'Sopranos' New Jersey tour: Visit 5 must-see filming locations in New Jersey

The show debuted on HBO on Jan. 10, 1999

On Sunday, January 10, 1999, “The Sopranos” debuted on HBO, and the landmarks of New Jersey it featured quickly became stars in their own right.

As has become an annual tradition, I’m sharing some of my favorite pictures I’ve taken of places connected to the show.

1.) Pizza Land, North Arlington, New Jersey

I’ll begin with Pizza Land, which really resonates with people whenever I post it. We catch a glimpse of this store in the opening credits. You have to see it for yourself -- and taste the pizza.  [MAP]

More on Pizza Land:

Pizza Land was a beloved, tiny slice shack in North Arlington, New Jersey cooking delicious super-thin pies in their vintage Blodgett oven, all in relative anonymity, until the evening of January 10, 1999.

That’s when HBO first aired “The Sopranos,” and Pizza Land made an appearance in the instantly iconic opening montage showing Tony Soprano’s drive to his stately home in Caldwell.

Outside Pizza Land, you even feel like you’re part of Tony’s drive — off in the distance, seemingly just down hilly Belleville Turnpike, stand the towers of lower Manhattan.

Pizza Land quickly became known to millions, and the calls for deliveries weren’t just coming in from down the street but from across the country, and Pizza Land obliged by shipping vacuum-packed pies out of state. All these years later, the pizza parlor is still there, and it’s still a shrine to the show, which ended in 2007.

There’s even a tribute to the late James Gandolfini over the two tall tables just across from the low-slung lunch counter. Pizza Land has been here since 1965, and was rescued several years ago by its current owner, after the previous caretaker died and the joint closed for about a year.

The pizza is so good, and I paired my slice this past weekend with a Pizza Land “Sopranos”-inspired soda.

2.) Holsten’s, Bloomfield, New Jersey

We then go to Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionary in Bloomfield. This is where the show’s infamous final scene was filmed in 2007. I’ve never sat in the Soprano booth — I figure why tempt fate. [MAP]

More on Holsten’s:

Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery has been a treasure of New Jersey since 1939, but it wasn’t until the evening of June 10, 2007, that the rest of the country was let in on the old-school charms of this luncheonette and ice cream shop.

On that night, HBO aired the final episode of “The Sopranos,” and that very last scene of Tony Soprano and his family enjoying dinner in the booth was filmed right here. (Yes, I, too, thought my cable service had been knocked out when the image abruptly went to black at the end of that eternally ambiguous final scene!)

When HBO stopped by to film that episode, the owners of Holsten’s had no idea the final moment of the iconic series would be filmed right here, immortalizing Holsten’s and its onion rings in Hollywood lore.

In 2021’s “The Many Saints of Newark,” young Tony Soprano returns to Holsten’s.

3.) Centanni’s, Elizabeth, New Jersey

We move on to Centanni’s Meat Market in Elizabeth, the Sopranos hangout in the pilot episode before production was moved to a location in nearby Kearny, where Satriale’s Pork Store was created. That building was long ago demolished but Centanni’s still stands. [MAP]

4.) Wilson’s Carpet, Jersey City

Next, we visit the “muffler man” from Wilson’s Carpet in Jersey City, another icon Tony zooms by. Of course, the giant is holding a carpet, not a muffler.  [MAP]

5.) Satin Dolls, Lodi, New Jersey

Finally, we visit the Bada Bing strip club, which is known as Satin Dolls in real life. Its neon sign is an icon of the drive along I-80 in Lodi, New Jersey, though the club itself sits on Route 17. [MAP]

Tonight commences my second annual binge of the show, and what better episode than the one that aired 24 years ago this evening.

NOTE: I can’t do all of this without your support. Please consider subscribing, and upgrading to paid status for just pennies a day!