A new pizza concept is rolling hand-stretched dough at 305 Parsippany Road, with Urban Crust Pizza set to hold its grand opening on Friday, November 6. The shop quietly began serving customers during a soft opening on October 31, ahead of this week's official debut.
The Parsippany shop describes its food as a blend of two food cultures, pairing hand-stretched dough and house-made sauces with fusion recipes, according to Urban Crust Pizza's own listings. As TAPinto Parsippany reports, the concept is built around combining bold Eastern spices with Western pizza classics to create flavors that feel both familiar and different.
The address carries some local history. Marino's Pizza occupied the space before Urban Crust moved in, and TAPinto's reporting notes the prior tenant closed in July after 13 years in business. Marino's Pizzeria & Restaurant still lists 305 Parsippany Rd as its address on its own site, and an Instagram account under the name Selvin Salazar uses the handle @marinospizzeriaparsippany.
What's on the Menu
Per TAPinto's report, Urban Crust uses a signature thin, crispy crust and features an open kitchen where customers can watch their pizzas get assembled and baked. The menu reportedly includes a vegetarian section alongside grilled sandwiches, wings, quick bites and desserts, according to the same account.
TAPinto reported that the shop planned to offer medium pizzas for $7.99 and large pizzas for $15.99 during grand opening weekend. The shop pairs an East-meets-West pitch with promotional pricing.
A Growing Footprint Across New Jersey
Urban Crust says it is growing across the state and opening new kitchens, per its own careers page. The company lists four locations: the Parsippany shop and Pizza Studio inside the Newport Centre Mall food court in Jersey City, at 30 Mall Dr W, as open, plus planned locations in Piscataway and a second Jersey City storefront, both labeled as opening soon.
The Pizza Studio brand gives a sense of what the fusion concept could look like at scale. At Newport Centre, Pizza Studio offers chef-crafted thin-crust pizzas, wings, salads and Indian-Italian fusion sandwiches, according to Simon, which also notes the food is made with fresh ingredients and served quickly. The chain was founded by entrepreneurs Samit Varma and Ron Biskin, with its flagship Los Angeles location opening in January 2013, as reported by Hoboken Girl.
Hoboken Girl's coverage adds that Pizza Studio's pizzas measure 11 inches in diameter and are cut into six slices, with a menu that also includes salads, bone-in and boneless wings, and freshly baked cookies. Jersey Digs reports the chain lets diners customize their own pies from crust options including rosemary, whole-grain, flaxseed, firecracker spice, cauliflower and a tapioca-based gluten-free variety, all cooked in about three minutes inside a self-ventilating conveyor oven, per Jersey Digs.
Hiring Ahead of the Opening
Urban Crust is also staffing up as it expands. The company's careers page lists full-time and part-time restaurant roles, including evening and weekend shifts, and states that most positions do not require prior restaurant experience. The listing reads simply that reliable, eager applicants will be trained on the job.
