For another year, The Daily Meal site has determined what Connecticut pizza eaters already knew: The Nutmeg State has the best pies in the country.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which originated in New Haven and has several locations throughout the state, came in at the No. 1 rank.
Six total Connecticut pizzerias made the national food site’s list of the “101 Best Pizzas in America,” featuring pies from each corner of the United States.

The site described the winning pizzas as “saucy, cheesy slices of heaven with a doughy-yet-crispy crust and a nice flop; along with a respectable amount of grease — just enough to get the job done.”
To find the country’s top pizzas, the Daily Meal “used internal expertise, scoured Yelp and other review sites, looked at coverage by local journalists and gathered suggestions from readers.”

Here’s what the site said about Connecticut’s honorees, accompanied by their rankings on the list:

#1 Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
11 locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, pepespizzeria.com.
“Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana is a household name for pizza buffs everywhere,” Daily Meal editors wrote. “The New Haven-based pizzeria is famous for its signature coal-fired White Clam Pizza featuring fresh clams, grated pecorino romano, garlic, oregano and olive oil.”
The Courant’s readers agreed with the ranking in a 2019 pizza showdown, choosing Pepe’s as the state’s best through several rounds of voting.

#9 Sally’s Apizza
237 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-624-5271, sallysapizzatogo.com.
Calling Sally’s a “pillar of the New Haven pizza scene,” the Daily Meal referenced its specialty white potato pie, with onion, mozzarella, imported Parmesan and rosemary.

#16 Modern Apizza
874 State St., New Haven, 203-776-5306, modernapizza.com.
The Daily Meal noted that “a lot of love goes into the pizza,” at this State Street staple, with the Italian Bomb as its “hot ticket item": bacon, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, pepper and garlic.

#43 Colony Grill
Locations in Fairfield, Milford, Norwalk, Stamford and Port Chester, N.Y. colonygrill.com.
The Daily Meal noted Colony’s “sparkling reputation for its thin-crust bar pie, best served with the signature spicy pepper-infused ‘hot oil.’”

#45 Zuppardi’s Apizza
Locations in West Haven and at The Hops Company in Derby, zuppardisapizza.com.
For a taste of history, The Daily Meal recommends, “you’ll want to order one of the very first pizzas on the menu: the traditional plain pie with a great amount of tomato sauce and pecorino Romano cheese.”

#47 BAR New Haven
254 Crown St., New Haven. 203-495-8924, barnightclub.com.
The Daily Meal called BAR’s mashed potato pie “the real deal,” with a white base, mozzarella, hand-mashed potatoes and brick-cooked bacon. “The house suggests adding onions or swapping meat for broccoli.”

    September 15, 2020 by Leeanne Griffin, The Hartford Courant