Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana of Fairfield

238 Commerce Dr., Fairfield, CT - (203) 333-7373

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Posted By Michael Stern on October 21, 2007 10:14 AM

The original Pepe's of New Haven has been our place since we met, and we've continued to believe in it even on some recent occasions when the crust was soft and toppings slippery. As devotees of one-of-a-kind restaurants, we were especially ready not to like Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana of Fairfield, Connecticut, a branch of the original that opened a few weeks ago just down the road from Super Duper Weenie. Pulling into the parking lot, we were annoyed right away. At one o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, the line waiting to get in stretched forty yards out the door.

Then it occurred to us: waiting in line has always been part of the Pepe's experience, so at least in that one respect, the Fairfield County branch is following tradition. There you have the bad news: it's too popular.

The good news is that the pizza is magnificent. We ordered a white clam pie, a pepperoni and mozzarella pie, and an original tomato (no mozzarella) pie. Each looks exactly like the Wooster Street original; and even if the crust seems perhaps 10% thicker and not quite as elegant as New Haven on a good day, it has that perfect balance of crunch and chew, the savory burnt edge, and the debris-strewn underside that characterizes Connecticut's super-soulful Neapolitan pizzas.

One big difference between this place and the original is the waitstaff, which actually is courteous rather than New Haven brusque. Still, they're all business. Our waiter virtually sprinted to the table three minutes after we were seated. We hadn't looked at a menu but he nevertheless demanded to know what we wanted. "Order now," he commanded. "They're backed up on pizzas in the kitchen." Towards the end of the meal, after he decided we were OK because we ordered the right things and ate them all, he confided, "We must have a lot of good New Haven people here today. They're ordering the classics – white clam, plain tomato. You know someone is a novice when they ask for bacon with their clams or extra mozzarella."

The dining experience is wonderfully no-frills. Plates are plastic (not paper), the metal trays on which pizzas arrive aren't yet battered and bent, and the silverware is the same useless, flimsy stuff they dole out back in New Haven. When two people order the same soft drink, the waiter suggests a quart, which is brought to the table along with tumblers full of ice for customers to pour themselves.

To summarize: if you don't mind waiting and you don't need waitstaff coddling, Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana of Fairfield just might serve you the best pizza of your life.

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