‘It’s my life’: For two Italian cousins, Maurizio’s Pizzeria in Neptune is family mission

NEPTUNE – Growing up in different regions of Italy, cousins Giuseppe Pugliese and Maurizio Piccolo both loved food, family and the art of cooking.

And they’ve brought those passions to their ownership of , a Neptune restaurant that’s been baking freshness, quality, authenticity and love into their pizza and other Italian specialties for over two decades.

“I was born in Sicily and came to the U.S. with my family when I was 8,” shared Piccolo, 55, a Jackson resident who lived in Brooklyn and Staten Island before moving to New Jersey in the late 1980s.

Born in Naples, Pugliese, 45, came to the U.S. in 1999 and hails from a family of restaurateurs.

Who makes the Shore’s best pizza?

“My father and uncle owned pizzerias and Italian restaurants and I still have family members all along the East Coast who own restaurants,” Pugliese said. “I attended culinary school in Italy and always planned to be in this business because I love Italian food, pasta and pizza. It’s my life.”

Though Piccolo’s family wasn’t necessarily in the restaurant business, he shared the same enthusiasm for food as his younger cousin.

“My learning curve was at home in a big Italian family,” Piccolo said. “My grandmother came to the U.S. to live with us in 1975 and it was the norm in our house to learn how to cook and make Sunday gravy. I loved eating it and always had a passion for cooking.”

“I started working at other restaurants in my teens, but ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to own my own restaurant. I loved the business and it was in my heart,” Piccolo continued.

And launching his own pizzeria eventually happened in Neptune over 20 years ago, thanks to a twist of fate.

What’s Going There?

“In 2003, I happened to be driving in Neptune and pulled into a parking lot accidentally because I was lost,” Piccolo recalled. “I saw an empty store for rent in this plaza on Route 66, which was a good location with a big ShopRite, and I knew that I’d give the business my all — 200%. I called the landlord, signed the lease within a week, and opened Maurizio’s Pizzeria shortly after.”

Having stayed in touch with his cousin over the years, “Giuseppe had been working at restaurants in North Carolina and Georgia, but he ultimately met his wife and moved to New Jersey in 2008 and I knew that there would be strength in our unity,” Piccolo said of having his cousin join him as a partner in Maurizio’s Pizzeria.

‘We know what to do’

Twenty-one years after first opening the 3,200-square-foot restaurant in Neptune that seats 50, “we’re famous for our pizza slices, which range from $3.50 for a plain slice to $6.50 for a slice with shrimp scampi topping,” Pugliese said.

Among the nearly 50 different pizzas available on their menu, “our ‘Grandma Square’ — a thin-crust square pizza with plum tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, pesto and oregano that sells for $21.95 — is one of our most popular,” Pugliese said.

Italian specialties such as their chicken parmigiana, chicken française, penne vodka and calzone and stromboli selections are big sellers, “and our shrimp scampi is famous,” Pugliese said of the classic dish that they sell for $22.95 and accompany with soup or salad, pasta and bread. “Our scampi sauce comes from a great recipe that we’ve honored for a long time.”

Appetizers of note at Maurizio’s Pizzeria include “our fried calamari, zuppa di clams or mussels, and our giant garlic knots stuffed with chicken parmigiana, which are unique to us,” Pugliese said. “For dessert, our cannoli, tiramisu and tres leche cake are very popular.”

What’s taking so long?

In an effort to please all of their customers, “we offer vegetarian and gluten-free options, pizza-of-the-day specials, and a lot of different salads for diet-conscious individuals,” Pugliese said. “While pizza toppings used to be simpler years ago, people like a lot of different toppings today, like chicken and shrimp, and our Chicken Caesar Pizza topped with grilled chicken and Caesar dressing is one of our most popular.”

Ultimately, no matter what you choose, Pugliese said, “we make everything fresh in-house, and we bring the taste of Italy here.”

According to Pugliese, “our customers include everyone from residents of neighboring towns like Wall, Asbury Park, Belmar, Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove to visitors traveling to the Shore from North Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia and Delaware in the summer. We serve a lot of families, workers coming in for lunch during the day because there are a lot of companies and businesses in the area, and we also deliver within about a 12-mile radius.”

Pugliese noted that although the pandemic is over, their restaurant continues to see more requests for take-out and delivery than ever — a phenomenon which has served them well considering the state of the labor pool.

Goooooaaalllllll!

“It’s harder to find people to work in restaurant dining rooms for minimum wage plus tips these days when outlets like Uber Eats pay more money for fewer hours,” Pugliese said of a reality that’s led to high turnover across many restaurants in the area.

Among other challenges they face, “food prices have gone up significantly over the last several years, but customers will complain if we raise prices, so we try to do it in a reasonable way because we’re here for the community and are committed to keeping things affordable,” he said. “In the end, we won’t switch to cheaper ingredients if prices go up because we’re dedicated to offering the best quality.”

Pugliese also said that while there are a lot of competitors in their market, especially in Neptune, “Maurizio’s Pizzeria doesn’t try to compete with others. We know what to do and our food and great customer reviews stand on their own.”

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‘The secret ingredient’

With 22 employees in Neptune (and nearly 80 more at the restaurant’s four other locations throughout Atlantic County), “Neptune has been incredibly supportive of our restaurant and we love giving back to the community,” Pugliese said. “We donate to schools, the township, and numerous local charities — whatever the cause, we’re here for them.”

While Piccolo and Pugliese are both “all over the place” cooking, managing, mentoring employees and doing whatever it takes to run their restaurants, the two credit their success to their strong partnership and commitment to teamwork.

“Whether we’re out in front talking with customers or helping to make pizzas, I always show employees that we’re a team, we’re all family, and we work together,” Pugliese said.

Looking ahead, “my wish is that Giuseppe and I will get to live out our plans, hopes and dreams and expand to other locations throughout the Shore area and the state,” Piccolo said. “We enjoy working with people and we love what we do.”

Pugliese agreed.

“Seeing people walk in and say ‘wow!’ or families and kids smile whenever they come in and see our pizza, that’s the best feeling,” Pugliese said.

“We’re all about freshness and authenticity,” Piccolo said. “And when you do it with love, that’s the secret ingredient.”

Maurizio’s Pizzeria

Location: 2200 Route 66, Neptune

Phone: 732-502-9111

Owners: Giuseppe Pugliese and Maurizio Piccolo

Opened: 2003

Website: