First Avenue Pizza & Subs

Hey, we’ve all been there.
One foot in front of the other, you step out the front doors and away from the Music. Easy decisions are made, and the group excitedly walks in the direction of neon lights, and the smell of melting cheese.
Nothing blankets a stomach full of spirit and suds quite like a slice of pizza. Some beautiful ancient bastard living in a hut decided long ago to put bread, sauce, and cheese into its most perfect form, and we honor him still for his genius. Thoughts of exciting toppings and crispy crust dance through your mind as you step closer, now down the block from the closest slice shop.
Santa Claus. The Tooth Fairy. Affordable Rent.
All of these things are fairy tales, made up by our ancestors to make this bleak earthen existence seem tolerable. Not listed is pizza, because it is very real. It is something we can rely on to be there for us when we need it, like a real life superhero with a cape made of fresh mozzarella. Beautifully simple, and damn near impossible to screw up… or so I thought.
Ladies and gentleman I give you, the 1^st Avenue Pizza experience.
Now in front of the store, the small but noisy crowd seems more agitated than it did 20 paces away. You look up and see the instigators, some drunken twenty-​somethings hanging out of a window. Harmless actions really, but the crowd is too drunk to not be offended. Inside the shop, the standard metal trays with ready to order slices line the counter. The ordinary looking staff is a little sweaty, and greasier than the norm but otherwise completely average. Everybody orders, you make small talk while you wait, and sooner than expected you’re handed your food.
Everything seems exceedingly normal until you take your first bite, and… what the unholy fuck was that?
Somewhere in between the physical states of solid and liquid lies this mushy excuse for a crust that you just put into your mouth. Like an old sponge that’s been microwaved for a couple minutes. The other aspects of this slice are also borderline 7 – 11 hot lamp, but the crust, it’s just inedible. The pizza here is so undercooked you would have to guess that they’re trying to save on their energy bill by running the ovens at half power. The rest of the food here tastes just as cheap, like something out of a 5 year olds EZ-​Bake oven that you painfully pretend to enjoy.
It’s actually incredible that they can put ingredients together to make food, and the end product is completely lacking any taste, like a lightly worn sock shoved in your mouth. It’s almost as if they stripped the food of all its flavor and shaped it into the form of a pie. This is either some sort of black magic going on in the grease pens behind the counter, or just cheap food made cheaply by inexperienced people. This pizza tastes like dollar store clearance, but a few slices will cost you the same as a whole pie elsewhere. And forget going out tomorrow if you want to buy a pie for your friends.
Sitting at home, you have all been let down by the one thing that held solid in your life, but everyone is too ashamed to admit it. Sitting in silence, you pretend to like the hot garbage surprise that you just spent actual money on. Sulking into a corner, you reflect on your terrible decision. Bile is rising in my throat as I relive this memory.
So do yourself a favor next time, as you leave the noisy club, head towards the boardwalk for your pizza. At least there the only thing disappointing you will be your stretched out waistline in the morning.
¹⁄₅ Stars, for destroying the only thing I love in this world, and because 0 wasn’t an option.

Love their thick crust pizza! Wish they were open year-​round. I thought of buying lots it to freeze it but it wouldn’t be the same. it is awesome hot crispy right out of the oven. I wish had some now but the summer is over. Now I have to wait till next summer. Awesome very unique pizza

Do not recommend. Pizza is not good. Unless you are one of the many blackout drunk people passing by at night; then you should ignore this review.
The pizza is not good. Well, actually it doesn’t really taste like anything. There’s no flavor at all (unless you’re one the blackout drunk people).
Price = INSANELY expensive. Two slices of pepperoni, which are on the smaller side, are $ 7.00. SEVEN DOLLARS!!! For context, an entire large pie is on average $ 12.00 in this area. There’s also a $ 10 minimum on credit/​debit cards which is extremely inconvenient.
Since this is a seasonal area, many businesses count on summer to make their money. However, robbing customers with high prices and then giving them food that doesn’t taste good is less than ideal.

The good:
Open til all hours
Cheesesteak rolls must have crack in them they’re so good
The bad:
Cash only
Pizza is meh
Expensive
It is what it is capitalizing on the hoards of drunken young folks invading Manasquan for the season. Can’t blame them but don’t have to love them for it.

A pizzeria just off the beach? Open past 2 AM? Sounds too good to be true. If you don’t care that your pizza tastes like cardboard, this is a great place to go! Seriously, why isn’t there any good pizza available down the shore? This place is shit.
True to their name, they only serve pizza and subs. While I can’t speak for the latter, I don’t like paying $ 2.75 for a slice of pizza, and if I’m going to pay that amount, the pizza better be damn good, that’s all I’m saying.
I’m guessing they do most of their business when the bars are closing, because if you’re drunk enough, the pizza probably tastes just fine.

The zen of pizza by the beach.
First Ave Pizza is the go-​to spot in a town devoid of good eats. The pies are a thick-​thin crust hybrid, topped with plentiful cheese and a variety of toppings. Grab a slice of eggplant-​ricotta and douse with red pepper flakes; add in a fountain Coke and take your booty to the beach for alfresco eating. You’re pretty much at pizza nirvana.
The chicken roll (fried cutlet and mozzarella wrapped in dough, side of marinara) is also worth a mention– introduced to me by the venerable Osprey bartenders as premium drunk food.