Dave Portnoy gave it an 8.9. Good Morning America called it the best pizzeria in the USA. And until now, kosher consumers could only read about it. That changes with the opening of “Kosher Square Pizza” on the Jersey Shore, a chalav yisroel, pas yisroel restaurant built directly around the Upside Down square pie that made Brooklyn Square Pizza (not kosher) in Jackson, NJ one of the most talked-about pizza spots in the country. This is not a kosher restaurant inspired by Brooklyn Square. It is a direct partnership with Brooklyn Square owner Peter Grippo, bringing his exact recipe and technique under kosher supervision for the first time.
Thirteen Years in the Making
For 13 years, a cycle studio operated right next door to Brooklyn Square Pizza in Jackson. Its instructor would finish class, walk through the wall of drifting garlic and sauce, and stop in to tell Grippo the same thing over and over: this place has got to go kosher one day. Grippo’s standard response was that the ingredients were already kosher, so how hard could it be?
That instructor was part of the local community that had watched Brooklyn Square build a national reputation while remaining out of reach for kosher consumers. When Grippo connected with David Mizrahi, a decade-long friendship became a real restaurant, opening on the Jersey Shore ahead of the summer 2026 season.
Who Is Behind This
David Mizrahi has been building kosher restaurants along the Jersey Shore and in Lakewood for over a decade. His portfolio under the Revolve Hospitality banner has included Eat-A-Pita, Revolve, and LBK Grill at the Wave Resort in Long Branch. Salt Steakhouse, his flagship at Pier Village, has become one of the most talked-about kosher meat restaurants in the New York metro area, drawing diners from across the region for its oceanfront setting and wood-fired menu. Mizrahi knows this market and what the Shore community expects from a kosher dining experience.
Peter Grippo built Brooklyn Square into a nationally recognized name. Portnoy’s 8.9 One Bite rating on the Upside Down square pie brought pizza obsessives from across New Jersey making the drive to Jackson. Brooklyn Square later won Best Pizzeria in the USA on Good Morning America. Grippo’s involvement as a direct partner is what makes this opening meaningfully different from a standard new kosher pizza shop.
The Square Pies
The pizza menu is built around the square pie format. The flagship is the Upside Down Square, the pie that made Brooklyn Square famous, with fresh mozzarella fused into the crust, homemade sauce on top, and a layer of Pecorino Romano on a thick and airy crust. The Vodka Upside Down applies that same construction to a vodka sauce base. Beyond those, the square pie lineup includes Peter’s Special (peeled tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, and fresh basil), the Spinach and Artichoke Square in an Alfredo cream sauce, the Nonna Square with freshly peeled marinara and a spicy kick, the Johnny Pepe loaded with black pepper and burrata, the Gravesend Square with peeled tomato sauce, Pecorino, and fresh basil, and the 50/50 splitting Upside Down and Vodka on one pie. Square pies run $38 to $42.
Round pies on a sesame seed crust round out the pizza menu, including a classic cheese pie, the Susan Grippo (fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, fresh garlic), Marone (burrata, peeled tomato sauce, Pecorino, basil), Popeye (ricotta, sauteed spinach, fresh mozzarella), Arugula Salad Pizza, and Spinach Ricotta and Mushroom, among others. Round pies run $28 to $33.
The Full Italian Menu
Kosher Square is a full-service Italian restaurant, not just a pizza counter. Appetizers include mozzarella sticks, fried ravioli, zucchini sticks, rice ball, pizza rolls, eggplant rollatini, onion rings, and garlic bread. The pasta section covers everything from tomato and vodka sauce to broccoli rabe with garlic and oil, stuffed rigatoni in vodka sauce, and gnocchi preparations, all served with a side salad. Baked dishes include baked ziti, Sicilian baked ziti, lasagna, baked stuffed shells, baked ravioli, eggplant parmigiana, baked gnocchi, baked stuffed rigatoni in vodka sauce, and Eggplant Laura with ricotta, spinach, and roasted red peppers. Fish options cover salmon, bronzino, and flounder, all served blackened, franchise style, or grilled, with pasta and a side salad. Calzones come in six varieties at $12 each.
Kosher Square Pizza Info
Kosher Square Pizza is located at 56 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst, NJ 07755.
Kosher supervision is under the JSOR (Jersey Shore Orthodox Rabbinate), chalav yisroel and pas yisroel.
Looking for kosher restaurants near you? Download the KosherNearMe app at YeahThatsKosher.com/app.
Add Comment