Well, this story just gets sadder every time.
Of all the pizza joints in New Jersey, Santillo’s in Elizabeth arguably has the most passionate fans. The pizza shop that you miss if you blink, whose entrance is kind of down a side alley, has been famous for its brick oven pizza for about 100 years.
Opened in a different location in 1918, it relocated to its current spot in 1957. Current owner Al Santillo always worried about a fire. Codes being what they were back then, the ceiling was built too low over the brick oven. It would trap heat, and risk a fire.
The Fire
On a Saturday morning back in January 2024, it finally happened. A fire was in the ceiling. Pictures of the damage were posted to Instagram shortly after the devastation.
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