A MODERN CLASSIC IN FREEHOLD PAIRS GOOD VIBES, FRESH ITALIAN FARE, AND LIVELY EVENTS IN PARED-BACK INDUSTRIAL DIGS PACKED WITH FAMILY-FRIENDLY CHARM
By Erik Schoning • Photos by Alex Barreto
Good things come in threes, especially at Tre Italian Cuisines, a pizzeria, pasta house, and beer garden all rolled into one. Since 2015, Tre has been Freehold’s go-to destination for everything from milestone celebrations to weeknight drop-ins.
The restaurant’s story begins with another trio: Robert Kash, Joseph Mosco, and Dennis Tafuri of Great Restaurants NJ. The group’s origins go back to the early ’90s and now boasts a roster of Jersey legends like Nonna’s in Englishtown, along with Freehold staples Metropolitan Cafe and The Standard at The American Hotel. Along the way, each new restaurant has been focused on meeting a need; in 2015, Tre was conceived as a cross between family-friendly dining and classic Italian cooking.
“We want to give people the experience that usually goes along with our stage of life,” Dennis Tafuri said. “When we opened up Tre, my kids were young. My wife and I always valued good food, and every place we went with our young kids, we got these looks that felt like, ‘Oh gosh, who brought these kids in here?’ We wanted a place that was fun, loud, and energetic, but with dynamite food. I think we achieved that.”
The first and most important step was landing an authentic, old-world brick oven. Tafuri had experience with this caliber of oven from his previous restaurants, and knew this was a non-negotiable aspect of the Tre vision. Without brick-oven, bubbling Neapolitan-style pizza, there was no Tre. Working closely with Rob and Joe and drawing on the trio’s decades of experience, the partners built out a menu that spotlighted top-quality ingredients in simple, classic preparations.
The true test of a pizzeria is its rendition of a margherita, and at Tre, the margherita is the cornerstone. Fantastically sweet and bright tomatoes are gently cooked down into a silky sauce and paired with daily-imported bufala mozzarella, prized for its richness and texture. The resulting pie, quickly cooked in a scorching-hot oven, is a perfect trio all its own, a harmony of cheese, tomato, and dough, with grace notes of basil scattered over top.
From the classic margherita to heaping plates of Bolognese, Nonna’s lasagna, and a showstopping chicken parmigiana — pounded thin, cut like a pizza, and served with a choice of toppings — the through-line at Tre is quality.
“We don’t try to cut corners with our ingredients,” Tafuri said. “And you can really taste that difference. We pride ourselves on buying the most authentic tomatoes on the market because, though they may be expensive, they’re the best. We buy what will really help our product shine.”
Years after Tre served its first brick-oven pizza, Tafuri and his team are still innovating the menu, bringing out seasonal offerings and specials that keep things fresh and exciting. This season, an all-new spicy meatball pie draws on Tafuri’s mother’s meatball recipe, paired with a spicy vodka sauce. Another menu newcomer is the clam pie, described by Tafuri as a clams casino explosion on dough: think shell-on clams scattered over a white pizza base. As the pizza bakes in the oven, the clams open up, their juices running out over top of the pie.
For home cooks, Tre has rolled out its wildly popular take-home packs, an offering inspired by pizza nights on Tafuri’s family ski trips. Each take-home bundle includes dough balls and toppings, making it easy for families to enjoy a taste of Tre from the comfort of their own space. In the summer especially, as backyard pizza ovens continue to surge in popularity, these packs elevate the hallowed family pizza night.
This past year, the team at Great Restaurants NJ completely overhauled the outdoor area at Tre, revamping the multi-faceted space while preserving the exposed brick and truss work that gives Tre its signature industrial vibe. The result is the ultimate beer garden, playhouse, and event space all rolled into one.
There is the patio, with space for up to 80 people, complete with a fire pit and access to the bocce ball court. There is the parlor, flanked on one wall with wheat grasses and vintage pizza peels collected by Tafuri himself, each over a century old and sourced from Italian bakeries. There is a stage next to the bar, and then there is the bar itself, pouring local craft beers from breweries like Icarus and Birdsmouth. On Thursday nights, live bands take over the space. On Sunday mornings, during brunch service, acoustic music fills the air, and the legendary Tre Bloody Mary Cart makes its weekly appearance.
“We roll the cart around and make Bloody Marys tableside,” Tafuri said. “We have all these crazy garnishes, like fresh mozzarella, shrimp cocktail, meatballs, garlic knots. It’s just great. You get these over-the-top Bloody Marys with your brunch.”
Today, the vision that Tafuri, Kash, and Mosco set for themselves has come to life: Tre has now become a community staple, a treasured stop for any occasion, from weekend brunch with friends to anniversaries and celebratory dinners, the place to go for an energetic night of live music or Saturday afternoon bocce ball with the kids.
“It’s a great place to pop in, get a dish of pasta, pizza, or salad, maybe a glass of wine, and you’re out the door for a very affordable price for the family,” Tafuri said. “And if you’re going out for a special occasion, the menu is very conducive to sharing. So it’s great to order a bunch of dishes for the table and break bread with friends and family for any occasion.”
No matter what brings people to Tre, one thing is clear: the combination of authentic food, friendly vibes, and a lively space is a triple-header for the ages.
Tre Italian Cuisines
611 Park Ave, Freehold
848.600.6474 / trerestaurant.com