When you think of your favorite food, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For most, the immediate answer is pizza. Rightfully so; just thinking about the perfect slice of pizza (whatever that may entail) can make any mouth water. As any true Jersey native knows, pizza is a delicacy. Most are prepared with at least a three-reason argument on why their favorite pizza is better than yours and are willing to yell said argument in a public setting. Ready to end the battle, I decided to venture out and ask RV students the daunting question: which local pizza shop is the best? The response: interesting, to say the least.
By a landslide, the best pizza shop, according to RV students, was Downtown Pizza. Out of the 30 people I asked, over half of them said that Downtown Pizza was their favorite place, and many others who voted differently said that Downtown was a close second.
“I enjoy that it is somewhere that a lot of people know and enjoy so it is never a problem if a group of friends want to grab some food there,” said senior Sydney Hay.
Located directly in the heart of Main Street in Mount Holly and less than a mile away from RV, the ease of location and the familiarity of the shop are important to many. Downtown opened its doors in 2013 and has gained a number of fans since then.
“My family and I have gone Downtown for years and we like their food so we have not switched pizza places,” said senior Kirsten Lloyd said.
For those who have never been to Downtown Pizza, the restaurant gives the aesthetic of a traditional, family-owned, small-town pizza shop, with an Italian-decorated dining room while still being quite a cute and casual restaurant.
Their vibe is true to their roots; the restaurant is family-owned and community-run, with many of the waiters and service staff being familiar RV faces. The shop employees all believe that it is important to give students “work experience in a fun environment that will prepare them” for experiences outside the kitchen and outside of school.
“When you walk in, you are hit with that fresh-pizza smell, and I absolutely love it. You don’t get that from very many places,. You also don’t get to see your friends serve you pizza in many places, so that’s an added bonus”
“When you walk in, you are hit with that fresh-pizza smell, and I absolutely love it. You don’t get that from very many places,” said senior Jordyn Clevenger. “You also don’t get to see your friends serve you pizza in many places, so that’s an added bonus.”
One of the other main factors that set Downtown Pizza apart from other pizza shops was the wide variety of toppings offered. At the ordering counter when you first walk in the restaurant, you are hit with over thirty different kinds of pizza you can choose from, all of which are very fairly priced.
One kind of specialty pizza was praised in particular for being a fan favorite. Seniors Melody Glover, Bea Faigal, Carlo Ciliberti and Varsha Patel all raved about the Penne Vodka Pizza.
Glover specifically said it is “nothing like any other pizza place serves, and is so scrumptious.”
Even the shop employees called out the Penne Pizza to be a “signature dish…with flavor in every bite.”
Surprisingly, many people chose Downtown Pizza not for their pizza at all; it was actually the other dishes the restaurant serves that put them over the top.
“My favorite thing to order when I go is the mozzarella sticks,” said senior Shea Dembrowski.
Other notable dishes that were mentioned were their pasta dinners, cheesesteaks and french fries.
There is no doubt RV believes this to be true about Downtown; the shop incorporates care and pride into their pizza while making their atmosphere a great place to enjoy the best pizza around.
Downtown employees agree, with their shop motto being “It’s not just a Pizzeria; it’s a cornerstone of the Mt. Holly community.”
Arguably, it’s the love Downtown puts into its craft that makes it the most widely loved shop in the community.
