The Original Mr. Bruno's Pizzeria & Restaurant — Restaurant in Lyndhurst

I have been a customer for 30+ years until tonight. Previous ownership actually cared about customer service and understood how important word of mouth was to the success of their business. This is no longer the case. The last 5 times that I ordered for pick up I did not receive what I ordered. I ask for very well done pizza and it comes barely cooked. I order salad without carrots because I'm allergic and they pile on twice the amount. I ask for a large soda and they give me 2 small or a large bottle and I get a large fountain soda instead. I ask for sauce on the side because it's for a child and you could make another meal with the amount of sauce poured directly on the kids pasta. I'm not going to spend money and get the wrong order so I then have to wait to have it made again or put it back in to cook it more. Tonight I was told to no longer come there. Why? Because I cause a problem when I don't get what I want. When I asked why he thought it was ok for me not to get what I ordered, he said he thought my food was fine the way it was and that was that. If you want your food cooked to your liking, do not go to Mr. Brunos. If you you have an allergy, definitely do not go to Mr. Brunos unless you're willing to deal with the repercussion of having a reaction. No matter how many times you tell them your order and no matter how simple your request, they do as they feel. Save your hard-earned money and go somewhere the owner cares about the quality of their food can actually get your order correct. This isn't an isolated incident; it's chronic.

Mr. Brunos will no longer be receiving the orders I place for my daughters school, sporting events, or parties. They will no longer get the large orders I place from work or the referral I gave them weekly to local businesses hosting functions or looking for something close. I will no longer have our girl's night out or our family dinners with 6+ people that we often do at Mr. Brunos. To be treated so disrespectfully was foolish because I'm not just one person having a problem with my order. I'm one person who sends tons of business and thousands of dollars toward local businesses that deserve it and the money I have sent toward Mr. Brunos will now go elsewhere.

Update: In response to your apology, I called and tried to speak to you about this and you were rude, nasty, dismissive, and hung up on me. In fact, your exact words were that you didn't need my business. You had no idea who your other patrons were when you carried on in front of them toward me, but they certainly know me and they saw how you treated a fellow community member. You showed your true colors out in the open for everyone to see. Don't try to...

1st, I don't do reviews. 2nd, I have to. It was just that darn good.

Working in East Rutherford for a few weeks, I asked the clerk at the smoke shop where I can get a good meal? He said, "When I want good, I get Mr. Brunos"

1.5 miles away, I pulled up and stepped inside. The side room was a quaint dining area, and the main area by the counter, which was overloaded with fresh hot pizzas of every kind, was my side of the place.

i sat down, and not 2 minutes went by, and this nice waitress asked me my drink choice. She set the cold bottle down with an ice filled cup. There was a menu on the table and I began to study it.

2 things stood out, 1. the choices made it dang near impossible to decide, y'all in New Jersey like choices. I'm from Alabama, where ya can get spaghetti 3 ways, mozzarella sticks or substandard pizza. That's the whole Italian section. 2. The prices were higher than I'm used to, but I have been in the area on and off 2 months, so I adjusted, and and drooled a little as I read.

Im pretty good size and my biscuit was growling so I settled on shrimp and mussels with Linguine.

My waitress brought a plate, butter and a dang full loaf of really good bread, just the right crunch and soft and warm in the middle.

I shouldn't have ate so much bread, but I was almost Hangry and it was real good.

So my sweet waitress checked on me and a gentleman brought out my order... it had to be a strong person as that was alot of food! I wondered if I ordered the "For Two" deal for a full minute.

I took a deep breath and dug in.

The mussels: I really have to say that those lil monsters were chubby and delicious! I enjoy good musselsbin my travels but they were seasond perfectly with the right mix of marinara and juice. I would have seen all those mussels but these jumbo shrimp were all in the way.

These "SHRIMP" were huge. Cooked and seasoned perfectly. I'm the guy that can never eat enough shrimp, I know shrimp. These were the Schwarzenegger of shrimp.

The Linguine was excellent. Great flavor, I'm used to the noodles being the carrier for the pond of sauce. The proportion of sauce/noodle was spot on.

I couldn't even finish 1/2 my meal, but will later :)

If ya want a good meal, get it made by nice people. Spend a few bucks here, I guarantee I'll be back to sample the pizza buffet before I head to the...

Mr. Bruno's is a very unassuming pizzeria. It's located in a small strip mall, and looks unremarkable from the outside other than a bar setup in the very front. Yet there seem to be a lot of people in there: and for good reason. They have a variety of pizza styles, but they are famous for their sicilian. The guys behind the counter are old school Italians and they make the pizza. I usually grab a Manhattan Special with great pizza when I'm able, but here I opt for the homemade Black Cherry soda (they have other flavors). I came well out of my way just to try their pizza, and it was well worth the trip.

The crust here is as light as I've seen on a sicilian. It is at once crisp, pillowy and airy. There is rise in the dough, but it's not as puffy as other sicilians. Mr. Bruno's puts their sauce on first, and it's no wonder: this is some seriously great sauce. It's also refreshing--literally and figuratively--to see a sicilian slice built with restraint like they do here, as sicilian slices tend to be cheesy, gut-bombs. The cheese underneath the sauce is molten and creates a distinction between the sauce and the crust, helping to create a nice balance in the slice. The only significant element Mr. Bruno's misses is the light frying of the dough underneath and along the edges; on the other hand, it is not very greasy as all. Regardless, this thing was so good that I grabbed another before I left.

Mr. Bruno's won the NJ Pizza Patrol's award for best sicilian in NJ, and it's hard to disagree. They're also expanding: having opened an outpost in Jackson Heights, Queens in another shopping center. Watch this place blow up in NYC now, where so long as the quality is kept up, it will be in contention for best pizza in the city--nope, not just almong sicilians. I will go to investigate the new shop soon enough, but if you live in driving distance just know how lucky you are to...