We came for the fresh mozzarella and left with so much more from Vinnie's Mootz

LYNDHURST ‒ Warning: Reading this story about Vinnie's Mootz, the 2024 Jersey Pizza Joints Pizza Bowl IV winner , will leave you ravenous.

That's because the welcoming Lyndhurst restaurant is more than just a pizzeria. As with other North Jersey prized pizza makers such as PizzaAmore in Carlstadt or Coniglio's in Morristown, Vinnie's offers so much more.

While Coniglio's also makes outstanding baked goods and PizzaAmore makes delicious meatballs and meatball sandwiches, Vinnie's is known for its amazing fresh mozzarella, hence the "Mootz" in the name.

We checked out Vinnie's recently and we were not disappointed.

As we sat on the comfy porch trying the tasty dishes, we had a lovely talk with owner Vinnie Morelli and watched as the neighbors and employees paraded by offering him hugs, kisses and praise.

The employees and customers were very at ease and comfortable with Morelli, conveying a restaurant owner pretty comfortable in his own skin.

Morelli does not need to boast, he knows he's got a good thing going. It was obvious he enjoys what he does and he happily watched happy customers walk out with a pizza or two, a bag loaded with bread and mozzarella balls, or any of the dozen subs sandwiches made there.

On the rainy Friday we were there, we had only intended to taste Morelli's pizza but wound up coming home with three fresh mozzarella balls, three loaves of bread and a pound of some lovely prosciutto. Our only regret is forgetting to also buy the burrata.

Vinnie's Mootz pizza crust has no bromate

Not surprisingly, Morelli possesses extensive dough-making knowledge. He uses live yeast and King Arthur unbleached and perhaps more importantly, unbromated flour (flour that has never been treated with potassium bromate).

Morelli, like his friend Nino at Conigilio's in Morristown, is adamant that using unbromated flour is important because of the health risks associated with using bromates in bread production.

"Bromated flour is gross," he said. "It really is."

He mixes a small batch of flour and yeast first and waits for a slow rise. It takes two days to get the dough just the way he likes it.

It shows because his dough shines along with his excellent mozzarella and sauce. The crust is thinner than your traditional pizzeria pie but I wouldn't call it a thin crust pie, just thinner, crisp and very tasty.

The cheese is a big deal at Vinnie's Mootz

No surprise that Morelli's mozzarella is outstanding. He said opening a pizza place was part serendipitous and part destiny.

In his formative years, he spent his summers in Italy in Caserta, which is northwest of Naples. When not in Italy, he worked with his family's friend Sal Dalia at Charlie's Pizza in East Rutherford. He grew up and went into the insurance selling business and remained there for 23 years before opening Vinnie's Mootz in a small store on Ridge Road in 2019.

Initially, he only sold to other businesses but so many people liked his product that he ultimately opened his Valley Brook Avenue shop in 2023. He consulted with pizza maker Angelo Dalia, Sal's son, from Charlie's Pizza in East Rutherford, and they worked on creating the dough.

"I wanted to make sure I got it right," Morelli said.

Tomatoes and the oven make the pizza

Morelli is among those who do not cook their sauce ahead of time. Unlike Al Santillo's heavily spiced and herbed sauce that is key to Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza's highly prized pies, or the palette of sauces Peter Grippo's Brooklyn Square in Jackson, Morelli uses a mix of California and Italian tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.

"I opened 15 cans and spoon tasted each out of the can," he said adding they go on the pie and into the oven. About this oven, he says it's nothing special, an Attias. "It's your typical pizza oven, pizza stone and heated with gas." The pizzas are cooked at 500 degrees, again nothing unusual

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What makes the difference, is the combination of ingredients, or as Morelli says, "anyone can make a pizza."

The difference is in the care you take with the ingredients and Morelli takes pains to get the best products for his pies. We especially loved his pepperoni pie with thick slices of pepperoni, our favorite topping.

Things to know if you go

Parking seems tight, but if you are only going in for a bite or pie, there's parking across the street in the municipal lot. Also plan to bring home the mozzarella. The mozzarella balls are warm, fresh and excellent. We also enjoyed his meatballs and we liked that they charged us by the meatball and not by the pound. Morelli will also teach you how to make mozzarella with mozzarella-making parties in your home.

The bottom line 🍕🍕🍕

Exceptional pies and food. Vinnie's Mootz gets three slices 🍕🍕🍕. It's worth going out of your way to visit.

Go: 356 Valley Brook Ave., Lyndhurst. Phone: (201) 468-0117. Website; https://vinniesmootz.com

Ratings are: 🍕🍕🍕 Exceptional (worthy of a pizza pilgrimage); 🍕🍕 Excellent (if you are in town, make a stop); and 🍕 Worth It (good if it's your neighborhood joint).

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: We came for the fresh mozzarella and left with so much more from Vinnie's Mootz