Cities like New York and Chicago are famous for their regional pizza styles. But when it comes to which city should be considered the country’s pizza capital, there’s another surprising contender. This small city may not be as big of an all-around culinary destination, but it boasts a proud pizza-making history dating back more than a century. Here’s how to experience it yourself.

A Brief History of New Haven Pizza

Located 80 miles northeast of New York City, New Haven, Connecticut, is home to a style of pizza locals call “apizza” — pronounced “ah-BEETS” — which southern Italian immigrants introduced to the region in the 1890s. Many immigrant communities at the time had bakeries containing large, coal-fired ovens that produced charred and crispy bread that was popular with working-class folks. In fact, around the turn of the century, Italian immigrants operated 40% of the bakeries in New Haven. These bakeries eventually gave rise to pizzerias that utilized the same ovens.

There’s a debate over when the first pizzeria opened in New Haven, however. Some believe a baker named Francesco Scelzo had the first one in 1915, while others point to Ignazio Camposano’s pizzeria that opened in 1924. In any case, more and more pizzerias began popping up in the late 1920s and during the 1930s, and many of those original shops are still in business today.

What Is Apizza?

So, how does apizza differ from thin-style New York pizza or Chicago deep dish? Well, this style is based on the Italian Neapolitan style, which is defined by having a soft, thin, and charred crust with minimal toppings. In the case of apizza, the crust is what distinguishes it from other American styles. It’s made using a cold-fermented dough that’s been hand-stretched, resulting in a thin, chewy texture. Apizza crust is also cooked well-done to get a nice char on the exterior.

Apizzas are usually served by the entire pie rather than by the slice. The pies are cut into slices, but it’s usually done in a haphazard manner, resulting in slices of slightly different sizes and shapes.

The most traditional apizza is the tomato pie, which features the classic charred, chewy crust, a crushed tomato sauce on top, and a sprinkling of grated Pecorino Romano cheese. There’s no mozzarella to be found on a tomato pie — a stark difference from plain New York-style slices. 

Another popular style is the white pie, with an olive oil base, oregano, garlic, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Some white pies are served with littleneck clams on top, which is a topping that first became popular in New Haven. Other toppings on white pies may include potato and rosemary, sausage and peppers, spicy salami, or any other creative combinations that pizza shops are willing to try.

Must-Try New Haven Pizza Shops

While you’ll be spoiled for choice in apizza shops throughout New Haven, there’s a historic trio that stands out to pizza aficionados. The first is Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which immigrant baker Frank Pepe established in 1925. Pepe parlayed his baking skills into becoming an expert pizza maker, and before opening up a store, he was known to walk through local markets with pizzas perched upon his head, which he would sell to hungry customers. It was at Frank Pepe’s in the 1960s that the clam-topped pizza was invented.

Next is Modern Apizza, which is located on State Street and, contrary to what its name might suggest, has been selling pies since 1934. It was founded by Antonio Tolli, who learned to bake at his uncle’s pastry shop. The third in this “holy trinity” of New Haven pizza shops is Sally’s Apizza, serving customers since 1938. Sally’s was opened by Salvator “Sally” Consiglio and continues to use the shop’s original recipes and char-inducing ovens.

While those three shops are among the most well known, Zuppardi’s Apizza might be another strong contender for the best apizza in New Haven. Its founder, Dominic Zuppardi, was a master bread baker in New Haven during the 1920s. He opened a shop of his own in 1932, moving to the current Zuppardi’s location in 1934. Though pizza wasn’t the shop’s main focus until the 1940s, it soon became known for its pies topped with homemade fennel sausage. The store is still run by the Zuppardi family all these years later.