Walking into Pépe Kitchen is hard to do. Not physically, obviously. But in order to walk into Pépe Kitchen, you have to walk away from the beach and the beautiful boardwalk at Pier Village in Long Branch, New Jersey. You might be reading this when it’s cold outside and the beach is far from your mind. In that case, the delicious aroma coming from Pépe Kitchen will probably make it easy enough to get through the door.
Because of the location next to a very popular beach, this restaurant is built for speed. You can talk to a person at the counter if you’d like, but you can also walk up to one of the touch screen kiosks to place your order. Especially in the summer, finding a table is bound to be tough. If you’re lucky enough to snag one, you can actually just scan the QR code at the table with your phone; it’ll bring up the menu, you can make your selections, pay for your food, and somebody will bring it to your table for you.
In the event that the weather is good and the restaurant is packed, don’t worry. While you wait, you can watch the open kitchen behind the counter, including somebody right in front of the glass, making all of the pasta (as many as 10 types) by hand. At Pépe Kitchen, they want you to know that everything is the real deal. They are doing things the right way because they believe that’s the only way to do them.
When I was invited to check the place out, I had some trouble selecting appetizers. With so many options that looked amazing (the ordering system has great pictures), it was hard to narrow it down. That said, I have to recommend the Pepe Mac N Cheese Stick. In this case, the “Pepe” isn’t the restaurant, it’s to let you know that this menu item is actually made with the sauce from their cacio e pepe. Also, the “Stick” is singular because it’s actually kind of like a flat loaf (like one big stick) that is cut up into smaller sticks and served over marinara sauce. I could’ve eaten this entire thing, but it is best shared with others. The crunchy outside and soft inside are a nice contrast, just like acidic dipping sauce and the creamy internal base. It’s an interesting take, and I welcome it.
The other appetizer that shouldn’t be skipped is the Garlic Cheese Breadsticks. The only disclaimer I’d have here is that there is a truly substantial garlic presence that might be too powerful for the faint of heart. But as somebody who doubles the garlic in every recipe he makes, I loved them. These are breadsticks that are stuffed with a very healthy amount of cheese and topped with garlic and herbs. They are served cut in half with the cheese trying to escape, but convenient for you to pour some of the marinara dipping sauce inside before eating. Breadsticks are sometimes overlooked by kosher restaurants, so I was glad to see them here.
Prying myself away from the appetizers, let’s choose a pizza. Pépe Kitchen uses flour from Italy and their house sourdough starter to make some of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. The Pépe Signature Pie is made with the sauce from their cacio e pepe and I found it to be interesting. The sharpness of the pecorino romano and the fresh cracked black pepper make for a taste so perfect that it’s easy to see why cacio e pepe is greatly on the rise in popularity these days. However, I actually preferred the Fire Roasted Vegetable Pizza. First of all, there’s just nothing like that mixture of peppers, onions and mushrooms when they impart that roasted taste into the sauce and cheese. The use of a pomodoro sauce here is nice because that fresh tomato sauce absorbs the flavor better than a standard pizza sauce.
After watching the pasta get made a foot from your open mouth (don’t worry, there’s a glass barrier), your mouth might want some pasta. They have a different type of both ravioli and gnocchi every week, but I’m going to go a little bit outside the box and suggest you order the Lasagna. Many people would dismiss ordering lasagna in a restaurant, but I am not one of those. I know you can make it at home, but this is made to order for you and comes to your table still in the cast iron skillet from the oven (don’t touch it). Using slow-cooked tomato sauce, multiple cheeses and that fresh pasta … this was the best piece of lasagna I’ve ever had.
Maybe more on the dinner side of things, but Pépe Kitchen also has some fish dishes that you might want to consider. For me, the Bronzino really hit the spot. Pan seared to crispy perfection, the two filets are served with a beurre blanc caper sauce that balances the buttery flavor of the sauce with the classic salty hit you get from biting into a caper. One small secret you might want to know is that this dish is served over top of the crispy herb smashed potatoes that were so popular they were added to the app offerings. Obviously, the fish is the pricier side of the menu, but like everything here, they do it right and it’s worth the price.
So next time you’re walking down the boardwalk (or even driving nearby), stop into Pépe Kitchen for an authentic Italian meal a stonesthrow from the water. Maybe meals like this are a dime a dozen in Italy, but it’s still special around these parts.
Pépe Kitchen
Dairy – Italian – Counter Service
Sunday, Thursday: noon-9 p.m.
Monday-Wednesday: noon-8 p.m.
Saturday: 1 hour after Shabbat-12 a.m.
(732)955-7373
15 Morris Ave. (Unit #110)
Long Branch, New Jersey
Jersey Shore Orthodox Rabbinate (JSOR)
Nati Burnside is a freelance writer living in Fair Lawn and is a man of many interests. He can be reached at [email protected].
