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modern apizza Amy Kundrat

The 5 Must-Visit New Haven Pizzerias

Ready for your apizza crawl?

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There is pizza, and then there is apizza. New Haven-style pizza is the latter; a hotter, crispier, and dirtier descendant of the Neapolitan-style pie, complete with its own pizza lexicon, like “mootz,” and signature pies. In 2014, Eater restaurant editor Bill Addison embarked on a road trip to New Haven, Connecticut (about 85 miles north of New York City and 138 miles south of Boston) to discover a regional pizza style that’s rich in history and flavors. (He also ate 11 pizzas during one day, in the name of journalism.)

Here are his findings, in handy map form:

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Modern Apizza

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With the title of “friendliest” and heftiest pizza joint, Modern Apizza has an 80-year history and an adherence to tradition. Modern’s open flame brick oven cranks out charred, chewy, and substantial pizzas. Its signature pie, known as the “Italian Bomb,” is a monster with seven toppings: sausage, bacon, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and sparse cheese.

modern apizza Amy Kundrat

As a pub, a club at night, and a pizza hub for the hipster 20-something collegiate community, Bar serves pies that are notably different from their New Haven neighbors. The pies are super thin. Their shapes mirror the rectangular sheet pans. The brick oven burns natural gas, not coal or oil. Its signature pie, the mashed potato pie, is garlicky, light as air, and laced with aged cheese, herbs, and crispy bacon.

Amy Kundrat

Sally's Apizza

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Very little has changed at Sally’s since it first opened in 1938, and Sally’s tomato pie reigns supreme in the neighborhood. Its house-made tomato sauce and a proprietary blend of tomatoes keep the tradition of the original flavors of the pie. Another specialty is the Garden Special, a combination of tomato, mozzarella, zucchini, and basil.

Elizabeth Dorney

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

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Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is the granddaddy of New Haven’s pizza scene. The famous original white clam pie features clams, fresh garlic, olive oil, parsley, romano cheese, and intensely smoked bacon, which is similar to the clams, making it an excellent partner in crime on the pie.

Amy Kundrat

Zuppardi's Apizza

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Zuppardi’s clam pizza is on another level. The sweetness of fresh Little Necks mingling with parsley, dried herbs, and garlic is vibrant on the chewy, thick crust. A fresh tomato pie and a sausage pie are their classic orders that should not be ignored.

Bill Addison

Modern Apizza

With the title of “friendliest” and heftiest pizza joint, Modern Apizza has an 80-year history and an adherence to tradition. Modern’s open flame brick oven cranks out charred, chewy, and substantial pizzas. Its signature pie, known as the “Italian Bomb,” is a monster with seven toppings: sausage, bacon, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, garlic, and sparse cheese.

modern apizza Amy Kundrat

Bar

As a pub, a club at night, and a pizza hub for the hipster 20-something collegiate community, Bar serves pies that are notably different from their New Haven neighbors. The pies are super thin. Their shapes mirror the rectangular sheet pans. The brick oven burns natural gas, not coal or oil. Its signature pie, the mashed potato pie, is garlicky, light as air, and laced with aged cheese, herbs, and crispy bacon.

Amy Kundrat

Sally's Apizza

Very little has changed at Sally’s since it first opened in 1938, and Sally’s tomato pie reigns supreme in the neighborhood. Its house-made tomato sauce and a proprietary blend of tomatoes keep the tradition of the original flavors of the pie. Another specialty is the Garden Special, a combination of tomato, mozzarella, zucchini, and basil.

Elizabeth Dorney

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is the granddaddy of New Haven’s pizza scene. The famous original white clam pie features clams, fresh garlic, olive oil, parsley, romano cheese, and intensely smoked bacon, which is similar to the clams, making it an excellent partner in crime on the pie.

Amy Kundrat

Zuppardi's Apizza

Zuppardi’s clam pizza is on another level. The sweetness of fresh Little Necks mingling with parsley, dried herbs, and garlic is vibrant on the chewy, thick crust. A fresh tomato pie and a sausage pie are their classic orders that should not be ignored.

Bill Addison

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