My husband and I recently moved to New Haven and were pleasantly surprised to find a gastropub of remarkable restaurants!  We quickly began the inventory of good local eats and geared up for a full course of a voluptuous gumbo of ethnicity sure to stir any haute cuisine foodie into delirious addiction!  It’s nearly impossible to cover all these mouth-watering venues in one sitting, so I’m left with no other choice then to write about New Haven’s most famous food… pizza!

New Haven is known for many firsts and legend has it in 1925 Frank Pepe made the first Neapolitan style pizza called “apizza” (pronounced ah-BEETS).  The original location known as the “The Spot “ for takeout only is tucked away behind its new location on Wooster Street.  Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana best known for their white clam pie, they make all kinds of great pies.  However, I’m more partial to the summer tomato pie, loaded with fresh mozzarella, scrumptious summer tomatoes and a perfect sultry mix of garlic, olive oil and basil atop a perfect flat crust.  There’s always a line with up to an hour wait, pizzas are reasonable priced and the service is good with a great atmosphere for family & friends.  A must try for any pizza connoisseur.

Not far down the street you’ll find another line forming at Sally’s Apizza.  Sally got his pizza savvy straight from the family business, that’s cause, well, Sally is Frank Pepe’s nephew.  While Pepe has been moving and growing, Sally’s has been using the same brick oven for more than 60 years serving up his well seasoned, crunchy flat brick oven pizza crust that’s seared to perfection.  One must try the “mootz” apizza; it’s the traditional Neapolitan style pie that’s rich with homemade mozzarella, a sweet and spicy red sauce full of plump fresh tomatoes, garnished with roasted garlic and fresh basil, served on a large rectangular baking tray.  This pizza is absolute perfection!   Well worth the wait to get in, service can be slow with the original brick oven so expect to wait some more.  The décor features Sally’s most famous client Frank Sinatra and the place sings with deliciousness, oh and the prices are as perfect as pie.