Coal, Clams and a Century on Wooster Street: The Pepe Family Story Behind Frank Pepe Pizzeria

There is no more important address in American pizza than 157 Wooster St., according to Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana’s own New Haven page — and for a century of New Haveners, that has not been marketing copy. It is where Frank and Filomena Pepe turned coal, dough and crushed tomatoes into “apizza,” and where the white clam pie later became as much a local landmark as the green.

The family still runs the business. The original 1925 oven still burns next door at The Spot. And the Wooster Street flagship is still the place the James Beard Foundation called an America’s Classic.

Here is the Pepe family story, how the New Haven pie was built, what fans say, and what to order when you finally get a table.

From Maiori to Wooster Square

Frank Pepe was born near Naples, Italy, in 1893, the restaurant’s history says, and arrived through Ellis Island as a teenager in 1909. He worked in Wooster Square factories, returned to Italy to fight in World War I, and was honorably discharged in 1919. Shortly after, he married Filomena Volpi, also from Maiori. The couple arrived back in America in January 1920.

In June 1925 they opened at 163 Wooster St., then a bakery, first selling tomato pies from a cart, then from the shop. Filomena’s English and bookkeeping, the family says, were fundamental while Frank focused on the oven. The original menu was elemental: crushed tomatoes, pecorino, garlic, oregano and olive oil — plus anchovies.

In 1936, when the rental at 163 ended and demand grew, Frank bought 157 Wooster St. next door, added tables and chairs, and even persuaded the state that pizza counted as a meal so he could get a beer license. The family lived upstairs. The old bakery later became known as The Spot; Elizabeth and Serafina Pepe bought it back in 1978, and it reopened in 1981 as an annex that still uses the original 1925 oven, sharing menu and staff with the main dining room.

Tomato pie, then the white clam

New Haveners call it apizza — “ah-beetz” — from the Neapolitan immigrant dialect. Pepe’s dough is wetter and slower-fermented than ordinary pizza dough, the restaurant says, and the coal oven’s hot, dry air gives it a thin, crispy, airy crust, “almost like a thin, crispy, airy, ciabatta-style bread.”

The Original Tomato Pie — crushed Italian tomatoes, grated Pecorino Romano and olive oil — has been on the menu since 1925. In 1964 Frank added what became the house signature: the White Clam Pizza, with olive oil, garlic, oregano, grated cheese and freshly shucked clams. The restaurant says he had been serving Rhode Island clams on the half-shell as an appetizer while guests waited, then put them on the pie. Today the New Haven page says the clams are harvested from Long Island Sound and Massachusetts shores and shucked fresh every day.

Daughters, grandchildren and a James Beard classic

Frank died in 1969 and Filomena in 1971. Their daughters Elizabeth and Serafina took over full ownership, the restaurant says, running orders, hiring, payroll and the floor. In the early 1990s they passed the business to their children — Anthony, Francis, Lisa, Bernadette, Genevieve, Jennifer and Gary — all of whom worked in the business in some capacity.

In 1999 the James Beard Foundation named Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana an America’s Classic, an honor for beloved regional restaurants. Elizabeth and Serafina accepted. Expansion beyond New Haven began in 2006 in Fairfield; by the company’s own accounting the brand has grown to multiple locations across several states, each built around a replica of the Wooster Street coal oven. The New Haven rooms remain the original.

What fans say

Pepe’s About Us page posts first-name testimonials. Todd, a 29-year Marine Corps veteran, wrote that Pepe’s has been “a piece of home” through his service, with quality “consistent from New Haven to Virginia.” Mark, a guest for 60 years, said his go-to is “a small pie with mozzarella — the crust is just perfect.”

Les and Carol said neighbors first brought them when they moved from New Jersey 50 years ago and that it has become “a second family.” Linda, a New Haven native, wrote that she only discovered Pepe’s after moving to Wooster Square about a decade ago. Actor Paul Giamatti is quoted saying he has been coming “for as long as I can remember,” with sausage and onion as his favorite.

What to order

These pies come from Frank Pepe’s current menu and the New Haven location page. Photos are from the restaurant’s own website. Prices vary by size and change; order at the counter or online for takeout.

Original Tomato Pie. Crushed Italian tomatoes, grated Pecorino Romano and olive oil — the 1925 pie, no mozzarella unless you ask. This is the foundation.

White Clam Pizza. Fresh clam, garlic, oregano, grated Pecorino Romano and olive oil. The menu notes it is dine-in and takeout only — no delivery. It is the pie most visitors come to argue about.

Mozzarella apizza. The same thin coal-fired crust with mozzarella — what many locals simply call “a small mozz.” Mark’s 60-year habit is a good place to start if you want cheese.

Margherita. Crushed Italian tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, grated Pecorino Romano and olive oil.

Doppio Pepperoni. Crushed Italian tomatoes, mozzarella, extra pepperoni, grated Pecorino Romano and olive oil — for the meat-and-char crowd.

The Spot. If the main dining room is slammed, ask about The Spot next door at the original 1925 address. Same menu, same staff, original oven.

If you go

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana’s New Haven location is at 157 Wooster St.; phone 203-865-5762. The restaurant lists hours as 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. It offers dine-in and takeout, a free parking lot on site, and a party room by request. The company says it does not take conventional reservations for the main dining room — expect a wait at peak times.

Check pepespizzeria.com for the latest hours and ordering options before you go. Wooster Street is also home to Sally’s, Zeneli and Libby’s Italian Pastry — plan the block, not just the one stop.

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