A fave over-the-top Asbury Park pizzeria shuts. Here's what's replacing it
Qua Pizza, which has served its Roman-style pies on Main Street in Manasquan since 2019, is taking over the Asbury Park space where Joe Brignoni has operated Joe's Rotisseria since 2020.
Qua's owners, Matteo and Cristina DeMarco, plan to open at 504 Main St. in March.
"It's really good, and I know (they're) going to do well there," Brignoni said of Qua. "I want that place to thrive, because I built it. It was special to me."
Brignoni opened Joe's Rotisseria during the pandemic, after converting a former nail salon into a 3,500-square-foot, two-story restaurant. The restaurant was his second — he owns one with the same name in Roselle Park, which remains open.
At the new Qua Pizza, Matteo DeMarco said he plans to duplicate the menu of his Manasquan restaurant, which serves crisp-bottomed, airy, rectangular pizzas in slices and whole pies.
"The way we ferment our dough, it leads to a very light and airy crust and it stays crispy on the bottom," Cristina DeMarco previously told The Asbury Park Press. "People typically like a thin-crust pizza, and I think it's for the crunch factor. Square pizza isn’t for everybody, but once they try our pizza, I like to believe that more so than not, people get hooked."
The DeMarcos' pizzas, which are made with flour, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella imported from Italy, come in pomodoro, with tomato sauce, garlic and basil; Americana, with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and oregano; cacio e pepe, which has mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, black pepper and basil; and diavola, topped with soppressata, pepperoni and Calabrian chilis. One of their most popular pies is the "Jersey Boy," topped with vodka sauce, fresh mozzarella, pepperoni and basil.
Joe Brignoni is pictured outside his Asbury Park restaurant, Joe's Rotisseria, shortly after it opened in 2020.
Meatballs, soups, pastas, sandwiches, salads, and eggplant and chicken cutlets round out the menu, and Matteo DeMarco said that with the expanded kitchen space at the new restaurant, he plans to incorporate more seasonal items.
Joe's Rotisseria was known for over-the-top pizzas with toppings like Chick-fil-A chicken tenders and fries, White Castle sliders, and pasta, or with meatball parmesan sliders baked into the crust. His signature pie is the Triple Threat, which is pizza, calzone and garlic knots in one.
Brignoni also runs a pizza food truck, and with the closure of the Asbury Park restaurant, plans to expand that aspect of his business.
"I had a great time being there; I loved Asbury Park," he said. "You'll definitely see me at food truck events in Asbury over the summer. I'll definitely be around."
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], and for more Jersey Shore food news, subscribe to our weekly Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
