If you’ve been following “A Story About Pizza” for a while, you know that our vibe is all about heritage, history, and community. The second Tony Mangia and I started chatting, I knew he was a kindred spirit. He is on a relentless mission to preserve Italian American culture, and let me tell you, his dedication is exactly what we need right now.
The 21st Region of Italy
As the years roll on, we get further and further away from the great waves of Italian immigration of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Sadly, that means generational, family owned shops and restaurants are closing their doors every single day. My grandfather opened our family pizzeria back in 1960, so this hits incredibly close to home for me.
Tony brought up a fascinating paradox. A lot of our ancestors started these grueling, back breaking businesses not necessarily to build a 100 year empire, but to fund a better life so their kids could become lawyers, doctors, or politicians. It’s a beautiful yet double edged sword: we celebrate that hard earned success, but it leaves these historic culinary trades vulnerable.
That is why Tony uses his platform to spotlight these businesses, whether they’ve been around for a century or were started just ten years ago by someone arriving with a fresh dream.
“Italy has 20 regions, but Italian America is the 21st region of Italy. We had to adapt to create a cuisine that was completely our own.” — Tony Mangia
Think about dishes like chicken parm. You won’t find it on a single authentic menu in Italy. It doesn’t exist there! But when our ancestors immigrated to places like New Jersey and New York, they had to work with what they had. They adapted, innovated, and built a rich, entirely distinct region of food and culture.
From Flip Phones to The Food Network
Growing up in Lodi, New Jersey, a proud Italian American enclave named after Lodi, Italy, Tony’s life always revolved around the kitchen table. Sunday meant pasta, and every major life event was anchored by food. His dad even ran a local spot called Rizzo’s Deli for a few years, giving Tony his earliest memories of running around counters.
Tony’s media journey began in college with an Italian American radio show where he hosted icons like Lidia Bastianich and Frank Stallone. By 2010, long before smartphones had decent cameras, he co-founded a food blogging group called Men Who Dine.
They were among the very first food influencers in New York City, taking high quality photos, rushing home to upload them via laptops, and even filming a pilot for the Food Network! While Tony eventually stepped away from the group to focus on his health, the experience solidified his true calling: shouting from the rooftops about the working class people who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into feeding us.
Tony’s Ultimate East Coast Food Guide
When I asked Tony about the places that truly define his culinary map, he didn’t hold back. If you are looking for an authentic roadmap of the East Coast’s best historic eats, take notes:
The Belmont Tavern (Belleville, NJ)
This is Tony’s ultimate home away from home, he is there every single Monday night. It’s an old school joint where the bar and the kitchen are actually two separate businesses operating under one roof. Don’t look for chicken parm here, instead, order the cavatelli with pot cheese (ricotta) and long hots, and remember it’s BYOD (Bring Your Own Dessert)!
Bamonte’s (Brooklyn, NY)
Located in Williamsburg, their legendary claim to fame is that they actually invented chicken parm. True or not, Tony swears it’s one of the best you’ll ever have, alongside a killer crab sauce.
Palizzi Social Club (South Philly)
A historic, formerly members only club saved by the founder’s nephew who converted it into a spectacular dining club. It’s strictly cash only, no photos or videos are allowed inside, and they serve a dynamite crab sauce over old school tables.
Respect the Pizzaiolo!
Of course, we had to dive deep into pizza. Tony subscribes to the “Pizza Cognition Theory”. This is the idea that the very first pizza you eat as a child becomes the baseline metric for every pizza you judge for the rest of your life.
For Tony, that baseline is Lodi Pizza on Route 46, a nostalgic 1970s staple known for its thin and well done Sicilian pies. He also gave massive shoutouts to Pizza Town (famous for year round zeppoles and fried calzones) and Barcelona’s in Garfield for their craveable, salty cheese pizza.
Whether it’s a traditional slice or a knife and fork Neapolitan pie from spots like Song’ E Napule, Tony emphasizes one golden rule: Respect the legacy.
Tony leaves us with a great piece of advice for both consumers and content creators. If you visit a restaurant and you don’t love the food, just keep your mouth shut and move on. Someone else loves that place, and it supports a family. But if you do love it? Don’t just post about it once for a freebie. Go back, give them your money, tell your friends, and actively support their survival.
Tony is hoping to make a five hour road trip down to visit my family’s pizzeria by the end of the summer, and I cannot wait to sync up and host him.
Keep Up With the Journey
Follow Tony Mangia on Instagram @tonymangia.
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