no, no, no. best tomato pies (and I really, really, really hate to admit it) are in New Jersey. In 1985, I was taken to the (then) top place in Trenton and remember it to this day.
Order a tomato pie in Jersey, and you’ll get one as described above — thin crust, cheese, topped with tomatoes. But ask for tomato pie in Philadelphia or Utica, N.Y., and you’ll get tomato sauce on thick Sicilian dough with just a dusting of Romano cheese, and the pie is served cold or at room temperature. But Jersey knows the truth. “That’s not tomato pie,” said Azzaro of the upstate New York and Philly style. “That’s something else. I don’t even know what that’s called.” Sure, there is some debate — some might call it all-out war — on which is the real deal between fans of Trenton tomato pie and those from upstate New York, home of the Utica tomato pie. Both pies were born in the early 1900s. Which came first? If you’re reading this, you already know the answer.
What Is a Tomato Pie and Where Can I Get One?