THE FRANK PEPE "BUZZ"

Killian Fox of the UK's The Guardian Observer roamed the world to find the 50 best things to eat,
and the best places to eat them in. »»»

31. Best place to eat: Pizza Frank Pepe Pizzeria, New Haven, Connecticut

You could generate enough heat to fuel a brick oven with the argument over which country bakes the world's best pizza: Italy, where the concept originated, or America, where it was globalised. Neapolitan purists will make pilgrimages to hotspots such as La Sorrentina, outside Naples, whose chef has won the prestigious Naples Pizza Championship, but we contend that the upstart Yanks do it better. The best American pizza can be found, not in New York as is commonly assumed, but in New Haven, Connecticut, where the Pepe family has been spinning dough since 1925. Their white clam pie has no equals.

Bigger Slice
Storied pizzeria heads to Yonkers.
by John Golden
Published in the Westchester County Business Journal Aug. 4th, 2008.

Pizza connoisseurs of New York, take note: a popularly acclaimed family enterprise in Connecticut will venture across the border into Yonkers next spring to open the first of several pizzerias in Westchester County. more »»»

Uncasville, CT (July 31, 2008) – During a press conference today, Mohegan Sun named one of the first tenants of the Earth portion of the $925 million Project Horizon expansion: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
of New Haven, Connecticut, one of the oldest pizzerias in the United States. more » » »

Yonkers, NY (August 4, 2008) – Bigger Slice: Storied Pizzeria Heads to Yonkers. Pizza connoisseurs of New York, take note: a popularly acclaimed family enterprise in Connecticut will venture across the border into Yonkers next fall to open the first of several pizzerias in Westchester County. more » » »

By Nancy and Richard Woodworth
Web Published: Jan. 2005

This is where pizza begins, folks. Or at least where pizza in New Haven – the pillar of pizza land – began.

Since 1925, Pepe's has been synonymous with pizzas in the city's Wooster Square Italian neighborhood. People were lined up outside for the 11:30 a.m. opening on the Saturday we visited. We sidled in with the hordes for a look and were a bit perplexed by what we saw: two high-ceilinged dining rooms not at all down and dirty as you might expect, a huge tiled oven in the open kitchen where the cooks bake pizzas the way they always have, and nothing to let the uninitiated know what to order. No menu; not even a takeout list. Nothing but a sign on the wall advising "tomato pies made to order," followed by a few ingredients and prices for small, medium and large. The tab starts modestly for the basic pie with grated cheese. It tops off in the high teens for the top-of-the-line clam pizza. In between are mozzarella, sausage and chicken, with various sides and combinations.

Nothing trendy here – just the real thing.