N.J. pizzeria with Japanese roots is big on flavor, concept doesn’t deliver | Review

Pizza may have originated in Italy. But a new pizzeria in New Jersey sees the dish as a global canvas — and they’re serving it up one innovative pie at a time.

One World Pizza opened in Jersey City at the end of 2024 and offers what it calls a one-of-a-kind pizza omakase experience at its intimate four-seat chef’s counter,

The team behind the new pizzeria — which includes co-founder Tory Aunspach — also runs Wanderer and Cafe Alyce, two beloved neighborhood spots located right next door.

“Jersey City is one of the most diverse cities in the United States and pizza is the most shared food in the world,” Aunspach told NJ Advance Media last week. “We saw this as a way of taking all the flavors and cultures of our neighborhood and putting them together in one place that was understandable.”

You won’t find typical tomato sauce and mozzarella pies here. Instead, the menu features pizzas infused with global flavors using ingredients like kimchi, elote, jerked brisket, chicken makhani (Indian butter chicken) and more.

The chef’s counter is by reservation only, with bookings and payment handled in advance online. For $40 per guest, diners receive a 55-minute curated experience that includes an amuse bouche, a seasonal salad and a 12-inch personal pie.

Upon arrival, I was warmly greeted by chef de cuisine Jesus Sanchez, who walked me through the flow of the evening and the inspiration behind each course. As I looked over the menu, I was served an amuse bouche — a bite-sized savory item offered before the meal to awaken the palate. Aunspach says it changes weekly, often reflecting the kitchen’s current creative whims.

That night’s amuse was a clever nod to aloo paratha, the traditional Indian flatbread stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes. Here, the filling was flash-fried and served on a tiny tortilla, topped with fresh pico de gallo, a drizzle of Mexican crema, cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a dusting of gochugaru — Korean chili flakes. The little taco packed a punch, with bold spice mellowed by cool, vibrant pico.

My dining companion and I shared the roasted veggie salad, a colorful mix of sweet potato and beet chunks nestled over a bed of mixed greens, all tossed in a cinnamon-chili vinaigrette. It was another strong starter for the meal — rustic, hearty, and balanced — with the vinaigrette easily stealing the show with its warm spice and subtle heat.

For our main course, we chose the bulgogi and elote pizzas, pies paying homage to Korean and Mexican cuisine. The former featured a base blending house-made kimchi and heavy cream, paired with a garlic confit crust. It was then topped with mozzarella, shaved ribeye, lightly sautéed red peppers, and white onions before being thrown into their pizza oven. Finally, the pizza was finished with a garlic chili sauce, black sesame seeds, green onions, and shaved pecorino.

While there was a lot going on with this pie, all the savory ingredients came together surprisingly well for a satisfying mix of depth, a little heat and complexity. My only complaint was that slices kept falling apart due to the heaviness of the toppings.

My favorite of the two pies was the elote pizza, which started with a base of creamy béchamel sauce and mozzarella, then layered with fresh corn, jalapeño, huitlacoche (a Mexican truffle), and a sprinkle of Tajín (Mexican seasoning with chili peppers, lime and sea salt). A generous ribbon of lime-infused Mexican crema was drizzled on top. The crust was brushed with garlic confit butter, and the finished pie was dotted with more Tajín and a crumble of cotija cheese.

This pie captured the essence of elote with sweet corn, spice, and creaminess. The other ingredients added brightness and tang — but more Tajín would have punched up the flavor.

While I enjoyed the food, the experience wasn’t quite what I expected. I had imagined a tasting of multiple pies, with diners receiving a slice of each. Instead, each guest gets their own 12-inch pizza. That said, there is a takeout option that’s closer to what I envisioned: a flight of five six-inch pizzas for $50, with the option to add a salad for an additional $10.

Fusion pizza is no longer novel in New Jersey. Wahizza Pizza combines pizza with Dominican flavors throughout North Jersey, and Pizza Twist offers Indian-style pies. One World Pizza’s international concept would have been unique years ago, but now not so much.

The dining experience itself was intimate and engaging. Chef Sanchez chatted with us throughout the meal, and watching each component come together added a special touch. He also thoroughly showcased and explained every ingredient they use for the pizzas.

My only critique? Believe it or not, the 55-minute time slot felt a bit rushed. I felt my conversation cut short and I had to pack most of my meal. Though, with just four seats at the chef’s counter, I understand the need to keep things moving.

This concept is just getting started, and Aunspach already has big plans for what’s next at One World Pizza. One concept in development would entail the restaurant asking guests to fill out a culinary questionnaire when they make their reservation so the kitchen can create a custom meal.

“What are your top three cuisines? What do you not like?” Aunspach said. “What food do you remember growing up that still makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside?”

It’s hard to stand out in New Jersey’s ever-growing pizza scene. But Aunspach believes tapping into Jersey City’s diversity with the dish is the key.

“In New Jersey as a whole, everybody believes that pizza is Italian and that’s kind of what we’re contradicting,” Aunspach said. “In truth, it’s a worldwide cuisine. (Italy) made something so amazing and universally accepted and I think that’s the beautiful part about it — it really has crossed almost all cultures in the world.”

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Lauren Musni may be reached at lmusni@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Laurengmusni and on Instagram. Find NJ.com on Facebook.