OT: Best Pizza in CT

[imno1]

Spot on mate! Anybody asking for pepperoni on a pizza in Italy would be met with an incredulous look and a schiaffo to the back of the head.

This ain’t Italy and while I rarely order pepperoni on my pie it’s probably a top 2-3 most popular topping at least here in CT. Now I want to go to Italy just to ask for pepperoni

 

[superjohn]

OMG, you trolling, right? I've had some great pizza in the south of Italy where my parents are from, and some great pizza up north where many of uncles, aunts, and cousins have relocated. And I'm not talking about tourist areas but where the locals go to eat. The worst I had was in Venezia.

It tastes pretty good because the ingredients are fresh but it's just that it's nowhere near as good as pizza in CT, IMO.

With all the other great food in Italy I just wouldn't waste my time again with pizza there. A lot of people think pizza in Chicago is great, I would tell people not to waste their time with pizza there as well.

 

[superjohn]

This ain’t Italy and while I rarely order pepperoni on my pie it’s probably a top 2-3 most popular topping at least here in CT. Now I want to go to Italy just to ask for pepperoni

Pepperoni is by far the most popular pizza topping in the US and yes the super thin processed stuff at bad pizza places isn't very good the thick cut locally sourced pepperoni at the great pizza places is excellent, especially when it gets a nice char on the edges and curls up a bit.

 

[storrsroars]

It tastes pretty good because the ingredients are fresh but it's just that it's nowhere near as good as pizza in CT, IMO.

With all the other great food in Italy I just wouldn't waste my time again with pizza there.

Awful take on the first part. Reasonable take on the second part. But if you really have a jones for pizza, you're gonna be happy (unless that jones is for buffalo chicken or pineapple and ham).

I've had pizza at the convention center food court in Bologna that could make a CT top 20 and be a top 3 in most states.

 

[superjohn]

Awful take on the first part. Reasonable take on the second part. But if you really have a jones for pizza, you're gonna be happy (unless that jones is for buffalo chicken or pineapple and ham).

I've had pizza at the convention center food court in Bologna that could make a CT top 20 and best a top 3 in most states.

I had pizza at what I was told by a local was the best pizza in Bologna. It tasted pretty good because it's fresh but it didn't compare with the great pizza in CT. Same thing in Napoli.

The food in Bologna is outstanding, I would tell people not to waste their time on the pizza. My dad lived in Bologna for 5 years.

 

[storrsroars]

I had pizza at what I was told by a local was the best pizza in Bologna. It tasted pretty good because it's fresh but it didn't compare with the great pizza in CT. Same thing in Napoli.

The food in Bologna is outstanding, I would tell people not to waste their time on the pizza. My dad lived in Bologna for 5 years.

If I went back to Bologna, I'd have a hard time not ordering risotto for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A mushroom risotto I had there is in my top 5 all-time meals. Never had anything remotely close to it in the US.

That said, given the numerous comments here about many of the top NH-area pizza places being inconsistent, I'd argue that you're unlikely to run into that in much of Italy. I can't say that as a fact because I've only had five pizzas there, despite visiting Bologna, Verona, Florence and multiple trips to Rome. That's why I agreed on your second point - that there's usually something more interesting and delicious on the menu besides pizza. IIRC, I've had 3 pizzas in Rome and one each in Florence and Bologna. So one about every 15 days I spent there.

I used to work on a tradeshow in the tile & stone industry, so I'd go over to Italy to talk to potential exhibitors. When I was at the Bologna convention center, I only ordered the pizza because it was the fastest thing to get and I could eat it on the run. But when I bit into it, it was a "Holy Shiite" moment. I'm not exaggerating that it was really, really good and completely unexpected. They care about food there.

 

[j66kicker]

Pepperoni is by far the most popular pizza topping in the US and yes the super thin processed stuff at bad pizza places isn't very good the thick cut locally sourced pepperoni at the great pizza places is excellent, especially when it gets a nice char on the edges and curls up a bit.

Totally agree:
1) Pepperoni is by far the most popular topping in the US, and
2) For most pepperoni pizza I need about 5 paper napkins to sop up the orange grease off a decent-sized slice. So I never order it. Unless I see a pizza at the next table with "good" pepperoni on it

 

[Husky Alien]

Pepperoni is by far the most popular pizza topping in the US and yes the super thin processed stuff at bad pizza places isn't very good the thick cut locally sourced pepperoni at the great pizza places is excellent, especially when it gets a nice char on the edges and curls up a bit.

Yes, pepperoni is huge in the U.S. — along with all the other wild combos we’ve invented: Hawaiian, chicken ranch or buffalo, BBQ, hot honey ect…
But that’s just not pizza to me, sorry. I grew up in Italy my first 10 years and still go back a lot since I’ve got family there, so my pizza brain is wired a little differently.
tip, don’t order a “pepperoni” pie in Italy you’ll probably get bell peppers or some other type of fresh peppers on your pizza.
Italians keep it simple and let the ingredients shine: maybe broccoli rabe, sausage, Margherita, fresh mozzarella, soppressata, maybe pancetta and just plain sauce with fresh herbs and definitely not all piled onto one pie.
Most Italian pizzas aren’t giant shareables it’s usually a personal 12-inch pie per person. Clean, simple, perfect. 🍕

 

[Flipside]

Yes, pepperoni is huge in the U.S. — along with all the other wild combos we’ve invented: Hawaiian, chicken ranch or buffalo, BBQ, hot honey ect…
But that’s just not pizza to me, sorry. I grew up in Italy my first 10 years and still go back a lot since I’ve got family there, so my pizza brain is wired a little differently.
tip, don’t order a “pepperoni” pie in Italy you’ll probably get bell peppers or some other type of fresh peppers on your pizza.
Italians keep it simple and let the ingredients shine: maybe broccoli rabe, sausage, Margherita, fresh mozzarella, soppressata, maybe pancetta and just plain sauce with fresh herbs and definitely not all piled onto one pie.
Most Italian pizzas aren’t giant shareables it’s usually a personal 12-inch pie per person. Clean, simple, perfect. 🍕

 

[upstater]

Yes, pepperoni is huge in the U.S. — along with all the other wild combos we’ve invented: Hawaiian, chicken ranch or buffalo, BBQ, hot honey ect…
But that’s just not pizza to me, sorry. I grew up in Italy my first 10 years and still go back a lot since I’ve got family there, so my pizza brain is wired a little differently.
tip, don’t order a “pepperoni” pie in Italy you’ll probably get bell peppers or some other type of fresh peppers on your pizza.
Italians keep it simple and let the ingredients shine: maybe broccoli rabe, sausage, Margherita, fresh mozzarella, soppressata, maybe pancetta and just plain sauce with fresh herbs and definitely not all piled onto one pie.
Most Italian pizzas aren’t giant shareables it’s usually a personal 12-inch pie per person. Clean, simple, perfect. 🍕

??

I lived in Italy and they had all sorts of pizzas that were just as wild. I knew a guy my age (early 20s) who always ordered a pizza with french fries and hot dogs cut up in pieces on it. There were other pizzas that made my head spin as much as an Italian would question pineapple on pizza.

 

[Husky Alien]

??

I lived in Italy and they had all sorts of pizzas that were just as wild. I knew a guy my age (early 20s) who always ordered a pizza with french fries and hot dogs cut up in pieces on it. There were other pizzas that made my head spin as much as an Italian would question pineapple on pizza.

Interesting, that hasn’t really been my experience. I’ll actually be back in Italy this summer and spending some time in Rome, (we don't go for touristy things) which I don’t get to much, so I’ll check out the pizza scene there. I’m guessing some spots cater more to tourists in the main cities.
My relatives live on the outskirts of Naples, and I’ve never really seen the kind of outrageous toppings you’re describing. Down there it’s usually simple, classic, and traditional.

 

[CTBasketball]

Alright best pizza in Manhattan?

Don’t give me L’Industrie either I don’t want to stand in line for 45 min and watch 22 year olds film themselves eating.

 

[superjohn]

Yes, pepperoni is huge in the U.S. — along with all the other wild combos we’ve invented: Hawaiian, chicken ranch or buffalo, BBQ, hot honey ect…
But that’s just not pizza to me, sorry. I grew up in Italy my first 10 years and still go back a lot since I’ve got family there, so my pizza brain is wired a little differently.
tip, don’t order a “pepperoni” pie in Italy you’ll probably get bell peppers or some other type of fresh peppers on your pizza.
Italians keep it simple and let the ingredients shine: maybe broccoli rabe, sausage, Margherita, fresh mozzarella, soppressata, maybe pancetta and just plain sauce with fresh herbs and definitely not all piled onto one pie.
Most Italian pizzas aren’t giant shareables it’s usually a personal 12-inch pie per person. Clean, simple, perfect. 🍕

I like my pizza how I like my burgers, keep it simple. For a burger just beef and cheese. For pizza plain cheese or 1 topping either pepperoni or sausage if they have great locally sourced pepperoni and sausage.

My problem with pizza in Italy is my same problem with the certifield Pizza Napoletana pizzas made in the US. It's great ingredients but they're floppy/soggy in the middle and don't have the crunch on the crust even if it's blistered. They taste pretty good but it's knife and fork food and doesn't have the texture or the char flavor New Haven pizzas impart.

 

[Husky Alien]

View attachment 118026

ah così buono prosciutto e mozzarella eccellente e fresco. e birra Morretti! Grazie

 

[Husky Alien]

I like my pizza how I like my burgers, keep it simple. For a burger just beef and cheese. For pizza plain cheese or 1 topping either pepperoni or sausage if they have great locally sourced pepperoni and sausage.

My problem with pizza in Italy is my same problem with the certifield Pizza Napoletana pizzas made in the US. It's great ingredients but they're floppy/soggy in the middle and don't have the crunch on the crust even if it's blistered. They taste pretty good but it's knife and fork food and doesn't have the texture or the char flavor New Haven pizzas impart.

True, you can ask for it more charred if that’s your preference. But most of the time in Italy, pizza isn’t really something you eat with your hands. Fork and knife is the norm.

 

[storrsroars]

??

I lived in Italy and they had all sorts of pizzas that were just as wild. I knew a guy my age (early 20s) who always ordered a pizza with french fries and hot dogs cut up in pieces on it. There were other pizzas that made my head spin as much as an Italian would question pineapple on pizza.

Is your friend from Pittsburgh?

Edit: TIL... this is actually a thing. Read the comments

 

[karstenkibbe]

Alright best pizza in Manhattan?

Don’t give me L’Industrie either I don’t want to stand in line for 45 min and watch 22 year olds film themselves eating.

My vote goes to Ceres. Just don’t blush at plain cheese pies priced in the high $30s. Agree on L’Industrie. Don’t get me wrong. It’s great pizza. But I don’t ride the hype train when you can get an equally stellar sourdough pie without having to cross the NY border - at Grigg Street Pizza in Greenwich… the place where people in New Haven County are too lazy to drive to because…. Wooster Street.

 

[HooperScooper]

My vote goes to Ceres. Just don’t blush at plain cheese pies priced in the high $30s. Agree on L’Industrie. Don’t get me wrong. It’s great pizza. But I don’t ride the hype train when you can get an equally stellar sourdough pie without having to cross the NY border - at Grigg Street Pizza in Greenwich… the place where people in New Haven County are too lazy to drive to because…. Wooster Street.

I was just at Ceres a month ago, the day after the game at St. John's. $40 for a large cheese. But it was really good.

 

[HooperScooper]

Yes, pepperoni is huge in the U.S. — along with all the other wild combos we’ve invented: Hawaiian, chicken ranch or buffalo, BBQ, hot honey ect…

Believe it or not Hawaiian pizza was invented in Canada in the 1960s. I looked it up once because a friend of mine had it every day from a pizza truck in Jamaica and I was wondering why they had it down there.

 

[jpeakin]

Alright best pizza in Manhattan?

Don’t give me L’Industrie either I don’t want to stand in line for 45 min and watch 22 year olds film themselves eating.

I went to Rubirosa before the SJU game and I thought it was excellent. It's not your typical pizzeria where you are crushing a lot of it, think more along the lines of a bougie date night appetizer pizza. Super thin but it was delicious, and not crazy overpriced if I remember correctly.

 

[superjohn]

Recently discovered my all-time favorite wrestler...

 

[upstater]

Is your friend from Pittsburgh?

Edit: TIL... this is actually a thing. Read the comments

It's incredibly common in Italy. Every pizza place I went to had a Diavola (Devil's Pizza). Some restaurants called it a Viennese.