Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana — Restaurant in New Haven

It takes an acquired taste. My conclusion after my wife and I visited the original Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana location in New Haven, Connecticut.

Or shall I say the location adjacent to the original, since the original, one of the wait staff informed me, is actually located to North of the dining room we were seated in, immediately adjacent, in the parking lot to the left.

Back to "it takes an acquired taste."

We ordered the Original Tomato Pie - Large, $18.75. The portion was ample. The pie featured the thin, char-toasted crust characteristic of "Apizza", generously topped with tomato sauce. While the menu clearly stated the pie offer doesn't include Mozzarella cheese, it was also clearly stated the pie included grated Pecorino Romano cheese. For the record, I did not find much of a taste of the grated cheese as I ate slices of the pie.

I boil down the taste to the following: crunchy crust covered in home made tomato sauce. Based on the popularity of this location I am confident a lot of people enjoy Frank Pepe's Original Tomato Pie.

A couple of pluses worth noting: 1) The $18.75 price, given the ample number of slices included in the pie is approximately $10, minimum, less expensive than the basic pie my wife and I recently sampled at Sally's Pizzeria in Fairfield Connecticut. 2) I consumed most of the pieces, but left the restaurant without any bloated feeling.

Before visiting this location it might be helpful to note the ever present line at the entrance. We had to wait approximately 15 minutes to be seated. The wait staff confirmed the line is normal for every day during the week the restaurant is open.

The atmosphere reminded me of one of the restaurants we used to frequent along Ditmars Boulevard in Queens, New York City. The Stamped Metal ceiling in the dining room also evoked restaurants located in the lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.

Planning on an intimate lunch, or dinner? you might want to choose a different spot. The dining hall is very loud. We were seated about 20 feet from the kitchen (exposed to the dining room). The clanging of metal pizza forms was occasionally deafening. The constant stream of people moving in or out, occasionally right next to our own eating spot was also a distraction.

But the service...

Frank Pepe's pizzeria offers a unique 'apizza' style from New Haven, Connecticut, but falls short of expectations. The thin, dry, and charred crust, while a local favorite, may not appeal to all pizza enthusiasts.

Full Review: Frank Pepe's pizzeria is renowned for its signature 'apizza' style, a thin-crust pizza originating from New Haven, Connecticut. As a pizza aficionado with a palate that appreciates a variety of styles, from New York to Detroit, I was eager to sample this celebrated regional delicacy.

Upon my visit, however, I found the experience to be rather underwhelming. The 'apizza' style, characterized by its thinner profile and charred crust, was not to my liking. While I can appreciate the appeal of a unique regional variation, the texture and flavor profile of the pizza did not align with my personal preferences.

One of the notable aspects of the pizza was its 'limited-use of melting cheeses,' which, while traditional for 'apizza,' left the overall pizza feeling lacking in richness and flavor. Additionally, the charred crust, while adding a distinctive smokiness, bordered on being overly burnt, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the pizza.

As someone who believes that good food can come from anywhere, regardless of pedigree or tradition, I approached Frank Pepe's with an open mind. However, the pizza failed to impress on multiple fronts. While I can appreciate the cultural significance and local pride associated with 'apizza,' I cannot overlook the fact that it simply did not meet my expectations in terms of taste and all the praise heaped upon the famed restaurant.

Frank Pepe's pizzeria may appeal to those with a specific palate and an appreciation for regional cuisine. However, for those seeking a more traditional or universally enjoyable pizza experience, it may fall short. While I respect the pizzeria's commitment to its unique style, I cannot in good conscience recommend it to others based on my own...

On our travel to Maine we decided to stay the night in Connecticut to break up the drive and to do some sightseeing. I researched the area where our hotel was and found that not too far away, the city of New Haven, boasts they are the pizza capital of the US. Of course, we had to try a pizza from the so-called capital! I checked reviews and decided out of all the options (and there were A LOT!) on a place that sounded like it might be worth the extra miles. Knowing that they were to close at 11pm and with our afternoon start because of Lydia's birthday celebration, we were expecting a 10:30 pm arrival. We stopped 1 time for 20 minutes for a bathroom break and to get gas and a snack in the 7 and 1/2 hrs it took to drive there so that we could make it there before they closed. Not wanting to put the staff out by showing up and ordering late, I placed an order online when we were an hour away to be ready for a 10:30 pick up. I tipped 20% even though we were picking up. When we finally get to the pizza shop and walk inside we were excited to see 3 tables of people still eating. I went to the counter to claim our pizza. I said to the girl at the counter, "I see you still have patrons eating, and i know its late but we just drove 7 1/2 hrs to get here. Would you mind if we sat down and enjoyed a few slices of our pizza before we head out to our hotel?" I was told no, we could not. I could, however, have a seat and order a whole new pizza to eat there (even though they were only open for another 25 minutes) but the one I was picking up was a to-go only and I was not allowed to eat it there. I wasn't even given the option to order a few drinks (which we would have gladly done). So, we took the pizza, drove 35 more minutes to the hotel, and disappointedly ate a cold, hard pizza. I think it might have been good had we sampled it while it was warm and more pliable, but we...