Stella's 24 Hour Eatery — Restaurant in Jersey City

The pizza is fine, and other dishes are just as tasty. However, customer service must be improved. Only one of the employees treated me with respect and just as important as any other customer walking in there. But a younger male employee was dismissive. After I repeatedly, and politely, requested a hard-copy menu, that employee kept ignoring me and then he said, "Up there." I was seated at the time when he said that, and he was indicating "up" on the counter I could find a menu. I got up and walked to the counter, but only a stack of white paper bags was there.

Minutes later, when I had the attention of one of the older employees, who was a kind person, he told me that the menus were in the back. I already had ordered my pie, but the purpose of my asking for a menu was to be able to place orders for delivery in the near future. After all, the Covid-19 pandemic likely still will be happening months into 2021. The other reason for my wanting a menu is to give them my business! After another wait, I asked the younger male employee, the rude one, whether the menu is on-line. He didn't say yes; he just gave me the website address. I thanked him. But: too late. I didn't like how I was treated by him. I also didn't like him referring to another Black customer (I am Black) as "bro."

Bad enough that I was sized up and down by a white male customer who was accompanying his family (his wife or girlfriend and a young boy). The woman acted as if I were a non-entity; the man kept swinging his head around as I sat quietly holding my wallet. By the way, after I ordered, I offered to pay right away. Didn't happen.

When the white family finished ordering, they were allowed to pay right away. As I left with my pizza and other aromatic savories bagged atop the box, I cheerfully wished everyone, "Happy Holidays!" At least they get five stars for replying back in kind -- and for the food tasting better than in the past. But the white family who was seated having their meal just stared back at me coldly, saying nothing.

Ahhh, me-sniffs the frigid air of gentrification. Welcome to Downtown Jersey City 2020! In the new "Historic Downtown" JC, if you're Black (not brown or Black -- I mean ethnically and racially Black, by U.S. standards: Black), expect to be racially profiled by other customers -- and at some stores (not all of them dining establishments, by the way), by the employees. In the past three years, I have been told by white residents to "go back to the island," "why don't you move?!" and "you don't belong here." My crime? WWB (walking while Black). It's just a shame that by walking into what used to be my second-favorite pizzeria in Jersey City (not just in the Downtown area), I already was being unwelcomed. I can imagine Stella's Pizzeria reading this and whining, "But we were very busy that night." Well, guess what: with New York City having lots of problems with dining due to restrictions during Covid-19, and with "Historic Downtown" J.C. practically being a sub-borough of Manhattan, being too busy is a wack justification for marginalizing Black customers. The same dude who treated me rudely that night used to be dismissive and rude years before the current pandemic. So I boycotted Stella's Pizzeria by no longer eating from there. But it really pisses me off that I was treated so coldly at a time when we all are supposed to be uniting in our humanity. Yeah, right.

As a Black U.S. citizen, when I walk into an eatery in Downtown J.C. -- and I'm talking take-out; sitting down, fogettaboutit -- I've noticed that white customers don't want my help. They'll ask other white customers. Way before Covid, they would stand far enough away as if I smelled or had a disease. I'm one of the cleanest people out there. I've been wearing a mask prior to Covid. I walk everywhere with hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes -- so much so that I hope I never walk too close to a smoker or else I'd catch fire.Yet another Downtown Jersey City eatery that I must boycott. No picket signs needed. Just will not spend my money...

I'm super disappointed in this place. I've been coming here for over 15 years and I have always been a big fan of there pizza till last night. I ordered a pie half veggie half Philly cheese steak and 2 cake slices. Don't even get me started on how dry, nasty and old that cake was. But the fact that I ordered what I did because there wasn't enough slices on display for me and my family. The pie was almost 80% different then what was displayed. I got sausage on it and I don't eat pork. Never the less I ordered Philly cheese steak. The veggie side was so wet and soggy as if they just wash the veggies and chopped them up and thru em on thr pie. It was nothing like what I saw on display. The guy who was there taken orders had absolutely no friendly side to him to smile or even refund or replace the pizza which is outrageous because it's not what I ordered. I was there around 2 am yesterday worst experience never going there again. I hate when good places fall off. What you order should be no different then what's on display. 1 slice Togo is better then ever ordering with them.last I check veggie should have tomato, red onions broccoli etc that's like a olive green pepper that was not worth the $40 it coast me. Unbelievable and explain to me how that's Philly cheese steak. It's literally sausages that was so nasty we didn't even eat that half. Horrible experience and...

Pros: They are open 24/7 Based on my stay (Airbnb), they were minutes away walking distance Large enough menu to accommodate all

Cons: If you are unable to pickup your order, don't bother calling they don't pick up so their "delivery" option seems pointless. The staff is rude and hurried The food is subpar

To dive deeper into the food, our group walked there and ordered a veggie Sicilian, wings, onion rings, fries, and a meat lovers pizza. The Sicilian had very little sauce, the dough was the consistency of stale bread/frozen pizza dough, no flavor and the vegetables we're haphazardly thrown on the pizza and not bite size.

The wings were salty and lukewarm, same with the fries. We were asked if we wanted fresh onion rings (to which we said yes) but to our disappointment, they clearly were not. And finally the meat lovers pizza, if you want a soggy, greasy mess after a night of drinking this might be the place for you.

I wanted to give this place the benefit of the doubt given it's rating and proximity to the Airbnb that my group and I were staying at but I just couldn't force myself to do so. I understand there are times when establishments have a rough night, but given the fact that they weren't all that busy and all of the food was just unacceptable, there wasn't anyway possible for me to give a solid 3-4. It makes me question the 4-5...