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New Haven-style pizza

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New Haven-style pizza
A half-tomato/half-mozzarella apizza from Sally's Apizza in New Haven, Connecticut
Alternative namesApizza
TypePizza
Place of originUnited States
Region or stateNew Haven, Connecticut
Created byFrank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
Main ingredientsPizza dough, tomato sauce, pecorino romano
  •   Media: New Haven-style pizza
White clam pie from Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven

New Haven-style pizza is a thin-crust, coal-fired Neapolitan pizza style of pizza which is common in and around New Haven, Connecticut. Locally known as apizza (/əˈbiːts(ə)/;[1][2] from Neapolitan 'na pizza [na ˈpittsə], lit. 'a pizza'), it originated in 1925[3] at the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana[4] and is now served in many other pizza restaurants in the area, most notably Sally's Apizza and Modern Apizza.[5] This pizza style has been favorably regarded by national critics.[6][7][8]

What makes New Haven-style pizza distinct is its thin, often oblong crust, characteristic charring,[9] chewy texture, and limited use of melting cheeses. It tends to be drier and thinner than, but closely related to, traditional New York–style pizza, both of which are close descendants of the original Neapolitan pizza.[10]

Classic types

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In a New Haven-style pizzeria, a classic or "plain" pizza is a crust, oregano, tomato sauce, and a little bit of grated pecorino romano cheese. A New Haven–style pizza without extra toppings may also be called a "tomato pie".[11] Mozzarella is considered an optional topping.[9]

Pepe's restaurant is credited with inventing the white clam pie: a pizza of crust, olive oil, oregano, grated cheese, chopped garlic, and fresh littleneck clams. It first served littleneck clams on the half shell at the bar, which Pepe later added to the pizza.[12][13]

Baking and serving methods

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New Haven-style pizza is traditionally baked in a coal-fired oven[5] at extremely hot temperatures above 650 °F (343 °C). It is sold whole rather than by the slice.[9]

Availability

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New Haven-style pizza is widely available in New Haven and the surrounding area, especially Bridgeport and other nearby coastal cities and towns.[14] New Haven-style restaurants have opened across the United States, though there are some states and many large cities which still have none.[14]

New Haven-style pizza has also gained significant popularity internationally in the United Kingdom in recent years, particularly in London, where several establishments have emerged as prominent purveyors of this distinctive style.[15][16]

In media

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Henry Winkler, Lyle Lovett, Chris Murphy and Michael Bolton discuss the history of New Haven Pizza in Gorman Bechard's documentary Pizza: A Love Story.[17] In the film the black char imparted from the ovens is described as adding a smoky barbeque flavor not found elsewhere. A recurring phrase spoken by several in the movie is, "It's not burnt, it's charred."

In Netflix's Ugly Delicious, David Chang says, "I think New Haven pizza, as a community, has the best pizza in America."[18] On the show, Mark Iacono takes the train from New York City to New Haven to try tomato pie and white clam pizza at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.

In May 2024, Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro read a statement declaring New Haven to have "the best pizza in the country" into the Congressional Record, sparking some controversy.[19]

Pronounced Ah-Beetz

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In 2025, filmmaker Gorman Bechard, along with Jason Bischoff-Wurstle, Dean Falcone, and Colin M. Caplan, co-curated an exhibit at the New Haven Museum called Pronounced Ah-Beetz which celebrates the history of New Haven apizza. The exhibit, which opened on October 9, 2025, and will be on display until October 2027, features the history of New Haven's three iconic Pizza restaurants: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Sally's Apizza, and Modern Apizza, as well as other beloved pizza restaurants throughout the New Haven area.[20][21]

Bechard began speaking with Bischoff-Wurstle in February 2020 about bringing a pizza exhibit to New Haven. The idea grew out of Bechard's documentary Pizza: A Love Story and his visiting the now-shuttered Pizza Museum in Chicago. He felt a pizza museum belonged in New Haven. It was made possible by the connections the filmmaker and his producing team of Falcone and Caplan had made with the families of local pizza restaurants during the making of the documentary. Numerous holy grails of pizza history are on display, including the oldest known pizza box from 1936, Frank Pepe's original baking hat, and pizza boxes signed by Yogi Berra and Gwyneth Paltrow.[22][23][24][25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Zaretsky, Mark (December 6, 2014). "Zuppardi's Apizza in West Haven celebrates 80 years". New Haven Register. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Lehman, Eric D. (2015). Insiders' Guide to Connecticut. Guilford, Connecticut: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4930-1284-8. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Burke, Miles (2022). "Best New Haven Pizza Sauce Recipe". Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  4. ^ "Pizza". American Eats. June 29, 2006. History Channel.
  5. ^ a b Levine, Ed (2011). Serious Eats: A Comprehensive Guide to Making & Eating Delicious Food Wherever You Are. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0307720870. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  6. ^ Richman, Alan (June 2009). "American Pie". GQ Magazine. Conde Nast. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2009. Sally's is ranked six, while Pepe's is ranked twelve, out of 25 restaurants nationally.
  7. ^ Levine, Ed; Steingarten, Jeffrey (2005). Pizza: A Slice of Heaven. New York, New York: Universe Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 0-7893-1205-0. In my experience, the perfect Neapolitan-American pizzas are made in New York City and in New Haven, Connecticut, at the towering Frank Pepe's Pizzeria and Sally's Apizza.
  8. ^ "New Haven Pizza Named Best In America". CBS New York. October 22, 2013. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Umholtz, Katelyn (October 2, 2023). "What is apizza? And how is it different from regular pizza?". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Nierenberg, Amelia (January 1, 2024). "Can New Haven's Legendary Pizza Joints Play on the National Stage?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2024. Technically, the dish that people in New Haven and beyond are so crazy about isn't pizza. It's 'apizza,' pronounced 'ah-beetz.' That's direct from Naples: The recipes, and the name in dialect, came over with immigrants beginning in the 19th century.
  11. ^ "Apizza, Tomato Pie". Eat Your World. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  12. ^ Pollack, Penny; Ruby, Jeff (2005). Everybody Loves Pizza: The Deep Dish on America's Favorite Food. Clerisy Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-57860-218-6.
  13. ^ "The 13 Most Influential Pizzas of All Time". Time. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "New Haven Style Pizza map". Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  15. ^ Barrie, Josh (May 22, 2024). "Cult pizzeria Gracey's to make London debut with Terry's Cafe popup". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  16. ^ "Lenny's Apizza brings New Haven-style pizza to London". Hot Dinners.
  17. ^ "Pizza: A Love Story". Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Lo, Danica (October 18, 2022). "Every Restaurant in David Chang's 'Ugly Delicious' Show on Netflix". Food & Wine. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  19. ^ Tumin, Remy (May 22, 2024). "Is New Haven the Pizza Capital of the U.S.? 'They're Outta Their Minds.'". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  20. ^ "'Pronounced Ah-Beetz' Exhibit to Open at New Haven Museum October 9". CT Bites. September 17, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  21. ^ "New Exhibit Serves Up New Haven's Pizza Legacy, "Ah-Beetz" Style". zip06.com. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  22. ^ McFarland, Matt (October 9, 2025). "New Haven Museum celebrates city's pizza legacy with new exhibit". www.wfsb.com. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  23. ^ "'Pronounced Ah-Beetz' Exhibit Opening at New Haven Museum". WSHU. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  24. ^ FOX 61 (October 6, 2025). 'Pronounced Ah-Beetz' exhibit celebrates 150 years of New Haven pizza culture. Retrieved October 13, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ Selvam, Ashok (August 10, 2018). "The U.S. Pizza Museum Gives Chicago a Pizza Party Sans Divisiveness". Eater Chicago. Retrieved October 13, 2025.

Further reading

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