Jersey City is packed full of pizza places and casual Italian dining spots, so when I started categorizing some of my personal favorite delivery options, I found that I really needed a whole separate list just to cover them. Especially because I, with my very particular tastes, tend to only order certain things from certain places - no one size fits all here.
So - here you have it, Delivery Spots Part II: All About the Italian.
Buon Appetito - probably the most typical and classic of all of these. They're reliable, consistent, and while not many things really shine way above and beyond other similar restaurants, I've found everything I've tried to be a solid choice. I personally tend to favor the wings (basically just fantastically fried chicken that I then get to douse in hot sauce) and the four cheese pizza, but their subs are also pretty good and I like several of the pastas. I will say since they moved after the fire on Grove St., I found the pizza wasn't quite the same, but that may just be part of the initial transition. Overall delivery time is pretty standard, about 45 minutes but I've never had a wrong order and the people are always really nice.
Rustique - this is far and away my top choice for hot sandwiches for two key reasons: fresh housemade mozzarella and the roasted garlic spread which you can add to any sandwich. The Holly with meatballs and ricotta is a particular favorite, but any of the grilled chicken ones are fantastic as well. Their salads are also excellent and very fresh which can round out the meal nicely. Other items like the pizzas and the pastas here are fine....but the sandwiches are what really stand out and the reason I order. It's actually also a great place to eat-in with friendly staff and a nice but relaxed atmosphere. And considering I rarely get my food in under 90 minutes...might be a better choice at times.
Delenio - for me, if I'm ordering from Delenio, I'm getting a calzone. I won't order them elsewhere and it's pretty unlikely I'll get anything else here. They are huge, they are freshly baked, they are stuffed full of both mozz and ricotta as well as any other toppings you want, and they are helpful for the day after heavy drinking. A lot of people also recommend the eggplant parm, but it's not my personal favorite and the pizza is only so-so although it might be better fresh in-house. But really, you should just get a calzone. If you're only ordering a single calzone (which again, is huge), the delivery minimum can be annoying, but overall, the service is reliable and they're relatively quick.
Honorable Mentions
Paulus Hook Brick Oven Pizza - any time I was in the mood for really good, more specialized pizza, Paulus Hook was it. With an excellent crust, quality ingredients, and really great combinations and specials, it was always a struggle to pick out what I wanted. However, after two or three bad experiences in a row and some lesser quality food, I stopped ordering and don't really know what it's like now. My hope is that it's gone back to it's normal excellent standards but because it's been about a year since I've had it, I don't feel comfortable making that recommendation. If anyone else has had it recently, let me know if it's worth trying again!
Luca Brasi's Deli - Luca Brasi's is not technically in Jersey City, it's in Hoboken and in all honesty, there's nothing there that you can't get here in Jersey City....it's just really convenient that they actually deliver and have a pretty varied menu. I like the variety of salads, the different sandwich options you have- it's very much create-your-own which I love. The bread is good, the ingredients have always been very fresh and good quality, and everything I've had has been very good. For those days when I just really don't want to go out....it's nice to have this option.
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