A new restaurant opened in western Monmouth County, NJ on the site of the old Lobster Shanty. The Lobster Shanty was sorely in the need of a facelift, but the owners went WAY past a normal renovation to come up with Bakers American Bar & Grille. And let me say, this is something that the a Monroe area sorely needed. A casual, inexpensive restaurant with GREAT food that is open LATE. Although I can go on about the food, I want to talk about the pizza. I am a pizza purest and wouldn't normally get pizza from a regular restaurant, but walking in and seeing this beautiful wood burning oven made my mouth water. Just look at the picture, the oven reaches 900 degrees and spits out pizzas in under 2 minutes. And with hours from 11:30 AM through 1:30 AM, 7 days a week, thats a lot of pizza.

We started with the Margherita. Real San Marzano tomatoes, FRESH mozzarella (not shredded), and sea salt, all combined to make the most delicious pizza I have tasted in a long time. Then we had a chopped clam pizza that was as good as any I have ever had (and much better than the Vegas pizza i reviewed 2 years ago that included the shells Enoteca San Marco The Venetian Hotel Las Vegas) The key to a clam pie is that it taste fresh, and Bakers American delivered. The pizza started me thinking about the beach, and of course the Lobster Shanty, both the one on this site, and the ones on the Jersey Shore and Florida Coast. Bakers also offers a special pie of the day and the ability to create your own. Whatever you choose the ingredients, expertise and facility just wont let you go wrong.

Bakers American Bar & Grille, 801 State Highway Route 33, Monroe, NJ is only a mile off the NJ Turnpike, exit 8, so it is easily accessible by people just passing through; but it is a real special treat for residents of the area. A casual and affordable spot thats great for groups, families and sports fans (thanks to 9 flat panel HD TV's).

I rarely give a rating of 7 out of 8 slices, but by all accounts this place is near perfect.