John’s Caffe Pizza & Caterers
574 2nd Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07202
(908) 354-5260
Open: Sunday Closed/Monday-Thursday 9:30am-9:00pm/Friday-Saturday 9:30am-9:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
The front of John’s Caffe Pizzeria & Caterer at 574 2nd Street in Downtown Elizabeth, NJ
The inside of the restaurant
I enjoy coming to John’s Caffe Pizzeria & Caterer when I am visiting Elizabeth, NJ for various appointments. One of the office workers recommended the pizzeria for lunch and I look forward to eating there when I am in town. The food and the service are great.
The Pizza case of all the delicious pizzas
I know there are a lot of pizzerias in New Jersey and since 80% of the State has some form of Italian blood in them, there are different way s that people prepare their pies. This is the same with John’s Caffe Pizzeria & Caterers. There prepare pizza all different ways and each one of them is more delicious than the next.
The Chicken Parmesan and Cheesesteak pizzas
The location is just off Downtown Elizabeth NJ and around the corner from my doctor’s office so I stop there for lunch when I am in town. I love the pizza here. There are so many choices to select from in the pizza case.
The first time I selected a piece of the Trenton style pizza and a slice of Hot Honey Pepperoni with Ricotta Cheese on top. The woman at the counter highly recommended these and they were delicious.
The Hot Honey Pepperoni and Trenton style pizza
They have all different types of lunch specials and one of my favorites (as of 2026) is the Specialty slice special with a Coke for $7.99. That is a bargain considering you get to choose the slices you want for lunch.
My selection of pizza slices for the lunch special
On my most recent trip I tried the Trenton style pizza, which was made famous the Little Italy that was once located in Downtown Trenton. This is when the cheese is baked on the bottom and the sauce is ladled on the top.
The Trenton style with cheese on the bottom and sauce on the top
The tomato sauce is a traditional sauce of fresh tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. The taste was amazing.
The Hot Honey with Pepperoni and Fresh Ricotta Cheese
The second slice I had was the shot Honey with Pepperoni and fresh Ricotta Cheese. I love the contrast of textures and flavors on the slice. It also has a pinchiness of the taste of the spices.
Yum!
When I came a second time I came in for lunch, I eyed the Sicilian pizzas in the case and had to have a slice of plain Sicilian. This was a full meal on its own.
The Sicilian pizzas plain and with pepperoni
A slice of plain Sicilian pizza
The slice was nicely sized and it tastes wonderful
The Sicilian slice has a wonderful taste and consistency
When I visited again, I had to have another slice of the Trenton style pizza and a piece of Pizza Bianco, a white pizza slice with Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheeses topped with Pepperoni. The pizza slices were spiced well and tasted wonderful.
The pizza selection on a recent afternoon
The Pizza Bianca with Pepperoni and the Trenton Style pizza
The Pepperoni Bianco slice
On all of my visits for lunch, the food and the service have been wonderful, the staff really nice and the restaurant has a nice neighborhood vibe about it.
The food and the service are really good.
The history of the Pizzeria:
(From the John’s Caffe Pizza & Caterers website):
In April 1968, Giovanni Cerullo and family opened up an Italian Caffe shop in a small Italian section of Elizabeth, NJ called “Peterstown”.
Over 40 years Johns Caffe’ was a staple of the Peterstown community and played many roles for the local people. Italian specialties, food, and pizza were some of the items Johns Caffe had to offer over the 40 years. Johns Caffe was one of the few vendors that participated in the famous Italian street fair called St. Rocco’s.
After many years of serving his customers Giovanni Cerullo passed in February of 2009. His son Gerry and grandson Giovanni decided to honor his legacy and keep Johns Caffe going!
In April 2009 they renovated and re-opened Johns Caffe Pizza & Caterers! They created an innovative menu that included their famous Paninis and other Italian delicacies such as focaccia sandwiches, thin crust pizza, wraps, salads and dinners, just to mention a few.
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