Having had Sally's Apizza on my bucket list for what feels like forever, I was beyond excited to…read morefinally cross it off. Having already tried Frank Pepe's up the street, this was stop number two on my quest through New Haven's legendary "Big Three."
We arrived around 8:00 PM on a Wednesday evening on our drive back to RI from Pennsylvania, hoping the line wouldn't be too bad, knowing they closed at 9:00 PM. Luckily, there were only about a dozen people ahead of us, and we were seated by 8:30 PM. The place only has about 15 to 20 tables inside, but they do a fantastic job turning them over, and the host was super friendly and professional right from the start.
The dining room has that perfect old-school feel - clean, warm, and completely inviting. Our server, Jessica V., was exceptional. Even though it was the end of what was likely a long shift, she was cheerful, super friendly, and attentive. My partner, feeling dehydrated after our long drive, requested a pitcher of water, and Jessica was happy to bring one out to her.
We ordered a Large Mozzarella & Tomato Sauce Pie, and it was as close to pizza perfection as you can get. You could tell right away that they use top-quality ingredients. The vibrant sauce and mozzarella balanced each other out beautifully on a nicely charred, coal-fired crust. We completely devoured the entire thing, and it easily earned a spot in the top three pizzas I've ever had in my life. To go with the pie, I had a Two Roads "Two Juicy Zero" non-alcoholic beer, which was super refreshing and ideal since we still had a two-hour drive ahead of us.
In my humble opinion, I give a very slight edge to Sally's over Pepe's, though I'd probably need to try them side by side to make a final call. All in all, it was a fantastic experience, and we loved every minute of it. A huge thank you to Jessica and the Sally's team! We will definitely be back the next time we're passing through!