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New Yorkers, brace yourselves: Connecticut is officially staking its claim as the “Pizza Capital of the U.S.” Yes, that Connecticut. The Nutmeg State just unveiled its first-ever Connecticut Pizza Trail, a culinary crawl spanning 100 pizzerias that supposedly proves what locals have been saying for decades: New Haven-style apizza isn’t just good, it’s the best.
The state has numbers to back it up. According to officials, Connecticut is home to more than 1,300 pizza restaurants and nearly 80 percent are independently owned or family-run. More than 13,000 people cast votes to determine which spots made the trail. The final list is geographically spread across all eight counties, though—unsurprisingly—New Haven dominates the leaderboard. Modern Apizza, Frank Pepe’s and Sally’s Apizza snagged the top three spots, joined by hometown heroes like Zuppardi’s in West Haven and Roseland Apizza in Derby.
“For more than a century, our apizza has been a source of pride, community and economic strength,” said Anthony Anthony, Connecticut’s chief marketing officer. “The Connecticut Pizza Trail brings that story to life—and this new experience for residents and visitors alike shines a global spotlight on the people and places that make this state the undisputed Pizza Capital of the U.S.”
Of course, New York might have something to say about this. After all, Lombardi’s on Spring Street—widely credited as the first licensed U.S. pizzeria—fired up its coal ovens back in 1905. The New York slice is iconic: thin, foldable, eaten standing up at a Formica counter and forever tied to the city’s immigrant history and grab-and-go culture. Even Naples, the Italian birthplace of pizza, tips its hat to New York’s culinary evolution.
But Connecticut isn’t bluffing. The charred, chewy crusts of its coal-oven apizza have long drawn pilgrims from across state lines. Barstool’s Dave Portnoy has repeatedly declared, “Connecticut is the best pizza state in the country.” And unlike the floppy New York slice, the New Haven pie demands to be eaten hot and whole, straight from the oven, preferably with a clam topping that’s as divisive as pineapple but way more historic.
So, can Connecticut really wrest the crown from New York? Maybe the only fair way to decide is to clear your calendar, loosen your belt and start driving north on I-95. One thing’s certain: The battle for pizza supremacy just got deliciously heated.