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Holy Chick! Mother Cruster!

Detroit-style pizza and Nashville hot chicken under one roof on Route 23 in Franklin

At a glance

  • Sourdough Detroit-style pies cold-fermented 48 hours and baked in steel pans for caramelized frico edges
  • Hand-breaded jumbo chicken fingers and the Chickmate sandwich, with Nashville heat if you want it
  • Free arcade games in the back, so the kids have something to do while the pizza bakes

Detroit style pizza Franklin NJ

The crust comes out of the steel pan with a ring of cheese fried directly onto the edge, crackly and browned almost to the point of burnt. That caramelized frico rim is the entire argument for Detroit-style pizza, and it is the first thing you notice at Holy Chick! Mother Cruster! in Franklin. The restaurant opened in 2025 running two ideas side by side: sourdough dough cold-fermented for 48 hours, and hand-breaded chicken with Nashville heat available on request. Most kitchens pick one lane. This one runs both, and Sussex County has been showing up for it.

What to Order

The Chickmate is the anchor of the chicken side, a crispy jumbo tender on a soft potato roll with pickles and the house Holy Chick! sauce. Ask for it Nashville style and it arrives with slaw and real heat. On the pizza side, the Flight Club sampler is the move if your table can’t agree, and the Detroit Dipsticks come up in review after review as the thing people didn’t order and regret. Loaded fries and tots come piled with mozzarella, white cheddar, bacon, and scallions. There are proper salads too, including a spinach and arugula bowl with apples, cranberries, walnuts, and feta, which is more thought than a chicken-and-pizza place owes anybody.

Bringing the Whole Table

The back of the room has arcade games that are free to play, along with a couple of pay-to-play claw machines, which buys parents a solid twenty minutes. Kids get a toy. Screens run throughout the dining room, so it gets loud on a Friday night, and that is either the appeal or the drawback depending on your evening. Service is full sit-down rather than counter-order, and reviewers consistently flag the staff as the reason they came back.

Finding It

The restaurant sits on Route 23 in Franklin, a short hop from the Franklin Mineral Museum and an easy detour if you’re coming down from the Wallkill Valley or heading toward Vernon. Parking is on site. Takeout and delivery run through the major apps, and there are plenty of other pizza places across Sussex County worth comparing it against, but the Detroit pan style is still a rare find up here.

FAQ

What kind of pizza does Holy Chick! Mother Cruster! serve?

Holy Chick! Mother Cruster! serves Detroit-style pizza, baked square in steel pans with a caramelized cheese edge. The dough is sourdough, cold-fermented for 48 hours. They also offer a Flight Club sampler if you want to try several styles at once.

Is Holy Chick Mother Cruster in Franklin NJ good for kids?

Yes, it's built for families. There are free arcade games in the back of the dining room, plus pay-to-play claw machines, and kids receive a toy with their meal. The menu covers chicken fingers, pizza, and loaded fries.

What time does Holy Chick! Mother Cruster! close?

Google lists the restaurant as open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Yelp shows a later midnight close on Friday and Saturday, so call ahead at (973) 209-1525 if you're planning a late meal.

Does Holy Chick! Mother Cruster! do takeout and delivery?

Yes. Takeout is available directly from the restaurant, and delivery runs through DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Postmates. Online ordering and reservations go through their Toast page.

What should I order the first time?

Start with the Chickmate sandwich and a side of Detroit Dipsticks. The Chickmate is a jumbo hand-breaded tender with Holy Chick! sauce and pickles, available Nashville style for heat, and the Dipsticks are made from the same 48-hour sourdough as the pizza.

Does Holy Chick! Mother Cruster! have dessert?

Yes, and the banana pudding is the one to get, though it sells out. The owner makes a limited number of batches each day and they go fast, so order it when you order your meal rather than waiting until the end.

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