On a chilly Thursday evening, I went to check out Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana at the Chestnut Hill Mall with a friend of mine. This is the pizza joint’s first Massachusetts location, despite having six locations in the state’s neighbor, Connecticut.
Frank Pepe Pizzeria, also known as Pepe’s, had its start in 1925 on the Wooster Square section of New Haven, CT. The restaurant’s namesake, Frank Pepe, was born in 1893 in a small town near Naples, Italy. Pepe immigrated to the United States when he was 16, with very little money. But he was determined to make a living. With his great work ethic, he was able to buy his own building and gathered a crew of hard workers to start a business. By 1925, he had established his own pizzeria.
Pepe created the New Haven style thin-crust pizza that is typically baked in bread ovens. His most popular and signature pizza is the White Clam Pizza, which contains garlic, olive oil, clams, and grated cheese. After learning about the history of the chain, my friend and I were ready to enter a pizza coma!
As soon as I entered Pepe’s, I could smell the pizzas cooking in the coal-fired brick ovens. As we walked to the main dining area, I noticed that everything was painted dark green. The room was filled with wooden booths for an old-fashioned touch. The waitress explained to us that the pizzas will have lightly burnt crisp edges, their signature crust style. My friend and I ordered one of the specialty pies, which was the mushroom, spinach, and Gorgonzola. We also ordered a make-it-yourself pizza with peppers, onions, Italian sausage, and cheese. At Pepe’s, you have the options of ordering a 12-inch, 16-inch, or 18-inch pizza. All pizzas are made with Pepe’s original recipe, and are cooked with ovens that are similar to the ones that Pepe used back in 1925.
Within 30 minutes, our pizzas were cooked to perfection. The pizzas were perfect: as I bit into the thin crust, I could hear the satisfying crunch of it in my mouth. The combination of spinach, mushrooms, and Gorgonzola was amazing, with the gooey Gorgonzola wrapping around the pieces of mushroom and spinach.
The pizza slices weren’t drenched in oil, and my hands did not get greasy as I ate. Neither pizza was soggy—not at all. Just the right amount of salt and oil! The toppings were fresh and hot right out of the oven. After eating so many slices of my pizza, I did not wind up feeling sick. I felt satisfied. The pizza was made with fresh ingredients, and I could certainly tell that it was good quality.
With such a friendly and casual setting and minimal décor, Pepe’s could be an ideal place to grab pizza with friends or family, or even for a casual date. For those that find themselves near or around Chestnut Hill, I would definitely recommend getting pizza at Pepe’s. Whether you order or sit-in, it’s a much better alternative to buying cheap, greasy pizza from a sketchy shop down the road.
Invest, and get some good, authentic, Italian pizza from Pepe’s! You won’t regret it.
