Frank Pepe’s Pizza of West Hartford

I was too harsh in my earlier review. Have had some excellent pizza since then.

JUST NOT THE SAME. I love thin pizza… I actually travel an hour and a half for pizza every so often just because of how thin it is. Pepe’s has always been my «local» favorite but the last 3 times that we have gotten it, the recipe has definitely been different! Visibly it looks different… something about the cheese is different BUT most of all, it has become thick (er) and soggier (all 3 occasions). I can get this kind of pizza anywhere. Very disappointing. 3 strikes, you’re out :(

First time getting anything from Pepes (WH). Did take out pizza of mushrooms and bacon. Blah! Soggy, chewy crust and raw bacon. We picked all the bacon off the pizza and will cook it tomorrow.
Also got a Cesar salad. It was unremarkable. Went at 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon so they were NOT too busy to pay attention to what they were doing. Quite the disappointment for all the hype you hear. Will stick to Harry’s.

We’ve been to (4) of the Frank Pepe’s Pizza locations since they starting franchising and I have to say that they all make a pizza in accordance with the intent of the original New Haven location on Wooster St.
This one in the Elmwood section of West Hartford is no different. They make a very good pizza. In a coal fired oven (I think). That tastes similar to the original recipe. A delicious thin crust that is slightly crisp/​charred around the edge. Delish. Period. It’s a (4 or 5) star pizza for sure.
So why «only» a (3) star rating…
Well, it has to do with the charm factor. Or in this case (and at all the other non-​original locations I’ve been to), the lack there of it. This location is situated at the end of a remodeled strip mall on a very busy street. The ambience is nothing like the original Frank Pepe’s Pizza in New Haven. Yet they charge the same premium prices. It’s just not the same. I can’t justify paying close to $ 40 (before tip) for a medium pizza, (1) large salad, and (1) diet beverage.
It’s a great tasting pizza though. So if you don’t mind the high cost of admission, enjoy.

I had the specialty clam pizza — definitely A-​OK. Crispy thin crust which was very good. The pizza toppings were too salty, and even though there were plenty of clams on the pizza they unfortunately didn’t have a ton of flavor. It’s definitely a place I’d go back to, especially if I’m driving past, but I don’t think I would make a special trip.

Did not meet the standards of the traditional Pepe pizza. I’m hoping it was a bad day. Restaurant was dirty including the restroom. Not on my list of return locations. Management needs to pay attention to the details.

Look, if you’re from Connecticut — you’ve had pizza from Frank Pepe. Whether you believe the hype, try it for yourself!
Like the Manchester location, Pepe’s of West Hartford is a bit cheaper and the lines are never as bad as New Haven.
Thin crust, good balance of bite and chew — you know what you’re getting when you’re choosing Frank Pepe’s. This location is a bit better with toppings, and I never feel like they’ve skimped me on quantity.
Decent size dining room, save yourself a few bucks and do take-​out. The pizza is already on the pricey-​er side, so go home and feast in peace
Like the other locations, the pizza slices are all sorts of crazy shapes and sizes — if you can’t stand that, ask for «traditional cut»!
FYI:
Open everyday, 11am-​10pm

I have been to multiple Frank Pepe’s locations across the state. The West Hartford location is a replica of the others, but the taste of the pizza is similar. My reason for not thinking the pizza throughout the locations tastes the exactly the same, is due to the water. I feel the same way about the Fairfield and New Haven locations. The water that they use to make their dough is different in each town. But the taste difference is not noticeable enough to make a difference in quality or taste.
I’m originally a Fairfield County native and Frank Pepe’s is a fixture. I love the thin crust and the perfect amount of sauce and toppings that are applied. I am more of a thin crust type of gal anyways. There is something magical about the presentation of the pizza, whether you order in house or get take out.
The two pies I would highly recommend would be the white clam and the original tomato. Both are completely different in taste in toppings, but it is all about simplicity with me. Sometimes I do opt for a cheese and pepperoni, but main the classic red with their freshly grated Parmesan is outstanding. If you are looking for a pie that is customized to your liking, Frank Pepe’s allows for that as well. There is a variety of meat and veggie toppings that are sure to please.
My boyfriend and I usually get our pies to go, rather than dining in. The wait for a table sometimes can be a little much and there is not a lot of space to hang while waiting. The usual wait time for a pick-​up order to be ready is anywhere between 25 and 45 minutes, it depends on the day. The longer wait times for pick up are usually Friday-​Sunday.

I’m all for training people, but last night was awful. It was a slow Tuesday night, about 6 pm, with no more than eight tables. It took ten minutes for a hello, ten minutes for a tossed salad that they didn’t even toss, and twenty-​five minutes for two of our small pizzas to be served to two different tables, then finally us. I don’t like the idea of people putting their breath and seasonings on my food, then be told it’s because it’s a person’s second day. Eight tables being used. Tables have numbers. It’s not that hard! Spinach mushroom pizza was cooked perfectly. Just wish it wasn’t served with someone else’s salt and cheese.

In my opinion, Frank Pepe’s is the best pizza. I live too far from New Haven to visit the original location on a regular basis. The West Hartford location is the next best thing. The pizza seems to be very similar to the original location. The dough is thin and cooked perfect. It’s definitely the best branch location.
The service is usually very good. Restaurant and bathrooms seem to be clean. I will keep visiting to get my «Frank’s» fix.

My boyfriend and I order take out from Pepes all the time and it’s always good. Today we decided to dine in and it was good the food is even better freshly cut!

One of the best pizza’s I have eaten. Drove a bit out of my way to get this pizza, and it was worth. Good value too, $ 20 bucks for a pretty large box of pizza.

Being from New York I have had my fair share of different types of pizza. I have always been a fan of a thin crust and Pepe’s delivers on that aspect. Their crust is phenomenal! Thin, crispy, a little charred, amazing. We ordered two small pies, the white clam and a tomato pie with sausage, onions and spinach. The white clam was average, I love white clam pizza’s so I’m always up to try a new one. A lot of the clams were tough and chewy but the flavor of the olive oil, garlic, oregano and clams all together was divine. The tomato pie we got was also average, the crust again was phenomenal. My biggest complaint with this pie was the sauce, it was bland and the pizza was dripping in it. The onions on top were undercooked and still crunchy. The crust saved the day especially on the tomato pie.
We went on a sunday evening at around 8pm and the restaurant was basically empty so I can’t really judge the normal wait time as everything was very fast.

Frank Pepe’s Pizza made me believe in pizza again.
We have it every week, and so should you.

Frank Pepe’s Pizza was founded in New Haven around ninety years ago and how has a handful of outposts in Connecticut (plus Yonkers, New York) including this one in West Hartford. Many rankings rate them as the number 1 pizza in the country.
Their New Haven style pizza has thin crust and is not exactly round. From the dining area, you can see them assemble the pizzas and place them in their large charcoal fueled oven that produces crust that is perfectly charred on the outside and still chewy.
They let you select different types for your two halfs of your pizza, so I had a traditional tomato and mozzarella one on one side and their famous clam pizza on the other side. Great!

Oh HELL YEAH! Their white clam pizza and summer fresh tomato pizza is so good! I had 4 slices like a maniac and I never have 4 slices! Also their chicken Caesar salad is BANGIN! It comes in this fantastic plastic bowl with square chunks of chicken breast and really yummy dressing. A little on the pricey side but well worth it. I love this place and I will be back trying more of their delicious options!

I can’t tell you how much I love Pepes. I have tried other pizzas that are «better than Pepes» but honestly, I keep going back. And the thing I love about Pepes is the fact that it’s good everywhere you go. I know hardcore Pepes fans might disagree and say NH is the best, but c’mon…when you need a pizza and a good pizza at that, you’ll have great luck at Pepe’s!
After a bad day at work, I ordered 2 pizzas. A small with chicken and margerita. Both were thin crust, the right about of bite and chew and of course perfectly baked crispy dough. Both pies hit the spot and I was happy I tried them because they are out of my comfort zone of toppings. (Sausage and onion and pepper all the way!) The margerita had a bit too much sauce but I’m not complaining.
I am already planning on my next pie and I can’t wait!

In 2009 before I moved to CT I had an interview at Yale School of Medicine and at the end of that interview I asked my interviewer to draw me a map to Frank Pepe’s. I ordered a large white clam pie and ate half in the nearby park, in my suit, while I decompressed. Foxon Park white birch beer washed it all down. The other half was eaten later that night back home in my apartment in Providence, RI.
I can still taste how amazing that pizza was and I wondered if the one at this location would be as good. It is. It might even be better than the one I had that day.
With so many pizza joints in West Hartford it can be difficult to choose, but our first choice is always Pepe’s if we want to stay in town. It is consistently good no matter if we get ‘roni, veggie, salami, clam, etc. Dining in is cozy, but takeout is usually what we do and the side takeout door makes it convenient. Salads are good too. I love the Caesar when the greens are at the peak of freshness.

Went there for dinner last night as a party of 5 at 6:30pm. We were seated immedately. We ordered 3 pizzas and they were delivered within 10 minutes. We ordered:
½ clam & ½ cheese
Margherita
½ sausage & mushroom & cheese
We also had a salad and everything was delicious.

The pizza is that distinctive and very good «New Haven» style that CT does so well –thin, well cooked crust charred along parts of the perimeter. Our large with bacon and spinach ($ 23.75) was very good.
So I can’t really add a lot about the pizza, because althought it was very good, it was pretty much what I expected, pretty much what we get at Frank Pepe’s in Manchester.
So instead, I’ll chat a bit about the restaurant itself, and the service.
It’s not a real large place, sure seems smaller than Manchester. There is no hostess, so if you go and its crowded, as it was for dinner tonight, they do not take names or numbers. Instead you line up behind a velvet rope on the «honor system» and when a table turns over, they take the first group size that fits. We were a table of three tonight, and because we were a «three» we jumped up a few places on the line to get seated, Truthfully, it seemed a little confusing and unfair.
They do a huge takeout business, so rightfully so they have a side door for take-​out orders. But we saw a lot of take-​out customers wander into the restaurant dining room door with lost looks on their faces, and they end up walking across the dining room to get to the take-​out counter.
The dining room is noisy. Noise carries all over the dining room, and with the open kitchen you hear pretty much everything– pans clattering, the ice machines being unloaded, and the cooks manhandling those huge wooden pizza paddles that reminded me of whaling spears.
Our service wasn’t exceptional. It was crowded, she had a few big parties to deal with, but she had long lapses and was a no-​show on the drink refills.
Bottom line? A large salad, a large 2-​topping pizza, one beer and 2 soft drinks were $ 44.72. The food was great. The dining room was noisy. The service was so-​so. The value was fair.