This was a spot with tight tables and a casual bar known for their signature thin-crust pizzas. They also had other Italian specialties as well. The service was friendly and accommodating, while the food came out quickly. The place was packed so it was much appreciated. A regular cheese pizza ($15) and a tricolore salad ($12.25) were ordered. The pizza was not too bad. I was expecting more of a crisp given it was of the thin crust variety, but it was not. It was far too chewy. The sauce and cheese were ideal. The sauce was light and flavorful, but the crust just did not get the job done. The salad consisted of arugula, endive, and radicchio with onions and tomatoes in a balsamic vinaigrette. This was a well put together salad. There was a good balance of all three components, and they appeared fresh. The balsamic vinaigrette was thick which was pleasant. It was the key to this salad. It was great. I am not sure if it was homemade, but it was one of my favorite dressings I had in a while. There was also a raspberry glaze on the outskirts of the plate that went well with everything. Will I go back? Probably. read more

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

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One of the most famous pizza shops in NJ. Came here around 12PM on a Monday and there was a good amount of people but there was no wait. Very relaxed and chill ambiance. You can tell there were a lot of regulars there. The pizzas are thin and packed with flavor. My only complaint is that the pizzas didn't have the crispiness I was looking for in a bar pie. The mushroom pizza was a bit more watery than the plain but still good. Definitely recommend coming here to give it a try. read more

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

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A NJ pizza institution I finally got around to trying. Went around 6:00 on a Saturday and it was packed. Line was probably 25 people deep but it moved pretty quickly. Were seated in 15-20 minutes. I was probably expecting too much based on the reputation and lore. The pizza was very good. Perhaps the best tasting pizza I have ever had. Unfortunately, the crust didn't get it done. A little underdone and very, very floppy. OK once you folded it but just had no backbone at all. Again, tasted great. Just wouldn't make the haul all the way to the bowels of Orange to get it. Too many other options. Great atmosphere, though. So, quick update. It is much better reheated. If you bake it a bit on a very hot pan, the bottom crisps up nicely. Now, you shouldn't have to take a pizza home and rebake it, but in this case it improves it quite a bit. read more

Star Tavern - Great looking pizza. Very delicious. - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

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In the last few decades, I've been here several times of the day and night. Sorry, I don't get it. I've tried to like this place. Everyone seems to "rave" about the thin Pizza here. I've had much better. Definitely skip the wings. The calamari is the only "Star" at the Tavern. There's a strong need for more servers. The few servers are overworked. It's difficult to get your server's attention, if anything is needed during the course of your meal. The kitchen assistants bring out your food. Place is always packed. There's seating at the bar, along with booth/table seating. The tavern has their own parking lot. The overflow parking is in an adjacent lot. read more

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Always a great stop. Dennis and the staff are like family and will take great care of you. read more

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Besides, having the best pizza in New Jersey, they're entrées are terrific. The place is almost always packed, for a good reason the food is great. Place has been totally redone during Covid and is somewhat more modern. read more

Great option for bar pizza. Not my favorite in NJ, but definitely up there. Each pizza is fairly large, and most are around $17-20. We ordered 3 pizzas to share among 4 people, which turned out to be the right amount. The pepporoni and plain were both great. Good crust, good amount of topping. Also ordered a traditional, which comes loaded with a bunch of toppings including anchovies. I didn't love this one... too stuffed for such a thin crust, and also they added way too many anchovies (they do ask you when you order if you want the anchovies included, so maybe next time if I were to order this I would request that they add them sparingly). We arrived towards the opening time on a Sunday lunch, and it did take a while for the pizza to come out. Parking lot available. read more

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I have had this place on my yelp pizza collection for a long time and finally had the chance to get a pie. My sons and I enjoyed the pizza but were disappointed with the amount of pepperonis, I asked for half pepperonis and half plain. We are debating if we will come back or not. Really wished they weren't cheap with the pepperonis as we spent almost $19 for a regular with half pepperonis. read more

Star Tavern - Asked for half pepperonis and got this. They pretty stingy with the toppings or careless - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

Passed by last night 12/31/23. 6-9 decided to try this restaurant tonight 1/1/2024 I guess because it was closer to the house. i had my mind set to go to another establishment for a lamb burger. but here we are. Private Lot. 1small. Full bar. Several booths. several tables. close to one another. Can't say they didn't use the space available. Their menu had something for most. not sure what to get, I asked server the best dishes under house specialties I chose the Shrimp Penne Vodka. I must say the portion was large. food was piping hot and delicious. $23 before tax. Their chicken Ceasar salad looked good too. I didn't taste it. If I ever return on a future visit I'll order. pizza and blooming onion seem to be stars of the menu. nearly every table had either or both. water...Nasty!! No, I was not going to pay (well someone else...lol) pay several dollars for a soda I wouldn't fully drink. I drew a blank...stopping. I'll go back one day. read more

Star Tavern - sign 01/01/2024 - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

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Pizza is good, atmosphere is ok, this establishment really has to work in its parking area!! The overflow parking lot is littered with dog "POOP@ week after week! In particular near the fences/gates. My mother in law accidentally stepped in it. I suggest putting up "curb your dog signs" perhaps a camera or clean it up before opening. Not a good experience to start or ending the night with that messy finish like that.Star Tavern is always busy I know something can be done. I refuse to post a pic.. it's to gross. Thank you. read more

The reviews and food bloggers made me want to try this thin pizza spot. The place is typical bar and for some reason I was under the impression it was an upscale pizza spot. It wasn't very clean inside like menu were sticky there was garbage on floor. Very bar vibes! We got the artichoke pizza to try and it took a while to come I guess because it got busy. The waiter apologized and went to check on it. When the pizza arrived unfortunately there was hair on it. So we tracked waiter down and showed him the hair. He apologized again and said he would get us a new pie. For appetizer we ordered mozzarella sticks which was pretty good and glad we did as pizza took a while. For drinks we got cocktails and birch beer. It seems like the spot to go to watch sports game so it definitely got busy closer to the game starting. I would go back to try a different pizza and judge as I didn't love the artichoke one but appreciate the thin crust. They have small parking lot which was great. Many people come in to pick up orders to go. read more

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

Very Very Good Bridget was a lovely server All food and drinks were very very good We'll return with our family soon read more

Place hasn't changed in many years. Don't go out of your way or make a special trip. If you're in the area and want to see how they've abused the superlative of World Famous Pizzeria, by all means stop in. I was pleasantly surprised to see an attempt to gourmand-up the greasy inconsistently cooked pizza's by adding fresh herbs, mushrooms and lemon zest. But as they say, you can't polish a brick. Sit by the bar for FiCoFiS seating. Otherwise go to the back for a booth. You can park around the block at dinner time in the mechanic lot. Service was tryin their best and hustled. read more

Star Tavern - Penalty for superlative abuse - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

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i have mixed feels about this place. First off, on a sunday early evening at like 430 it was slammed. service royally sucked. there isnt a host table, you just walk in and feel like you should seat yourself? we walked to the back window where the online orders were and no one helped us. make sure to speak up and then someone will tell u to seat yourself. we waited a few mins, no one came over to us, so we had to wave someone down. food came out before drinks. cheese pizza is good. im not a big fan of bar pies, but its good. let it sit for a few mins when it comes out. it was too floppy otherwise, so give it a second. but honestly it was filling and easy to share with 2 people. good flavor. wings. so we ordered buffalo wings with scampi sauce on them. we got just scampi wings? this isnt work. there was something off about them. i didnt hate them, but like i said something was off. also id like to state, there was no buffalo sauce on them at all. the wings have little meat on them and werent juicy. good prices, worth a trip to try it out. read more

Service was great. Very attentive. Foot was hot, tasty and portions were large. The pizza was one of the best pizza pies I have ever had.

I had this spot bookmarked for their thin crust pizza. We happened to sort of be in the area so we decided to make a quick detour to swing by. It was a Friday at around 2 pm and the place was pretty packed. I guess everyone is taking advantage of summer Fridays. No one really acknowledges you when you walk in, so if you're doing pick-up, just go straight to the back. I called ahead to order the Old School Everything (onions, sausage, pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms & anchovies). This or the mushroom were the only pies that really appealed to me. I was a bit hesitant about the anchovies because I'd never had it on pizza before (or at all, I don't think), but decided to just go with it. Although, there was a slight hiccup where they thought I called it in without anchovies (which I didn't) so they had to add it on and it took a bit longer than expected. But NBD. I still enjoyed the pie. The anchovies are salty but give it a nice umami flavor but it definitely is not for everybody. The crust was not as thin as I thought it would be. I guess I was expecting more of a tavern-style pie. The pie looks small but it's actually very filling. Would I make the trek back for another pie? Probably not. But I'm still glad I got to try it. read more

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

Star Tavern used to be my favorite pizza in New Jersey, which is a pretty dramatic statement, but deserved. Unfortunately in the last few years, there has been a dip in the quality and overall experience, and it's just not the same perfect bar pie I remember. My noble chum and I stopped by here for a very early dinner (technically lunner, I guess - it was 3:30pm.) this past Monday. That absolutely could have been part of the problem here; a devil's advocate might argue that coming during a decidedly "off" time didn't guarantee the best staff/product, though my counter to that would be that the restaurant was open for business and should have provided its best possible level of food and service regardless. Your mileage may vary. Anyway. Even though it was pretty obvious why, it was very exciting to procure an actual parking spot right next to their restaurant in the lot; I'm not sure I've ever had anything other than street parking half a block down from this place (which isn't ideal since this neighborhood isn't the best), so it was a promising start to the adventure at least. I'm sure not everyone is going to agree on this, but I miss the authentic divey vibe Star Tavern used to have. It wasn't over-the-top grimy, but it was unique and felt more homey. Sometime in the past five years or so (I could be a little off on the timing), they did a massive interior overhaul and the personality just disappeared - it's weirdly gentrified now with a lot of sterile colors and paneling. I'll absolutely acknowledge though that I don't know if there's a legit back story that required the significant changes. Notwithstanding, it feels like an unforced error. At my recommendation, we split a plain pie ($15ish) and my chum requested mozzy sticks. The pie is still good, but not great. The most significant issue I encountered is that it's not as crispy as it used to be. By definition, the crust/dough is going to be extremely thin, so if it's floppy it's much tougher to eat, especially when the cheese is on the watery side. And don't get me wrong - I think for this type of pie that's exactly how the toppings should be. I'm not sure what the best pizza in New Jersey is now, but this one for me is out of the running. A shame. The mozzy sticks were surprisingly good, though we were both reasonably confident that they were just standard freezer apps. That suggests to me that they were heated up perfectly, and I thought the accompanying marinara sauce was excellent and reminded me of Pizza Hut (which I had to clarify for my dining companion WAS a compliment in this instance). A second order was accidentally procured and promptly consumed. I DO think it helped that the serving size wasn't egregious - it was six or seven sticks per plate. Coupled with a thin bar pie, I was able to walk out of there still feeling moderately frisky. The service was uneven. Our waiter was very nice, but also inattentive in spurts. We'd be looking for him to, say, order another app, and see him 20 feet away intently staring at his phone. That actually also happened when we walked in - there were two bartenders manning the front who we had trouble hailing down to confirm seating because they were both focused on their phones and not the customers. It wasn't a busy time so I can understand that to an extent, but the minute you have patrons roaming around, that should be the priority. You might have better luck coming at a busier time when the staff is more on their toes, but the chances of longer wait times understandably increase as well. This is still a recommendation, but I don't know that at this point I'd go too far out of my way to frequent it. read more

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

How I miss this NJ staple! Pizza is thin, with sufficiently salted cheese. Not the best heated up the next day so indulge while there (and they don't deliver but you can pick up). Weekends are crazy busy. read more

Really disappointed with my experience at Star Tavern. Our waiter was extremely rude, dismissive, and made us feel unwelcome the entire time.But the food was excellent. Good service matters, and this visit definitely missed the mark. read more

Nice place, lots of atmosphere ,service was good, not great-- waitress seem very busy almost too busy to check in on us---the pizza was excellent both regular and whole wheat crusts- thin and real delicious dough-The chicken Parmesan was excellent. Did not like the penne in vodka sauce because it had an overindulgence of red and green peppers(I've been eating penne and vodka for 30 years and never once that I have peppers in it, and I did not like the flavor) Got there at 7:45 ate and finally got the attention of the waitress to have a couple pies to go at 9:15-They told me that they were out of dough. It was kind of put off by that--- from where I live. It's like an hour drive. I might go back read more

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

Star Tavern is a staple in the central Jersey area. This neighborhood restaurant specializes in thin crust, bar styled pizza and has been around for 75 years. Anytime I come in here it is booming!! Tables are full, people everywhere ordering to go and the kitchen is moving fast getting as much food out as fast as possible. During my most recent visit we ordered a cheese pie, pepperoni pie and some wings. The pepperoni was definitely the highlight. Star Tavern fills the entire slice with cheese so there ends up being no crust. As much as I love cheese, I kind of miss the doughy crust every time I come here but the pizza is still very solid. Check it out! read more

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

Pizza was on the oily side but good for a quick bite to eat!! Would be open to trying again since the service was good. Family friendly atmosphere read more

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

We always went there for the $5.00 bar pie, and they were excellent. Today they are much more the service was always good, and the decor is a bar scene don't look for a beautified restaurant it clean and acceptable read more

Our new go to spot for pizza. Love the food and the service. It's great to go with kids. They're super accommodating and serve quickly. Definitely recommend. read more

Everyone kept raving about this location and boy was I wrong to not have tried it sooner. Some of the thinnest pizza I ever had, but wow so much taste. I'm also a huge fan of thin pizzas so you know I will definitely be going back. The spot has onsite parking we were sat quickly and our server was very attentive. The place is big but super busy, people constantly coming in and out. I loved every second of it and I can't wait to try more food! read more

Old standby we had to visit during our trip back to NJ. Always busy, large bar and booths and tables for seating. Pizza was tasty as was the tricolore salad we ordered. Parking is limited but they do have an overflow lot behind the restaurant. read more

Star Tavern - Veggie pizza with meatball - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

Pizza was Great! It's a thin crust style pie, & they do not sell by slice, but by whole pie only. Service was smooth & easy for my to-go order. The interior is part bar, part old school pizza parlor....complete with dim lighting & all. I used 0 imagination $ actually got a Plain pie, because I wanted to see how it truly was when stripped down. Definitely a worth it trip. They have street parking & they have their own small lot. read more

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

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Great bar pies, super tasty. I think it's pretty famous for the pizza, and I think that's justified. It's not quite the same as your typical takeout pizza, it's more of a bar pie. Thinner, smaller, very tasty. Whenever I'm in the area, I'm definitely into stopping here for some awesome pizza. Highly recommend. read more

Definitely one of the five best pizza places in New Jersey. And they have plenty of parking at the restaurant and next-door parking lot!

I've eaten this pizza for 40+ years...I'm a FAN!!!!! Growing up in Orange,NJ.. this was a weekend treat for my family then & we continue to visit at least once a month read more

Does Star Tavern participate in UBEREATS? I was here last Thursday, everything was great, wings(appetizers) and several different pies. read more

A New Jersey classic. Went to this place several times. Never disappointed. I like the plain pie, the pepperoni medium-well, and the cavatelli with broccoli. read more

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What a sick joke reading the few 1 star reviews! It must suck for competitors to keep up with Star Tavern who are incredibly consistent and a local favorite. This is my 4th time here, and one of my friends asked what the reviews were on Yelp. This is a clear 5 star place. The minute you walk in, you're greeted by waitresses, servers, etc, who are always joyful. Before we get to the best pizza in Northern NJ, let's talk about the apps, calamari, eggplant, wings are amazing. The star of the show are the pizzas. The crust is thin and crisp, the sauce is spectacular, and the mozzarella they use aint the supermarket brand, its packed with flavor that complements the freshest ingredients you get to chose from. read more

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

So happy we came here! The pizza is 10/10. So cheesy, perfect thin crust, and the right amount of sauce. The wings are also so good with just the right amount of spice and so flavorful. The beer is super cold! Staff is amazing, very welcoming, and attentive. The restaurant does get crowded so there was a little wait for the food to come out but so worth it because everything was delicious! We'll definitely be back many more times. read more

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Nothing beats Jersey and New York style pizza. It's all about that dough! The key ingredient to having good dough is the Jersey water. Each pie is made fresh to order. My party and I ordered 2 pies: cheese and pepperoni. They do not hold back on the cheese here, and I am not complaining! I love the fresh and hot, ooey gooey cheese just dripping off the plate. Although I wasn't able to capture the money shot... the first one to grab the slice of pizza, I'm going to describe how it looked and felt. It's all about that cheese pull. I grabbed that first slice, and I just kept pulling and pulling that cheese. I didn't realize that they had garlic in one of the dispensers, I just thought it was parmesan cheese, haha. Once I took that first bite, I knew I was going to be in trouble! The pizza was nice and hot. I burned my tongue, but it was well worth it. The cheese just melted in my mouth, and the bottom had a perfect balance of softness and crispiness. The service was spot on, and we didn't have to wait long for our food to be served. Our waiter was super busy, but he still managed to check in with us. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be back here again! If you're in the area, tell all your friends, family, co-workers, lovers, etc. to come and check this place out. read more

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Great pizza! Delicious! Thin and cooked perfectly! Perfect pizza! Never disappointed! Always recommend! Great atmosphere. read more

Star Tavern - Cooked perfect well done classic Italian style pizza! - Pizza Near Me - City Of Orange, New Jersey

Love love love thin crust and these we're delicious albeit a bit $$$ Sat at the bar and enjoyed conversation with our bartender too! Recommend pepperoni for sure! We also devoured a mushroom not shown...less than 5 stars only due to cost being a bit high for a 6 slice pie read more

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They have the best pizza you'll never eat another pizza after that one.The place is clean and waiters and waitresses were very nice. It took very good care of us. Thank you. read more

Apparently, the Star Tavern is so infamous it's a right of passage amongst New Jerseyans. It is literally a corner store pizza shop in a very busy residential section of Northern New Jersey. They have a small parking lot on sight, and ominous signs for auxiliary parking. Although the outside is brick and there are flowers on the wall, the inside is actually pretty modern. There are booths lining the walls, a bar on the left side, and black tables and chairs in the center. Pretty clean, and everything gets wiped down quickly when a party leaves. There is a definite casualness about the vibe - so many patrons are obviously regulars, and even if you're not, you're treated the same way. "Well next time you come in..." Because of course it's assumed you're coming back! And why wouldn't you? The food is delicious. My penne alla vodka has perfectly cooked chicken. The sauce had larger onions and peppers (which my texture sensitive self deftly ate around) and there was a large piece of bread for sopping it up. I made sure to scrap all I could into a to go container, because the portion was HUGE. You don't have to question getting your money's worth. The sauce also has a bit of a kick to it, it's not your supermarket sauce. The pizza oven can be seen from inside the dining room, and it's apparently their specialty. Star Tavern has nailed the dough/sauce/cheese ratio. Not a thick crust, but by no means thick, it has a good chew. No excessive grease, but enough so you know this pizza was cooked perfectly prior to serving. I understand why this is considered an institution. read more

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This is very much the tale of two pizzas. It was the perfect crust, then it was the too thin crust. A few tips when walking in...it isn't obvious where to sit or where to wait when you walk in. If you want to sit at the bar that is first come first serve, so just grab a seat. If you want a booth or table, go to the back near the kitchen. There's chairs if you need them for your wait and just try and catch whoever is walking around looking like they know what is up. Pay attention to who is there before you and who comes after, and what number they call "table for 2", "table for 3", and make sure you don't get skipped. It didn't happen to me, but I could see how it could happen. Now for the pizza. We ordered two - one plain, one pepperoni. They have specialties, but when my friend and I try a spot for the first time, we always try the plain and one topping to get a feel for the place. The first one came out pretty quickly, and it was a very good bar pie - good sauce to cheese ratio, and good crust. Unfortunately, there was a mix up, and we never got the pepperoni, at which point the waitress noticed and went back to address the issue. When the pepperoni came out, it was too thin, and hard to manage. So I think it was just a one-off, because the other pies I saw come out all looked fine. The taste was still there, so they get another shot, and we will be back. Final note ... this is a great place to have a casual experience, good pizza, and a pitcher of beer. Great bar area, and great to just sit and take in the ambiance that comes with an established pizza joint with regular folk as customers. Enjoy. read more

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