Happy Friday! Yes, I know our “A Casual New York Weekend” series has just begun, but before we make it all the way to New York, let’s visit a legendary pizza spot that you’re bound to pass on your way to New York from Boston. Consider it a worthy stop (about halfway point?) if you’re driving from Boston.
It’s long been purported that New Haven has some of the best pizza in the world. The two most famous ones, Frank Pepe’s and Sally’s (opened by Pepe’s nephew in 1938), are located just down the street from each other. Fans will argue tirelessly about which one they prefer more, but clearly both are doing something right if they have been able to stay in business and faithfully feed New Haven for so many decades.
It was hard for us to choose just one. However, on a late, late night while driving back from a road trip to Philadelphia, we decided to stop by Frank Pepe’s to finally see for ourselves the hype surrounding this legendary pizza.
Though they are usually packed (waits of over an hour are not unheard of), we had arrived after 10PM, and thus largely had the place to ourselves.
The white clam pizza is one of their signature dishes. According to their story, Pepe’s began by selling little neck clams on the half shell as an appetizer. It wasn’t long before someone made the connection to put the clams on the pizza. A legendary pizza was born.
For some reason, we were a bit underwhelmed by the pizza. The clams were a bit dry, and although it was tasty, I wasn’t sure what exactly the hype was about.
In fact, I may have enjoyed our other chicken, sun-dried tomato, and basil pizza a bit more. This pizza was juicier, the meat was more moist, and overall it had more substance.
The underside is not bad, with some decent leopard spots.
Overall, the pizzas were still quite good. It’s fun to see a place with so much history attached to it. I love how it looks like it hasn’t really changed since the day it opened, except for the number of photos of famous people that appear on the walls.
I’m not sure if I would drive all the way here just to have pizza. We have some pretty good pizzas in Boston. However, if I’m passing by (like I was this time), it’s a perfectly suitable place to stop by for a nice lunch, dinner, or even late night snack.
If you’re a Pepe’s lover, please fill me in on why I missed out. Did I come at the wrong time? Did I order the wrong pizza? Or maybe I should have gone to Sally’s? Please let me know, and perhaps I’ll know better the next time I go.
All Rights Reserved
The last couple visits we’ve made to Pepe’s, we weren’t that impressed. I don’t know if they’ve been having some off nights or what, but it definitely wasn’t as good as I remembered. I do love their sauce though. My family loves Modern, and I highly recommend getting a mashed potato pizza with red sauce and bacon at BAR on Crown St if you’re passing through again.
I love Pepe’s pizza but definitely have had hit or miss experiences with the white clam pizza. I still stop (time permitting) whenever I travel through there. My parents love it!
haha, was just talking pizza with my new haven friends last weekend 🙂 i say go with the mashed potato pizza from BAR instead… or make it at home like I just did! so so delicious.
I went to college right next to New Haven, so I only went here very, very late at night…and let’s just say I never fully appreciated the taste of the pizza. I’ve had Pepe’s at other locations more recently, though, and haven’t been too impressed.
i do love the clam pie at pepe’s, but the clam pie at zuppardi’s in west haven is far superior, where they shuck the clams to order and i think pepe’s shucks them at the beginning of the day. the shrimp pie at pepe’s is also very good (we usually get half and half). also, the spot (in the parking lot behind pepe’s) is actually the original pepe’s location and a good place to go when the line at pepe’s is ridiculous.
my husband’s family lives in woodbridge so we always stop at pepe’s or modern apizza on state street when we are in town. one pie we noticed that is no longer on the pepe’s menu is the special (peppers, mushrooms, onions, bacon, salami, sausage, pepperoni). modern has a similar pizza on their menu called the bomb, and they have hands down the best fresh tomato pie. next time you go to pepe’s, make sure you go down the street to get gelato and pastries at libby’s – everything is phenominal (like mike’s pastry or modern in the north end).
My favorite is the original tomato pie with fresh garlic. I leave with a good taste in my mouth.
Joe says you need to have bacon and tons of garlic on that clam pizza.
Ooh, fresh garlic sounds good. So we didn’t know the right way of ordering, I see . . .
That’s two votes for garlic. Looks like I need to go back and try a pie with fresh garlic.
Oh yum . . didn’t even know about the pastries down the street. I’ll have to go earlier than 10PM I guess!
Ha ha, funny! Sounds like it can be hit or miss from what others are saying.
Yes! I saw your post, ha ha – carb on carb! Love it. 🙂
It’s hard not to stop there since’s it’s pretty much on the way, whether you’re driving to New York or Philly.
Yum, mashed potato pizza sounds pretty awesome! 🙂 Thanks for the recs!
I’ve been eating Sally’s and Frank’s pizza for something like 60 years but didn’t appreciate them until I moved away after college. IMHO, they are unparalleled. My favorite is the bacon and onion; an unusual feature is that the onions are sauted in real olive oil before they’re put on the pizza, which makes all the difference (it takes away the raw taste). Wonderfully salty! I also like the clam and broccoli pizza with its brininess. Pepe’s also has a seasonal fresh tomato pizza that is available only during the last six weeks of summer. The dedication and care and top notch ingredients these two pizza places lavish on their “tomato pies”– an authentic term from early in the past century– is why my Italian wife says it’s the best pizza she has had.
I can definitely see how the other pizzas were better and juicier than the clam one, but I wouldn’t know since I’m too far from Pepe’s 😛