Paul and Eddy’s Pizza

Location: 1630 Whitney Avenue, Hamden CT

Nestled in Hamden’s Spring Glen, a small community on Whitney Avenue, this restaurant offers a variety of specialty pizzas and wraps. The service is fast and friendly and the pies are excellent. Your first choice if you want a high-quality pizza without having to drive into New Haven. Website: www.hamdenpizza.com Menu available online.

Suggested Pie: Chicken Fra Diavlo

Eli’s Brick Oven Pizza & Market

Location: 2402 Whitney Avenue, Hamden CT

Eli’s not only makes specialty pizza in the New Haven style, they also churn out a variety of prepared foods and baked goods. But don’t be fooled by the selection – these guys know pizza. This restaurant is perfect for the whole family; great pies for the pizza lovers, plenty of choices for people who would prefer something else.

Suggested Pie: The Rapini

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana

Location: 127 Wooster Street, New Haven CT

Down on Wooster Square, in the heart of Little Italy, lies one of the country’s finest pizza establishment. The lines are long but the pies are worth the wait. Each pizza is served on massive baking sheets – no plates. The pizzeria was founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe and is one of New Haven’s most renowned restaurants. Website: www.pepespizzeria.com. Menu available online.

Suggested Pie: White with clams

Dayton St. Pizza

Location: 60 Dayton Street, New Haven CT

Specializing in thin crust pies, this restaurant is consistently ranked by New Haven Advocate and CT Magazine as one of best Pizza places in New Haven. Established 1998. It doesn’t look like much on the inside, but the pizza is excellent. Website: www.daytonstreetapizza.com. Menu available online.

Suggested Pie: The Marghareta

Sally’s Apizza

Location: 237 Wooster Street, New Haven CT

Opened in 1938 by Salvatore Consiglio, nephew of Frank Pepe. Pies are cooked one at a time in their coal-fired oven, thin crust style. Customers can expect lengthy wait times, but amazing pizza. Signature pie is their plain, which is served with no mozzarella; just sauce, garlic and grated cheese. God help you if you try and order a second round of drinks. Website: www.sallysapizza.com Menu not available online.

Suggested Pie: The Plain

Primo Pizza

Location: 3000 Whitney Avenue, Hamden CT

This one gets the nod for a simple reason: value. Hamden and New Haven are packed with amazing pizza choices, but if you want a lot of pizza cheap and without resorting to fast food restaurants like Dominos or Pizza Hut, this is your best bet. The pies are certainly good enough, particularly when a large cheese only costs you $6 on the weekdays. The service is speedy and the close location to Quinnipiac University makes it an attractive choice to hungry students. Website: www.primopizzallc.com Menu and online ordering available.

Suggested Pie: Cheese. Who doesn’t love a large pizza for $6?

Modern Apizza

Location: 874 State Street, New Haven CT

The largest menu of New Haven’s “Big Three” of pizzerias. Founded in 1934, this restaurant was named ‘Best Pizza in New Haven’ by Playboy Magazine. Also uses coal-fired oven. Roomier than Pepe’s and Sally’s, with shorter lines to get in during the day. Website: www.modernapizza.com Menu available online.

Suggested Pie: Sausage and hot peppers

Bar Pizza

Location: 254 Crown Street, New Haven CT

This New Haven nightclub very quietly has some of the best pizza in the city. The menu is simple, just different sizes of pizza and available toppings, but the ingredients are fresh and the pies are big. After you’re done with your meal, you can hit the dance floor or billiards room, provided you haven’t eaten too much. Website: www.barnightclub.com Menu available online.

Suggested Pie: Garlic and mushroom

Special thanks to my fellow pizza nerd friends Jared Riviere and Sara Appellof for their help.