I love New Haven. I really do. I have often remarked that if New Haven were closer to New York, I might actually live there and commute in every day (though let’s be honest, that probably wouldn’t happen).
One of the key reasons I love New Haven is the many delicious food options there, with New Haven’s famed pizzerias leading the pack.
(Slice from Bar)
I have been asked many times whether I have a favorite “apizza” in New Haven. The short answer is no. To be honest, I haven’t sampled all of the options within a close enough time period to each other to feel like I could accurately compare them. And they are all so good - from Sally’s, Pepe’s and Modern to even the newer Bar - that I would go to any, without hesitation, in a heartbeat.
This post is devoted to Bar, the location least likely to have an insane wait and option conveniently located in downtown New Haven. When I lived in downtown New Haven, I would eat at Bar weekly. Another advantage Bar has compared to its older rivals is that it is also a brewery with several home-brewed options always on tap.
Bar’s apizza, like that of New Haven apizza generally, has a thin, dense and chewy crust compared to New York-style pies. The cheese is also usually lighter in terms of quantity, and is served by the whole pie only on long baking sheets. The pies can come with tomato sauce or not (white pizza) and can also be cheese-less.
I generally order my pies with tomato sauce and mozzarella. The only variation to this default is when ordering the famous mashed potato topping at Bar, which definitely should be ordered on a white apizza for the best flavor. (And yes, mashed potato on apizza is amazing!).
New Haven apizza is definitely a must-try for anyone traveling near CT in any fashion. From the dense, thin crust to the sauce to the light mozzarella pizza, it is really an amazing experience.
254 Crown Street
Downtown New Haven, CT