I'm going to skip past all my typical narrative about the restaurant ambiance, this is pizza, and the pizza is amazing!!! If you like New Haven style pizza, which is arguably the 'esemplare' of all pizza, then visiting The Little Rendezvous is a MUST visit if you live within 90-min. Plan a trip to visit some store you want to go to, a beach visit or whatever, just find a way to circle The Little Rendezvous into the trip! The crust is thin with a crackery-crunch, the sauce is at a another level and the mozz and roni are high-quality deliciousness! Rendezvous stands tall with any of the well known top-3 pizza joints in New Haven. Dave's score of 9.1 (if you are unaware of the reference, then pizza isn't your thing) is right on point, and I'd go as far as scoring it slightly higher at a 9.2 based on my visit. The building is something out of folklore. The building is all of about 20ft. wide, and when you enter, it is immediate, Steve (owner/chef) is all about the pizza. To be clear, most will consider Rendezvous to be take-out only. There is zero decor, less signs made with cardboard and sharpie notifying you that wait times of hours are real..... so be sure to call ahead. You walk past the most basic seating area of 3-4 small tables with bare walls, and then proceed to walk down an oddly long and narrow sloping hallway which leads you to the service counter/kitchen which houses the 130-year old oven! It's honestly something you could only imagine out of a movie...... the hole in the wall that is creating high-quality, delicious pizzas! Why or how you ask? The answer is simple, Steve! The guy clearly has a passion for making pizza and has dedicated his life to doing so. I met the 'man-the myth-the legend' on my visit, and he kindly even took the time to chat with me. Bucket-list item checked off! Overall score = 5.0!!! read more

Little Rendezvous - Outside - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

Great spot. Not what I expected, I once lived in New Haven and am used to destination pizza. This was much more unassuming and better set up as a take out, but did not disappoint. We arrived early on, what I thought was off hours and ordered in person, the wait time was 4 hours. I don't live far so it was easy to come back. The dining area is tight and pretty basic, so plan on wooden bench in limited space if you are dining in. I would also recommend calling way in advance with your order. As far as pizza goes, I have had the opportunity to sample most of the high profile places and understand why this place deserves to be on the list. The crust is pretty fantastic and overall a really good pie. When we went, there was no line. The grab and go was super simple, cash only. Order ahead, plan accordingly, and enjoy. read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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136 year old oven! Wow! Was there at 11 AM and the service was excellent. Two guys working the place. The man who worked the register made sure that we were satisfied. Old fashioned decor with old pictures on the wall and well worn but sturdy wooden tables. Pizza was a 3.0. We think that it had too much sauce. We prefer a balance of sauce, cheese and crust. It had the taste of oregano, which we do not want on pizza. We prefer garlic in the taste to oregano. The price was reasonable and it was prepared in a reasonable amount of time. read more

Way over hyped. Definitely not worth the wait times for takeout. Not even close to Modern or Pepe's. Will check it off my list but would not go back. read more

I can die now. The BEST example of pizza on this (or any other) planet is of the tomato pie at Little Rendezvous. The cheese and others are excellent. However, if an alien came down from space and demanded to try pizza the way God intended on Earth - this is what I would offer them. Everything about the select, eons-old, real, coal/New Haven style pizza scene in CT excites me - my apologies to the more talked about names in New Haven - this tomato pie is the best. The 105+ yr old building gives off condemned chop shop vibes, but holds within its skinny and lengthy beauty a throw back dining room and a pizza kitchen down the corridor that holds a beautiful oven that looks like it was used to make musket balls during the Revolution. The owner/chef and phone operator/expediter are the two lone employees - accessible, personable, good humored, and flat-out-busy. You must call ahead regardless of dine-in or take out (I didn't at 1115am on a Saturday and thankfully only had to wait 45min due to where I was in the cue) and let them know approximately when you'd like your pizza - then they'll tell you when you will get it. Go with it. Trust the process. It's worth it. While I enjoy the "dine in" experience better down on Wooster Street and its satellite affiliates, this pizza, especially the tomato pie, blows them out of the water. I cannot wait to take every person I know here and impress the hell out of them. Amazing. 5 stars isn't enough. read more

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True Score - 4.25 Stars Great pizza, not much else. Yup that's right.... nothing but pizza here. Real pizza, handmade dough, 130+ year old coal fired oven -- what more do you need? My wife and I traveled the 90+ miles from home just for this pizza. It's not "New Haven-style" thin crust (although they do offer that as an option, as well as extra thick and even gluten-free) but it's a style all its' own. Not bready, never soggy, nice crunch and yes, sometimes there are spots of char. That's what a great pizza from a real pizza oven is supposed to have. If you're used to Domino's and Pizza Hut, keep going. If you're looking for glitz and kitsch and syrupy sweet serving staff, keep going. If you're looking for a roomy, dimly-lit, romantic dining room, keep going. If you're looking for a great pizza, it's worth the trip from just about anywhere. Thursday - Sunday you definitely need to call ahead. Sometimes the phone just keeps ringing -- yes, it's THAT busy. Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. TIP: Cash only Thanks read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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We got a large pepperoni pizza. Pizza crust didn't have much flavor but otherwise good. Thin crust pizza. Only 6 booths inside the restaurant. We ordered pick up, wait is longer on the weekends (1 hour wait) No slices or other sides. Pizza only, not other food offered! Cold beverages available; Foxon park sodas CASH ONLY. read more

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Will admit my husband and I came here bc of the Portnoy review -- but boy does the place stand up to it. INCREDIBLE PIZZA, point blank, and the best New Haven-style we've had yet (I said what I said!!). The clam in particular is a thing of beauty, absolutely perfect flavors, lots of clams, great with the little bit of bacon and altar right amount of garlic. Obey all the in your face signs and order at least two hours before you want your pizza and the guys will be super nice to you If you have to wait, watch the free entertainment of the pizzas being made in the giant ancient coal oven right before your eyes. Prices are incredibly reasonable, Foxon Parks in the fridge...In short: new favorite!! read more

Little Rendezvous - Plain w meatball half, clam (the best!!!) - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

Absolutely delicious pizza. Always hot when you call ahead. They almost always have room if you call and make a reservation for take out. It's much harder to get a table. I've only ever gotten take out from this location but it's smooth every time. Thank you for wonderful service and the cutest pizza shoppe in town. Such sweet ambiance. read more

As a ct native this is one of the best pizza CT has to offer. Consistently amazing quality. I always get a cheese pizza. The cheese and sauce is very flavorful and the crust is thin and crispy. I think it's underrated compared to Sally's and frank Pepe's. The crust is my favorite part of the pizza it's so crispy and not soggy at all which is my favorite part of the pizza. They only accept cash and call ahead is highly recommended. read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

I grew up in NYC and moved to CT 10 years ago. I've been to most of top pizza destinations in the world including in NYC ( lucali, una pizzeria napoletana, etc.) , New Haven (Sally's , Pepe's, Modern, Zuppardi's , Bar, da Legna, etc.) Napoli, Tokyo, etc. The atmosphere here is great. And I didn't mind putting in my order two hours in advance . But this pizza is actually bad. As far as I can tell the only reason people like it is because they grew up in Meriden eating it and their opinions are rooted in fond memories from childhood . And Portnoy lost credibility . read more

Going to this old school restaurant I felt like I traveled back in time. Pizza here is made in their 120 year old coal fired brick oven. At this cash only restaurant they only sell pizza, they don't sell pizza by the slice, beverage choices are water, and soda, and order early because wait time can be over 1 or 2 hours. There is a seating area but I think most of the business is take out, and do have a ATM machine. I ordered a large mozz and bacon pizza. Their large is only 16". The crust was like cardboard, dry, and tasteless. The bacon was mostly little pieces and added no flavor to the pizza. I would not compare this to New Haven style pizza. It was more like frozen grocery store pizza. read more

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After trying Sally's in New Haven and driving to Ted's Restaurant in Meriden for steamed cheeseburgers, we decided to try this place as well, which was only 5 minutes away. It was also on Dave Portnoy's one bite pizza review where he rated them a 9.1 :) I called in my order for a pie with half plain cheese and half pepperoni. They quoted me 1 hour and it was completed right on time as promised. Since it's located in a residential part, there was plenty of street parking. The pizza takes so long bc there's only 1 guy (owner?) making the pizzas I believe, and they have a lot of orders (expect to wait 1 to 3+ hours), but the taste is well worth the wait. The pizza was thin, cheesy, and had an extra crunchy crust with a unique sauce that's hard to describe. One small complaint was that the pizza was very greasy- more grease than we liked, but that was it. HOT: don't get burnt. Everything else reminded us of the New Haven style, which we agree that Connecticut does have the best pizza. Rendezvous (raan-day-voo) is definitely worth trying if you're in the area. FYI: cash only and call ahead (as early as possible) to place your order. read more

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This little gem is a must visit when trying the historic/popular pizza places in Connecticut. I'm glad I finally made it here. It is cash only so keep that in mind. Such an unassuming place but walking in, you can see and feel the history. Love that. I got a plain cheese pizza and it was pretty good.. I would return to try more! read more

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The real deal. Among the best in CT. Steve (owner) and Drew were super friendly. Worth the wait and a must for those wanting the best of CT (the pizza capital of the world). read more

So happy I finally got to try this pizza place! We ordered a large pepperoni pizza on Saturday night. The wait was about one hour but the pizza was well worth it. Definitely some of the best pizza I have had in a while. Crust is thin and crunchy. This Restaurant is cash only and only sells pizza but They don't sell slices ! Can't forgot the mention that they have a 130 year old coal fired brick oven! It's a hidden gem ! read more

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Highly rated by Portnoy- my husband asked that we make the stop on our way to the city. Of course! I want to try this highly rated pizza too. The place is old school. We pull up and the house next door looks like they thinks aliens are coming to town. Run down and quirky. On street parking. Inside, not sure the last time they did an update. The tables are super basic wobbly wood with a lot of distress from probably many a set of people feasting on them in the past. Ordering is old school. Nice folks working here. Covered in flour and using old school methods of separating dough in wood boxes and a totally exposed kitchen which was pretty cool. There was some dust in corners and just basic. I would equate this to a dive bar of pizza places. BUT I can share the bathroom was not trashy- it felt more modern than the rest of the place but when I say modern it was maybe 2010 when the rest of the place might have been 1989. (I was hoping for a crappy bathroom for my husband who just loves dives.) The pizza- warning: there is a sign posted that at some points there could be a 3 hour wait! We were there right when they opened so no long wait. We got a bacon pizza and a pepperoni pizza. My husband went down the street and bought a beer and a wine cooler( for me)- the employees at Rendezvous suggested it. The pizza had no flop- impressive. But it feel flat on flavor for me. The next day I had John on Bleecker in the city and that's when I realized LR needed some flavor! There is no comparison. read more

Little Rendezvous - Roni - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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Real hole-in-the-wall, no-frills, cash-only pizza joint where there are no food options other than pizza Have a few barebones tables, but there is negative atmosphere to the place The oven they use to bake their pizza is over 130 years old Call in your pizza ahead of time, especially on the weekends, as the place has gotten incredibly busy since they got a good review from Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports The pizza here is very unique as it has a hard but chewy bottom/underbelly that holds everything, but crunchy crust on top. The sauce has a great flavor to it, but overall this is not may favorite style of pizza. read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

Finally was able to get a pie after trying a few times (make sure you order with plenty of time in advance) but it's worth it. Best pie I've ever had, honestly 10/10. Super friendly staff as well. read more

After all the hype, a lot of it generated by "Dave" of Barstool Sports, it made it's way to my food bucket list. I recently went w Demanding Dan. The pizzeria is located in a nondescript, ramshackle type of building that's seen better days. Coal-fired oven over 120 years old. Some of the best pizza I've ever inhaled has come out of places like this. But, not from The Little Rendezvous. DD agreed. Good, not great. Opens at 1, five days per week. Cash only. No slices. Expect long wait times, sometimes as much as two hours. None of this factored into my rating. Yes, we waited almost an hour. The phone rang often. Two employees. The owner and capable assistant. The owner is extremely hardworking, and seems to take great pride in creating each pie. In my opinion, the wait time would be shortened if he allowed another person to create pies. He's kind of a bottleneck in the production line. Again, my rating doesn't reflect that. The pizza itself (small w sausage and peppers) was almost burnt (although the undercarriage was clean). The cheese was overcooked, as were most of the pies we saw come out of the oven. Additionally, I didn't see nor taste any sausage. When I spoke to the assistant, he said they use "crumbled sausage". Again, didn't see or taste it, but wasn't going to argue. Small seating area. Reasonable prices. Disagree w all the hype. 3.5 stars. read more

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Def the best pizza in Meriden. Yes, I am a pizza snob, having lived walking distance form Wooster St. for many years back in the day. This is definitely totally acceptable pizza. Rates high in all aspects. Maybe politely ask for extra sauce? read more

The best time to come to Little Rendezvous is 11am. With that said, I ordered a sausage pie and the crust had a little char taste, which was good, and the sauce was a bit sweet. The best part was the service was quick and the owner/pizza maker and his staff were pleasant and very friendly. That's a review. read more

Heres what I'll say... the pizza was actually pretty good, with tons of flavor and solid ingredients. My disappointment came from the guy at the register! He was coughing in his hands, touching his shoes, sneezing in hands, touching money/register, running his hands through his hair, all while assisting to sift the flour and 'pound' the dough and NEVER washed his hands! If I were a health inspector I would have immediately stopped production! The owner was a great guy and you can tell he is extremely passionate about his restaurant and the product he puts out. Luckily for me, the guy at the register did not assist in making my pizza. All-in-all, the pizza is good, but sanitation is simply not there... read more

Excellent service! I enjoyed the old traditional pizza place vibe with wobbly wood tables and old pictures on the walls. I wouldn't change a thing. I give this place 3.5 stars for the pizza. In my opinion, it had too much sauce and the sauce was a little spicy. The crust was thin-cooked lightly on bottom with crispy / burnt edges. If you like thin crust with crispy edges and alot of sauce, you'll love this pizza. I just prefer a less chewy and more crispy pizza base with less sauce. I am glad we made the trip to try it out. These guys don't mess around with their pies! Don't forget to call ahead! read more

The cheese pizza was awesome. It was nice to see chef back after his surgery. I loved the atmosphere, very old school read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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This is the best pizza I ever had in Connecticut! I drove 2 hours from NYC just to try this pizza and it was worth the drive. I even had to wait 3 hours and I still thought it was worth it. This is one of the best pizzas I ever had. I had Frank pepe and sallys and this place easily had the best cheese pizza. Easily my top 3 pizza places of all time. The staff were super friendly and owner did look intimidating but super friendly as well. If you get this pizza please try calling advanced so you do not wait 3 hours like I did. Worth the hype! read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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This pizza place was highly rated by Portnoy. I also heard good things from friends about this place. I decided to give a shot with a take out cheese pie. The place itself is designed more for takeout as it has very small dining area. You enter the restaurant then walk down this corridor to the counter. Definitely a mom and pop place with the pizza maker and a couple of helpers. They are definitely focused on making quality pies not dining ambience. You have to call way in advance for a pie as the waitlist builds quickly. My cheese pizza was thin crust and well done. I did not specify how I wanted pie cooked. So that seems to be the standard pizza. I personally would have preferred a little less char. But the pizza taste was very good. I will try again with toppings. read more

Best pizza in CT! Wish they opened at 11! Bring Cash money! Dollar dollar bills y'all read more

Really lovely staff and chef, a compelling quaint story of antiquity, and fantastic pizza. Such an unassuming hole in the wall but a hidden gem. read more

They are the real pizza deal. They take cash only. It is like a pizza truck in a house. Got to visit them for the experience.

The local reviews for Little Rendezvous had me very excited, backed up by the One Bite Pizza reviews however the hype was greater than my experience. The service was great, and we managed to go during a lull at lunchtime so that was a nice bonus however I wasn't wowed by our pizza, nor was my buddy. Then again, I prefer NYC style pizza over New Haven style (although I love the pizza from Bar, in New Haven). Give it a try and see what you think, but I'll continue to search for other options around Meriden to better match my taste. read more

Pizza is good- place is old school, no thrills just good pizza. You need to call ahead, popping in is not recommend but they will help you if they can. You need to like crispy, coal fired charred pizza. If you're a fan of CPK, Dominos or that style pizza, you don't know pizza and should stick to those brands. This is real CT style pizza. It's better than Sally's , second to Modern and worth the trip every time. read more

Don't miss out on this gem of a brick oven pizza place! This is by far the best pizza in Meriden. It's going on it's 83rd Anniversary. I've been coming here my whole life and have never been disappointed. I have fond memories of celebrating special occasions in the front room. This place is a part of Meriden history. My favorite is the plain, just sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. It's simple but delicious! 2nd favorite would be their meatball and green pepper with mozzarella cheese. All fresh ingredients on hand tossed dough cooked to perfection in the coal fired oven. If ordering on the weekend get your order in early to avoid the at times lengthy wait. Cash only! No ATM on premises. read more

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Always consitant and never disappointed since my 66 years, my parents and grandparents eating their pizza

Stopped by, while in CT for business, after seeing the One Bite Pizza review. My partner and I ordered a large cheese pizza - TASTE: 4/5 - the pizza was more savory than I expected, definitely a little different than what we're used to and a nice change, though we personally didn't think it lived up to Dave's 9.1 review TEXTURE: 4/5 - different than a Neapolitan-style pizza, but thicker than a NY-style pizza. Crust was crispy! PRICE: 4/5 - less than $20 for the pie SERVING SIZE: 4/5 - cut into 16 thin slices and we had plenty leftover SERVICE: 4/5 - we didn't come prepared lol; walked in at 5pm on a Thursday and immediately saw the sign inside that recommended calling ahead, as the wait can be hours at a time. At the counter, we placed our order (cash only) to pick up for two hours later and, when we returned, our pizza was prompt and just fresh from the oven. The staff was super friendly and chatted about the newfound fame, and overwhelming surge of business, following the One Bite Pizza review ATMOSPHERE: 3/5 - small, narrow, and dated spot w a 120-year old coal oven PARKING: 4/5 - there was plenty of free street parking along Pratt St read more

Little Rendezvous - Large cheese pizza - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

Driving to Meriden to pick up our large meatball, onion and spinach pizza, I contemplated how Little Rendezvous may be Connecticut's most criminally under appreciated longtime pizza restaurant. For those who know, you're probably wondering how that can be. Little Rendezvous consistently makes outstanding thin crust pizza in a "120 Year Old Coal Fired Brick Oven", and they've been open as Little Rendezvous since 1938. No joke. To quasi-scientifically test my hypothesis that Little Rendezvous is the most under appreciated, I compared its number of Yelp reviews and Yelp star rating to those of nine other CT restaurants famous for pizza that I believe have been in business longer than 20 years. I won't use restaurant names here, but feel free to message me if you want to see my work. Of the CT pizza places I researched as of 9/25, the highest number of Yelp reviews for any one place was 2,790, and three of the ten restaurants have over one thousand reviews. The median number of reviews for these 10 places is 424. The median Yelp Star rating for these places was 4 Stars. Little Rendezvous had the lowest number of reviews at 130. The next lowest restaurant had 171 reviews. As compared to the 4 Yelp Star median rating of these restaurants, Little Rendezvous has 4.5 Yelp Stars. With the lowest number of reviews and a relatively high Yelp Star rating, Little Rendezvous has a good claim to being the most under appreciated longtime pizza restaurant in CT. In light traffic, I live 22 minutes away from Little Rendezvous, but I planned an errand near there to coincide with Saturday dinnertime. I arrived early, and my pizza was ready on time. Service was friendly and efficient. To be kind, Little Rendezvous is seriously short on aesthetics. I'm not sure if you can dine in right now, but I have eaten there in different times. You eat there to enjoy a seriously great pizza at peak power, but you will not be wowed by the atmosphere. At all. If a pizza's purpose is to be enjoyed, our large pizza lived a charmed life. I was there when they pulled it out of the oven. The pizza's juices bubbled and popped as they boxed and sliced it. I power-walked the full box to my car. Now and then, if you time it just right, the weather is good and you share the road with reasonable drivers, you can travel through about 10 lights on the Berlin Turnpike without ever stopping. I call it the "Berlin Speed Tunnel". Damn if the pizza and I didn't zoom through that Speed Tunnel. The pizza was still hot when I arrived home in Newington. The meatball, spinach and onion combo was a new one for us. I'm a little bit meat, and my wife's a little bit veggie. The pizza was perfect. The crust was thin and crisp, but good chewy as well. I could taste the charcoal's influence. The toppings were amazing. The meatball slices were tender. They were so fresh, I could still identify some of the ingredients. Hey there parmesan! What's up bread crumbs? I loved how the spinach and onions were cut into smaller pieces. The spinach had good acidity and slight bitterness, and the onions were sweet. The mozzarella was perfectly spread and melted. The red sauce was tasty and proportional to the other ingredients. I've eaten at some of the usual suspects on the best CT pizza lists in the past few years. None of them made a pizza better than this one, and some fell well short. I love Little Rendezvous. If you have not yet had the chance to appreciate their pizza, I recommend you get on that! Five Stars read more

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I've been hearing about little Rendezvous from locals in Meriden, Wallingford and Middlefield for decades. I finally made it there at lunch time one day and ordered the age old small pizza with grated cheese. The pizza was like a dry piece of cardboard and way overcooked. I like my pizza with some Char on the bottom but this was an entirely different thing. I was already halfway home by the time I got into the pizza and I didn't want to bother driving back so I just threw it away. I can't imagine anyone putting that pizza in a box and serving it to someone. From now on I'm going to check my pizza before I walk out the door from any pizza place. I'm a pizza addict and I love all kinds of pizza (esp. NH) but this was just a complete fail. Maybe they have different people making the pizza during the day then they do at dinner time? I don't know. I'm so disappointed bc it's local for me. read more

This 136 year old pizza joint was quite the spot! It's a cash only, old-school restaurant that I've never even heard of. A friend had mentioned its background story to me, and we were determined to try this 9.1 rated pie! We were told you had to call to pre-order. I tried to call a few times, but busy signals were popular around lunchtime. When I finally reached someone, we were told the pizza would not be ready until 715pm! I was shocked but intrigued. After waiting all day, the time had come to pick up our pizzas. The name of the restaurant sure lives up to its hype. It literally is a small meeting place to pick up your food. We walked into a long hallway, and at the end, there were 3 men working hard, making all the pizzas, hand stretching, sauce scooping, and pizza topping all the orders. People were coming in and out, grabbing their pies. They had a few tables open and we actually decided to eat there. We ordered 3 pizzas. One cheese,one double cheese, and one pepperoni. They all came out on time, piping hot from the coal fired oven and cooked well on top. Surprisingly, the bottom of the pizza was not charred, which i thought was almost magical. The crust was still crispy, and the flavor was delicious. I enjoyed each one, but my favorite was the double cheese. The guys cooking were cool and answered all the questions I had about the history of the establishment. Even though they kept a few secrets, I had a good time chatting it up and enjoyed the nostalgic environment. They offered bottled sodas and had an old fake tattoo machine that still took quarters. I even liked the welcome sign that was handwritten by the "grumpy pizza maker." The pizza rating for me was only about an 8, but the experience was well over a 10! read more

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Daughter and I went yesterday on the way back to Boston but we timed it poorly so the pie was like warm. Totally our fault. It was so good I had to go back on the way home to PA today. Got it right out of the oven. Owner was so great! Wish him the very best with his upcoming surgery. Can't wait to come back next time on the way to and from Boston. Probably the best pie I have ever had. read more

Little Rendezvous - Plain pie! Looks well done but it's not. So delicious!!! - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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Probably the coolest pizza place I ever been too! The ambience is like no other it's one of a kind. The owner was so nice and the service was top tier. But the pie wow I mean no flop and the cheese and sauce just blend together it's another level experience !!!! read more

Little Rendezvous - Cheese pie - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut