Recently a woman from Philadelphia stopped in just because she saw our vintage looking neon sign. I convinced her that she should try the pizza, and after the meal she informs me that this is “real Philadelphia pizza”! Its gratifying that I’ve already met many people who are so far from home appreciate what we’re doing here. Beyond feeding my ego, I realized that if I’m emulating styles of pizzas that are being made in Connecticut, there must be a huge similarity to lots of pies within 200 miles.
It wasn’t quite an epiphany but I could confidently piece together the idea that pizza in New Haven aren’t dissimilar to Philadelphia pizza. All of these places, and many townships in between have “Tomato Pies” that were popular in the early 20th century.
The flavor profile that I am trying to achieve is slightly different from what you find in New Haven, due to some personal preferences. New Haven has great flavor, but what I wanted to capture was the texture that comes from the coal fired heat.
Aside from my semi-scientific confirmation that many northeastern pies are remarkably similar, I now want to make it a goal to keep adding more about the history of pizza to the site, and links to some of these great old places that still remain popular after so many years. Please feel free to email me with questions or suggestions, and I will keep adding information in future updates.
I tried Ray’s it a few times before learning that there were so many variety of pizzas in New York City. I was partially crestfallen with Ray’s due to the fact that there was a young guy from Napoli in my Florida hometown who had been making some impressive pies since I was a kid in the 70’s. When I was in my 20’s I was introduced to John’s in the Village. It was a similar type of pizza to what I had in Italy, but wasn’t true love for me. Over the next few years, I discovered many of the old school places such as Patsy’s and Totonno’s which are also very different than the slice places.
Most New York pies are thin, some are very small, and most slices are coming from really large pies. There is so much variety that there is no definitive NY style The best ones are cooked in very hot ovens, and the large slice ones are typically not. All are not created equally with regards to care and quality. I put away a few slices throughout Manhattan over the years, and will post most of my favorites on this site as time goes on.
If your first try in NY happens to be Ray’s at 6th and 11th, its fun, but not really noteworthy. The new popular place in the village is Artichoke. The neighborhood consensus is that the social scene is fascinating, and to “try the crab pizza”, because “pizza isn’t actually Italian anyway”. FALSE!!!! There are a lot of old school places out there to be discovered. It may involve trips to the outer boroughs, but this is a dying art, and its better to discover the remaining old school people practicing a dying art than to try something new.
Artichoke is a very thick crust similar to a well made Focaccia, and the slice I had was topped with artichokes, and white processed cheese spread. The only thing that I could think of was how do I politely eat some of this before heading to the Bronx for a real slice.
New Haven CT
Home to Yale and a huge medical community. Its amazing that a city smaller than Mobile is home to what I consider to be the best pizzas ever. I would add that I have eaten a lot of pizza in Italy, and truly consider the American versions to have much greater flavor and character.
Frank Pepe’s - Founded in 1925, maybe the king of all pizzas. It embodies most of the qualities that I admire most. The pies are cooked hot, crispy, amazingly thin, with a perfect balance of flavor The amazing smell will overwhelm you the instant you pass the door.
Prepare for a long wait, but well worth it. The are a few new locations around CT and NY. They build each new coal fired oven to old world specs, so if you see one anywhere it is worth a try.
Sally’s - A total dive that is very small, and so full of locals that a wait is guaranteed. Very similar to Pepe’s but there is still something magical about the quality of the tomatoes.
Modern Apizza - A bit different than the other two New Haven legends, but has been around since 1934. I would almost consider this the holy grail of flavor, but the oven was so hot on my last couple of tries(because I was there in the afternoon when they were slow) that the bottom was solid black. When done right these pies are indescribably light but not as consistent as Frank Pepe’s.
New York City
Joe’s on Carmine St. - While there are a lot of great slice places in Manhattan, this one stands out as consistently good. Its a great simple balance of crispness and filling flavor. The big television food channel recommends nearby Bleeker St. Pizza, as the best pizza in NY. Granted it was a slow time of day the last time I remember trying it, but the pizza was dry and flavorless. Walk by this place for Joe’s. Its my quintessential Manhattan Slice until I discover a new gem.
Louie and Earnie’s - This one will require a subway trip to the Bronx, but they make an amazing slice. I would consider it worth the trip.
Johnny’s - Johnny’s is a commuter train trip outside of NY, but really worth it. They make really big pies that are thin and crispy beyond imagination. Very saucy and different from a typical slice pie. They open at noon, and waitresses make you feel like you are at a SWAT team standoff.
Di Fara - Worth a trip to Brooklyn, and one of the most lovingly made pies that I have ever seen.
A slightly different range of flavors than the typical NY slice, and I hear slices are now $5, and the wait for a slice could be insane. I read an article recently not to go unless you’re a pizza fanatic, or you won’t get the experience. The pizzas are made using a mixture of fresh and dry aged Mozzarella, topped with lots of fresh basil. Owner Dom DeMarco can be seen making every pie.