
Casano's Round
$21The house round. Built the way Dave wanted his own pie to taste — leoparded crust, finished sauce, mozzarella that pulls. The one to start with.
- Whole pie
EST. RUTHERFORD, NJ — WHOLE PIES
Chef-owned Italian-American comfort food on Highland Cross. Whole pies, never slices.
Comfort worth gathering around
Whole pies are the headline. The meatballs, the parm, the long hots — that's the rest of the table. Built to share or built to take home for one. Either way, they earn their place.
Hand-rolled, slow-simmered, finished in red sauce. The recipe is Marie's. We don't mess with it.
Pounded thin, breaded by hand, fried crisp, sauced light, finished with stracciatella. The parm that tastes like Sunday at the table you grew up at.
Same parm, same care — finished with hot honey and crisped soppressata cups. The Drunken Tor's logic on a chicken cutlet.
Long hots stuffed with sausage and provolone, blistered until soft. Heat, fat, and a little smoke. Bring napkins.
Shaved ribeye, sweet onions, sharp provolone, on a roll that holds. Done the Jersey way — no apologies.
Grandma Marie's meatballs, red sauce, melted mozzarella, hot peppers, on a roll. The name is honest about what's coming.
Hearts of romaine, anchovy in the dressing (the way it should be), shaved pecorino, big crouton, cracked pepper. The Caesar that proves a Caesar can still be a Caesar.
The story — Dave Ligas
Built from the ground up. Self-taught. Stubborn about the details. Dave Ligas opened Casano's because the parm at home tasted better than anything he could find — so he learned to make both. The pie came next, then the long hots, then the meatballs (those are still Marie's). One kitchen. One owner. Whatever's on the table, somebody here made it.
The room is on purpose. Faded wallpaper, warm lamps, the kind of light that makes the cheese look better and the conversation easier. It's not a concept. It's the way Dave wanted to eat — and the way he figured other people wanted to eat too. Bergen County regulars know. The vodka-pie pilgrims figured it out. The Sunday-dinner crowd hasn't stopped coming.
"No shortcuts. No mediocrity. Make food people crave."
— Dave Ligas, chef & owner
We don't do slices, and the people who get it, get it. We don't take reservations on weekends. We make whole pies, we cook them all the way, and we send them out the door the way we'd want one sent to us. That's the whole job. We're proud of it.
Our philosophy
Three rules we don't bend. They're the reason this parlor exists.
Rule one
We don't do slices, and we don't apologize for it. A pie is finished as a pie — crust, sauce, cheese, the way it's supposed to land on the table. Order one for two. Order one for the family. Either way, it leaves whole.
Rule two
Sauces simmered all the way. Dough that rests as long as it needs. Cheese that pulls because it's the right cheese. We don't ship a half-cooked idea — we cook the whole thing, every time.
"No shortcuts. No mediocrity. Make food people crave."
— Dave Ligas, chef & owner
Rule three
This is Sunday-dinner food, but it's not playing it safe. Hot honey on the soppressata. Stracciatella on the parm. Red sauce on top of the cheese, the way Trenton does it. Comfort, made with conviction.
Press · buzz · neighborhood love
Authority Magazine sat down with Dave. NBC New York Live brought a camera into the room. One Bite reviewed the pie. Instagram is the running journal. Read what they said.
AUTHORITY MAGAZINE — 2024
Read on Authority MagazineDave Ligas of Casano's Pizza Parlor: 5 things I wish someone told me before I became a chef.
NBC NEW YORK LIVE — 2024
Watch on NBC New YorkThis is your grandma's pizza place.
ONE BITE — BARSTOOL PIZZA REVIEW
See the One Bite reviewReviewed on One Bite — Casano's Pizza Parlor, Rutherford, New Jersey.
INSTAGRAM — @CASANOSPIZZAPARLOR
Follow on InstagramThe day-to-day from the parlor — pies, the room, the regulars.
Real Google reviews from neighbors, road-trippers, and the occasional out-of-towner who flew in for the pie. Names and words are theirs.
"Casano's is more than just pizza. When you open the door, you're standing in Grandma's living room. This place feels like memories of times when things were simpler and people were happier."
"Possibly the best chicken vodka parm I've ever had — perfect sauce, cheese, crisp, and a one-of-a-kind vibe, all while A Bronx Tale played in the background on a vintage '70s TV."
"Casano's is more than just pizza. When you open the door, you're standing in Grandma's living room. This place feels like memories of times when things were simpler and people were happier."
"Possibly the best chicken vodka parm I've ever had — perfect sauce, cheese, crisp, and a one-of-a-kind vibe, all while A Bronx Tale played in the background on a vintage '70s TV."
"The Chicken Parm Stracciatella is to die for. You really feel like you've stepped into your grandma's house and leave with the best tasting comfort food."
"As a NJ-native, this was the best chicken parm and pizza I've had. The atmosphere is retro — couches, fridges, phone booth — and an old TV playing Donnie Brasco that fit the theme."
"The Chicken Parm Stracciatella is to die for. You really feel like you've stepped into your grandma's house and leave with the best tasting comfort food."
"As a NJ-native, this was the best chicken parm and pizza I've had. The atmosphere is retro — couches, fridges, phone booth — and an old TV playing Donnie Brasco that fit the theme."
"I felt like I was visiting my Nonna's house for a Sunday sauce. The crust is unbelievably crunchy yet soft on the inside, the sauce is tangy and plump, and the cheese compliments the bread."
"I'm here from Fort Lauderdale, FL. I found this gem on Instagram and said if I go to NY I'm going to make it over here. I left NY to come get pizza in NEW JERSEY — what a hit."
"I felt like I was visiting my Nonna's house for a Sunday sauce. The crust is unbelievably crunchy yet soft on the inside, the sauce is tangy and plump, and the cheese compliments the bread."
"I'm here from Fort Lauderdale, FL. I found this gem on Instagram and said if I go to NY I'm going to make it over here. I left NY to come get pizza in NEW JERSEY — what a hit."
Reviews collected from Google Maps. Visit the Google Maps page to read the full set.
Visit — 8 Highland Cross
Located at 8 Highland Cross in Rutherford, Casano's serves Bergen County locals, commuters, families, and pizza people looking for whole pies with personality.
Est. Rutherford, NJ
Casano's Pizza Parlor
8 Highland Cross
Rutherford, NJ 07070
Current ordering hours are available on Toast.
The parlor sits on a quiet corner where Highland Cross meets the rest of the neighborhood. Walk in, pull up a chair, take a pie home. Pickup runs through Toast. The room is open when the room is open — the live menu and current hours are always on Toast, never on a sign someone forgot to update.
Hungry?
Order the pie. Bring it home. Make the table loud.