Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza is widely known as one of New Jersey’s most iconic pizzerias. With roots tracing back to 1918, three generations of Santillos have run the shop, located in Elizabeth, New Jersey—just a stone’s throw from Staten Island.
When a fire destroyed the pizzeria on January 6, 2024, the proud tradition of Santillo’s was tested. Al Santillo, Jr., who currently owns and operates Santillo’s alongside his wife, Lorraine, is determined to rebuild the pizzeria—and he’s gotten a little help from his friends.
First, in the days after the fire, celebrity chef Tom Colicchio pledged his support for the pizzeria. So, too, did Dave Portnoy, who in July announced the proceeds from his second annual One Bite Pizza Fest would be donated to the Santillo’s rebuilding effort. A Facebook group, called Santillo’s Volunteers, was formed and attracted more than 1,600 followers.
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On Monday, December 2, PizzaBox AI, a smart pizza subscription platform, announced that it will be pitching in, too. PizzaBox AI will be offering its platform and marketing services to Santillo’s free of charge. Customers can buy a subscription for $187 that entitles them to one pizza per month for 12 months. The platform said 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Santillo’s.
“Reopening Santillo’s means everything to me and my family,” Al Santillo said. “The support we’ve received has been incredible, and PizzaBox’s pizza subscription program is a vital part of making this happen.”
Though Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza was already a well-known establishment in Northern New Jersey, a pair of One Bite Reviews launched the pizzeria’s reputation into the stratosphere. Portnoy reviewed Santillo’s in 2019 and gave the pizzeria a score of 8.3. In a later tweet, Portnoy announced he would revise his score to 9.8 if he could—a score that would rank Santillo’s second overall amongst the hundreds of pizzerias Portnoy has reviewed.
Santillo’s is known for its crispy, Jersey-style bar pies, but also for an eclectic menu that offers customers the option of ordering certain pies from bygone eras. For example, one could order a “1940 Genuine Tomato Pie,” an item that is meant to taste exactly as it did in 1940. Other standard menu items include the 1948 Style Tomato Pie With Grated Cheese; the 1959 Style Large (Thick & Saucy) 14” Round; the 2011 San Marzano Tomatoes Over the Cheese (“Our Margarita) 16” Round; and other notable selections.
In the months following the fire, Santillo began shipping pizzas nationwide via Goldbelly. Santillo is cooking the pies at Casano’s Pizza Parlor in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with help from Casano’s owner Dave Ligas. Casano’s also hosted a Santillo’s pop-up on November 11.
“Everybody’s had to do their own thing and help everybody out,” Ligas told Pix11 News prior to the pop up. “So we’ll be doing his pies his way. I’ll just be here to help him out.”
The pizzeria’s famed 100-year-old oven is a whopping 16-by-10 feet, can hold up to 30 pizzas at a time and is referred to as “The Sistine Chapel” by Santillo, according to the Bergen Record. Rebuilding the oven has required a considerable amount of the resources Santillo has been raising to get his pizzeria back in business—an endeavor he estimates to already be in the “hundreds of thousands” of dollars.
The pizza subscription will be an integral piece of the puzzle in the rebuilding effort. As of Tuesday afternoon, a pop-up ad on the Santillo’s website advertised the deal.
“We’re humbled to support Al Santillo and his journey to rebuild this iconic pizzeria,” said Vincent Chaglasyan, co-founder of PizzaBox. “This partnership underscores our commitment to preserving the heart and soul of America’s pizzerias.”
As difficult as the past year has been on the Santillos, Al said he is grateful for the journey, as it’s taught him a lot about how much the community is rooting for him.
“The fire may have touched our premises, but the heart of Santillo’s—our commitment to authentic, traditional pizza and the bonds we share with each of you—remains unscathed,” Santillo’s Brick Oven Pizza said in a statement on its website. “[It] has taken a toll on the physical structure of our beloved pizzeria, but it cannot and will not extinguish the spirit that has kept us going for three generations. We are more committed than ever to come back stronger, ensuring that the legacy lives on.”
