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The Stevens Pizza Showdown: A Ranking of the Closest Campus Eats

Written By Michael Prefer

As a fan of all-things-pizza, and a now experienced pizza reviewer (check out my Artichoke Basille’s Pizza review in a previous issue), I’ve taken it upon myself this holiday season to treat you all to the gift of a Hoboken Pizzeria Showdown. Obviously, there is a lot of pizza to eat in the Mile Square City so I’ve narrowed it down to those few places right around the Stevens campus. We’ve got three familiar names today:

  • Benny Tudino’s
  • H&S Giovanni’s
  • Mario’s

Obviously, some great places a bit further from the main campus have been left out (Napoli’s, Grimaldi’s) but we’ll take those up in a later pizza showdown or review. The evaluations of each of the locations will be brief and straight to the point, with the score being based on:

  • Taste of a Plain Slice
  • Quantity
  • Atmosphere

Now that the guidelines have been set, let’s figure out which pizzerias are on our naughty or nice list this holiday.

Benny Tudino’s

Taste: I’m sure that many of the older students may know this, but for freshmen, here is a valuable lesson. Benny’s is not great pizza. The flavors and consistency are all very disconnected, with none of the different components really coming together as a unified whole. The cheese, sauce, and crust are all pretty much mediocre but feel very distinct. Overall, it’s not the worst slice in the world, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

Quantity: The first thing anyone will notice about a Benny’s slice is the size; it can be difficult to even eat two plain slices with each being about the size of an infant. There is some decent bang for your buck factor here.

Atmosphere: On Wednesdays, this place is sure to be crowded (for obvious reasons), but, outside of that, the restaurant receives some pretty normal traffic and is tame. Benny’s has decent seating in the interior and definitely has a comfy vibe. Staying open super late into the night provides a huge boost in this category.

Score: 5

H&S Giovanni’s

Taste: Gio’s is great at providing your run-of-the-mill slice. If you live in the NY/NJ area you’ve definitely had a lot of pizza just like this. The cheese, sauce, and crust are all fine, nothing really special. The key factor here is that everything does fit together very well and the consistency of a classic slice is surely upheld. Solidly average to above average.

Quantity: Gio’s is certainly not Benny’s when it comes to size, but you won’t be jipped in the size department. The plain slice is a little bit larger than your average slice, but nothing really noticeably hefty. The price does seem to be a bit on the high side for the amount you’re getting though.

Atmosphere: Honestly, very run-of-the-mill pizzeria vibe here. It is the largest of the restaurants with the most seating, but nothing significant to note beyond that really.

Score: 7

Mario’s

Taste: This is surprisingly flavorful for a plain pizza. This has a lighter and nicer taste in comparison to the other pizzerias, but it definitely packs the most punch. Each of the components is pretty decent in its quality, although not world-class. Yet, they work together in a really great way. Nothing really sticks out; instead, the slice does act as a unified whole taste.

Quantity: Mario’s is very typical in its slice size, virtually identical to most other places and the size you’d imagine in your head when thinking about pizza. The price is fine, if not very slightly expensive.

Atmosphere: Atmosphere also usually does win out here. The inside vibe feels the most nostalgic of the bunch and acts as a great place to hang out with friends and watch some of the games while eating. The only slight knock is sometimes the back section is filled with mothers and children, if you’re not into a bunch of noise and kids TV.

Score: 8.75

It seems apparent that Mario’s is the true pizza king, at least when it comes to these classic style pizzerias close to campus. That is, understandably, a pretty narrow range of restaurants though, so there are many more options to consider, but let’s save that for another time.

Up Next: I’m not technically a Pizza-Only Reviewer, so I’ll make a point of covering some other kind of food come next semester. Have a good break, folks.

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