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Kinchley's Tavern is one of the oldest pizzerias in the state and its bar pies are considered some of the best. I visited to find out.

I see a horse on the roof and so I know I’m there: Kinchley’s Tavern in Ramsey, the next stop on my journey to the 25 most essential restaurants in North Jersey, as determined by you, dear readers.

Many of you recommended Kinchley's, and I've always heard it in conversations about the best bar pie in the state. Yet where one stands in that debate is based on gustatory preferences and personal associations and histories with the establishments that serve them; that is, it's hard to name a winner when so many subjective factors are in play.

Nonetheless, with a table full of said pies, a house red ale and some meatballs, I was eager to enter the fray. A fellow diner eyed my spread on his way out and said, "That's an amazing order," and I asked where he'd put these pies in the North Jersey pizza hierarchy.

He thought for a moment and said, "Some people think they're overrated, but I've been coming here for 50 years and they've always worked for me."

Picking up a wafer-thin slice of Kinchley's fra diavolo bar pie and folding it in half with an audible snap, I wonder: Is this pizza going to be worth all the fuss? But then, I look around the wood-paneled dining room to the tables packed with families. I think of the guy eating lunch here 50 years after his first visit, and the value of familiarity and consistency. I consider the dining's quirky accents collected over nine decades and the totem of the rooftop Clydesdale, and think: Oh, there's much more to Kinchley's than pizza.

What's it like at Kinchley's Tavern?

Kinchley’s opened in 1937, making it one of the oldest pizzerias still running in the state. Although it’s had three owners in its run, current owner George Margolis says the bar pie recipe hasn’t changed since “Mrs. Kinchley” created it some 80 years ago.

The bar pie has racked up accolades over the years; readers have named it their favorite pizza in Bergen County in our annual (201) Magazine Best of Bergen poll each of the last six years. Barstool’s Dave Portnoy graded the bar pie a respectable 7.5 upon his 2018 visit, and quick Google search reveals just how popular Kinchley’s is for the influencer/pizza bro crowd.

Beyond the menu of familiar Italian-American dishes and pub grub, Kinchley’s charm is rooted in the marriage between nostalgia and peculiarity. That roof horse is a life-sized Clydesdale replica named Great Scott placed there in the ’80s, and Kinchley's does indeed encourage diners to use it as a north star, but it’s just the first of many throwback tchotchkes and accents at the tavern.

In the dining room, you eat in booths on tables perma-matted with spill-proof red and white checker tabletops. Walls are dark wood panels with the occasional mirror branded with a major American brewery producer — and if you didn’t get the hint that you’re supposed to drink here, the chandeliers are a hodgepodge of stained-glass fixtures bearing old-school beer logos.

You’ll also find memorabilia like various cars of an old model train behind a glass display, artifacts from a time when Mountain Dew was just a quirky soda pop from the mountains and not jet fuel for preteen gamers, and placards with quaint, boozy sayings like “The truth comes out when the spirits go in.”

The bar, partitioned off from the dining room, features a long, slim tabletop with TVs and a giant mirror on which the Kinchley’s logo — Clydesdales pulling a horse — is displayed. Taplists, drink and food specials and words of wisdom are etched in colorful chalk onto framed boards throughout the space.

All of it — the story, the decor, the vibe — primes you for a good experience and echoes the culinary approach: comfort Italian food and pub grub.

The food at Kinchley’s Tavern in Ramsey

So much has been said about the bar pies at Kinchley’s that I wasn’t expecting the bar itself to be notable. My mistake.

With so much of the decor heralding Big Beer brands, I was pleasantly surprised that the tap list (which rotates) included some craft bangers: Allagash White, Dogfishhead 60 Minute IPA, Franziskaner Weissbier and their own Red Checkered Ale, brewed by the folks at Toms River Brewing. It’s a red ale, which you seldom see these days, and was an excellent representation of the style: malty but crisp with a touch of sweetness.

Though the food menu includes burgers, sandwiches and entrees like coconut shrimp and a roast beef platter, I stuck with some Italian American staples and, of course, the bar pies.

The meatballs were the best thing I ate at Kinchley’s (and, to spoil it a bit, I liked the bar pies). Pillowy soft and oozing with moisture, they’re some of the best I’ve had in recent memory. The sauce helped; chunks of meat in balance with bright tomatoes and a citrus zip to liven everything up.

The veal parm sandwich I’d classify as “fine.” The veal was pounded thin, heavily breaded and topped with mozzarella and sauce; all the components are there, it just didn’t move me. The bread, however, was stellar: a halved ciabatta loaf, singed with char spots on the outside. It kept the sub’s innards intact and actually added the biggest pop of flavor to each bite.

With those out of the way, I headed into the culinary main event at Kinchley’s — a bar pie flight of their three most popular pies: original, vodka and fra diavola.

People can disagree in good faith about whether they like the crust of Kinchley’s bar pies. For some, it might be too thin; for others, there’s no such thing as that. I fall into the latter camp, and so I was pleased at how each slice — as thick as maybe a dozen sheets of printer paper — snapped like a cracker. I liked how the crust bubbles made for even thinner, even roastier bites.

As for the varieties, the fra diavolo stood apart in large part because of the sauce. This wasn’t just marinara with red pepper flakes; Kinchley’s manages to extract both the spice and the red fruit flavor from the pepper, so you end up getting a sweet-spice experience, which blends with the bitter char on the crust and the fat and salt from the cheese for a balanced bite.

As a counterpoint, the vodka pie was just a little too sweet for my liking. If I were to order it again, I’d cut it with a topping like hot peppers, black olives or maybe anchovies.

To round out the meal, I ordered one of Kinchley’s New York-style vanilla egg creams. Now, egg creams have never been a part of my life, so you’ll have to excuse me that once the server plopped down a full liter glass of frothy white liquid on the table, I stealthily Googled what one was: neither egg nor cream (as I'd assumed), it’s made of milk, seltzer water and vanilla syrup. So voluminous was it that I barely finished half of this sweet, creamy, fizzy concoction, but so pleased by the experience was I that I can certainly see a day when I crave it again.

The final verdict

I won’t weigh in on whether it is indeed the best bar pie in the region; that’s a choice for only you and your maker. But I’d certainly go out of my way to get another and would recommend it to those who haven’t been.

And kudos to Kinchley’s for keeping the prices low; everything I mentioned in here totaled to under $70.

I left Kinchley’s enamored with its charm; its affinity for quirky historical flourishes and its commitment to comfort. It bucks change in the broad sense but it’s not stubborn in the details; the quality of the food, the modern taplist and the quick service are testaments to that.

But I’m also left thinking there’s something unique about North Jersey that fosters the continued presence of old-school restaurants like Kinchley’s, Rutt’s Hut, Holsten’s, Patsy’s and others; something in between the notes in every Springsteen song, something earnest, something like: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In other words, something essential.

Go: Kinchley's Tavern. 586 Franklin Turnpike, Ramsey; 201-934-7777, kinchleyspizza.com.

Matt Cortina is a food reporter for NorthJersey.com/The Record. If you have recommendations for other essential North Jersey restaurants for him to visit, go here or email him at [email protected].

You know “This Old House,” the show?

Well, we found This Old House, the series. Except we're calling it: Ramsey Renovation.

Gregg and Alicia Carbone purchased 50 Ferguson Place in Ramsey in May 2024 — a 1910 colonial revival foursquare — and they're renovating it from top to bottom.

Follow along with us as we document all of their decisions along the way, including the things they learned throughout the process. Whether you need some help with your own project, or just want to see how they transform their home, check back here for updates on their progress.

When Gregg Carbone and his wife, Alicia, first moved into their rental on Ferguson Place in Ramsey in 2019, they joked about buying the home next door. Now, six years later, they're in the midst of a full-scale renovation on it.

Meet the Carbones in our first installment of the "Ramsey Renovation" series. Learn how they ended up here, how they got started on such a big project and what their plans are moving forward.

Siding isn't something that needs to be changed or replaced very often, so it can be hard to know where to start when that time finally comes. Read about how the Carbones navigated this process for their Ramsey home, with guides to picking the color, material and style of your siding.

Insulation plays an important role for your home, but there's a variety of types to choose from. This is our guide to the main types of insulation and how to choose what's right for you.

Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at [email protected].

RAMSEY — An employee is accused of placing a hidden camera in the women's restroom at a martial arts gym chain that offers classes for children.

Ryan Curtin, 25, is charged with two counts of second-degree production of child sexual abuse materials, one count of possession of CSAM, and seven counts of second-degree invasion of privacy.

Curtin, a worker at the Tiger Schulmann's on Route 17 in Ramsey, was arrested on Wednesday, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

However, authorities have been investigating him for months.

The hidden camera in the girls' bathroom at the gym was first found in April, prosecutors said.

The first victim identified by investigators was an adult woman, according to prosecutors.

He was charged in April with just one count of invasion of privacy and released.

After four months of investigation, authorities found that Curtin had recorded several women in the bathroom.

Some of the victims were young girls who were changing clothes, prosecutors said.

The other charges were announced on Thursday. Curtin is being held at Bergen County Jail.

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RAMSEY, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- Did you see it spinning across the sky Tuesday night?

Social media was awash with photos and videos of a mysterious, glowing spiral over a swath of the East Coast around 10:30 p.m. Sightings were reported from Florida to Vermont, including in New Jersey.

"What the f*** is that?" said Eddie Pikulski as he recorded the phenomenon in North Jersey. "I mean that's the craziest thing I've ever seen."

Cynthia Zonneveld was walking her dog in Ramsey, Bergen County, when she saw the large object spinning in the sky.

“At first, I thought, ‘Oh, they’re ready to take me home,’” she said.

“I knew it wasn’t a plane, because a plane actually passed by it, so it was a different altitude, obviously,” Zonneveld said. “Not a drone—I know what the drones look like from last year.”

Indeed—despite New Jersey making headlines last year for numerous "drone" sightings, this object was likely a rocket carrying an experimental navigation satellite that launched about an hour earlier from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket took off around 9 p.m. to carry the national security payload on a mission collectively referred to as U.S. Space Force (USSF)-106.

“It’s an exciting day for us as we launched the first NSSL flight of Vulcan, an outstanding achievement for United Launch Alliance and the nation’s strategic space lift capability. This is an important milestone for the Space Force and all involved,” Col. Jim Horne, USSF-106 mission director, said in a statement Wednesday.

Photo credit Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

Featured Image Photo Credit: Cynthia Zonneveld

A New Jersey high school teacher who coached basketball pleaded guilty to downgraded charges after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a former student, according to court records.

Ryan Ramsay, of West Creek, a teacher at Manchester Township High School, pleaded guilty this week to third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, according to state court records. He was charged earlier this year with sexual assault.

A lawyer listed in court records for Ramsay couldn’t be reached by NJ Advance Media on Friday. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5, court records show.

The case was prosecuted in Monmouth County Superior Court under New Jersey Attorney General’s Office guidelines despite the high school and Ramsay’s residence in Ocean County. A reason for the venue change remained unclear on Friday.

Ramsay began working for the district in 2004, New Jersey pension records show. His profile on the district’s website identified him as a social studies teacher.

Manchester Township Public Schools did not immediately return a request for comment by NJ Advance Media on Friday.

Earlier this year, prosecutors accused Ramsay of having sex with a 17-year-old student in 2012. The then-senior was interviewed by detectives in February. She said the two had sexual encounters in a school bathroom and at Ramsay’s former residence in Seaside Heights, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.

The student said she and Ramsay conversed outside of school through “Words with Friends,” the crossword-puzzle mobile game popular in the 2010s, police said. Their conversations turned “flirtatious” around January 2012, police said.

Ramsay was the head coach for the Manchester boys basketball team as of this season, where the Hawks recorded a 6-19 record. The program’s most recent success under Ramsay came in the 2020-2021 season, where the Hawks were 9-4, going undefeated in their division of the Shore Conference.

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