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Modern Apizza
Modern Apizza in New Haven, CT.jpeg
Modern in 2007
Restaurant information
Established 1934; 91 years ago (1934) (as State Street Apizza)
Current owner(s) Bill Pustari
Food type New Haven-style pizza
Dress code Casual
Street address 874 State Street
City New Haven
State Connecticut
Postal/ZIP code 06511-3925
Country United States
Reservations Not taken
Other information Credit cards are accepted.
Pizza baking in brick oven, New Haven
Modern Apizza's special brick oven, where pizzas are baked.

Modern Apizza is a famous pizza restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. It's known for its special New Haven-style pizza. Many people, including food experts, say Modern Apizza is one of the best pizza places anywhere! It's part of a group of three very old and popular pizza spots in New Haven, often called the "Holy Trinity" of pizza. The other two are Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally's Apizza.

A Slice of History

Modern Apizza first opened its doors in 1934. It was originally called State Street Apizza. The restaurant has been in the exact same spot since it started! Unlike the other famous New Haven pizza places, Modern Apizza is not on Wooster Street. Instead, you can find it on nearby State Street in the East Rock neighborhood. In 2011, a TV show called Man v. Food Nation visited Modern Apizza. The host, Adam Richman, tried their famous pizza.

Delicious Pizza Specialties

Modern Apizza serves a special kind of pizza called New Haven-style apizza. This pizza has a thin crust, similar to Neapolitan-style Italian pizza. While some other famous New Haven pizzerias use coal-fired ovens, Modern Apizza uses an oil-fueled brick oven.

They also sell Foxon Park soft drinks. These drinks are made nearby in East Haven, Connecticut. Many local people think they are the perfect drink to go with New Haven-style pizza.

Some of Modern Apizza's most popular pizzas include:

  • The Clams Casino: This pizza has clams, bacon, and peppers.
  • The Italian Bomb: This one is loaded with sausage, bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and garlic.
  • The Pizza Margherita: A classic Italian pizza made with fresh mozzarella cheese.

Modern Apizza also uses fresh littleneck clams for their white clam pizzas.

Awards and Top Rankings

Modern Apizza has won many awards and is highly praised by food critics.

  • In 2008, two students from Yale University did a blind taste test. Modern Apizza came in first place, beating five other New Haven pizza places.
  • It has won the "Best Pizza" award from the New Haven Advocate newspaper's reader poll for twelve years in a row!
  • In 2017, a food website called The Daily Meal named Modern Apizza one of the ten best pizza restaurants in the entire country. They looked at over 1,000 pizza places to choose the winners.

Featured in a Film

Modern Apizza is one of three pizza restaurants shown in a movie called Pizza A Love Story. This film is about the "Holy Trinity" of New Haven pizza: Pepe's, Sally's, and Modern. The movie first came out in April 2019. It was later available on DVD and for rent in September 2020. One reviewer called it "An important film of staggering genius that needed to be made."

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