'Best Pizza Ever': Legendary 1955 Pizzeria Reopens In Livingston

LIVINGSTON, NJ — In case you missed it while preparing for your Thanksgiving dinner last month, a hotly anticipated pizzeria in Livingston reopened right before the holiday, making more than 50 years' worth of fans very happy.

A search of any Livingston memories group on the internet will turn up people who remember grabbing a slice of Bonvini's Pizza, founded in 1955.

Now, the family that owned the classic restaurant has revived it, with its soft opening on Nov. 14.

The menu keeps it simple with their famous thin-crust pizza, along with chicken and eggplant parm, baked ziti, chicken cutlets, and salads. The toppings include Italian "long hots" peppers and other varieties.

One specialty is the "loaded" pizza:

"I am thankful that Bonvinis is back!," wrote a fan recently under a photo of a pizza with broccoli rabe.

The pizzeria closed around 1998, the family told Patch earlier this year. But pizza lovers have waxed nostalgic for years afterward. There was even a "Bring Back Bonvini's" Facebook group that started in the early days of Facebook, in 2009.

"This was the best pizza EVER!" noted one group member. "Nothing compares. I grew up with it and miss it. You just can't find a 'great' pizza anymore."

And they're still talking about it. When Patch recently broke the news that they'd reopen, Malcolm Betke left a comment:

"The best pizza ever! I have fond memories of my classmate Nick Jr. He loved working at the pizzeria with his family. The best pizza I ever had was their sausage and pepperoni. They sliced high quality sweet Italian sausage on the meat slicer along with the pepperoni. The pepperoni and sausage circles intermingling like little suns and moons. It was a slice of heaven! Glad to see the legend return. Nick Sr. would be very proud."

Nicholas Bonvini, the former owner of the shop, passed away in 2018. But the family is still around, and they're behind the new version.

Several former patrons remembered that they'd always hear "20 minutes!" after ordering, and they always saw a pizza oven spinning around.

Bonvini's current menu is here.

Bonvini's is located at 127 Livingston Ave. Call 973-500-5309.

If you know of a business opening or closing, email Livingston Patch.