A Local Love Affair with Luigi's Tavern

I lived in my Tinton Falls residence for almost a year before I finally made it down to the corner bar,.

Honestly, I didn’t think much of the place considering the bar seems to small and a bit worn as it sits on a huge corner lot on Asbury Avenue. Finally, I made my way into the place for a quick drink and I’ve never looked back.

The casual bar is a bit like a famous bar up north, “where everyone knows your name.” I am starting to believe some of the employees are there every day and night and even some of the customers are on that same schedule. You can sit at the bar, in the tall rod iron patio chairs, or the huge booths that nearly sink to the floor.

Normally I order a large pizza with extra cheese and sometimes the antipasto salad which is one of the best I’ve ever had. I always crave pizza (I’m a bit of a pizza monster) but I never say “yes, I want pizza from THERE.” But I am constantly only craving pizza from Luigi’s, nowhere else. Salad, pizza, beer? Heaven.

I went for lunch and decided to get my typical large pizza instead one of the popular $5 lunch specials. The bartender grabbed a beer for my date and a ginger ale for myself, sprinkling a lot of “honeys” and “sweeties” into the conversation. She also handed us a basket of popcorn to nibble on while we glanced at the menus.

We ordered our pizza and were set up at the bar with utensils and a basket of seasonings. Whenever I get a basket of seasonings such as grated cheese, hot sauce, etc., I automatically mark the restaurant as an authentic pizza place.

While our pizza was in the oven I watched an infomercial about a salad spinner on one of the many TVs above the bar. I giggled at the commercial because the last few times I was there they were playing HGTV right next to the Yankee game. I glanced around at the décor, which is an eclectic look of Christmas lights, plastic flowers, beer signs, and toy cars.

The pizza came and it was everything I knew it would be. Extra cheese, perfect crust thickness, with a sauce that blended perfectly with the cheese. The large pie was gone in about 15 minutes and I thought about curling up into one of the oversized booths and taking a very happy pizza nap. Instead, I paid the check and said my good-byes to the waitress who was chatting it up with the customers about her recent move. I wasn’t kidding when I said it was the bar where everyone knows your name.

I don’t think I would have ever stepped foot into the place if a local hadn’t tipped me off about the great pizza and bar atmosphere. Luigi’s holds a special place in my pizza loving heart and it is a crime for Tinton Falls residents to not pay a visit. Check out the $5 lunch specials during the week and car lovers can swing by on Wednesdays for Cruise Nights. I’ll be there next Friday at the bar with my extra cheese pizza.

Luigi's Tavern and Restaurant is located at 5119 Asbury Ave. in Tinton Falls. For more information, call (732) 922-9799.