During the recent pizza pilgrimage New Haven, Connecticutseveral residents confidently told me that this Ivy League University town at the mouth of the Voice of Long Island was declared “the official pizza capital of the United States.”
But, in answering my follow-up questions, these proud boosters were less confident: “Who?”
You can be sure the title was not ceded by Pizza Island in New York City, one of which Tell New York TimesWhen asked about New Haven’s claim about the supremacy of Pizza, “they had no idea.”
In fact, the assertion that New Haven is a U.S. pizza capital was made in the actual capital of the U.S. in May 2024, when U.S. Rep. Rosa Delauro (Conn.) probably goes without saying –Enter a statement The name was declared a Congressional record.
At a party that followed on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, the symbolic champion, New York Rep. and New Yorker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez It is reportedly heard “Throw a fun shit!” represents her hometown.
Since then, Connecticut’s pizza-like kindness has only doubled, travel officials and politicians push the pizza capital stuff on Marketing materials And like New Pizza Capital Trail Connect the most popular pizzeria in the state.
While I dare not declare all the places in the United States once and for all (which I want to be very clear to many of my loved ones in Chicago), New Haven will not disappoint culinary-centric travelers in the hope of experiencing a unique, historic, historic and defending themselves.
It’s about knowing, where to go and what to eat to try out the slices of New Haven’s wealthy Italian culinary heritage (or 10).
How New Haven became the pizza capital
Like many northern American cities, New Haven spent much of the second half of the 19th century working to be a major producer of old-fashioned goods, factories dedicated to making corsets, carriage parts and Winchester repeat rifles, among others.
New Italian immigrants make up a large part of their staff, especially among locks and hardware maker Sargent & Co. . The company is said to go to the southern Italians directly from Ellis Island to New Haven’s factory floor.
By 1910, the city had Italian Americans in any position in the United States, wrote in his detailed 2018 book. Pizza in New Havena chronicle of every pizza oven that appears to be fired in the city of New Haven.
After the new residents, many of them originally came from Naples and the Amalfi Coast, began to settle in like Worcester Square– Italian American Community Center in New Haven – Italian bakeries soon opened and began to stir up the “Tomato Pie” to feed workers and their families.
Kaplan has its own travel company The taste of New Havento fill this history with visitors and fill them with pizza. The wizard led small groups around Wooster Square and other cooking hotspots, parked at the New Pizzerias, and pointed to factory buildings like the previous ones and Worcester Square ParkCherry blossoms bloom in spring.
Now, the empty pedestal that was previously occupied by Christopher Columbus statue is now a more appropriate tribute to the main community: the bronze family of Italian American immigrants, dabbled in the abused suitcase, and as the title of the work says, it’s its title The road to the future. The monument carved by Marc Anthony Massaro is Installed in the park In 2024.
Please note: The medium walk from the New Haven Little Italian Pizza Tour will definitely not offset the 10 full pizza slices, including optional beer, wine and soda, all covered by a $95 ticket price, and all should be consumed during the approximately 3-hour run time of this trip.
The three major places to go to New Haven Pizza, and what makes them unique
Two of the city’s three most famous pizzerias are on a tour of the Wooster Square in New Haven, and both restaurants lined up customers before 11 a.m. while I was on a guided stroll on a winter weekend.
Wooster Square organization is Frank Pepe Napkins (Wooster St. 157), opened in 1925, Sally’s apizza (237 Worcester Street), appeared in 1938. Both actions have been family-run for decades; Sally’s was acquired by a hotel company in 2017, although the family is still involved.
You can call competitors from both businesses, but the game doesn’t seem particularly hateful. In fact, Frank Pepe, an uncle and mentor to Sal Conciglio, opened up Sally’s culprit and ran the place with his wife Flo.
True New Haven Legends, Sally and Flo are loved by generations of neighborhood kids, Yale undergraduates, and visiting celebrities, although Sal reportedly sprinkled ketchup on his pizza dough with his exposed hands. He died in 1989; Flo in 2012; the kitchen now uses ladles.
The third member of the Trinity, Modern apizza (874 State St.) was founded in 1934 and is about a mile north of the other two.
These three are suppliers of time-tested pizza in New Haven style, also known as “apizza”. This term pronunciation Ah – Batesthe focus is on the second syllable. In his book, Caplan raises the pronunciation of the Naples dialect while acknowledging that spelling is almost a Connecticut phenomenon.
Apizza is characterized by its thin layer aptly described by social critic Camille Paglia in its 1984 appreciation. “The dough is smoked, tough and charred,” Paglia explained.
The basic characters of a well-made New Haven pie might be the result of the city’s pizza pioneer relying on a coal-fired oven instead of a wood-fired oven. Food writer and Newhaven native Hannah Goldfield (Modern Guerrilla) Write New Yorker Apizza should let your hands “covered with smoke ash”.
As for toppings, it should be like Sargent & Co.
Those regular pies are still on the city menu, but the mozzarella ended up in the 1930s photos of the New Haven Pizzeria. I’m grateful for how the cheese adds a creamy flavor to the rich tomato sauce and chewy crumbs.
Professionalism and other innovations
Other key features of Apizza include its rectangular shape, the metal cooking paper and parchment provided, and the preferred accompanying soft drinks Foxon Park The birch soda tastes like chewing gum in a foamy liquid form during winter.
Although Connecticut’s governor’s office says that while you find similarities in New Haven Pizza Contions, they don’t mean they are recommended to be interchangeable. Each large has its subtleties and expertise, as well as defenders and critics. I allow you to make as many of your own informed opinions as possible.
As Goldfield notes, many agencies set themselves apart by perfecting the feature sprite (such as Frank Pepe’s famous white clam pizza (above fresh seafood chunks), to add some salt water to the lawsuit) and mashed bacon and in bacon bar (254 Crown St.), adding scenes in the 90s era near the Yale University campus.
Regarding the dining experience, Sally probably has the best vintage vibe, with its brown vinyl stalls and wooden walls decorated with souvenirs and signed photos of many famous fans of the restaurant. Frank Sinatra is very religious and will send Sally’s dispatch from New York. Bill and Hillary Clinton became enthusiasts as students at Yale Law School.
If your schedule (and stretch pants) have room to expand, the city’s excellent Italian cuisine products include more.
There is Cannoli Italian pastry shop in Liby (Wooster St. 139), next door to Frank Pepe, after all, you need to order food while waiting in line. Naples pizza Zeneli (Wooster St. 138) will help you compare and contrast with the usual New Haven style. To stock up on Italian food to take home, you can browse the Italian market Gioia (Wooster St. 150). Return to freshly made pasta and cocktails at Dinnertime, if the weather is clear, it is best to return from the rooftop of Gioia.
Don’t be surprised if you become a missionary for Italian food in New Haven – although you should know that a particular gospel is already spreading.
At this time, Frank Pepe opened a total of 17 locations, including nine outside Connecticut. Sally did it Invasion of Massachusetts, New attractions in the Boston Harbour area coming soon.
But the critical, unspeakable New Haven could be lost at these outposts. Our own Pauline Frommer, who knows her pizza slices, has been updated for years New York City in Frommer The guide tells me that the pizza wasn’t that satisfying when she visited a messy link in the Frank Pepe chain.
It’s like bagels taste better in New York. No, New York City will not accept the challenge of that claim.
New Haven, Connecticut. Once you arrive, whether it’s walking or through the ride app, it’s easy for the city to navigate without a car. Go amtrak.com Find the tickets.
Also, the drive to New Haven takes about 90 minutes to New York City or Boston about 2 hours.