spot! Perhaps papa's margherita pie would be good in Iowa? I don't know, I have had better pizza in Colorado at a buffet. As for the unique mustard pie. Hey, it's cool. You get a hint of mustard and it pairs ok with the sausage. The sausage is in nice chunks but lacks any fennel taste. Somehow that was bland too! Service was surly, like they're doing you a favor for charging you $20 a pie that'll leave you with regret and an empty wallet (not sure if they take cards). Don't forgot to use the "TAKE OUT ONLY" entrance. They don't want us lepers in the dining room. Don't worry, I won't be back! This is a one and done. I know my review won't stop you if you have the itch to try a unique regional specialty. Two really: mustard pie and tomato pie. But there are SO MANY better pizza purveyors within a 15 minute radius, I feel ashamed making this our Sunday dinner and optimistically hyping it to my significant other. Of note, she was also disappointed and said: "the leftovers are all yours." 1 star for the margherita. 1 star for the service. 2 stars for the mustard pie. Also a star for somehow combining the elements of flavorless crunch into floppy pie. To end on a positive note, parking was easy. One perk of Papa's abandoning their neighborhood and roots!

This place has two entraces, one for takeout and one for sit down. We got two pies, original and mustard since they are famous for that. The pizza was a good pizza. The crust was ok and the sauce was great. The cheese was a little lacking. The mustard was interesting, in the sense that it was not terrible kinda of new and unusual. I would not mind getting it again. Overall, a solid pizza place.

This pizza place is a must have if your in the area! The mustard pie is amazing and mouth watering! They always have great customer service and fresh and hot pizzas! The ambiance is nice and restaurant is always clean and very well maintained. Love this place and their pizza!

100 percent the best mustard pie ever!!! Service and food both are great! Don't knock it until you try it

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Made a special stop on our road trip to try Papa's. On the way there, I looked up their menu and was intrigued by their mustard pie. Apparently loved by locals, I had to try it! I'm so glad I did, it's definitely different but the flavors worked wonders. I really wished I took up on our servers suggestion on getting it with sausage, but hey I can now look forward to our next visit in the future! We also got a traditional pie with cheese. Their sauce is outstanding. Sauce and cheese ratio were perfect. Both pies cooked to perfection, good char, crust on the crispier side which I prefer. No flop which I love. Overall, great experience. Our server was great and was very informative as he answered quite a few questions we had. The atmosphere was great as well - so welcoming and sitting amongst locals made the experience enjoyable as it gave us such a "homey" vibe.

Mustard pizza! Found this thanks to Yelp. Worth the stop if your in the area and maybe even if your nearby and seeking something different. Even without the mustard version it was good pizza.

Best tomato pie around!! Been going there since I was a kid when I was in Trenton :) Fast & friendly service. Get there early especially on the weekends.

Pizza was light and crisp. No flop which I like. Tomato's could be a bit more flavorful (they lacked that zip) Overall the pizza was excellent. Zucchini sticks were delicious!! Service was excellent.

Oh man. Loved it. Plenty of parking, great service. No wonder it's been around so long. Had zucchini sticks for an appetizer and the sauce was great. They are on the smaller size though. For dinner I had a Philly Steak and cheese. Very nice! My wife had a Chicken Parm which was delicious. Would definitely go back.

Mustard pie was awesome .I was a little confused if I would like the pizza .Tried 1 slice and all I can say it was a hit for me .

Our first time here to try the pizza. Did not disappoint. Service was great. The only downfall was the interior was a little cramped, but overall not a bad experience Would definitely return

My first tomato pie and we loved it. We've only done takeout and they are really friendly. I just wish they were open an hour later. Haha. For that nice late night snack.

Heard of this place and planned my visit on my drive back down to the shore. The best pizza I've had in a long time! Crispy crust, sweet sauce and just enough cheese. I highly recommend giving this place a try. Efficient and friendly staff as well.

This was a pick up. Returned the burnt and dry crust pizza . Got my money back with nasty words from the pizza maker.

So I've heard this is the oldest tomato pie in the United States and I had to try this one as well. Went on a Friday afternoon and maybe a couple people in there so I was promptly seated in a booth seating. I know this place also specialize in the mustard pie but I was by myself and there was no way I was going to be eating two pizzas to myself. This pizza is definitely similar to DeLorenzo in the fact that the tomato sauce is shining in this pie. These tomato sauces are like other pizza places, they're not heavy on the garlic or the oregano and it's not the most herbaceous sauce. It's a simple sauce that lets the tomato shine. I definitely prefer this one over DeLorenzo's in the fact that the crust still had some sort of chew to it. Do you Lorenzo's is more like a cracker and this one is still very crisp but I think that's just more of a personal preference I still think they're both amazing. I can't wait to come back and try this again and go for a mustard pie as well. This one i would rate a 9.1... it was that good. If you haven't been get over here as quick as you can it's a place you definitely would drive for.

THIS. PLACE. HAS. AWESOME. PIZZA!! I came here since it was recommended on a pizza tour bg Dave Portnoy's Barstool pizza reviews and I was skeptical since it is a small hole in the wall place and was so happy with the results. You can only order a pie size so caution there. The pie was perfect. It was flavorful, saucy with little splotches of tomatoes on top and had the perfect amount of cheese with LITTLE TO NO visible oil. It felt light but filling. Perfect ratio of sauce:cheese. There was no wait when we went but we did go in a off/peak hour so careful because this place is popular! Pizzas are also made to order so expect some time after you place the order.

TL;DR: This pizza makes me proud to be from Jersey. If you're craving pizza and pasta, then this is the place to go. The pizza is thin link a NY-style pizza, and it's perfectly cooked throughout the bottom to support all of the goodness up top. Some pizza places don't get the cook-to-toppings ratio right (either not cooked well-done enough, not enough toppings, or even too much toppings), but this pizza just looked and tasted like they got everything right. Warning: they bring out pizzas piping hot; so you'll want to wait a moment or two if you don't want pizza mouth! Honestly, it's actually pretty hard to verbalize what good "Jersey pizza" is; words don't do it justice. But just go here. After a bite or two, you'll get it: there's a reason why this place has lived on for decades. Pasta's here are also a hit! My family loves any pasta with shellfish, and they did not disappoint in terms of quality and quantity. The pastas are definitely family-style portion and the clams and mussels were huge. So don't be afraid to treat yo'self. Everything came out so good... so good, that I forgot to take pictures. Woops. 5 stars! I gotta come back to try the famous mustard pizza!

Great pizza , finally got to try the hype today and ... Aside from the neanderthal working the counter , the pizza was as good as expected I tried to order their signature, mustard pie, but apparently unless you list every ingredient the rude lady wont have a clue what youre trying to order ... mustard pie lady ... its a specialty at your place ... why else wpuld i want just mustard on my pizza ? But my fault for expecting common sense being common.. Overall pizza great , but im not sure how specific you have to be to order the correct version of this "mustard pie " as thats what i said and apprently i had to list every ingredient that goes into this specialty ... so how do you expect new customers to try it ?? Gave a nasty attitude when i simply asked if its the mustard pie , to which this cretin responds. NO YOU JUST ORDERED MUSTARD ON YOUR PIZZA like does that make any sense ? Clearly i wanted to try this mustard pie , because ordering just mustard is normal right ? but i guess her braincell was working overtime that day ..