Trenton Tomato Pie: The Upside-Down Pizza Explained

Trenton tomato pie is a thin, crisp pizza made upside down: the cheese goes on the dough first, then a chunky tomato sauce is spooned over the top. The style grew up in the Italian-American Chambersburg neighborhood of New Jersey's capital early in the twentieth century, and a few pizzerias in and around Trenton still bake it.

What is Trenton tomato pie?

A round, thin pie with a crisp base, a layer of cheese (often mozzarella) and a generous topping of crushed tomatoes. The sauce sits on top where it caramelizes slightly in the oven, so the first bite is tomato, then cheese, then crust. Toppings are an add-on. Many people order it plain and cut into squares or wedges.

The name sounds like a baked fruit dish, which confuses visitors. Locals call it a tomato pie because that is exactly what it is.

How is Chambersburg tomato pie different from pizza?

The order of the layers is the main difference. A conventional pizza puts sauce on the dough, then cheese. A tomato pie reverses them. The result is a pie where the sauce is chunky and bright, the cheese is melted against the crust and the base stays crisp. It is thinner than a New York slice and less cheesy than a Neapolitan pie, with a taste that is more tomato than almost any other style.

People who grew up with it defend it fiercely, and people who try it for the first time usually ask for another.

Where did Chambersburg tomato pie begin?

Chambersburg is the Trenton neighborhood where Italian immigrants settled in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the tomato pie is tied to it. Several pizza families began in the neighborhood, and some have since moved out to the suburbs. What matters for a visitor is that the tradition is still baked daily by families who learned it from the previous generation.

How do you order tomato pie when you are new to it?

Say "plain" if you want to taste the style. Add toppings such as sausage, onions, peppers or mushrooms once you know the base. Ask about size: many tomato pies are small, meant to be eaten by one or two people, and ordering one each is common. If a shop sells by the whole pie, ask whether slices are available. Expect the pie to come out hot, and eat it right away; the crisp base softens in a box.

Where do you find tomato pie today?

In and around Trenton and nearby Mercer County towns, in a few long-running pizzerias and in newer ones that bake the style. Some are in the old neighborhood and others have moved out to the suburbs. A phone call before you set out is wise, since pizzerias change hours and locations. Ask a local at a deli counter for the shop they use, and you will often be sent somewhere that is not in any guide. A good test is the line on a Friday evening, when families collect their weekly pie, and another is the sound of the oven door, opened and shut all night. Neither needs a review to be believed.

The Philadelphia tomato pie is a related but different dish; the Philadelphia tomato pie list explains the Pennsylvania version.

What goes with tomato pie?

Keep it simple. A salad, a bottle of soda or a cold drink and a few friends. Tomato pie is traditionally a social food, shared among a table, and the small size means you can order a second to compare. Some families have a pie on Friday nights and have done so for generations, and a few shops still wrap the pie in paper rather than a box so the steam can escape and the crust stays crisp on the walk home. If you carry one home, cut it in the car and eat the first piece warm; it is the best way to find out whether the shop earned its reputation. Italian-American delis around Chambersburg sell sandwiches and cold cuts that pair well. Many people finish with an ice or a pastry from a bakery nearby. The point of the meal is to taste the pie while it is still hot and crisp.

How do you rate a tomato pie?

By the dish. Judge the crust, the cheese and the sauce separately, and write which of them carried the pie. In the Mosey app, you can rate a place with stars and add a dish, such as a plain tomato pie, with its own rating. Tags such as Pizza and Family Friendly describe the place, and a diner can look for them in the Find sheet. Badges climb as you rate more places with a tag, starting at five different places.

Where next in Trenton?

The Chambersburg guide covers the neighborhood, the State House lunch guide covers the center of town, and the Trenton pork roll guide covers another famous Trenton food. The US food guides hold the rest of the country.

Heading somewhere else in New Jersey? The Food in New Jersey page links the rest.

When the last square is gone, open the Mosey app, rate your tomato pie by the dish, add the Pizza tag and start a list called Trenton pies that your friends can add to.