Our trip to Connecticut’s pizza paradise was inevitable once we realized that New Haven is a mere 80 miles from New York City. While that distance may have been daunting a century ago, it’s easily conquered today in a few different ways – car, Amtrak and Metro North.
Two days was just enough time for us to sample a variety of pizzas at the most famous New Haven pizza shops. We often ordered more than we could eat even with the assistance of our intrepid friends Matt and Marie who sacrificed their stomachs for our noble quest.
Together, we ate clam pizzas topped with bacon, tomato and mozzarella pies, fully loaded pies and the granddaddy of New Haven pizza – seemingly simple tomato pies.
New Haven wasn’t our first pizza rodeo. We’ve logged close to two months in Napoli over three separate trips. We’ve eaten what’s probably the world’s best pizza in Caiazzo as well as great pies in Rome, Bologna, Verona and all five NYC boroughs.
In Naples, pizzas are notable for their airiness, suppleness and ingredients grown in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The New York pizza scene is more about slice shops, high quality toppings and big bubbly crusts. Rome has two main pizza styles – thin and crispy Pizza Romana and bakery-style Pizza al Taglio which is often often cut to order.
This was our first foray with New Haven pizza. We knew it was its own thing when a chatty server criticized a competitor’s pizza for its ‘floppiness’ – apparently a mortal sin in the Connecticut pizza world.
So what did we think about the pizza in New Haven?
In our somewhat educated opinions, we think that New Haven has a unique style and place in the dynamic pizza world. Its pies celebrate crunch and lift. Plus, we dig the sauciness as well as the unique selection of toppings offered at the city’s different pizzerias.
These are our favorite New Haven pizza shops and the ones you shouldn’t miss:
1. Sally’s Apizza
While Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana stands out as the first stop on our New Haven pizza crawl, Sally’s Apizza gets the nod as our favorite New Haven pizza shop. It’s not that Frank Pepe isn’t excellent – we just enjoyed our pizza experience at Sally’s Apizza a little bit more. Plus, we have a thing for pizzerias with a good backstory.
Salvatore Consiglio, also known as Sally, was no novice when he took the reins at his family’s pizza shop in 1938. His mother Filomena was involved as was his brother Tony who had relationships with a number of A-list celebrities, perhaps explaining why Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy, Jody Foster and Paul Simon have all eaten pizza at Sally’s Apizza over the years.
Here’s where things get interesting. Sally learned the pizza ropes from his uncle Frank. Yes, Frank Pepe was Sally’s uncle and the extended family’s two pizzerias are located on the same block.
Our visit at Sally’s Apizza started with a pleasant half-hour wait in an outdoor lot that’s been repurposed into a waiting area replete with wine and beer served on tap. However, the real show started when we entered the historic wood-paneled room that’s topped with imitation Tiffany lamps, each emblazoned with the word ‘pizza’ and decorated with little men flipping pizza pies.
Speaking of pies, we ordered four of them at Sally’s Apizza – two classic New Haven pies (a Tomato Sauce Pie and a Mozzarella and Tomato Sauce Pie) and two specialty pies (a Fresh Tomato White Pie and a Potato & Rosemary Special). We later regretted not ordering a clam pie. We’ll order one next time.
To us, Sally Apizza’s Mozzarella and Tomato Pie pie is what separates this shop from its neighbors. Though similar to a plain pizza, Sally’s version is far from plain with great pizza sauce and just the right amount of cheese.
As we lifted the wedge-sized slices off its metal sheet tray, we noted that they didn’t flop. Equally important, the pizza had a nice crunch and, while dark brown, its edges weren’t burned.
While this Tomato Sauce pie was solid with the similar attributes, we liked the one at Frank Pepe even more more. Perhaps Sally’s Apizza lost the edge by sprinkling their pie with Parmigiano instead of more biting Pecorino Romano.
Beyond the classics, we especially enjoyed Sally’s Fresh Tomato White Pie. The tanginess of its fresh tomato slices contrasted the cooked ingredients used in the pizzeria’s more classic pizzas. Olive oil provided a rich finish.
Pro Tip
Save room for a slice of Cannoli Pie. Filled with sweet cannoli cream and topped with powered sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips, this luscious pie tasted like a dream and caused us to temporarily forget about our pizza mission.
The original Sally’s Apizza is located at 237 Wooster Street, New Haven, CT 06511, United States. The pizzeria is currently expanding within Connecticut and in Massachusetts.
