New Haven’s Sally’s Apizza is for sale. Sad news for fans of the mom and pop shop that’s been churning out one of a kind pies for more than 75 years.
Colin Caplan is a local historian, author, and runs a New Haven food tour company, “Its the end of an era– the end of a real experience for New Haven and the world. It’s kinda hard to justify in our minds how the best pizza place in the world could kinda just change.”
Caplan says the worlds been enjoying those famed thin–crust pies since 1938, “The family owns the building they own the restaurant, and the parking lot next door… they also have the rights grandfathered in to use coal– coal fires the ovens– that’s what makes the char the taste and there’s only two of those places left in Connecticut; Sally’s and Pepe’s.”
According to Caplan the rumored pricetags too low– between 1 and three million dollars, and the history he says– you simply cannot put a value on that, “A lot of famous people have gone here. Sally’s brother Tony was best friends with Frank Sinatra and managed his career early on. He’d have Frank come here (to Sally’s) and bring him pies in New York.”
With the place up for sale, but no imminent deal in place, Sally’s devotees are counting on the family to come up with a new plan and holding onto the memories.
Charles Jacobs is a New Haven native. He lives right around the corner from Sally’s Apizza in the Wooster square neighborhood, “the time and care they put into it nobody gonna make no pizza like them — come on now. They’ve got loyal customers can you can see if you look at the line real closely you can see three generations of people with little kids. That’s respect.”
The rumor mills been churning… who will buy the business?
One theory suggests Sally’s longtime friendly rival down the block, but Carlton Houer, Pepe’s restaurant manager says, “I’m in amazement Pepe’s has such following, anytime anything pizza related about New Haven or Pepe’s all these people show up asking questions, the phone starts ringing off the hook its really cool its really great- I love it. We have not purchased Sally’s, all we really have to say to them is good luck in their future… We’re still here we’ll always be here we’re not going anywhere– as far as Sally’s I’d imagine it would stay the same to carry on their history, cant see them ever really changing it.”