What comes to mind when you hear of Pete & Elda’s? Most first timers associate Pete & Elda’s with the words “free t-shirt” and “thin crust pizza.” Loyal customers know that this friendly pizzeria is about so much more. Pete & Elda’s has been a Jersey Shore classic for fifty years in Neptune City. Although the actual pizzeria’s name is Carmen’s, most people call the restaurant Pete & Elda’s, which happens to be the name of the large and lively bar.
I commonly venture over to Pete & Elda’s after a day at the beach, but I decided to go one evening for a late night “snack attack” with a friend. We went at about 10:30PM on a Thursday night, and we were seated immediately. The restaurant and bar were by no means empty, and the atmosphere was just as fun and hopping as it is on any beautiful weekend evening when it is packed with both tourists and locals. I have tried many different and more interesting things on the menu before, but this time I just wanted to have “the norm,” so we ordered a portion of calamari to start and an extra large pepperoni pizza. We also started with drinks. I ordered a Long Island Iced Tea since I was in the mood to have a “good night,” yet I was a bit nervous at the same time. Long Islands can either be super strong or pure perfection, and my faith in Pete & Elda’s certainly carried through.
The generous portion of calamari arrived at the table with a sweet sauce and a hot sauce. The sweet sauce was just a regular marinara sauce but was delicious, and the hot sauce was a regular marinara sauce with a hint of Tabasco and red pepper flakes. The calamari was cooked exactly the way I like it—not too oily and fried but with the perfect amount of crispiness. The actual calamari was not too squishy or rubbery either. The portion is definitely large enough for 2-3 people.
The extra large pepperoni pizza arrived shortly after we finished the calamari. This size also is good for about 2-3 hungry people, but it would be fine for 4 if each person just wanted to snack in addition to their regular entrees. My family and I actually order our entrees and split one extra large pie on the as an appetizer. Anyone who has been to Pete & Elda’s can vouch that the pizza is simply mouthwatering. It has a thin crust and plenty of delicious cheese. The one caveat is that if you are craving traditional Jersey Shore or New York pizza, I would probably not recommend Pete & Elda’s. It is among the other pizzerias specializing in thin crust pizza such as Federici’s in Freehold.
The service was speedy and great as usual, and I hope everyone will go out and try Pete & Elda’s if they haven’t already. It is definitely a treasure! Hey, and while you’re there, I dare you to try to eat one extra extra large pie all by yourself. You will be given a free t-shirt and be able to proudly flaunt it! (As long as you don’t explode after…)
Food: 4*
Service: 4*
Atmosphere: 3.5*
96 Woodland Ave
Neptune City, NJ 07753-6420
(732) 774-6010
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