Frank Pepe has been baking coal-fired Neapolitan-style pizza on Wooster Street since 1925 and the formula has not changed much. The coal-fired brick ovens run at extremely high heat, producing a charred, slightly irregular crust that has become the template for what New Haven pizza means. The white clam pizza — fresh littleneck clams, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and grated Romano, no tomato sauce — is the one dish most associated with the city. Expect a queue on weekends; it moves. Cash only.
story: "Frank Pepe arrived from Maiori, Italy in 1909. He sold tomato pies from a basket on the streets before opening his first bakery in 1925. The white clam pizza was reportedly added to the menu when a customer brought fresh clams to the restaurant and asked Frank to put them on a pie."