Ciro Pizza Cafe

Related to Joe and Pats in SI. which is one of my favorite pies. The pie is very good and the owner aims to please. His other food is also good … I like the fried calamari. Go for it … Good Pizza !

Over the last few weeks, I’ve dined in here instead of ordering take out pizza or sitting on the counter for a slice.
It was jam packed both on a Friday and Saturday night. Here’s why: they serve delicious Italian food and a decent price and it’s BYO. The first time I tried the fried calamari which was cooked perfectly, not greasy and seasoned well. I also had the penne vodka, which was delicous. The portion sizes are insane. You really get what you paid for and then some. The second time I had the stuffed flouder with crab meat and spinach. Wow, this was very light and delicate, the fresh tomato sauce that was served on the side was one of the best I’ve ever had. I would buy that if they sold it in a jar. (And I make my own.)

I cannot give it a «fair» review seeing as we were literally turned away as we stepped foot inside last night at 10:05 PM 3−11−16. I checked the site before going and it said 10:30PM closing and being a Friday night with people still inside… door still open they were clearly still open… and there were at least 3 other tables there might i add… Waked in and and the young lady responds with «we’re closed» with the nastiest attitude. Hello to you too. walked right out. Needless to say we will never return back and I live right down the road. I’d rather take the drive to Deninos for better service and pizza… as I was told. FYI my family owns a well known restaurant and you never ever everrrr turn away customers.
If I could give it 0 stars I would on poor customer service.

Unfortunately, they’re in an area where people actually order from Dominos. They’re pizza is excellent, I can’t comment on their food because I love their pizza, especially the pepperoni pie, which I rarely order anywhere else because of the cheap pepperoni most places use. I wish they were a little West where most NY transplants are that actually know good za.
They actually tried the water in NJ, but it wasn’t the same so they get their water from SI, that’s the kind of pride they take to make such great pizza.

When it’s pizza night and you want something done really well, stop at Ciro’s. They serve a wonderful thin crust that holds up well to pizza toppings, but doesn’t fill you up. We had spinach and sausage tonight, and it truly was one of the finest pizzas I’ve ever had.
They have a fine dining menu when you’re in the mood, and a large bar, if they ever get a license. In the meantime, it’s BYOB for a much better than average pizza or pasta meal.

This was my third time at Ciro’s. I’ve brought all of my kids and my best friends here. Love it and their pizza is as close to nyc as you can get. Going again today.

11÷6÷2015. My first time here. I Ordered a Chicken Cutlet Parm hero and was disappointed to find that they served a processed patty that wasn’t real meat.
There are better choices in the area.

This is an update to my last review. It seems that the delivery drivers now have pizza warmer bags which helps but that’s not the reason I came to Unilocal today.
Last night I had the garlic pie. If you aren’t familiar with this its just a plain pizza with fresh garlic. Let me start of by saying that we usually don’t get toppings because they are very expensive and the pizza is wonderful plain. Toppings seem to cost about $ 2.50 each. I might be off by a quarter or so. I don’t have the menu in front of me. That being said, every time we have gotten toppings they were plentiful and fresh.
Back to the garlic pie. It was literally one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. I have been in search of a garlic pie that tasted like this one did for somewhere near 10 years. The last time I had a pie that tasted similar to this it was from Sciortino’s when they were located in Perth Amboy. I’ve tried to get it again and it was never the same. The problem with this type of pizza, i think, is that you need very hot ovens that can just barely cook the garlic otherwise it comes out bitter. This was perfect. Almost every shard of garlic was succulent and sweet. Their plain pie is amazing as it is due to the perfect amount of burnt edges and bottom crust, which, again I think, is due to hot ovens. I’m not even mentioning the quality and flavor of the sauce and cheese. This is my perfect pizza. The garlic pie is the ultimate comfort food and garlic is good for you and helps you sleep.
I want to mention that I’ve had many of the best acclaimed pizzas around NJ and NYC including Sciortino’s, Strawberry’s, Denino’s (NJ), John’s (NYC), Lombardi’s (NYC), Carmen’s at Pete and Elda’s, etc. I really think this is my favorite and I’m so lucky to live near it. Now if only I could order two or three times a week!

Probably the most offensive pizza experience I’ve had. For 20 minutes I watched 4 employees (3 cooks and the hostess/​cashier) mock and poke fun at Jewish people and the Jewish religion. They passed around a yarmulke, made jokes about what I assume was a Bar Mitzvah they hosted, dared their cook to do a Jewish dance, and joked about answering the phone by saying Shalom. Really guys? In an empty restaurant, I get it… but in front of customers? who could be of any religion? If you’re going to have immature children running your business, at least teach them about having class, tact, the general rules of life and how not to be douchebags. This is 2015, in New Jersey.
AND the best part, as the cooks were preparing dough for the evening’s pies, I watched one guy reach in to the back of his sweat pants, pick his ass, and return to handling the dough.
Banner day guys.
Needless to say I won’t be back.

Isn’t as hyped as Esposito’s and Denino’s, but the pizza here is actually really good. Very thin crust and a great sauce. Like a lot of other pizza joints in town, they have a $ 10 plain pie takeout special during the week. Definitely worth your time and convenient if you take exit 120 home.

It’s crazy to me Ciro’s isn’t rated higher. Best pizza in the area, by far.
Never had an issue with pick up or delivery.

Everything I have tried at this place has been of the freshest ingredients and hands down the best tasting Italian food and pizza in Matawan. Coming from a New Yorker that says a lot. prices are on the high side but worth it for the freshness and quality ingredients used.

The pizza is good here, different than your typical NJ pie, but don’t bother with anything else. I’ve been to Ciro’s twice for dinner and both times I left saying «let’s not come back here.» The chicken parm was taste-​less. The sauce was watery and unseasoned, which is odd because they’re pizza sauce is pretty good. The penne vodka was also dry and more of a red sauce. From now on, I’ll stick with the pizza.

Decided to give these guys another try. Wanted garlic bread to go with the dinner we were making; said lets just order from ciro since they are close and how can someone mess up garlic bread. Well they did. Burnt bread with little garlic or butter. This experienced sealed the deal for me. Surprised they are still in business.

I see most of the complaints are about the pricing. Sorry, but compared to the other pizza in the area, the price is well worth the cost.
I have only had the pizza here, so I am not sure about the other food, but their Pizza is second to none. I have lived in Matawan for 3 years, and have always passed this place by, but decided to give it a try, and they have found a customer for life.

Ordered 2 plain slices, pasta fagioli soup, and a spinach with artichoke and Parmesan salad. First off, I live 5 minutes away and when I got home the pizza was cold. Second the beans in the soup were mush and disgusting. And finally the salad looked like it was a side salad. It was super small and there were 3 artichokes and some shaved cheese. Not $ 10 worthy at all. And the worst part is I asked for ranch dressing and they put blue cheese. I can’t eat blue cheese as I am allergic. So there went the $ 10 salad in the garbage. Not worth the $ 22 I spent on this meal. Should have stuck with my regular pizza spot but figured I would give this place a try. neVEr again

Probably the best thin crust pizza in the area. Different than, but neck and neck with Denino’s.
Much bigger menu though so it’s a full restaurant
BYO
Friendly staff

I eat here often. I specifically eat here for the pizza and chicken soup. The plain pizza and vodka pie are qualtiy pies; albeit pretty expensive.
You will notice large globs of mozzarella in lieu of traditional shredded (low quality) cheese. Also, the sauce has a nice taste if you enjoy small pieces of tomatoe.
Lastly, the vodka pies are by far the best I had. Not too rich, but a nice creamy taste is left.
Unfortunately, their heros are lacking. Ciro’s uses quality bread for the sandwiches but that is the only positive thing that can be said with regards to their heros. The amt of meat used only covers 65−70% of the sandwich. The sauce COVERS the plate and interferes with the overall taste. Also, suprisingly. the breading (chicken parm) seems to be of the most basic in nature.
Overall, a bit pricey but one of my top 2 pizzerias in the general area (Holmdel, Hazlet, Middletown, Matawan, Old Bridge)

Just left Ciros and feel the need to write a review. We placed our order and one of the meals came out wrong so my 16 year old waitress who coped an attitude sent over the owner «ciro» who said he would make me the right dish. That was all fine except when I go out to eat with people we usually like to eat at the same time. New chicken comes out, seems to be fine. Now waitress is MIA and won’t come back to the table so our waters were never refilled after asking. We then place a separate order to go and asked for dressing on side… Needless to say the salad comes out with dressing on it. While all of this is going on it has the noise level of a sports bar in there. Wait staff looks frazzled and not helpful.
Being a business owner myself I would have taken care of one of the meals or minimally offered free dessert or coffee.
All we got is sorry … Oh wait no we didn’t.
I would skip this pizzeria. Horrible service, poor management and the food isn’t anything to talk about.
Luigis down the road

We ordered a large pizza with mushrooms and sliced sausage. The sauce was a rich marinara and the crust firm and crispy at the edge. It arrived steaming hot and was placed on a small stand on the table. It would have been nice to have been given a serving implement; I used my knife to serve.
The restaurant has plenty of comfortable booths and tables. It’s rather noisy and the large windows produce a glare when the shades are up but we were able to chat at the table without difficulty.
Prices seemed a bit steep given the atmosphere and service.