Pursuing Pepe: We Finally Arrive at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

As a pizza lover, I was beyond excited that I was going to eat a pie from Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Conn. But, I was going to get a tour, shoot video, and interview managers for this blog.

Frank Pepe New Haven has a well-earned reputation for serving up some of the best pizza in the country. I had been planning this trip for weeks. I am one of those people who doesn’t get excited about future events until they actually happen (thanks to being disappointed a lot by my father growing up).

But, I was eagerly awaiting this trip and finally visiting Frank Pepe New Haven.

Around noon on June 2, 2023, my wife Wendi and I left our home in Wooster, Ohio, and embarked on a journey to 157 Wooster St. in New Haven, the home of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. We would make a brief stop in Lodi, Ohio, to drop off our dog, Owney, with Wendi’s sister and her husband, Randi and Shaun Vahl, who would be dog-sitting for us.

After the brief visit in Lodi, the road trip officially began, and I would soon be touring and tasting this coal-fired pizza of New Haven.

Frank Pepe recognitions

I couldn’t wait, given all of the accolades the pizzeria had garnered. Here is a list from Director of Marketing Victoria Ohegyi and Wikipedia:

• 1999: Pepe’s was named to the James Beard Foundation’s list of “America’s Classics”.
• 2006: Pepe’s is acknowledged on the History Channel’s American Eats show as the originator of New Haven-style pizza in 1925.
• 2009: Pepe’s was named the “Best Pizza on Earth” by The Guardian.
• 2009: Alan Richman, food correspondent for GQ magazine, names the tomato pizza at Pepe’s the twelfth best pizza in the country in the May issue.
• 2009: Connecticut Magazine named Pepe’s the best in the state.
• 2010: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana was inducted into the Connecticut Hospitality Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.
• 2013: Zagat said that the white clam pizza at Pepe’s was the best pizza in the state, in an article naming the best pizza in each state.
• 2013: The website The Daily Meal named the white clam pizza at Pepe’s the best pizza in the country.
• 2014: The Daily Meal named the white clam pizza at Pepe’s the best pizza in the country for the second year in a row.
• 2014: “The 13 Most Influential Pizzas of All Time” by Time Magazine
• 2015: “America’s Best Pizzas” by Food & Wine Magazine
• 2017: “Best Pizzerias in America” by Food Network
• 2018: “Best Pizza in the Northeast” by USA Today
• 2019: “The 101 Best Pizzas in America” by The Daily Meal
• 2020: “America’s 25 Best Pizzerias” by The Daily Meal
• 2021: “America’s 25 Best Pizzas” by The Daily Meal
• 2023: “Best Pizza Restaurants in the USA” by Gayot

A funny thing happened on the way to Pepe’s Pizzeria on Wooster Street

One of the things I like to do when we take a road trip is to find interesting places to eat along the way, something we wouldn’t find close to us in Ohio. While I was reading about some good burger places in Pennsylvania, I checked to see if there was one along the route, and there was!

I thought great, on the way to Pepe’s, we would stop there and try the burgers.

Yeah, great in theory, but not so great when you can’t remember the name of the burger joint.

I started Googling “best burgers in Pennsylvania,” “best burger chains in Pennsylvania,” and other similar queries. Nothing.

Oh, well. You win some; you lose some.

While we were driving, we started getting hungry. I asked Wendi to do a search for restaurants along the route. She said there was a Fatburger up ahead.

That was it! I told her I think that was the name of the burger place I could not remember. Come to find out, the Fatburger and Buffalo Express was in a gas station. That doesn’t bother us because one of our favorite places to get fried chicken, Krispy Krunchy Chicken, is often located in a gas station.

We split a Thousand Island Burger, some wings, and fries. We both loved the burger. The wings were big and juicy, but we did not care for the bourbon BBQ sauce that much. 

This pit stop was much welcomed, and I am glad Wendi found it.

A brief respite before continuing the journey

It was starting to rain, and we decided to stop for the night near Scranton, Pa. We stayed in a nice Comfort Inn & Suites. It was a little more expensive than the price that appeared on Google Maps, but it was a nice place to get some rest before continuing on.

My original goal was to get there before Pepe’s opened at 11. However, with my frequent pit stops, we arrived shortly after it opened. 

Finally, we reach Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

When Wendi pulled onto Wooster Street, it was a narrow street, and we were not sure where to park. Thankfully, Pepe’s had a parking lot, we pulled in and found a spot right away, which was great because the lot was full at 11:15 a.m.

We made our way to the front, where a table was set up. A local resident was selling a book she had written. Wendi later bought a copy of the book and talked with the author after listening to “a commercial” from one of the Pepe employees.

We told one of the workers we were there to see General Manager Paul Hahn. He and Manager Dan Parillo soon greeted us in front of the restaurant.

After introductions, Paul informed us Dan would be leading us on the tour. Wendi told Paul we were from Wooster in Ohio. Our city is named after Gen. David Wooster. Paul was telling Wendi how Gen. Wooster owned a building next to Pepe’s, which he later moved to the square, now known as Wooster Square.

Paul gave us a brief history of how Frank Pepe opened a bakery in 1925 next door to where the pizzeria is now. (We got to see the original coal-fired brick oven.) Pepe moved the business to the “new” location in 1936.

I shared with them my family’s Italian heritage. My grandfather, Carmine Mercuri (who died when my mother, Carmen, was a young girl) and his brothers owned a commercial bakery in the North End of Boston, the city’s Little Italy. And, Pepe’s is located in New Haven’s Little Italy.

After arriving, we were finally ready for the tour.

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

• Part 1: Pursuing Pepe: The Decision
• Part 2: Pursuing Pepe: Reaching Out
• Part 3: Pursuing Pepe: The Arrival
• Part 4: Pursuing Pepe: The Tour
• Part 5: Pursuing Pepe: The Review
• Part 6: Pursuing Pepe: Making the Pizza at Home

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