Oct 13, 2026 - Food and Drink

Penn Ave Pizza serves a perfectly charred slice

Ryan Deto

A slice of cheesy pizza with stringy cheese on red-and-white checkered paper, held up in a casual pizza shop with blurred customers and a menu in the background. — The shaved parmesan is a nice touch that comes with each slice. Photo: Ryan Deto/Axios

Sometimes you just want a hot slice, a pop, and a nice place to sit. A new pizza shop at the Lawrenceville-Bloomfield border has what you need.

The intrigue: Penn Ave Pizza and Steaks opened earlier this year and has already attracted scores of fans and may warrant an inclusion in our best pizza bracket.

Dig in: Slices are $4 and whole pies are $20.

It's New York style, and the pizza is satisfyingly thin, with probably the best black-charred crust in the city.
Don't sleep on the cheesesteaks ($18) or meatball subs ($16) either. They're huge and served on crunchy sesame rolls.

The vibe: Affectionately known as PAPS, it has a retro vibe with booths, barstools and fountain drinks. It was packed on a recent Saturday afternoon.

If you go: 4065 Penn Ave, Lawrenceville

Wednesday-Saturday 11am-9pm, Sunday noon-8pm

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Penn Ave Pizza serves a perfectly charred slice

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