OT: Best Pizza in CT

[upstater]

My son goes to college near Utica and is missing good pizza. School food just doesn't cut it! Can you suggest some good pizza places in Utica for him to try?

Honestly I can't. I have been to Utica 4 times and just picked places at random. The one place that had really good NY style was in the core of downtown by Firestone. Other places were closer to the highway. Once broke down on 90 outside Utica and was towed to a Firestone downtown, where I picked a place at random. The places are non-descript pizza shops, not restaurants.

 

[8893]

My son goes to college near Utica and is missing good pizza. School food just doesn't cut it! Can you suggest some good pizza places in Utica for him to try?

It's been a while since I've been there as both of her parents have moved since, but I recall Slice and Tony's both being good *enough*. We went to Slice more because she and/or her brother used to work there a long time ago, but my memory is that I preferred Tony's.

 

[HooperScooper]

arent you around Boston?
He should be used to bad Pizza.

We go down to CT all the time. Sometimes just for pizza! And there's a Pepe's in Chestnut Hill, that while it's not New Haven, is pretty good. At least compared to the rest of the stuff around here.

 

[Paesano]

My son goes to college near Utica and is missing good pizza. School food just doesn't cut it! Can you suggest some good pizza places in Utica for him to try?

There is a college near Utica? There is life near Utica?!?!?!

 

[August_West]

We go down to CT all the time. Sometimes just for pizza! And there's a Pepe's in Chestnut Hill, that while it's not New Haven, is pretty good. At least compared to the rest of the stuff around here.

A chain Pepe's is still better than 95% of choices anywhere else. Forgot about them opening up there. How are they doing business wise?

 

[HooperScooper]

There is a college near Utica? There is life near Utica?!?!?!

Hamilton College in Clinton, NY is 10 minutes from Utica. And you're right, that might be the only life near Utica! Actually the town of New Hartford, NY is also right there and has all the stuff most people could need. The area isn't Boston or New York City though, that's for sure.

 

[HooperScooper]

A chain Pepe's is still better than 95% of choices anywhere else. Forgot about them opening up there. How are they doing business wise?

Every time we go there it's crowded and most times there is a line out the door. They do a lot of take out business also. Supposedly they are looking for a spot in the Framingham/Natick area so I guess they want to expand up here.

I did find a place around here that has really good pizza. Max and Leo's in Newton Corner and Fenway. Good stuff. Ducali near the Boston Garden isn't bad either.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

There is a college near Utica? There is life near Utica?!?!?!

Besides Utica College, which I believe was at one point owned by Syracuse U, Hamilton and Colgate are both within 30 minutes of the city.

 

[Deepster]

There is a college near Utica? There is life near Utica?!?!?!

Ex Mrs Deepster went to college in Utica. It's a mob town.....and as such has good Italian food.

 

[storrsroars]

For any BYers in the Joisey area - We're opening out first store in NJ next week, so I'll be in the Montclair area a few times over the next several weeks.

I'm kind of excited to finally get to try Star Tavern's bar pie as it's the one most commonly connected to The Colony as a prime example of bar pie. I've had a few others recommended to me, although nobody can come up withe a Trenton tomato pie without traveling to Trenton - with one possible exception: Santillo's in Elizabeth.

Any BYers ever been to this place? The menu is really interesting as it ties recipes to years when those pizzas were created/popular. Like I could order a 1940s Tomato Pie (no cheese).

Kinda reminds me of that old Steven Wright joke: "I went to this diner that said 'Breakfast served any time', so I ordered french toast from the Renaissance."

 

[upstater]

Hamilton College in Clinton, NY is 10 minutes from Utica. And you're right, that might be the only life near Utica! Actually the town of New Hartford, NY is also right there and has all the stuff most people could need. The area isn't Boston or New York City though, that's for sure.

Great school, underrated. They used to run a great summer program where the students were actually paid to conduct research.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

For any BYers in the Joisey area - We're opening out first store in NJ next week, so I'll be in the Montclair area a few times over the next several weeks.

I'm kind of excited to finally get to try Star Tavern's bar pie as it's the one most commonly connected to The Colony as a prime example of bar pie. I've had a few others recommended to me, although nobody can come up withe a Trenton tomato pie without traveling to Trenton - with one possible exception: Santillo's in Elizabeth.

Any BYers ever been to this place? The menu is really interesting as it ties recipes to years when those pizzas were created/popular. Like I could order a 1940s Tomato Pie (no cheese).

Kinda reminds me of that old Steven Wright joke: "I went to this diner that said 'Breakfast served any time', so I ordered french toast from the Renaissance."

I have not spent much time in Montclair myself as its a hassle to get to from where I live; but, as a FYI, the big/famous pizza place in Trenton, DeLorenzo's Pizza, bailed on the mess that Trenton is and moved to Robbinsonville, a suburb to the west of Trenton a few years back. They actually hauled their old ovens 10 miles over to the new location.

DeLorenzo's Pizza in Trenton announces it will move to Sloan Avenue in Hamilton next year

 

[storrsroars]

In Montclair, NJ for the week. Finally got to Star Tavern in Orange last night. Still prefer Colony for taste, most likely due to sauce and taste memory/familiarity (for better or worse).

Ordered a sausage & pepper version. The sausage was pretty bland. Star makes basically same style/size/thinness of Colony's bar pie, Star doesn't have the same pock-marked look (from oil bubbling through cheese). More char on crust than Colony (not a negative). They have a hot pepper option, but not stingers nor hot oil.

Plain pizza is $11. Each topping is $2.25, which seems high for a pizza of its size (I believe 14"). So my bill was $15.50 for two toppings. I want to say Colony is a little less expensive, but I could be wrong there as I haven't been in 18 months or so.

Based on annual pizza rankings, I think I was expecting more of a knock-out experience. Didn't happen. But that's obviously a personal opinion. The place was packed at 8pm on a Tuesday night (probably ~80 seats) so it's certainly very popular.

Just to be clear, I don't think Colony is the best pizza in CT. In fact it has little in common with what I'd consider a "best pizza" anywhere. But it's a style (bar pie) and taste I enjoy. I'd simply rank it ahead of Star Tavern in an apples to apples bar pie comparison.

 

[Gurleyman]

Kinda reminds me of that old Steven Wright joke: "I went to this diner that said 'Breakfast served any time', so I ordered french toast from the Renaissance."

Swingers had the line "I'll have the pancakes in the age of enlightenment" - did they essentially rip off a Wright joke? Never knew that.

 

[8893]

Swingers had the line "I'll have the pancakes in the age of enlightenment" - did they essentially rip off a Wright joke? Never knew that.

Hold on, Voltaire!

 

[zyron]

Plain pizza is $11. Each topping is $2.25, which seems high for a pizza of its size (I believe 14"). So my bill was $15.50 for two toppings. I want to say Colony is a little less expensive, but I could be wrong there as I haven't been in 18 months or so.
.

I went to Colony a couple months ago. It was $9.50 for a plain and $1.50 for each topping.

 

[JonnyRI]

Not sure if has ever been posted before but has anybody had RI Party Pizza? As a non RI native, I find it to be one of the more awful things ever created. Yet for some reason it's treated like a heroic state food here. If you are ever here take a pass on it.

 

[August_West]

Not sure if has ever been posted before but has anybody had RI Party Pizza? As a non RI native, I find it to be one of the more awful things ever created. Yet for some reason it's treated like a heroic state food here. If you are ever here take a pass on it.

It's almost as good as clam fritters.


Wtf is wrong with RI?

 

[8893]

It's almost as good as clam fritters.


Wtf is wrong with RI?

Not sure if has ever been posted before but has anybody had RI Party Pizza? As a non RI native, I find it to be one of the more awful things ever created. Yet for some reason it's treated like a heroic state food here. If you are ever here take a pass on it.

Yes I've detailed my disgust with both previously, at least twice in this thread probably. I love the RI shore and RI oysters and RI clam chowder, but the state is a culinary desert for the most part. And party pizza and clam fritters should be jailable offenses.

 

[Robertelamin]

Not sure if has ever been posted before but has anybody had RI Party Pizza? As a non RI native, I find it to be one of the more awful things ever created. Yet for some reason it's treated like a heroic state food here. If you are ever here take a pass on it.

I had a roommate from Rhode Island and every now and then his family would bring over a box of them. Of course he talked it up big but I was pretty disappointed to find out they were basically an open faced sauce sandwich. He would also bring back coffee milk which I never tried. I thought the hot weiners were pretty good when I was in Providence.

 

[mauconnfan]

The Most Popular Pizza Place In Every State

Buzzed picks Meriden's Little Rendezvous as the #1 in CT...not sure who they are and what they go by, but LR is a solid pie as others have mentioned above. No Spooker though folks

 

[storrsroars]

The Most Popular Pizza Place In Every State

I feel bad for the good people in Delaware. That monstrosity in the left photo might be the worst looking "pizza" I've ever seen. Looks like someone poured Campbell's tomato soup all over it.

And what's with M&Ms on pizza?

 

[superjohn]

I had a roommate from Rhode Island and every now and then his family would bring over a box of them. Of course he talked it up big but I was pretty disappointed to find out they were basically an open faced sauce sandwich. He would also bring back coffee milk which I never tried. I thought the hot weiners were pretty good when I was in Providence.

You seem like someone who would love hot weiners.

 

[superjohn]

The Most Popular Pizza Place In Every State

Buzzed picks Meriden's Little Rendezvous as the #1 in CT...not sure who they are and what they go by, but LR is a solid pie as others have mentioned above. No Spooker though folks

Stopped looking at the list when I saw they had that monstrosity for the best in Arizona over Pizzeria Bianco and Grimaldi's.

 

[August_West]

Stopped looking at the list when I saw they had that monstrosity for the best in Arizona over Pizzeria Bianco and Grimaldi's.

That article offends me so much I want to get some hot oil from colony and throw it in the authors eyes.