Teglia Pizza Bar, located at 438 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, has officially opened. The family-run business is already the talk of the town for pizza lovers. Since opening on June 25th, owner Joseph Catalano has been making over 30 pies per night in the first week alone. Read on to learn more about Teglia Pizza Bar and what’s to come.
Behind the Concept
At Teglia Pizza Bar, customers will find rectangular-shaped pizza pies also known as teglia Romana pan pizza or “pizza in a baking tin”. Per the website, “Our hand-crafted dough starts with our big ‘mother dough’ and continues with a slow rise and fermentation. This adds to the complexity of our crust with a crispy, chewy, yet light, texture and stand-alone flavor profile.”
(Photo credit: @tegliapizzabar)
Owner Joseph Catalano tells Montclair Girl that he and his staff use “the freshest products” they can find and use “as many organic ingredients as possible” when making the pizza and other menu items.
“I’ve always wanted to do an artisan pizza done right where you take the time to make the dough and all the fresh ingredients … I make the ricotta in-house, I make the mozzarella in-house,” he notes. “I’m trying to keep it as local as I can and as farm fresh as I can.”
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Catalano says he sources ingredients from local shops, such as Rosario’s Butcher Shop, and local farmer’s markets, and imports “the finest ingredients from Italy.” He’s even called on help from Greener Montclair girl to make the eco-friendly to-go pizza boxes.
The idea behind the pizza bar concept came from the owner’s ambition to create “something that’s a hit.”
“It’s great to be downtown. People who arrive here will get what I’m trying to do. A lot of people will see what I’m doing right off the bat when they taste the pizza,” Catalano, who runs the shop with help from his wife Nicole and daughter Nicole, says.
“When you come in, I’ve got the metal ceilings, I’ve got the old-looking fans and the lights, and the black and white marble floor. It looks like an old coffee bar from Italy. You come in, grab a slice, a quick salad, a quick lasagna or baked ziti, or you can order and take it home.”
(Photo credit: @tegliapizzabar)
Making a Mark in Montclair
Catalano, who’s been a fine-dining chef for 30 years and is of Sicilian descent, shares that his best friend, Angelo Goncaga, has been “talking about doing this concept for years.” After finding the perfect spot in Montclair, a city he’s always loved, he got right to work a few months into 2021.
“I’ve wanted to [open a pizzeria] in the past and this time around I found a great opportunity with this small spot. I can just focus on the pizza and concentrate more on the product,” he says. “My goal is to try to make a mark and do something special.”
Prior to opening Teglia, Catalano opened other restaurants in New Jersey and New York City. He’s also built brick ovens, and owned and operated Semolina Restaurant in Millburn, NJ, for a couple of years which also had a brick oven.
“I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. My father was a chef, my uncle was a chef — they all went to school in Italy. I’ve trained after them,” he says.
What’s To Come
The menu found on Teglia Pizza Bar’s website is just the initial menu. Customers can find various pizza options, such as the Queen margarita, Pomodoro, butternut, Stracciatella, and mushroom pie. There are also various soups to choose from and specials.
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(Photo credit: @tegliapizzabar)
“I’ll be branching out to hot and cold sandwiches,” the owner says. “I’ll start doing roasts in the fall for entrees … I’m going to branch out and everything’s going to be roasted — whether it’ll be stuffed pepper, eggplant parm baked, roasted chicken. I’ve got the whole spice wall that I’m putting up too.”
Down the road, Catalano hopes to start doing events in the area such as pizza pop-ups, pizza tastings, wine events, and art gallery collaborations. For now, customers can check out Teglia in person and dine at the bar, order food to go, or order via a delivery app.
The hours of operation are Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 4:30PM to 9PM, and Friday and Saturday from 4:30PM to 10PM. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
To stay up-to-date with Teglia Pizza Bar, follow the pizzeria on Instagram here.
