Great Local Spot in Raritan, New Jersey

We consider ourselves very fortunate to live in an area that offers such a wonderful array of extraordinary cuisine. The Somerset Hills is home to world-class restaurants such as 90 Acres, Ristorante MV, The Pluckemin Inn, Red Horse by David Burke,The Ryland Inn, and The Tewksbury Inn just to name a few. Not to mention there are dozens of other exquisite places all around the state of NJ. Of course, there’s New York City. Needless to say, we are very lucky. It’s no surprise at all that these sumptuous establishments come with a very high price tag.  My husband and I certainly see the value in fine dining and it’s one of our favorite activities in life but sometimes we just want to go out for a local, quick dinner and not spend hundreds of dollars, especially during the week.  With everything being exponentially more expensive these days it has become a challenge to grab a really good bite to eat without breaking the bank.

il Forno a Legna in Raritan, NJ is a wonderful local restaurant offering delicious Neapolitan wood fired pizza.

In my ever so humble opinion, every town needs a casual, consistently good, local pizza place that’s affordable. Last Thursday, Matty and I were craving a very “Jersey thing”— pizza and mussels. Our dear friends Ro and Mike are always up for going out so we made last minute plans to meet for dinner. A recent discovery, il Forno a Legna in Raritan, really hit the spot. From the freshly made salads that are big enough to share, to the plump and flavorful mussels marinara, followed by an abundant selection of traditional and specialty wood fired pizzas, most people would be very happy here.  Upon taking my first bite, it was evident that Il Forno a Legna emulates typical Neapolitan style pizza by using superfine Double Zero (00) flour and baked at high temperatures in wood fired ovens resulting in a delicious crispy crust. Il Forno a Legna also offers heartier familiar Italian entrees which we still need to try.

Owner, Krishna Patel certainly has a passion for Italian food. His unique process for treating the dough combined with fresh, quality ingredients is his recipe for success.

There are two other locations in Dunellen and Rahway, each independently owned. Il Forno a Legna also does a sizable take out and catering business and is open for lunch and dinner 6 days a week, closed on Monday.

Raritan is located in Somerset County, NJ and is about a 15 minute drive from us. For a small, and relatively affordable town that is still holding onto old-school Italian flavor, Raritan attracts people from miles away with several renowned eating establishments. You really can’t go wrong with Espo’s, Char Steakhouse, Spain 92, Uncle Vinnie’s Clam Bar, Randazzos Bakery and Deli, and DeLucia’s Brick Oven Pizza, who recently received high praise from Dave Portnoy and his One Bite Pizza Reviews with his “absolutely spectacular” accolade.

If you’re looking for a causal, reasonably priced place with really good pizza, grab an Italian bottle of red and give Il Forno a Legna a try. Located at 53 West Somerset Street in Raritan.