Ralpho’s Pizza
“The tomato sauce is sweet and savory and not your generic kind of tomato sauce (Frank, the owner, makes it with love.”
“Last night, we had a well-done pie with meatballs on one half, sausage on the other half, and the red onions all over.”
“I have family in the area, and every time we visit them, I make certain to stop in for a meal or some takeout.”
Ralpho’s Pizza
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
3 reviews
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I love this old school pizza joint.
Ralpho's is in some random, old, tiny strip mall. I think there's a cleaners on the left and a bodega on the right and that's it. The only thing missing is dudes drinking 40s in the corner talking about the good' ol days. Time has stood still in this spot for decades. That's why when you walk in, your first instinct is to turn around and bounce. That would be a mistake.
Sit at the counter. The guy making everything is Frank; Ralpho was the original owner and Frank bought it from him in the 80s after he decided the rat race sucked and being your own boss is…bawss. He works by himself, because he's tried teaching others how to make his pies, his sauce, his bread, his sandwiches, but they either couldn't do it "my way" consistently or they did but eventually left for "bigger and better things". He's a happy go lucky dude and his smile is as genuine as is his vibe, which is: life is good. He loves what he does and his passion for his business shows like the sweat that was pouring out of him on the hot day that I met him.
The product:
The crust is crunchy/thin and the cheese is just the right amount. The sauce is sweet and the ratio of cheese to sauce leans toward more sauce then cheese. You would think it would be wet and messy because of that, but it's not. The crust is slightly chewy, but very tasty.
Ditto the fresh bread he makes everyday. You can buy his bread and his sauce. He is a beast and you can tell after a few decades of doing the same thing everyday, he's got a system here that's every efficient for the one man band that is, this joint.
The vibe:
In the 30 min I chilled there eating my slices, regulars came in for pick up that he called by name. It's the epitome of the hood joint and the love he has for all his customers, old and new, is genuine and sincere. They don't make'em like this guy or this place anymore. Catch it, if you can.
While visiting friends in New Jersey, we were told we had to try this pizza place. We called in and placed an order for pickup. Little did I know that we were 30-45 mins away. That's how good this pizza is, and it was totally worth it. We went in and the owner was incredibly friendly. This is the epitome of a wonderful family owned pizza place. While we had ordered more normal pizzas to bring back to everyone else, our friend ordered us additional slices to sit and eat there: the ziti pizza! O.M.G. It was just as amazing as you would expect.
It was carb heaven.
The sauce, the cheese, the crust… All just perfect.
This is a very small, very old school neighborhood pizza parlor. They must make decent pizza to stay in business but today for lunch, I went in and tried a hero. Very nice bread which they bake on premises. The hero was OK, maybe the cold cuts could have been just a little bit better. No real complaints. The guy behind the counter was friendly and fast. No reason to try this place if you are not local but OK overall. Next time I will buy a couple of slices and comment on the pizza.