Thoroughly-thoroughly enjoyed my recent visit to Star Tavern. I have seen reviews on YouTube thru the yrs and just heard of the location by name since it's been around so long but this weekend was craving a slice and wanted to start knocking off some of the places I had on my list to visit. The location itself is a combination of everything I like...somewhat dim lighting, long tables, long bar, booths, and hometown/locals feel. So...haha...a tavern...Parking is ample immediately adjacent to the bldg and there is also an overflow lot if you can't find a spot in the main parking lot. Menu has their specialty pies/standard food offerings and they have a chalkboard inside with their specials and drink specials. Pizza is a thin bar style pie. Very thin crispy crust which I prefer because it allows you to eat a few more slices without feeling full or dead tired from dough/carbs. We got a white pie and a buffalo chicken pizza...concluded things with their desert pizza which has apples, butter, walnuts, cinnamon, and sugar. All three were spectacular! Everything I had seen on YouTube from folks like JL Jupiter praising the location were spot on! Ingredients were all fresh. Pizza was crisp. Service was fast. The staff was welcoming and pleasant. Stefania was our waitress and she was great. Attentive, checking in regularly, clearing the table promptly and brought the check out without us having to wait long. I have nothing negative to say about the pizza or the experience. Drove about 40 mins to get there and it was well worth the drive. If you like thin crust pizza and that true tavern vibe/experience this has to be on your list of pizza restaurants to try. Has to be. read more

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My friends were visiting out of state and had this place bookmarked to try. We drove 50 minutes to get there and I think it was worth the drive. They were packed when we got there but we didn't have to wait long to get a seat. What we ordered: - Buffalo Wings - Mozzarella Sticks - French Fries - Regular Pizza - Regular Pizza with Pepperoni - White Clam Pizza - Old School Everything Pizza without Anchovies The food came out piping hot and everything we got was good. The wings were crispy and had a lot of sauce. We all enjoyed the pizzas even though bar style isn't our favorite. The only thing to note is my friend ordered a Blue Moon beer and never got it even though she even reminded them again. By the time the meal ended she was too full for a beer anyways. Honestly we don't even know if we got charged for it because we didn't examine the receipt before we paid by cash. Besides that everything went well and we would recommend this place. read more

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I visited the Star Tavern on a Friday afternoon for a late lunch and enjoyed the food and service. My wife and I shared a garlic bread with mozzarella and a pizza (half 3 cheese/half white spinach) and even though the pizza is very thin it was more than enough food for us so keep that in mind if you go with multiple people and each one decides to order a pizza. Note that depending on the toppings you can order 2 different ones (half/half) but it's not available for all toppings. Pizza was tasty, I'd rate it a 8.5/10, I just wish it had a little more cheese. Garlic bread was also pretty good. I had 2 Coors light draft ($5.50 each) and my wife had a ginger ale ($3.00 and refill was free). They should offer some happy hour specials during weekdays. Service was good and waitresses were friendly. There are some tables and booths in addition to bar stools. There's a small parking lot so during peak hours you might need to find street parking. read more

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Great food. Good service. Small place with a neighborhood feel. Came here and sat at the bar. Enjoyed the pizza. People are friendly . I would come back. read more

Star Tavern - Old school pizza - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

If you haven't been to Star Tavern and like thin crust pizza then you should run there. If you don't like thin crust then it's because you haven't eaten theirs. Old school place that was renovated years ago but doesn't look sterile. They kept the same atmosphere that has thrived for over 50 years. They don't take reservations so there are times I've waited on a line that has snaked its way nearly out the door. Why would anyone wait 40 minutes on a busy Friday night????? Because the food is that damn good. I've never been disappointed or thought the wait wasn't worth it. If you hate lines don't go at 7 on Saturday, go at 5 or 8:30. read more

I've heard so much about Star Tavern, and it's easy to see why it's popular. The vibe is very casual. It's definitely the kind of place you come with family, have a relaxed meal, chat for a while and head out. There's also a bar, which adds to that laid back feel. The food looked great, but the taste didn't quite match up. So, don't expect anything extraordinary. I tried the penne vodka, eggplant parmigiana, calamari and wings. Everything was decent, just nothing really stood out. In hindsight, I really should have gone with their pizza since that's what they're known for. Service was consistently friendly and attentive, which I appreciated, and having parking available is a huge plus. read more

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Stopped here while taking our daughter to college. Very busy, but we're seated and served pretty quick. Our table was by the kitchen, the staff was super busy, pulling pizza after pizza out of the oven, dancing & laughing in the back. Was nice to see, even amongst the super busy atmosphere their staff in good spirits. Pizza was piping hot & incredibly good. Will be back & recommend others visit, if you love a thin crust pizza. read more

This place is good . My friend is local and was very excited to take me. We came later at night, and there were still plenty of people picking up to go orders. The pizza is apparently called "bar pizza". Very thin crust and the sauce is all the way to the edge. Had the cheese pizza and the Buffalo chicken. Both very good. Definitely recommend folding like a taco to eat it. Plenty of TVs and parking right out front. I would visit again. read more

Star Tavern - Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Cheese pizza. - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

Inside on a Friday night, it was packed with many people waiting for tables or a seat at the bar. The atmosphere is lively, but it's also confusing where you should stand or wait for your takeout pizza. Star Tavern isn't my favorite pizza spot, but I can understand if it's yours. I'm not the greatest fan of the bar pie in general, but Star is doing something right here. We got a pepperoni and hot pepper pie that was delicious but soggy (it seemed like the peppers were put on very wet). Pepperoni wasn't quite as much as I'd hope to see nor distributed evenly. The hot peppers had a lot of stems attached. read more

Go for the wings - pizza is average at best. Go to CT for the real deal. Beer selection - average - ordered a Sierra Nevada but not sure what I got - bartender needs to get over herself. read more

Star Tavern is a must try in the North East NJ Area. It's as NJ as Taylor Ham. Pizza is perfectly crisp and consistent. Has an old man bar vibe, while being spotless. Service is always great, once you've been here a few times you feel like you know everyone. read more

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The fam and I recently ate here and it was a great experience. An ol school pizza shop with community vibes and laid back feel. The food was very good, fresh and shareable portion sizes. We started with mozz sticks (I wasn't a fan of the marinara), & scampi wings which were uniquely seasoned, and crispy. For the main course, I went with the meatball parm, which was cooked to perfection. Hubby had the cheesesteak, he enjoyed it and my daughter had the eggplant & peppers app with grilled shrimp. The shrimp were sizable. Service was good, attentive. The only downside -- and the reason for the missing star -- is the price. While I'm happy to pay for quality, some dishes felt slightly overpriced. read more

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Star Tavern is exactly what you would expect of a neighborhood pizza place. Great atmosphere, delicious food, and great service. Sara, our waitress, was awesome, making sure we were well taken care of. Along with other staff, Sara made sure that our food was out in a timely manner. Sara checked in on us periodically. The service was great. We started with their garlic bread. It was delicious. We also had their Caesar salad. Also delicious. We ordered the Roast Beef Au Jus sandwich and a pepperoni pizza. All was good excellent. We closed things out by ordering their Apple Pie dessert pizza. This is a must. Star Tavern is exactly what you want as a neighborhood pizza place. It was easy to tell who the regular customers were. The staff and locals were chatting away. The bar area was full, along with the tables. They had a couple of TVs set for the Thursday Night NFL game. I was glad to have visited Star Tavern. This is a must when you are in Orange, NJ, in search of excellent pizza along with a great atmosphere. read more

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Great bar pie. Really enjoyed it. Regular pie was probably my favorite from the 4 we tried. The clam pie is famous and it's good. The wings were solid as well. They did not rush us to get out the door. Servers were very nice. read more

Wonderful memories of what Star use to be, but farewell. Went for an early dinner, entrees were served before appetizers came out. The portobello mushroom was burnt on top of eggplant appetizer. The paper plates are such low quality, we were actually eating on the table. Plates fell apart from greasy food. Manager from kitchen spent more time socializing, sitting at tables, than in kitchen. Maybe he needs a professional in kitchen to bring Star Tavern back to the place we fell in love with. read more

Our friends speak very highly of Star Tavern and they are locals so we trusted them. I enjoyed the atmosphere here and it was a very lively place with lots of locals. However, the food just didn't hit for me. I really barely ate anything but did enjoy the salad I had. My kids liked it though so in the end that is a win. read more

Let me qualify this 2 star first by saying it has potential to move up with just one change (below) Parking is plentiful in the lots next to the restaurant. Staff is friendly and the place was packed for a rainy mid-week evening. The regular cheese pie had so much promise- the cheese was melted and well in some spots with cheese crisped up on some edges- all in a thin pizza. This is the style I love- sauce and cheese all over and thin with a slight crisp. However there was quite a bit of oil, similar to a NY slice- no worries Im starved. As I lift the first slice- instant flop... - uh oh, too much cheese? Nope, a soft, blanket-feeling undercarriage. I thought it may be undercooked but no it had some brown cooked spots too. As a first timer, I was not sure this was normal esp after reading reviews. However, the table over leaned in to ask and see our crust to compare to theirs- and were also disappointed at the undercarriage situation. Apparently they were patrons for many years and clarified that this was not normal and perhaps a new pizza chef was "learning". Hence the potential- and the cheese/sauce were great. We continued having a conversation with our table neighbors (tablors?), which was a great sign of the atmosphere. read more

Star Tavern - Regular Cheese Pie - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

I had a friend visiting from Europe who wanted the real NJ pizza experience, so I had to take him to Star Tavern. The second we walked in, they had sports playing on multiple televisions and there was a table of about 20 NJ firefighters seated behind us. We were seated quickly and ordered a half plain/half pepperoni pie and buffalo wings. The wings were okay, but the pizza was the star of the show. The crust was SO SO thin and had just the right amount of crispiness. The sauce was tasty and there was just enough cheese so that the crust wasn't weighed down or soggy. You really can't get pizza like this anwhere else. I loved the casual (but very clean!) setting. The waiters were also very attentive and polite, and offered free refills of my friend's soda. I will definitely be coming back the next time I crave a thin slice! read more

Star Tavern - Half plain, half pepperoni - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

My family loved our quick stop here for lunch before heading back home. We've all heard of NY pizza, Chicago Pizza, and Detroit style Pizza but this was my first time hearing about NJ Pizza. And I am a big new fan! The pizza is less about the fluffy dough and all about crispy thin edges, which is delicious! If this isn't your jam then you may be on the fence about trying. But I recommend you give it a go anyway because it really is good! We ordered the regular with pepperoni and sausage which was perfect! We also ordered the scampi wings which were okay. The pizza was the star of show for me so I let my kids enjoy the wings. Besides that, this place is super laid back, kid friendly, and seems like a warm welcoming neighborhood restaurant. Everyone was happy and enjoying their food. And the staff was efficient with getting food out and cleaning up tables. read more

A classic and historic nj pizza icon. If you're in the area it's a must try. Diner style seating as well as standard tables and booths. Service is always nice. Enjoy read more

I've seen this restaurant highlighted on lots of food shows and on TikTok and it's been on my list of pizza places to try for quite a while, and to my surprise when researching pizza joints near my new home I discovered it was only 2 MILES FROM ME!!! You KNOW I had to give them a try and board game night with the family was a perfect time to try takeout. There's no ordering online so I had to call and the employee on the phone was super friendly, helpful, detailed and patient which was refreshing. She told me 30 minutes and the order would be ready and I arrived 30 minutes later on the dot and guess what? The food was ready! Brownie points for them! It was a little confusing upon entering the restaurant where to pick up to-go orders but I finally discovered where (at the back near the open kitchen) and there was a small line of folks waiting to pick up there's so I joined the line. The place itself was JAM PACKED ... I mean every single seat! And I waited I eyeballed the food and tables and coming out the kitchen and it all looked bomb! The employee ensured my order was accurate before handing it over and once I secured the bag I expeditiously headed home because the aroma of the food was to die for! The pies (which were all bar pies) all looked amazing and cooked to perfection and tasted just the same ... perfect crispness, loaded with toppings and in need of not a single sprinkle of garlic powder or anything. And the scampi wings .... these may be on my "last meal" request because OMG! The scampi sauce was divine and the wings were cooked and smothered perfectly! First time ever seeing scampi wings on a menu and wondering why bc HELLO ... PERFECTION! The only reason it's not a 5 star rating is bc we want to dine in as the food of course was a little cold (since it was like 25 degrees outside and we had to transport it home) and we want to try the pies especially hot out the oven ... so WE WILL BE BACK! read more

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My co-worker told me about this place and mentioned it was her favorite thin crust pizza spot so I check out reviews and pictures and booked marked this place for some time now. Came here on a Friday night. Once you enter, you need to wait in line at the kitchen area (near the back), if you are dining in. There was a line but it went by pretty quick. Once seated I ordered the regular pie ($15.50) and the Old School everything w/o anchovies ($21.75). Both pies were solid and I like the fact the pies don't have crust or very little crust. I really enjoyed the pizza and def one of the best bar pizzas I have had. I will be back for sure. * Full service bar * Parking on premise * Good service read more

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***This review is only for the pizza*** This place has been on my radar for a couple of years. It was just not good and did not live up to the hype or things I heard. The pizza was very floppy, oily and lacked any flavor. I love bar pie and I am still so confused as to why this bar pie was so floppy. My guess is the oil and or oily cheese being used? read more

Star Tavern - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

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REVIEW UPDATE: The last time I reviewed Star Tavern was ten years ago - before the pandemic, and when Fivedollapie Tuesdays was a thing there. Not sure if Star sill has the $5 pies deal on a different day, but I didn't see it advertised anywhere when my husband and I stopped in last Tuesday. We sat in one of the booths and had a sit-down dinner that evening. Our waiter was nice; she was friendly when she greeted us and told us to sit at any of the open booths that we liked. This is what we ordered that night. -- Portobello Mushroom and Eggplant - ooey-gooey cheese on top of savory eggplant, mushrooms, and red peppers piping hot, straight out of the oven. Eat with a fork. It's delicious. -- My husband got the Mandarin salad, which is his favorite salad here. I sampled a bit and it's just as tasty as I remembered it. -- We got a plain thin slice pie (MUST) -- AND we wanted to try out the Wild Mushroom Pie - which had mushrooms, lemon zest, and thyme (gave very fall vibes so we wanted to order it) - This was my favorite; my partner liked it not his personal fav. Star Tavern never disappoints. It's a local institution. Check it out if you haven't or revisit it like we did if you haven't gone in a while. read more

Star Tavern - Portobello and Red Pepper app - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

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The pizza gets 5 stars. The apathetic customer service and rude staff gets -10. We've had numerous experiences with rude, apathetic staff - everything from taking our sides away while we were still eating them, then arguing over our request to take it off the bill, to a waitress insulting us after she took over 20 minutes to bring our kid a lemonade and we had to ask 3 different servers. all of whom failed to bring the drink as well. Ultimately the culture is the typical "who gives a sh-t? we're a gold mine" and the owners couldn't care less. Zero accountability. Now that Third Proof opened in Montville, we won't be back anytime soon. read more

Love the food. Pies are great and Buffalo wings too. A friendly family atmosphere. Get there early to get a seat.

Star Tavern is known for their pizza for a reason, as it is delicious! This establishment has been around for a long time. Known for their thin-style pizza, you go into their small parking lot (and sometimes need to park further away from it at busy times) and look to get that open table. During peak times, it will be busy and inside may look small, but they are able to fit a good amount of people. This is a great place when you have a night out and are catching up with a group of friends! They do well in accommodating people and groups over the years and always had good service here. Their star of the show of course is the pizza! I've had many pizzas here over the years, with my favorite just being that classic cheese pie! If I go for toppings, I am a sausage or meatball type of guy. If you prefer a crisper pie (which I do!), you can ask for the pizza to be well-done. When I am leading the charge of ordering, this is my go-to! I enjoy hearing and experiencing that crisp on this pizza, which does have a good flavor! As for other food, I have not had anything bad here! I have gotten many of their appetizers depending on my friends and my moods such as Garlic Bread, Fried Calamari, Mozzarella Sticks, Onion Blossoms, and Mac & Cheese without any complaints! read more

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Sure, I've been many times and feel a review isn't anything special for them. Even though our experience today was meh I know we'll be back in some form, dine-in or pickup. This was the first time getting the cheesesteak and maybe they were trying to be like Piccolos in Hoboken, but the onions killed the sandwich. I like onions, but way too much. Service was basic at best, but we did get there during the shift change, That can always be interesting in any restaurant. Nonetheless, like I said I'll be back, so have a good day. read more

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Classic NJ pizza place for tavern pies. Old school bar interior, really cool servers, and a healthy crowd. This place hardly warrants leaving a review but here i am. parking can quickly become a nightmare so plan to wait and be patient or try for street parking. their lot is small. for those with little kids they do have high chairs available but the dining room can get packed so take that into considerations. strollers are welcome but try and come during an offpeak time. again the dining area can get pretty packed. the booths have nice high backs so you dont have to worry about your nosey kid (like mine) peering at the next table over. some reviews say the cooks changed but they seemed the same to me! crispy crust and a little greasy (that's the flavor). pepperoni is 10/10 and our must get topping. read more

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I can't speak for any of the other food because I only get there a few times a year, which means I can't do otherwise than fill up on their plain pie -- better than Rome, better than NYC, unrivaled anywhere. Unlike some other places, their bar pies and regular size taste identical, so it's just a matter of how hungry I am. read more

Star Tavern, West Orange NJ . Took a ride from South Jersey for a pizza adventure. This was our 2nd time here. The first time, we went on a Friday Night in Lent and holy smokes.... . Today, we just grabbed two seats at the bar. Arrived about 1pm on a Saturday afternoon. It didn't look like any tables were available, and we weren't sure if friends were going to join us. . There were only two guys at the bar when we arrived. When we left around 2:30/3pm, the bar was about 90% full. . We went with an extra cheese pie and a pepperoni pie. Both were delicious. Our friend told us to ask for it well done, but we totally forgot (and WISH we rememberd). The only crispy thing on the pie was the absolute edge of the crust. We didn't knock down any points for it, but we wished it would've been a little crispier. There's one place in Neptune NJ we prefer the most, but this place is a close second. Not sure if we'd come back a third time as it's a 1.5 hour ride and the GSP....Boy....maybe because it was the holiday season and people were out driving and shopping...but for us, it was NOT an easy ride. Thank god the place had a bar, I needed a drink after getting there. . It was a solid pie, probably didn't need the extra cheese, but the bartender talked us into it. The pepperoni cupped up nicely. They came out hot and fresh and we're looking forward to heating them up tomorrow for lunch! . Friendly staff, good thin pizza....just if you like it crispy, we'd tell ya ask for it well done! Some might say it was a little greasy, but I don't hate a greasy pie...I can deal... read more

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There is a reason this place is known throughout the state. It's hands down one of the best places for pizza! Thin crust and always the perfect amount of sauce & cheese. My favorite is always pepperoni with fresh garlic. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! This time my wife ordered the garlic shrimp in the bread bowl. OMG! It's so delicious! From now on that's something we'll always order with our pizza! read more

Pizza was nice and crunchy great flavor a little oily but that's expected from a bar pie, but was amazing... service was amazing after being seated., We were served drinks quickly. Pizza came out pretty fast. We was a group of four and the bill was $65 which included one plain and one pepperoni pie, and a order of garlic bread, three soft drinks and one beer Pretty awesome Ambience was cool. They had booths, tables and bar, TVs clean bathroom. .. The only negative was I wish the garlic bread was a little bit better kind of just a small roll cut open with olive oil and garlic . Pizz read more

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Visiting my brother in West Orange, he brought my son and I to what he claimed to be "the best pizza in the country" and I'd say his statement wasn't far off. The crust was thin, light and crisp, not overly sauced or topped. The crust and sauce were definitely the stars here and kitchen knows how to make them shine. My son got the ravioli Parmesan which he refused to share, so I can only imagine it was delightful. The dressing on their Caesar was homemade and bright, not over powering or over dressed. And I highly recommend the apple pie pizza. Dive in, the water is fine. read more

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Had it years ago and still one of the best pizzas ever! Worth the hype in every way! Feels like a bowling alley or old school diner inside, great aesthetic! read more

The pizza here is extremely thin comparable to Federici's is Freehold. Here the pizza is more richer and oilier plus their pizza is cheesier. The pizza was delicious especially their vegetable pie with extra cheese! They weren't skimpy on toppings either. The pizza was soggy in the middle when folded up to eat, but it's probably because of the extra cheese on a very thin pie. It was definitely very oily and messy, but the oil made it even more delicious! The place is packed and for good reason! I wish they sold coffee and had a dessert menu. I recommend Star Tavern in Orange, NJ! read more

Star Tavern - Spinach and ricotta very good! - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

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We have been coming to star tavern for years. It's delicious, it's classic, and there's a reason it's so well known. Their extremely thin crust pizza is unique. The wings are good too! Salads are okay. Their plain and pepperoni pizzas are always a hit. We just tried the white clam pie for the first time. It's been on our bucket list and it was fantastic. 10/10. Staff are always accommodating and kind and it's a classic bar inside with a good amount of seating. read more

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This place is great - pizza locally famous but wings are also really good. Ran out of jameson which could anger the local irish population but we subbed jack and didnt skip a beat read more

I've been a regular at Star Tavern for years visiting multiple times a month, so its dissappointing to write this. A friend and I dines here recently, and while the food was good as always, the service was not. on 4/20 around 5ish after the shift change our new bartender was noticeably attentive to other guest but largely ignored us. We weren't given standard table items like garlic, cheese, or pepper flakes, while others were. We also timed it on my friends phone we waited over 20 min for her to check back in, while she continued engaging with nearby guest. This made us feel uncomfortable and overlooked. I understand off days happen, but all customers should be treated equally. I never not left a tip but this is an experience I never encountered. Unfortunately, this experience has made me reconsider returning read more

I've lived in Newark for the first 30 years in my life and never got an opportunity to go here. I moved to south Jersey and decided to stop here and grab some pizza for my family as I've always heard how great the thin crust was here, particularly when it's well done. I was sadly disappointed. For $16.00 it was medium in size...no seasoning or flavor of the pizza at all. I asked for well done so I can't complain about the burned crust but the pizza was just lacking overall. I've had better bar pies. I would say it was due to it being busy, but there was seating available and I called and placed an order well in advance. Can't say I would recommend. Try it if you've never been here just to say you did, but I can't say I would be back anytime soon. read more

Star Tavern - Well done pie. Looks good but taste was - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey