Pursuing Pepe: Time for My Frank Pepe Pizza Review

/ Frank Pepe / By

My desire to try a pizza from the original Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Conn., began when I watched a One Bite Pizza review by Dave Portnoy. When he tried the Big Three pizzerias in New Haven (Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern) and declared the city to be the pizza capital of the world, I took notice.

I wanted to learn more about Pepe’s New Haven. I started watching videos on YouTube, trying to figure out why Portnoy would consider New Haven to be the epicenter of the pizza world.

When my wife, Wendi, and I arrived at Frank Pepe’s original location at 157 Wooster St., we were greeted by General Manager Paul Hahn and Manager Dan Parillo. Dan gave us a tour of the original building, and we ended up at the pizzeria.

photo of Bobby Warren eating a pizza in front of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana for a Frank Pepe pizza review

Frank Pepe’s: A well-oiled machine

Once we got into the back of the pizzeria, we could see wooden boxes stacked high with dough balls at various stages of fermentation and proofing. Some were in the walk-in cooler awaiting to be pulled out for use; some were newly made and resting and proofing at room temperature awaiting to be put in the cooler; others had been pulled from the cooler earlier and were ready to use to make pizzas for Pepe’s customers.

When we walked through the restaurant, everyone knew their jobs. I was wearing a New England Patriots T-shirt, and our football coach, Bill Belichick, has a phrase that resonates throughout football and life: Do your job!

The staff knew their jobs. Some were prepping food, while others were stretching dough, decorating pies, launching pies in the oven, taking pies out, slicing pies and serving them to customers. 

From my vantage point, it was a flawless operation, a well-oiled machine. It has to be in order to serve up 1,200-1,500 pies in a day.

And, I should mention, everyone was accommodating and friendly. If they viewed me as an intrusion, they didn’t let on.

Ordering our pizzas

Wendi and I decided we were not going to eat our pizza at the restaurant. We were on our way to see family in Boston, and we chose to get our pizzas to go. We would enjoy our pizza when we got to Boston, except for a slice Wendi and I shared for my pizza review.

Eric, who has worked at Pepe’s for nearly 40 years, was prepping clams for the restaurant’s famous white clam pizza. He kept trying to get me to order a clam pie, but I explained even though I am from Boston, I don’t eat seafood or Boston baked beans. He was a great salesman, but I respectfully declined.

Instead, we ordered a Margherita pizza (with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil), a cheese pizza (a traditional pie with mozzarella slices), and a Della Carne (a four-meat pizza with sausage, bacon, pepperoni, and meatballs).

Had I thought about it a little longer, I probably would have ordered the original tomato pie, a pizza made with tomatoes, grated cheese, and oregano. It happens to be Dan’s favorite pizza.

Watching our pizzas being made

On one level, pizza is a very simple thing: Dough, tomatoes, cheese, seasonings, and toppings. Making a bad pizza is rather easy. Trying to make a perfect pizza is not so simple.

There is so much going on when making the dough. What is the ambient temperature? What is the humidity? What is the protein content of this batch of dough? What temperature is the water?

As I watched the pizzamakers ply their craft, it was a beautiful thing. One person stretched the dough. Another one “decorated” the pie with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Then someone launched the pizza in the oven and another one took it out when done.

Getting ready for my pizza review

When our pizzas came out of the oven, the aroma was out of this world. The pizzas were cooked in a coal-fired oven. Let me tell you, coal burns hot! The coal chamber reached 2,000 degrees F, while the oven fluctuated between 575 to 600 degrees F. 

When the pies came out, the crust had a slight char. This was not a mistake. This is how pizza should be. When I asked Dan about the difference between a New York-style pizza and a New Haven-style pizza, he said a New York pizza was softer with a chewy crust. A New Haven pizza was cooked longer with a crispier crust.

Looking at the pizzas and smelling the aroma from them, I was ready for my review.

My review of Pepe’s cheese pizza

In true Portnoy style, I walked outside of the restaurant holding my pizza box. I chose a piece with decent char on crust. When I bit into it, I immediately knew it was an excellent pizza. You might say it was an elite pizza. It was one of the best pizzas I have ever had.

Pepe’s pizza is on a whole other level than fast-food chain pizza. Dan said what sets Pepe’s pizza apart from others is the crust. I can attest it has an amazing crust.

After tasting just one bite of the pizza, my initial reaction was: “Like butter.” The cheese had such a buttery taste. The pizza was an all-around great pie.

While I didn’t give a number score in the video, I would give it a score of 9.3 out of 10.

You have to try Pepe’s New Haven

If you ever find yourself near New Haven, you have to try Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana at 157 Wooster St. in New Haven’s Little Italy. Wendi and I have been to a few famous pizzerias — Pizzeria Regina in Boston; Lombardi’s and Grimaldi’s in New York — and now Pepe’s New Haven. 

When I say you have to try Pepe’s, don’t take my word for it. Take my Italian mother’s word for it. My mother, Carmen Mercuri, is a great cook. She is very critical of other people’s cooking. It is not uncommon to hear her say, “This tastes like (crap)!”

What did my mother have to say about Pepe’s, and keep in mind she didn’t try her pizza until after a 2.5-hour trip from New Haven to Revere, Mass. She said this: “I have never tasted a pizza this good.”

Or, how about what my brother, Carmine Warren, had to say: “What I noticed was the smoothness and the blend, the way the flavors blended together. As you get into the complexity of the pizza, and you start to taste what you are eating from the crust to the sauce to the cheese, you see this harmony in how it all comes together. Everything I wanted in a good pizza was there. I just didn’t know what a good pizza was” until Pepe’s.

Note: This is part of a six-part series: Pursuing Pepe: The Frank Pepe Experience

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