Pizza is pretty much my whole life. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So when I hear about a pizza place I’ve never been to before, you can bet that I am going to be all over that. That is why I was quick to check out AJ’s NY Pizzeria here in Topeka. 

Usually New York style pizza doesn’t really impress me because I am a Chicago-born girl, but I decided to give it a shot. My first experience with New York pizza was last spring when I traveled to New York City for the first time. I went there expecting amazing pizza because of all the reviews you hear on TV and read about, but I was not impressed. 

Of all the food I ate in New York the pizza was the least impressive, which is why I was shocked when I tried AJ’s. It is seriously some of the best pizza I have eaten in Topeka, and that is quite an accomplishment considering we have so many different pizza places here. 

At AJ’s they have a wide selection of pizzas and appetizers you can order, not to mention different alcoholic beverages and a lovely bar. I ordered a barbecue chicken specialty pizza, toasted ravioli appetizer and water, because I’m not 21 and alcohol is not my style. I wasn’t quite sure how the toasted ravioli was going to be but it was really tasty. It was crisp and stuffed with ricotta cheese but it didn’t overpower all the other filling, which I thought was refreshing. 

I also enjoyed that I didn’t have to wait forever to get my food; it came much sooner than I expected. The pizza was just the right amount of cheese and barbecue sauce, and probably the best combination of the two I’ve ever had. 

I was so impressed with everything, I went back and tried something new. This time I got a chicken parmesan pizza. This wasn’t as good as the barbecue chicken but still satisfying enough. It had thin-crust and they weren’t stingy with their chicken toppings like most places are. 

Another advantage I think AJ’s has over other pizza places is it’s atmosphere. It has space and a good table selection. Unlike Pizza Pub, which has limited space and is so loud all the time you can barely hear your company. It was great because I could watch the basketball game, hear the people I was with and enjoy delicious pizza. It has that whole bar atmosphere, but without the loud noise. It’s almost a combination of a coffee shop and a sports bar but with pizza. I love it and recommend it to everyone. It’s definitely a family, friend, or night out kind of place. 

AJ’s NY Pizzeria is located at 1930 Westport Drive and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and closes at 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information visit http://www.ajsnypizza.com/