Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

This is a little bit of a departure from the Boston based blogging but I think this could use a special mention. For about six years, I drove back and forth between Boston and New Jersey without any stops in mind, I usually just wanted to get from point A to point B as fast as I could. But then last Thanksgiving, I was talking to a coworker about the drive down and holiday traffic and he mentioned that a pizza stop right in the middle of the trick would probably do wonders for an aggravating trip! I was instantly curious, as I grew up on thin crust New York style pizza and never really got into Boston pizza.

The pizza place is Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and they’re located in Connecticut, with a few locations up and down the route 91 area. One of the most striking things about the place is that they have really, really large ovens…and as such, the pizza peelers have to be proportional in length as well (And it’s amazing how adept the staff is with them). And if I were to happen by the pizzeria (It’s roughly 3 minutes out of my way on the drive back), I should definitely try the white clam pizza.

And so I did! And not long after the pizza ended up in front of me, my coworker walked in, on his way to his own Thanksgiving location!

A few months later, my parents were in town for a convention and one of the events planned was a luncheon with Ming Tsai at Blue Ginger, his restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Besides cooking some tasty and creative food, he was happy to speak with the event goers and eventually fielded a question about where he thought the best pizza in Boston was. And to my mom’s surprise, Ming started gushing about Frank Pepe’s and even going as so far to mention he makes sure he stops there any time he’s traveling through the area. That’s quite an endorsement!

So after the tip from my co-worker, endorsements from friends/family/famous people, and many white clam pizzas later, Frank Pepe is now a permanent rest-stop halfway into the trip