A Seaside Heights pizza legend is coming to the Asbury Park boardwalk.
Maruca’s Tomato Pies will open a second location in the renovated Fifth Avenue Pavilion on the boardwalk by the end of the year. The new spot will have 70 seats inside and 40 seasonal seats in 4,000 square feet of space with entrances on Ocean Avenue and the boardwalk.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Asbury Park boardwalk and now with its rebirth and the renaissance of Asbury Park coming back strong, it’s a natural,” said Dominic Maruca.
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Maruca’s big 24-inch pie slices are known across the country, thanks in part to appearances on the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations” in 2017 and “Man v. Food” in 2010.
“(Former ‘Man vs. Food’ host) Adam Richman came in and showcased the 24-inch Trenton tomato pie,” said Maruca. “After the episode the lines were out the door like the ‘70s again.”
“People want more bang for their buck,” he said.
Joe Maruca (right) is the store manager and his brother, Domenic, the owner, of Maruca's Tomato Pies in Seaside Heights in 2015. Their father, Anthony "Jake" Maruca, and three uncles started the business in Trenton in 1947 and it opened in Seaside in 1950. (Photo: BOB BIELK)
The Maruca’s Trenton tomato pie features the sauce in a swirl on top of the cheese. There will also be New York-style pie offered, where the sauce is put on first, at the Asbury Park location. The new spot will offer salads, sides, appetizers and desserts baked on the premises.
There will be a gluten-free pies on the menu and work is being done on a vegetarian options.
Sammy Boyd, an Asbury Park-based music promoter and real estate agent, is a partner in the Asbury Park Maruca’s.
“The reason I went to go see the Maruca family in Seaside Heights is because I thought it could be the best pizza in Monmouth County,” Boyd said.
A Maruca’s in Trenton was opened in 1950 by brothers Anthony, Pasquale, Joseph, and Dominick Maruca. Later that year, they opened their first stand on the Seaside Heights boardwalk, according to www.marucaspizza.com.
The current location at 601 Boardwalk in Seaside Heights, adjacent to JR’s Ocean Bar and Grill, was opened after a boardwalk-wide fire in 2103 destroyed the former Seaside Park location. This was after superstorm Sandy damaged the business the year before.
The Asbury Park Maruca’s will be open days and into the night, making it a spot for late night eats after concerts and clubbing. They will also make deliveries. You’ll be seeing signs advertising the new Maruca’s on the boards, and the spot will open in the winter of 2018. The first summer will be in 2019.
Maruca’s fills a void on the Asbury Park boardwalk, as there are currently no pizzerias.
“If you’re going to bring in pizza, bring in the very best pizza,” said Pasqualina DeBoer, spokesperson for Madison Marquette, the developers of the boardwalk. “That’s what Maruca’s offers.”
Chris Jordan: cjordan@app.com. Twitter: @chrisfhjordan