Local Flavor: New Haven-Style Pizza
In downtown New Haven, located only a block apart, Frank Pepe Pizzeria and Sally’s aPizza both serve up the regional Neapolitan style descending from the old country.
So where to find top pizza? Head to Connecticut and try a slice of both.
> Frank Pepe Pizzeria
Origin: In 1925, after scrapping a plan to bake and deliver bread, immigrants Frank and Filomena Pepe, from the Amalfi coast town of Maiori, started cranking out oblong tomato pies in a coke- (now coal-) fired brick oven at their bakery in New Haven’s Wooster Square neighborhood.
Famous for: Consider your choice of toppings as you stand in line. Purists tout the original, with crushed Sam Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, and grated Romano. But the white clam pizza—created in the 1960s when Pepe crowned a crust with a handful of the briny littleneck clams he served as an appetizer—has arguably eclipsed Pepe’s prototype in popularity (those in the know add bacon).
Strategy: For a shorter line during weekends, walk around the corner to The Spot, Pepe’s original bakery—less atmosphere, same pizza.
> Sally’s aPizza
Origin: Trained as a pizzaiolo by his uncle Frank Pepe, Salvatore Consiglio struck out on his own, opening Sally’s in 1938 and sparking a rivalry that continues to polarize New Haveners, Yalies, and presidents (Bill and Hillary Clinton frequented Sally’s as law students; Ronald Reagan reportedly preferred Pepe’s).
Famous for: Devotees extol the tangy sauce and claim the blistered crust holds up to more toppings than other “apizza” joints. Try the Garden Special, with tomato, mozzarella, onion, zucchini, and basil, washed down with a Foxon Park white birch beer (also served at Pepe’s), made in nearby East Haven.
Strategy: In New Haven, mozzarella isn’t a given. Make sure to order it as a topping if you can’t imagine your pie without it. Don’t forget cash. Sally’s doesn’t accept credit cards.
Lines too long? Try Modern aPizza, Kitchen Zinc, Zuppardi’s, or Bar.
This piece, reported by Margaret Loftus, first appeared in the May 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
Related Topics
Go Further
Animals
- These 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animalsThese 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animals
- These photos are works of art—and the artists are bugsThese photos are works of art—and the artists are bugs
- The epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfishThe epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfish
- Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75
Environment
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
- The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?
- The most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater weldersThe most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater welders
- The harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to surviveThe harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to survive
History & Culture
- Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’
- A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.
- Meet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural iconMeet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural icon
- Inside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysicsInside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysics
Science
- LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?
- NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.
- Humans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying themHumans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying them
- Why engineers are concerned about aging infrastructureWhy engineers are concerned about aging infrastructure
Travel
- Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada
- Paid Content
Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada - This couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountainsThis couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountains