Layton Hotel Tavern — Restaurant in Sandyston Township

This is a legendary hole in the wall for locals both Jersey and PA side. Arguably the top contender for authentic NYC style pizza with that crunchy thin crust undercarriage, homemade classic marinara sauce with even distribution and hand-made mozzarella. It simply cannot be defeated. The pie you'll see in the two images I added to this review is a personal size Margherita. I was on the way home from work, starving as usual(I'm Ukrainian, we loooove to eat), and I couldn't recall the last time I had their pizza so it was an easy decision to make because I didn't involve my Queen in it, otherwise this post would've likely never happened..... My family moved to Dingman's in late 2000 from Brooklyn, NY. We know what a good slice or pie is. Too many joints all over the place claiming to have the most authentic, honest to God recipe for that "Real New Yorkuh." Well, I'm not gonna say it brings me back to my childhood when a slice was .50 cents, a meal was a dollar. You got your choice of slice with a drink and some G-Knots, two slices any topping(yea that's right, America definitely had way better days, but we'll get there again in due time 🗽🦅🇺🇸) with a drink, or slice with chips and drink for only a single Mr. Washington, damn I miss those days 😮‍💨...... With that said, Layton is an excellent choice for pizza if that is the closer option or you are willing to take the trip for quality satisfaction. Otherwise, personally the top three for people like me who live in Dingman's Ferry(options are limited thus beggars will NEVER be choosers out in these woods 💯) are as follows:

3rd place goes to Pike Pizza and Grill -their half pound burgers are quick and tasty. They brown the bun interiors like all the cool kids do and they feature a weekday special featuring 4(four) burgers with fixings on the side and 4(four) fries for 19.99 Monday through Friday. As for Saturday and Sunday, they offer a full pie, no toppings as far as I remember, but you get 4(four) burgers with the fixings, but no fries for a grand total of 24.99

My favorite is their weekend special. I watch my diet to an extent so it doesn't interfere with my passion for personal athleticism. My Queen and I stretch that meal out both days. If you're not heating up your leftover pizza in a toaster oven, air fryer, or the O.G. conventional, you are WRONG! Microwaves never make anything taste good unless it was specifically designed to be prepared via nuking.

Back to Layton, they have a wide variety of menu options to please virtually any walk of life. I just wanted pizza, sometimes I submit to my cravings and pull a cheat day early. The place is conveniently located in a small tight knit little neighborhood, but it is also on the main drag considering that is one of the only routes in and out of that area. Considering they are technically out in the middle of nowhere, it's almost like a secret garden. Don't listen to my opinions, stop in, order fresh, chow down and thank me later. Tell them Sark sent you 👌 Bon Appétit 🤘❤️‍🔥

2nd...

The aromas that filled the room as I entered the building hinted at such a wonderful experience. There was standing room only so that confirmed my initial first impression.

First impressions can be incredibly deceiving. Our waitress did explain there would be a wait as a large party was expected and the kitchen was prepping for said party. We don't mind waiting when expect great food and great service.

We ordered the Tuna appetizer. The first bite was good but this is where my bubble busted. The rest of the appetizer wasn't cooked evenly leaving the next bite unpalatable for me. My husband didn't mind it so much so he finished it alone.

The salads were fresh and tasty.

My husband ordered the chicken Marsala over Penne pasta and I ordered the ribeye. My husband stated that his pasta was cooked perfectly but that was all he could state on a positive note about it. With so many Italian options, grated cheese should always be staple with any pasta menu item. His chicken wasn't dry but lacked in flavor. He offered me a bite and the marsala sauce needs a huge upgrade. Also bread is traditionally offered with Italian foods, but none was offered here.

I will say the asparagus on my plate was seasoned well and cooked properly. My $34 ribeye was less than desirable. It wasn't even seasoned with salt and pepper. Letting a teaspoon of garlic butter melt in one spot on a steak is not seasoning. I asked for my steak to be medium rare but it was closer to well done and tough. But the worst part of my meal was the last bite I took. I took a bite of mashed potatoes and a hair touched my chin. I pulled the rest of it from the mashed potatoes that was in my mouth. I couldn't stomach anything else from the plate after that.

We asked for another glass of wine and thats just what we got. 1 glass! I assume for the two of us to share. Is there a three glass per couple limit?

I told the girl who removed my husband's dish that I didn't need the take home container she offered because I found a hair in my food. Her first instinct should have been to report it to management who should have immediately came to our table to at least offer me a replacement meal.

I'm pretty sure she told our waitress because our waitress came to our table twice after that, saw my plate of partially eaten food and she herself never offered me a take home container.

A different waitress actually took our check and card to run the payment and when she asked if I wanted a container, I explained to her what was wrong with my food and she replied, "I will tell the owner. That's gross!"

No one ever returned to our table. Paying $34 for a meal I couldn't eat leaves a nasty taste in my mouth. Most expensive...

Gave then a second chance today and they disappointed again. You can see my original review below from 5 months ago. At this point I would say SPEND YOUR MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE, where tour business is appreciated.

I called up and asked If their Margherita pie was made with fresh mozzarella or shredded. They told me fresh, so I ordered it. I get there to pick it up and first off they tried to charge me $18 and change. I said your website says $15.55. ( which should be about $16 with the tax) The manager said they are sorry and that their prices changed 2 months ago and the website wasn't updated but she adjusted the price. Which I thought was fair.

Here is where it gets bad. The Margherita pie I ordered (and asked about before I orfered it) had regular shredded mozzarella on it. It was basically a plain pie with sliced tomato and a few pieces of basil. that is not what i wanted or was told it would be.See the pictures below.

So I asked the manager about it. She came and looked at it and said, With an attitude, "That is fresh mozzarella." I said "no, it's not." She said," Look here see these circles, that's the fresh mozzarella. " I honestly did not see any "circles" of mozzarella cheese, as you can see by the pics below. I said, "Why didn't you tell me on the phone that you use a blend of fresh and regular mozzarella?" Her answer was " sorry it was a misunderstanding, I already gave you a discount on it." She didn't give me a discount, she gave it to me at the advertised price on their website. No offer to make it right, just attitude

I told her she just lost a customer. As I was walking out I heard her say " we don't need customers like you" I went back in and said, "You mean customers thar want what they were told they were getting at the price it was advertised?"

From 5 months ago: Usually have decent food here but today they failed. Ordered a grandma pie and it was burt to hell. It literally crumbled when you touched it. The crust was equivalent to a cracker. It also had ricotta cheese on it and no fresh garlic. The description on their website said it is supposed to be thin crust, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic. To top it off the waitress gave me an attitude when I pointed out the problems with it.

In response to the owners response:

Did you even look at the pictures? You can clearly see in the last picture that the pizza is burnt, it crumbled like a cracker. It was beyond thin crust.

No response to the waitress having an attitude?

Own up to your mistakes instead of...