Houdini Pizza Laboratory — Restaurant in Fanwood

I really wanted to give this place a better review but they had some glaring weaknesses that merited the average rating.

First the positives.. the place does make good pizza. Everything is well made and the ingredients are fresh. You can tell they take pride in their work. The place is small but decorated well with 3 or 4 six top tables and 4 more four tops. They also have a nice eating bar where you can sit if there is no more room.

This is where I think they need improvement... first IMO the menu needs to expand. There is only a handful of appetizers (salads and cheese, and more salads and more cheese). We were a bit overwhelmed with the cheese varieties. Next, while they certainly tailor their menu to those with eclectic tastes, it doesn't fit the area. We're in the middle of suburbia with lots of families and the lack of pepperoni on the menu rubbed our kids the wrong way.

Lastly the service, or lack thereof. While I understand that this is a new place and they are still working out this kinks, the lack of attention at our table was a bit disappointing. They dropped our food off and we didn't see the waitress again until we had to get up and ask for the check. Again this could've been due to the rush of people that came in but still common sense would tell you to check on tables and get them out of there so you can seat more people. I think they'll eventually work those things out.

Bottom line, I will try this place one more time because we like to support the new places but this first go round was not the...

Being that I drive by this establishment every single day, I decided that it was time for me to stop in and give it a go. I arrived on a Sunday evening and was promptly greeted and asked to take a seat anywhere. Once at the table, our order for drinks was taken and we had time to go over the menu. Let me first start off by saying that I love pizza and i love brick oven pizza even more. Even bad pizza is good pizza. I knew walking in that Houdini was a bit different and not your traditional pizzeria. Every single one of their creations sounded amazing. We ended up going with the Habenera and the Guido BK. Now, these pies are on the smaller side compared to your traditional pizzas. Again, I already knew that going in since I did some research and read other reviews. Once the pizzas arrived at the table, the aroma hit me and I knew I was in for a treat. After sampling a slice from each, the first thing I noticed immediately was the quality of the mozzarella. This isn't your standard cheese. High quality stuff going on here. The flavors of all the toppings just melded with each other. I'll definitely be going back to give the other pies a try. FYI: If their creations aren't your style, you still have the option of getting a regular pie with your choice of toppings and Houdini...

I ordered takeout - Gnocchi , Meatballs , Pomodoro & Cesar Salad . When making the order over the phone I told the young lady I wanted the spaghetti pomodoro subbed with rigatoni and vegetable added. When she repeated back to me she had an extra pasta and I told her she put a pasta twice and to remove one of the pomodoros . Picked up my order, returned home and realized she gave me the regular spaghetti pomodoro instead of what I asked for (she removed the wrong pasta) . When I called she initially said she will make the right one and send it down the street to me . Then I received a call from another lady asking “How will I Pay?” …i told her they made the mistake why would I pay for ANOTHER pasta , she replied “it was some confusion on what you wanted to order” …. And then waited for my card number . I told her to forget it . I will never come here again, this was my first and last . The food is well priced but that’s because it’s not the best. The pasta pomodoro I received barely had sauce , the gnocchi wasn’t the best (I didn’t eat it) and the meatballs was OKAY . Also, The Cesar isn’t traditional Cesar dressing FYI but my BF enjoyed it . Maybe if they had better service I would’ve frequented again. I end up just eating what I had...