From Wooster Street to the World Stage: New Haven Claims Pizza Capital | Sam Meyer

At Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, each apizza (ah-beetz) starts with the banger. After punching the dough into a perfect circle, the banger tosses the pulverized base to the decorator who dresses the pie. What are you feeling? The choices are of a wide variety: veggie, meat lover’s, their famous white clam pie or maybe just plain cheese. The dough, sauce, and cheese ratio is down to a science. The mozzarella is cut in slices that lay atop the pie, then finished with a dash of grated pecorino romano. Once it’s dolled up, the pie goes to the oven. The third pizzaiolo is the oven master who wields a fourteen-foot pizza peel in front of a dome-shaped brick kiln. He knows when the pie went in, when to give it a shimmy, when to take it out. The fourteen-by-fourteen-foot oven is over six hundred degrees on the outside and two thousand degrees inside. The heat must be measured at all times to ensure the pizza is cooked to Frank’s one-hundred-year-old standard.    

That brick oven has spun out more pies than anyone in that shop; that’s the hidden ace that makes this pie like no other. The flames dance around the top, casting a glow on the pizza. Steam lifts from the bottom, giving everyone exactly what they came here for: that charred crust. Without this coal-fired oven, the pizza wouldn’t be a New Haven pie. The oven doesn’t just cook the pie but gives it that local identity that is inherent in any dough that touches the coal-fired oven.

 

New Haven pizza has come to define the state of Connecticut. From getting the Guinness World Record for biggest pizza party on September 12, 2025, to the new vanity plate with a slice of pepperoni pie, the state takes great pride in the city’s culinary success. Restaurants like Frank Pepe’s have kept their recipe the same since opening back in the early 1900s, when the first Italians immigrated to the states. Roughly 562,000 of Connecticut’s population is of Italian descent, which is about 15 percent. Traditions brought by these families have been ingrained in the city, which is why residents are so proud of the product. 

The food-driven cooking blog Delish covered Connecticut congresswoman Rosa DeLauro’s announcement proclaiming New Haven as the pizza capital of the United States. On May 22, 2024, DeLauro stood on the Capitol steps and said, “earlier this year, Governor Ned Lamont declared New Haven to be the pizza capital of Connecticut. I rise today to claim New Haven as the pizza capital of the United States.” This statement left New York and New Jersey feeling crusty about Connecticut claiming the pizza crown. What many might not know is that New Haven pizza shops have something others don’t: ovens that are at least a century-old, turning each crust that grazes its surface unbeatable. Those aged ovens were used before these pizza palaces were established, delivering a crust that’s unique to the city. 

New Haven-style has been changing the scene in Connecticut for years. The area has redefined national perceptions of the state while deepening residents’ ties to local businesses. Jeffrey Marini, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana New Haven manager, was only a teen when he first tried Frank Pepe’s. “I started coming here when I was seventeen. A friend of mine, his family was like, you’ve never been to Pepe’s? It’s life changing. The first time you eat it, it’s like, wow, there’s something different.” The Frank Pepe hat and hoodie made it clear that Marini takes pride in his work. I don’t think the smile left his face throughout the entire tour. Marini’s passion for the restaurant surfaced with each comment and gesture he made to artifacts like Pepe’s chef hat or the pictures that were scattered on the walls. The restaurant is a museum of memories from Pepe’s life, and Marini is like a walking encyclopedia of Frank Pepe facts. I suppose that comes with the job of running one of the top-rated pizzerias in the nation. 

Frank Pepe’s has been delivering fresh oven-baked pizza to New Haven since 1925. Frank immigrated to the US from Italy in 1909 and moved to New Haven with his wife, Filomena Volpi, in 1919. He began making pizzas out of a Wooster Street bakery, developing his creation of classic apizza, a style of pizza from his hometown of Naples. Frank began selling his pizzas, made in the bakery’s coal-fired oven, off the streets of New Haven. He later took over the establishment after years of walking city sidewalks, selling pizzas stacked on top of his head.

Pepe’s secret to success started with the oven and continues with the ingredients. The freshest vegetables, sauce, dough, and cheese combine to make a pie that has flavors bursting like bubbles in dough. They continue to have their sauce imported from Italy to get the best handpicked tomatoes. To stay authentic to Italian culture, recipes and ingredients remain unaltered. Banger, decorator, baker: the process of making the pizza is down to a refined science. This is how it has to be, especially when you are responsible for feeding hundreds that walk through the door each day. 

This includes the grandchildren of Frank Pepe, who are heavily involved with the operations of the franchise, featuring restaurants in sixteen locations. Jennifer Kelly, Frank Pepe’s granddaughter, who grew up working at the New Haven location, was at the restaurant enjoying dinner during my tour. She compared the process to the ballet because of the precision and efficiency that demands pizzaiolos be on their toes at all times. She reflected on how many memories the restaurant holds, while noting the involvement of the community that has been supporting this spot for decades. This includes the loyal workers. John has been working at Pepes for forty-five years. His confident demeanor and frosty hair had me thinking he ran the joint, and in a way he does, as all the servers and pizzaiolo’s do. The strong devotion of workers, managers, and the community is what has kept places like Pepe’s so successful throughout the years, which is, of course, in addition to the mouthwatering pizza. 

“Those who appreciate New Haven pizza seek a rustic, intense, uncompromising pizza.”

It’s not just Pepe’s that makes New Haven the pizza capital. Other restaurants in the Wooster neighborhood, like Sally’s and Modern, grab headlines for their pies. This community is as tight-knit as it gets, especially when the competition down the street is your family. 

I stood outside Sally’s Apizza on Sunday night, waiting to devour the pizza– not only to compare, but to feel the simmering energy as I had in Frank Pepe’s. Stomachs growled every time the front door opened, and the scent of freshly baked pie crept out. I anticipated a likeness to Pepe’s since Sally’s was created by Sal Consiglio, Frank Pepe’s nephew. He had worked at Pepe’s for years before starting his own business. Just like Uncle Frank, Sally’s uses a coal-fired oven to char their pizzas to perfection.

What they share is a welcoming environment that is embedded in the walls of the two restaurants. Sally’s is lined with booths filled with people who eye each pizza as it passes. Just like Pepe’s, the place was decked out in sepia-toned photographs and news clippings of Sally’s famous patrons, commemorating the history and their admiration for the pizza joint. People such as former President Ronald Reagan, Dave Portnoy, as well as famous chefs like Gordon Ramsay have traveled to the East Coast to try New Haven-style and loved it. Italian pizza experts have written widely on why this pizza is a gastronomical phenomenon. 

“Those who appreciate New Haven pizza seek a rustic, intense, uncompromising pizza,” food writer Barbara Guerra told CT Insider. “Its burnt aesthetics, essentiality of ingredients, and strong personality that make it unique.” She has a point; this style takes on exceptional characteristics, making it famous not only in the state but around the globe. 

Once our pies arrived, mouths drooled over the cheesy creation. The pizza was saucier than Pepe’s but tasted just as fresh. The basil and cheese did not overtake the pie but added a herby zest that let the richness of the sauce seep through. There may have been burnt mouths, but our taste buds danced at the flavor of the New Haven-style pizza. 

One may think that having multiple pizza restaurants in one neighborhood would make it hard for business, but Marini says differently. He enjoys having competitors because they have worked together for as long as they’ve been open. “We love them there. The big three are Modern, Sally’s, Pepe’s, and we all get along. You could throw in Bar, or any other pizza place here. We’re all in it for one thing: to be profitable. To make it.” 

The supposed rivalry created by the media isn’t on the radar of pizzerias in New Haven. All they desire are long lines outside their doors and keeping the ovens burning in the pizza capital of the world. While the businesses boom, they also deepen their roots in the community. From hosting events for nearby colleges, like Yale, to creating internship programs with Gateway, Frank Pepe’s fosters a company that treats employees and guests like family. That commitment has turned these pizzerias into more than just a spot to grab a bite; they’ve passed tradition down slice by slice. Sal and Frank may never have imagined their Wooster Street pizzerias would wear the pizza crown when tossing their first pie, but they’d be proud of the mark they’ve made in the state of Connecticut. 

Featured image: Frank Pepe stands outside his Wooster street Pizzeria circa 1937. / Courtesy of Pepe’s Pizzeria