This is an obscene amount of pizza for two people to order but we took most of it with us, froze some and ate the rest at home either cold or warmed up. Usually one slice cold while the other one is warming up.
It never gets old, eating clam pizza at Pepe’s in New Haven. Ever. If we are headed to any destination north or east of the Bronx, then Pepe’s is ‘on the way.’ I’ve been going there for decades and it hasn’t dropped a stitch in all that time. Maybe the people who wait on you are nicer. All the pizzas are worth the trip but the real reason we go is the white clam pizza. Garlic, parsley, chunks of clams and more chunks of clam. The crust is the perfect mix of crispy and chewy, burnt in all the right places. It is not only nostalgia and habit that makes me think this is the best pizza in the world—the crust, clams, garlic and the people at Pepe’s are responsible for that. Oh, and they serve a salad but nobody really cares. Genessee on tap, people care.
There are other pizza places in New Haven that are supposed to be pretty good. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t tried them. The thought of being in New Haven and getting anything less than a Pepe’s experience prevents my experimenting.
I understand there are now several Pepe’s in the CT/NY area. I’m glad for them, but I’m still going to New Haven.