4.5 out of 5 The vibe here is unexpectedly chill for a pizza spot, almost steakhouse-like, with a huge wood-fired brick oven anchoring the room as the centerpiece. I sat at the bar and was handed a short, simple menu. Service was exceptional the whole night, attentive without being overbearing. Started with the Caesar salad, deconstructed and nothing like the classic version. The dressing and nuts gave it a nice twist that worked. The meatballs were a mixed bag. Texture was spot on, and the basil added something nice, but overall they were bland. Needed more garlic, and I couldn't pick up the umami from the parm or the saltiness from the prosciutto. More of both would've balanced it out. The pizza was the real showstopper. Perfect char, perfect chew on the dough. The habanero pie with pork loin had just the right amount of spice, every bite landed. Overall, I'd go back, and next time I'm trying the truffle oil on the habanero read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

We ordered carry out pizzas (on a weekday) but upon entering the store, we really enjoyed the vibe/atmosphere and we will be taking our family back to dine in next time. We ordered 2 pizzas and the carbonara. The pizzas were good. The folks were friendly and greeted us as soon as we entered the restaurant. There is some parking but if the place is packed, we're not sure where else to park. We would be coming back with the family on a sunday (and possibly need to update this post) read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - PROSCIUTTO & ARUGULA prosciutto San Daniele, fresh arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano, tomato sauce & mozzarella - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

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This gem of a pizza shop often gets overlooked by us with some closer options nearby. Shame on us. This wood fired pizza shop serves up classic and creative combinations. We went with the Nduja which had thinly sliced shaved cappuccio cabbage and spicy sausage. Sauce was well seasoned, evenly balanced. Sausage had the right amount of spice. Crust well cooked, with just the correct amount of char you're looking for in a Neapolitan style pie. Excellent. We also got the eggplant stack entree - good amount of cheese, well breaded eggplant. Make that drive to the edge of town, this pizza place is worth it! read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - The Nduja - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

I recently moved to the area and am on the hunt for my new go-to places nearby. My family and I consist of allium-free vegetarians; traditional Italian places and vegetarian Indian/East Asian eateries, breakfast/brunch places are usually a better bet and I spotted this place on the map. I ended up giving them a try with my friend who was visiting us from out-of-state for a few days. I did call ahead of time and it didn't really fill me up with a lot of hope, but as of now, I still haven't tried any local places yet so I took my friend (omnivore, no allergies) there anyway. Also because we were on a time crunch and I had no time to look around for Option B. We went for lunch on a Thursday, maybe around 1 pm. Conveniently located near the Fanwood Train Station. They have a shared parking lot down the side and around the back (it's a dead end so the way you came in is the way you'll come out). There was no one else there but a waitress who was in the middle of decorating the blackboard with their specials and the Chef, though there was a take out order and they were bring in some deliveries. Everything seemed pretty clean but we were clearly there during their slower hours. Just as a disclaimer, I was told pretty much all their sauces there contained alliums. I ended up getting the following at my own suggestion: BLACK TRUFFLE BURRATA that came with these flatbreads. These are noted as house made; I love it when eateries make their own food from scratch! At $14, it was pretty reasonably priced but it did only come with four pieces of the bread. No free refills to my experience, but I also didn't ask. Delicious, flavorful, and simple. I fully expected to get something like this and was glad I didn't end up with a simple salad and olive oil. A solid appetizer. My friend enjoyed this as well! She topped her pizza with it. My friend got the TRIFOLATA. It's a mushroom based pizza and she said it was good. No complaints but did pick off the burnt bits, but that's expected with a wood fired oven. She liked it and was interested in trying other pizzas/pastas if she has the chance and is in the area again. I really struggled on how to rate this place. Cleanliness was on point from what I saw, place was cohesively decorated, tables might be on the smaller side if everyone orders a pizza, service was... somewhat adequate? They didn't really seem to know how to treat me and didn't really give any suggestions and it wasn't even because they were busy. Just did their job and maybe a few comments. We were asked once how the food was and it was directed at my friend. Having said that, we were greeted as soon as we walked in and when we left and I'd say our waitress was friendly. If you had no dietary restrictions (or at least not to alliums are on a low FODMAP diet), you'd probably have a better time. As for me? At least I know where to go for good burrata! Personally, I initially wanted to rate them 3 stars for the lack of substantial choices other than fancy cheese and bread, but seeing as I went anyway despite knowing that things weren't in my favor, it is on me. So I'm giving them 4 stars because what I had was good (but it might be the only thing I can have) and my friend enjoyed her pizza. They do note what items contain nuts on their menu and they have gluten free options which was what brought them to my attention in the first place. I have a kid with multiple food allergies. Unfortunately, their GF options contains eggs ... which is another one of my kid's allergies. If I go back again, it'll likely be with the same friend. Overall, a solid place for Italian food, but sadly not for my family. read more

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A great spot for wood fired pizza in fanwood! We stopped by for a bite of pizza and decided to eat in for a quick meal in between lunch and dinner. We had the prosciutto and arugula pizza and the crispy calamari. Crust was thin yet crisp, the middle of the pizza was still crispy even if a little soft. The prosciutto and arugula was added fresh on top. The cheese and sauce were just right. The crispy calamari was just that, with some grilled shishito peppers to top it off. It was a nice touch. Next we go we will bring our own drinks since it's BYOB and try more! Our server was friendly, service was good. Casual cozy setting, the interior was clean. Street parking and private lot, would recommend! read more

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Last night was my second time here and i was disappointed with the pizzas. The cheese would just slide off, the pizza was floppy and the cacio e pepe was overpowered with pepper. I will say that the hostess was so sweet and gave service was very nice. However the tables were crammed inside and it was hard to fit even 3 pies on one table. read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Margherita - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

Houdini Pizza really works its magic! Amazing food, friendly staff, and the BYOB option makes it a perfect night out. Disappearing pies guaranteed! read more

The hostess was very friendly, she kept us updated regarding our table which I thought was very thoughtful. The location is small and cozy. My husband and I shared the meatballs, they were very good. We shared the margherita and open calzone pizza. The open calzone was my favorite, I really enjoyed all the flavors. The restaurant is BYOB. We will be returning. read more

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Great ambiance at the bar area. We got prosciutto and bread. The cacio y Pepe was excellent. The pizza was spicy and very good. We will be back. read more

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Easily the blandest pizza I've had. It needed salt, seasoning, and way more sauce. Felt like eating warm cardboard with cheese. $29 waisted.

Really good atmosphere. Pizza is very good. The fried calamari was nice with the shishito peppers but a cherry pepper option would have been perfect. Pizza we had was the vampire with the garlic knot crust. Would have preferred mozz stuffed inside the crust but the dough was so good. read more

Awesome food and service! Loved the haberno pie, Meatballs and pasta. Highly recc! ------

Being from California and never experiencing a real pizza other than the ones we ate in Amalfi. Houdini Pizza is simply amazing. Fresh ingredients and the wood fire oven made it crisp and delicious. Had to go back a second time before heading back to California Thank you Houdini Pizza. You will be missed. read more

Service, food and menu choices were excellent. Pizza was top notch and Caesar salad was delish and we really enjoyed the presentation of it!! Loved that it was a byo and the prices were right on for the quality of food. A must try and we will be back. read more

Showed up at around 6 on a Saturday. Wait for a table was 30 mins but there were a few bar spots so we took them. Place is very cute. Service was nice as well. We ordered the meatballs and the focaccini. Both very good. We received a chicken entree cacio pepe and the open calzone. Everything was good. This is typical Neapolitan pizza. Always good but to me all taste roughly the same. We also split the cookie skillet. This was also very good. We don't live in the area but would 100% return if we do return. read more

The pizza here is outstanding! There is a group of us that have been going around to pizzerias to rate them and Houdini is very high on our list. The crust is delicious and the toppings are spot-on and plentiful. Our server was awesome, and the ambience is very nice. There is one small problem that's holding me back from making this my number one place: the pizzas are delicious but a little too salty. Please please please cut down on your salt! read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

Came here on a weekday for dinner. Was happy with the meal... both the pizza and pasta were tasty, and service was good. I think this may be my preferred spot for pizza in the area. I love Neapolitan pizza, which is the style saved here. The crust was great, as were the pizza flavors. My only complaint was that the pizza toppings were a little liquidy. In fact they were dripping over my hands and plate. Maybe it needed to be cooked longer? The pasta was great, and you can definitely tell its made from scratch. I wish the portion size was a bit bigger. I'd likely need more than a single pasta serving to be full. So pizza may be a better bet if you are hungry. The restaurant is on the smaller size, and was busy even on a weekday, so I could imagine that it could get packed. Decor is nice. 25% yelp check in discount (mon-thu) was great. No catches as far as I could tell. Didn't see any mention of this, but it is BYOB read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

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Houdini pizza is one of the best in the area. Brick oven style and nice variety of specialty pies. Kind of has a neighborhood feel inside and a lot of local students are servers. Calamari is excellent! read more

One of my favorite pizza spots, food is amazing and the service is fantastic. Great sit down spot and I love the esthetic inside!

After going to Italy earlier this year I've repeatedly has cravings for Italian food and thought I'd try this local restaurant. Upon arrival I already knew exactly what I wanted and was very excited. Parking was super easy here and we were seated immediately. The restaurant was very quiet since it was a Monday night and I was grateful for their Yelp check in discount of 25% off during the weekdays. We ordered their Rocket salad, meatballs and spaghetti carbonara all to share. The salad was very boring but very pretty to look at. The meatballs I felt like lacked seasoning and the focaccia bread to go with it was the star of the night. When we received our carbonara I was a bit sad because it looked runnier then I remember in Italy. I don't know the exact way to make the dish but it felt like we were eating raw egg. We decided to keep the dish and just pick off the top since it was getting late. I'm glad I was able to visit but I don't think I would come here again if I was in the mood for Italian food. read more

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This was a small spot with tables very close to one another and a few bar seats overlooking the staff constructing the pizzas. We sat at the bar seats, so it was cool to see the process they had in place. The service was friendly, and the food came out quickly. The menu offered simple pizzas along with creative options as well. They also had their homemade pasta along with some other intriguing choices. For a starter, the suppli carbonara ($10) special was ordered. It was breaded and fried spaghetti filled with pancetta, parmigiana cheese, and black pepper. I do not believe I ever had fried pasta before, so I had to give it a try. It was not too bad. I would have preferred a little more on the plate. The pasta by itself was the highlight along with the sauce that was present to dip in. It was just very unique. For dinner, two pizzas were ordered. Both pizzas were of appropriate size, but just a little inconsistent on the cooking of the crust. The first was a sausage and mushroom pizza ($19). There were organic mixed mushrooms with a wine cured sausage along with fresh mozzarella, and tomato sauce. This was solid. The tomato sauce was on the sweeter side and the sausage being wine cured made it even more sweet. It was not overpowerful, however. The crust was crisp to slightly burnt, which was overall decent. The toppings made up for it. The second pizza ordered was Tony's anchovies ($20). It consisted of mozzarella, tomato sauce, anchovies, and oven-roasted broccoli rabe. The anchovies were added after the pizza was cooked. I think I would have favored them being cooked, but it did not matter. I liked the combination of the anchovies and broccoli rabe, salty and bitter. The tomato sauce did not appear as sweet due to the salty anchovies I would imagine. Will I go back? Yes. read more

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The food this time was horrendous. Ordered the "Queen" pizza with stracciatella cheese and it was without a doubt, the saltiest pizza I have ever had in over 20 years. Horrible. The dough was too thick and chewy like bread that wasn't fully cooked. There was too little sauce and the slice couldn't even be held to eat, it had to be cut on the plate. The horrible meal was made worse by the fact that the waiter brought us a bottle of tap water which was blue in color, so we didn't know that the bottle had just come from another table. We found out much after the fact because we poured the water into our glass and at first thought the restaurant had added herbs to flavor the water (ie mint or basil) but then when we noticed after we poured the 2nd glass that the additions were chewed up arugula and burnt pizza crust pieces, we realized he must have taken the bottle from another table that maybe had a child placing things into the bottle from their mouth or from their high chair? Not sure but when we realized it and pointed it out, the waiter apologized and went to grab our check. We will never return again. read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - The Queen pizza which was the saltiest pizza ever eaten - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

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Let's start off with the customer service Gabriella took my phone order was very nice and helpful. I picked 4 different pizzas NDUJA , TRIFOLATA , MARGHERITA, and HABANERO amazingggg! I'm very very picky and I think it's the Best pizza in NJ ! I highly recommend you will not be disappointed! Ambiance was nice very clean pleasant restaurant! I can't wait to order again ! Wish they would deliver to Cranford! Wish I took a pic of the pies they looked delish. my kids and I loved it great job Houdini! read more

The server was extremely rude. We left before our entire party even sat down. It's unfortunate that a business that is based upon service allows their employees to behave in such a manner. read more

Got delivery and was disappointed by the pizza and salads. The pizzas were cooked nicely but the dough was chewy and there was a tad too little sauce. The Margherita and Habanera was not particularly original. The Houdini Green had some nice char on the cabbage, but was still let down a bit by the pizza. The salads were also lackluster. Fresh ingredients but the sauce was very simple. read more

Very good pizza and pasta. Fresh ingredients. Our group had the Rocket Salad, Fornarina, and Meatballs as a starter. We had Gnocchi and Truffle Rigatoni for the main. The Gnocchi were perfectly cooked light pillows and the sauce they came with was delicious. I took a chance on the Truffle Rigatoni because I was afraid the cream sauce would be too heavy, but it was perfectly balanced and great flavor. We ended with dessert pizza that was topped with Nutella and fresh strawberries. Great local spot in a relaxed atmosphere. Service was a bit laissez-faire for my taste, but not a turn off - just something to be aware of to manage expectations. read more

Wow this place had great pizza. This place serves more Italian style pizza than America Italian pizza. The pizza tasted great, and it was fresh. The serve was attentive, and the place was modern. read more

Place is excellent!! Only gripe, NO DELIVERY TO MOUNTAINSIDE, please change this!!! That's it!

Another place I have to visit on my work trip to New Jersey. The restaurant is small and feels very welcoming. The staff is always nice and service is good. Definitely a good place to have a family dinner. I tried the fornarina. This was very good. A lot of food for one person. Definitely going to order again. The rosemary, olive oil, and the sea salt on it is amazing. Honestly I could eat it as my meal. The only pizza I've had here has been the margarita pizza. It's great. The sauce is light. Doesn't give me heart burn. Good flavor though. Cheese is also really good. I don't have nothing but good things to say about this place. read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Fornarina - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

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It was our boss' birthday and the team wanted to send him a pizza to celebrate on our remote meeting. So I took the lead to order and make sure delivery was made on time. I ordered online the Guido pie (wine aged sausage and broccoli rabe, tomatoes and garlic) and the process was so easy to order, leave a message, pay and it allowed me to select when to have the pizza delivered. This was even before Houdini opened for the day. I called Houdini when it was opened to confirm and everything was ready for delivery. When we had our meeting, the doorbell rings and delivery was on time! The pie box even had a "Happy Birthday Boss" on the box that hand written! He showed us the Guido pizza on video and said it was the BEST pizza that he's ever had! What a GREAT place Houdini Pizza Lab is. read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Hand written note and wonderful "Guido Pie" - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

Great pizza. Awesome service and again amazing food. Definitely a must try and I'm definitely be back.

I hadn't eaten here in at least a couple of years, so time for a return visit. My companion and I shared one app and one 12" mushroom pizza. The tab came to $34 plus tip. It's a small, lively place, and fills up fast with customers at peak meal times. Service is friendly and fast, however, the metal chairs are uncomfortable, and the AC was blowing right on me, which also cooled off my hot pizza very quickly. It should not have been on, as it was only 60°F outside. The pizza crust is delicious, but is not crisp on the bottom. It's bread-like, soft and chewy. You need a fork to eat it. You can't pick up a slice without it drooping, and then you have three or 4 bites with sauce and toppings before it's just bread. If you eat the whole thing with a beverage on the side, you are going to get filled up and bloated fast. I prefer tonda-style pizza, which is made with a light thin and crispy crust, like at Out Of Hand Pizza in Westfield. read more

Probably have been 20 times or so. Long overdue 5 star review. Top notch quality, great service, love sitting at the bar and watching them crank out fantastic pizza. Hats off to the entire team, wonderful local business in fanwood. read more

Houdini Pizza Laboratory - Pizza Near Me - Fanwood, New Jersey

Stopped in for the first time on a Saturday night as I've had this spot bookmarked for quite a while. They were pretty busy as expected so we took 2 seats at the bar... We started off with the homemade burrata and basil. This burrata was some of the best I have ever tasted. It was so creamy and delicious and went perfectly with the fresh pita bread wedges on the side. Then for pizza we decided on one of the specials which was a white pizza that had sausage, broccoli rabe, and ricotta. This was my favorite of the two. All the flavors blended well together and the crust was crisp and delicious. The second pizza we selected was the The Queen, this is a margarita pizza made with homemade stracciatella. This pizza was good in flavor but the crust was rather soggy and didn't hold up well. The service was very attentive and we had a whole pizza left to bring home that they happily boxed up for us. The pizza was also great the next day when reheated for lunch. I'm happy I finally made it here and I look forward to returning and trying some of their other pizza selections. read more

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This place is as creative, magical, and on point as it's name suggests! It is hiding in the most obvious place. The town I used to just pass all the time to get to Scotch Plains or Westfield has changed forever. Fanwood is officially on the map thanks to Houdini. We wore our jackets and sat outside on a lovely fall evening because it is so darn cute and cozy outside!!! We brought our own B. Our sever Gwen was so patient, thoughtful, and helpful as I tried to decide, which is difficult when you love food as much as me. When I read the menu it gave me anxiety because I couldn't eat everything I wanted, but I realized I'll just have to come back. Luckily we had Gwen to make wonderful recommendations. Food: - We started with the heirloom salad with tomatoes, burrata, basil, and balsamic. This confirmed my theory that NJ tomatoes are superior to any other tomatoes in the world. It came with focaccia that was unforgettably amazing. The best I've had in life. - We chose a pizza from the specials menu with pancetta, onion, and hot peppers! The bread was perfection. I saw another yelper describe it as crispy on the bottom but soft inside and I couldn't agree more! Neapolitan perfection. - Cookies and cream gelato had nice big pieces of cake like cookie in it. Yum! - Burrata is to cheese as their Tiramisu is to desserts. Must try!! Delectable! read more

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This is a local shop owned by a family. The pizza is served very fresh. We ordered 3 different kinds of pizza. The server ensured we were satisfied with our food. The energy of the place was like family. Reasons for Rating: +1 Excellent location and parking +1 Food taste really good +1 Customer service +1 Interior/atmosphere +1 Would return/recommend others read more

The pizza was super delicious. We ordered the Habanero and the meatballs. It's a BYOB. Highly recommend

Having been in the area and looking for a place for dinner after 8 pm we stumbled upon Houdinis . The YELP reviews were helpful as well in finalizing our decision. We were the only patrons eating In at this later hour so it was nice and quiet except for the upbeat background music. The atmosphere is a bit rustic and they have a wood fired oven for the pizza. We had our choice of seating and were greeted in a friendly manner by our server. We ordered our beverage which were cute little 8 oz. glass bottles and served with a real glass. For our starter we ordered the BURRATA & BASILwhich included a delicious homemade burrata, fresh basil & focaccia. Having unbelievably never tried Burrata previously, trust me I will be ordering it more often than not! For my entree I chose the AL CEPPO & MEATBALLS -Classic pomodoro sauce, meatballs, parmagiano reggiano and fresh basil. The meatball description is what made my entree decision easy and swayed me from the pizza! HOUDINI MEATBALLS handmade meatballs, a blend of ground beef, prosciutto, mortadella, parmigiano reggiano, bread, milk & eggs. My entree was freshly cooked, a perfect portion size of fresh handmade pasta with 2 good sized meatballs with just enough sauce, and topped with shaved cheese and fresh basil. Deliziosa! My dinner companion had the TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESEa slow cooked traditional bolognese "meat sauce" finished with grana padano cheese & EVOO over house made tagliatelle she enjoyed it very much. Houdini Pizza Lab is a magical change from the same old and boring menu selections. My only regret is that it is not closer to home! If you ever find yourself in a the area, stop by and try them, you won't be disappointed! read more

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What a gem we came across! We were shopping at BJ's near by and absolutely starving! Since the Covid pandemic, it's hard to find a place open after 9PM! Thanks to Yelp we were able to find this place that was not only open on a Monday, but it was open to 10PM, SCORE! Just 1.6 miles from BJ's we were there in just 5 minutes. Parking and entrance is in the back with a nice little gardenesque outdoor patio seating. It was too cold and late to use that, but very nice in better weather. Immediately upon entering, we were greeted by the waitress with smiles and a very friendly and welcoming tone. We started off with the Burrata & Basil! This appetizer is beyond yummo! This ball of cheese that is like mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese served with focaccia bread. Whatever it is, it's so creamy and just delicious! We practically licked the plate! My entree was the Tagliatelle Bolognese. 2 words - Homemade pasta! The bolognese is delicious too! When it first arrived, it looked like a small portion! By the time I got to 3/4 of the plate, I was struggling to finish! I did push myself to finish it because it was absolutely delicious! It was just the right portion size! I was full but not uncomfortably full! I had Diet Coke as my beverage and it was the mini 8 oz coke bottles. 1 was just not enough and 2 was just short of quenching my thirst. The atmosphere was very enjoyable. It kind of reminded me of some places that you would find in New York City or Los Angeles, it here it is in New Jersey! Very enjoyable! I would love to return to try the pizza! I bet it's out of this world amazing! If you are nearby, stop in! I'm sure you will be thanking me for the recommendation and licking your plates just like we did! read more

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The pizza lover that I am, #1. Gluten Free pizza is sometimes hard to come by, #2. GOOD GF pizza is harder, #3. GREAT GF pizza is like a needle in a haystack. So, I bounce around in the search of THE ONE and may have found a new favorite. We tried a simple Margherita. It was fresh, sweet, and perfectly sized for two ppl. Hubby and I like our pies just slightly more crispy, but that's a personal preference - will mention that next time. At 2:30, it was a late lunch on a Sunday, but we were the only ones there. Place is clean, has plenty of parking, and service was very good. Lunch for 2 - $30 Pizza, bottle of sparkling water and coffee. read more

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