Nino Coniglio, the Brooklyn pizzaiolo behind Williamsburg Pizza and the new Lucky Charlie, has quietly slipped into Asbury Park with King of Pies on Mattison Avenue. The compact corner shop, taking over the former Killer Pies storefront, is turning out whole pies built on a sourdough-forward dough and finished with imported Italian ingredients. Locals can look for classic Brooklyn rounds, a grandma pie and an upside-down Sicilian that lays the sauce over the cheese.
King of Pies opened this month at 649 Mattison Avenue and is operating Wednesday through Sunday evenings, as reported by NJ.com. For now the focus is squarely on dinner service and a tight menu rather than turning into a late night slice stop.
Coniglio is no stranger to the region's pizza scene. He helped build Williamsburg Pizza in Brooklyn, opened Lucky Charlie in Bushwick and brought Coniglio’s Old Fashioned to Morristown. Eater notes that he apprenticed with Dom DeMarco of Di Fara, and the International Pizza Expo lists him among past Pizza Maker of the Year winners. Appetito and other outlets also point out that he won a pizza-themed episode of Food Network’s Chopped along with multiple world pizza championships.
What’s on the menu
The opening menu leans on Coniglio’s competition-tested standards: a Brooklyn round, a plain regular cheese, an upside-down Sicilian with tomato sauce on top of the mozzarella and Josephine’s Grandma Pie with fresh mozzarella, basil, garlic and parmesan. Per NJ.com, the pies are made with a dough that incorporates about 10% sourdough and are finished with imported Italian ingredients, with salads rounding out the food options. Among the signatures is Uncle Carlo’s onion pie, topped with sweet onions and black pepper.
Where it sits and what's next
King of Pies occupies the corner spot on Mattison in the same building that most recently housed Killer Pies and joins a small wave of new Shore openings from city and regional chefs. The Coaster covered the build-out in April and described the Asbury Park shop as a sister outpost to Coniglio's Morristown location. The owners say they intend to start with a focused operation and then expand, potentially adding a liquor license and a rooftop bar if they receive the necessary approvals.
When to go
For now King of Pies is keeping to a limited dinner schedule and concentrating on its core pies, with the team indicating that a lunchtime sandwich menu could come later. Early coverage and trade profiles have followed both the rollout and Coniglio’s broader plans around the build-out. Diners are being steered to the shop’s social channels for the latest word on menu tweaks and service hours. The address is 649 Mattison Ave in Asbury Park.
