OT: Best Pizza in CT

[Uconn77Duke74]

The pizza shop in Willington was the best pizza in the area. When i was a student back in early 90's Gumby's pizza was king.

 

[ToolzieFan]

Yes, "In The Zone" was the name. That and the spot in Alumni where I could load up on waters and Powerades at the end of each semester with whatever was left on meal plan made living in West awesome. That and having no roommate for a year and half.

The place in Alumni was the W.E.B.B. site, or something like that, right? That was a decent place to grab a sandwich when I didn’t have time for the dining hall. The real benefit, as you said, was using the last of my remaining meals on Powerades at the end of the semester. My buddy and I did that every semester and wondered why more didn’t. We’d also hit up Jonathan’s, because we could grab some packaged baked goods and a few extra spicy chicken sandwiches to go with our Powerades. Good times.

 

[husky429]

I heard the one in Glastonbury is good. Can anyone confirm whether that's true or not?

I've probably been there 30x because I used to live nearby and my friends always wanted to go to trivia night.

At their best, it was an edible faux-Neapolitan. They also served a faux-Detroit style. Both fine, but nothing I'd take more than a short drive to go get. Better than anything in Storrs right now... maybe on par with Blaze. I certainly wouldn't drive an hour and make a trip of it like I would with New Haven za.

I tended to get A LOT of burnt pizzas unless one specific guy was cooking, which was always frustrating... older, red-headed, and my hero. I didn't want to be an balloon knot and send it back to the other cooks, but you've gotta learn to control the temperature in your oven at a certain point. I LOVE "char"... I know the difference between char and burned, and I got A LOT of burned bottoms because the oven was too hot.

 

[HooperScooper]

I've probably been there 30x because I used to live nearby and my friends always wanted to go to trivia night.

At their best, it was an edible faux-Neapolitan. They also served a faux-Detroit style. Both fine, but nothing I'd take more than a short drive to go get. Better than anything in Storrs right now... maybe on par with Blaze. I certainly wouldn't drive an hour and make a trip of it like I would with New Haven za.

I tended to get A LOT of burnt pizzas unless one specific guy was cooking, which was always frustrating... older, red-headed, and my hero. I didn't want to be an balloon knot and send it back to the other cooks, but you've gotta learn to control the temperature in your oven at a certain point. I LOVE "char"... I know the difference between char and burned, and I got A LOT of burned bottoms because the oven was too hot.

Thanks. My parents live very close to there so I was wondering if it was worth getting when we're there. Sounds like there are better options around.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Not going to lie, I'm surprised the amount of love Peps is getting.

It's fine for what it was: a cheap option for late-night food on campus for when you're drunk. Outside of that, it's a trash sober option.

Come to think of it, I guess I just didn't eat a lot of pizza in college.

Willington Pizza does hold a place in my heart, though. Instant dopamine rush every time I walk in.

 

[Dove]

I used to think Sgt Pepperoni made a very respectable NY Style pizza on campus. Disappointed it closed.

Ahhhh, well.

 

[Dove]

Does anyone up there make a Buffalo jalapeno mac and cheese pizza?

 

[McLovin]

Sgt Pep's was the best. DP Dough got all the hype (and is good in itself), but give me the Sgt Pep's calzone 100 times out of 100. The pizza was above average too

1000%. Buffalo Chicken Sargent Pep calzone was the move.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Does anyone up there make a Buffalo jalapeno mac and cheese pizza?

Those are fighting words

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

The buffalo chicken pie from Willington Pizza is where it's at

 

[Mr. French]

There is no good pizza near UCONN. None.

I won’t indulge in any of the CT pizza discussion but I’ll say the last 2 times I visited campus as an out of towner I was stunned how little access there was to grabbing a quick slice. Good or bad I could barely find a slice.

 

[Austin316]

There is no good pizza near UCONN. None.

Best nearby…

Willington Pizza - 8 mins away
Camille’s Wood Fire - 13 min away

 

[Deepster]

Does anyone up there make a Buffalo jalapeno mac and cheese pizza?

Shut up, Dove.

 

[tdrink]

I've been living in Storrs for the last 25 years and seen it all come and go.

Part of the issue here is that standards have gone way up. I was a Gumby's guy back in the day, but if that same pizza was still available I don’t think I could take two bites of it.

Pizza Mike's, Willington, Apollo, Tony's and Pleasant are all mediocre but nothing to write home about options. (Apollo prob the best of those, imo.)

Wooster St. was great and always crowded when it first opened. The quality dropped off a cliff very quickly and the place was always empty after that.

The disaster that became the “downtown “ jacked rents throughout Storrs and cleared out anything that didn’t have a good profit margin.

The University requiring all students in dorms to be on a very expensive meal plan (cash cow) was another stake through the heart.

There are currently many Asian food options in Storrs because they cater to one of the biggest demographics of renters, especially in the downtown.

 

[HooperScooper]

Wooster St. was great and always crowded when it first opened. The quality dropped off a cliff very quickly and the place was always empty after that.

Ah, so that's what happened. The Cromwell one was really good when I lived in Rocky Hill in the early to mid 1990s so maybe all the locations changed ownership and the quality went down hill. Too bad.

 

[McLovin]

I've been living in Storrs for the last 25 years and seen it all come and go.

Part of the issue here is that standards have gone way up. I was a Gumby's guy back in the day, but if that same pizza was still available I don’t think I could take two bites of it.

Pizza Mike's, Willington, Apollo, Tony's and Pleasant are all mediocre but nothing to write home about options. (Apollo prob the best of those, imo.)

Wooster St. was great and always crowded when it first opened. The quality dropped off a cliff very quickly and the place was always empty after that.

The disaster that became the “downtown “ jacked rents throughout Storrs and cleared out anything that didn’t have a good profit margin.

The University requiring all students in dorms to be on a very expensive meal plan (cash cow) was another stake through the heart.

There are currently many Asian food options in Storrs because they cater to one of the biggest demographics of renters, especially in the downtown.

Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. I also think UConn lacking any sort of traditional strip of bars like most but universities also makes it tough.

They can’t have any $1 slice spots because there is no concentration of late night drinkers. Storrs Center was a big whiff IMO, the town of Mansfield wanting it to be family oriented / the crazy rents / the anti party culture of the Herbst tenure when it was being built really forced it to become a bunch of chain spots serving fast food.

For as great as UConn is, some things about the university are an enigma.

 

[tdrink]

Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. I also think UConn lacking any sort of traditional strip of bars like most but universities also makes it tough.

They can’t have any $1 slice spots because there is no concentration of late night drinkers. Storrs Center was a big whiff IMO, the town of Mansfield wanting it to be family oriented / the crazy rents / the anti party culture of the Herbst tenure when it was being built really forced it to become a bunch of chain spots serving fast food.

For as great as UConn is, some things about the university are an enigma.

I have said this here in the past, but I don't think it was widely accepted; the Storrs downtown was not built for the benefit of the town residents in any way, shape or form.

Residents were asked what the priorities were for a downtown and the answers were sidewalk cafes, on street parking, orientation to the sun and a green for public events.

Instead we got, no outdoor dining options, basically no on street parking (all loading zones) and a tiny green that is all pavers and right on the busiest stretch of road in a 25 mile radius.The only thing prioritized was bed space.

The only chance the downtown has to be any kind of draw is for it start to age out, rents come down and it develops some grit. I know far more townies who were dead set against the whole process than wanting it to be family oriented. It feels bad that I was for it, because it is an unmitigated disaster at this point.

The “downtown “ is not any sort of town space. It is essentially a giant , private rented dormitory for grad students and some seniors.

 

[Huskybass]

I heard the one in Glastonbury is good. Can anyone confirm whether that's true or not?

The one in Glastonbury makes a great pie from an ingredient and construction standpoint. Top tier potential, but several I have gotten were cooked very unevenly, like they forgot to turn it.

 

[Ratso]

I love Minervini's. Definitely best in East Haven.

‘staven’ for the locals

 

[willie99]

Fried dough at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast in Waterbury has to be one of the best. It's the definition of what fried dough should be, and the Italians from Town Plot make the perfect sauce. Have to wait until next year's Feast though. Four days in July

 

[HCCForever]

Fried dough at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast in Waterbury has to be one of the best. It's the definition of what fried dough should be, and the Italians from Town Plot make the perfect sauce. Have to wait until next year's Feast though. Four days in July

My Italian mother and grandmother used to make fried dough which I believe we called azapes. Both have passed so I haven't had the home made ones in years. We used to eat with sugar or with my mother's delicious sauce.

 

[alexd]

In central/northern CT area.... I will still stand by Chunky Tomato here in Bristol.

Get their white pie with baby clams, mozz, bacon, garlic and capers.

Chunky Tomato

chunkytomato.com

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

My Italian mother and grandmother used to make fried dough which I believe we called azapes. Both have passed so I haven't had the home made ones in years. We used to eat with sugar or with my mother's delicious sauce.

Yeah my grandmother would make it and call it pizza fritte. Was delicious. My mom has no interest in cooking but my sister has the recipe and has made it a few times.

 

[CL82]

Yeah my grandmother would make it and call it pizza fritte. Was delicious. My mom has no interest in cooking but my sister has the recipe and has made it a few times.

I grew up knowing it as "friddu". It was delicious. It was only a few years ago that I realized that "friddu" is an Italianized "fried dough".

 

[Rocktheworld]

My Italian mother and grandmother used to make fried dough which I believe we called azapes. Both have passed so I haven't had the home made ones in years. We used to eat with sugar or with my mother's delicious sauce.

Yeah my grandmother would make it and call it pizza fritte. Was delicious. My mom has no interest in cooking but my sister has the recipe and has made it a few times.

I grew up knowing it as "friddu". It was delicious. It was only a few years ago that I realized that "friddu" is an Italianized "fried dough".

You talking zeppoles?