Published January 26, 2024

We walked past the Valley Road restaurants and shops on a rainy Friday evening. The packed dining room of Upper Montclair’s Veggie Heaven and then the bright sign for Tortas Lokas passed us as we debated dinner options. No seats remained as we peeked through the front windows of Turtle + the Wolf and then SLA Thai.

As we retraced our steps, I remembered that there was a pizza place on Bellevue Ave. Why not stop in there for dinner?

Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co.

The long dining room was nearly empty as we entered the restaurant, confirming we had a few hours to dine prior to their closing hours. The two hostesses, who were also our waitresses, told us to sit anywhere.

I was tempted to sit near the front window, but didn’t want to be too close to the front door or hostess booth, so we followed the room to the end and sat in front of the kitchen.

The restaurant sat ~30 people. The space had a warm, minimalist style without any obvious Italian branding. Black and white photos of people — whom I am assuming to be the family of the owners? — hung on the walls. Wooden planks lined the room alongside the simple black and metal chairs. The orange plates brought a pop of color to the room, alongside the red neon sign over the pizza oven.

The room was pleasantly quiet for a Friday night. One couple in the middle of the room — who appeared to be on a date — wrapped up their dessert. To my right, takeout orders warmed on metal racks. The four other employees worked behind the wood panel kitchen, which was visible to the dining room.

Tino’s Artisan Pizza Menu

Our waitress provided us with a long laminated menu. It was organized into colorful sections with graphical Italian dishes. The menu brought in the same orange color from the Tino’s logo (and orange plates), and some of the yellow and black tones seen throughout the tables and space.

I liked that the dishes included descriptions and tags for vegetarian and gluten free options. I was excited to see the variety of specialty pizza options.

Tino’s also had a selection of unique drinks, which we tried.

Limonata ($4.00) and Buena Vista Black Cherry Soda ($3.00)

What was most surprising about our drink selections is that my black cherry soda was clear! At first, I thought I received a seltzer or Sprite, but once I took a sip, I was hit with the delicious cherry flavor. It was one of the best sodas I’ve ever had.

After further research, I see that this soda is from the Rocky Mountain Soda Co. in Colorado. Their soda is vegan, gluten free, preservative and sodium-free, and made with cane sugar.

Appetizer

Truffle Gnocchi Bites | $9.00

We decided to order only one appetizer, that way we could try two pizzas. While I was tempted to try the arancini or meatballs, the truffle gnocchi caught our attention.

The gnocchi arrived quickly and looked like ballooned puffs. They had a crust-like exterior and pillowy filling. I found them pleasant to enjoy without the truffle sauce, which was strong. This was a good order to split amongst two people.

Pizza

Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co. specializes in thin crust, 12-inch pizzas that produce crispy, puffed crusts. I was interested in all of their pizza offerings and in the end, my boyfriend and I each picked one to try.

No Choice | $19.00

The “No Choice” pizza had fresh mozzarella, ricotta, pepperoni, hot agave, and parsley. We confirmed with our waitress beforehand that the hot agave wouldn’t be too spicy.

I enjoyed the creaminess from the ricotta and the crispy crust. A fair share of pepperoni speckled the top and there was a glistening glaze of the hot agave on top. I enjoyed the sweet flavor from the agave with the pepperoni. The heat of the agave was slow for me, and I found I was sniffling after one piece. It was a tasty flavor combination, though a little hot for my taste buds.

Ruchetta | $19.00

You can guess which pizza I picked. The “Ruchetta” had fresh mozzarella, local antibiotic free prosciutto, baby arugula, shaved parmesan cheese, olive oil, and a balsamic reduction. 

This pizza had the same crispy crust. I enjoyed the sweetness from the balsamic glaze. The prosciutto was cooked, which was a nice texture to contrast the peppery arugula. The shaved parmesan was my favorite.

We ate half of each pizza. By now, 5 teenage boys claimed a table and counted their money before ordering. Two new couples arrived and sat near the front window. More takeout orders were organized for pickup.

While we were tempted to try a dessert from Tino’s, we decided to walk across the street to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream.

My Recommendations

I would give our visit to Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co. in Montclair a 9/10 for the following:

• Decor and Design

  • Tino’s restaurant was clean, minimalist, and organized. They brought in the orange color of their logo throughout the table settings and menu, which had some fun graphical elements. My overall score for a 9/10 is that I think they can do more to advertise their unique qualities. It was only during my research for this blog that I saw on their Instagram that they are “sustainable, local, and organic.” Upon reflection, I can see now that there are small areas of their menu that mention their local or organic ingredients. Plus, near their kitchen, I recall seeing canvas and reusable bags for takeout orders. In the moment as a diner, I did not notice these details and did not have a strong impression that they were a sustainable or local brand. Now, I wonder if those images on the wall were local partners? If so, there would be an opportunity for the brand to call that out more. I’m thinking of the way that Tucker’s in New Hampshire did this with their menu. This may help their already successful franchise be more memorable for new customers.

• Service

  • Our waitress was friendly and answered all of our questions. She did not rush us during our meal, and I appreciated the timing between the appetizer and pizza. Even after paying, we were able to sit and talk without being rushed out.

• Food

  • I enjoyed everything from our meal. The sodas were delicious, our appetizer was hot and fresh, and the pizzas were perfect — thin crust, crispy, and loaded with specialty toppings that make for a unique combination. I plan to return to Tino’s to try more of their appetizers, pizzas, and dessert.

Have you been to Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co.?

What pizza would you order from Tino’s? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.

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