Pizza is seemingly a simple food. A plain cheese pizza is comprised of three main ingredients: cheese, sauce, and crust. Making a good pizza should be easy. But it isn't.

There are countless styles of pizza out there, and everybody has their preferences. There is Deep Dish, New York style, Chicago style, Neapolitan, Detroit style, etc… I could name endless styles and compare them to no avail. In order to conduct a fair and accurate pizza review and comparison, the pizzas in question should be in the same style. For this review, I will be tackling one of the most debated contests in the pizza review and consumption universe. And that contest is the battle of the New Haven style pizza. New Haven has been a hot spot for pizza creators and eaters alike. This all started in 1925 when Frank Pepe founded his signature pizzeria on Wooster Street in New Haven. Frank had previously held jobs in factories and in macaroni manufacturing, then deciding to start a delivery business selling tomato pies. Pepe soon left the delivery business and decided to start his own sit-down pizza restaurant in 1925. In 1937 he took over his former employer’s building and opened up what is known today as the original  New Haven style pizza palace. Pepe’s family thrived in the pizza business. His nephew Salvatore Consiglio decided to branch off from Pepe’s in order to open his own pizzeria that he named Sally’s Apizza. At Sally’s, Salvatore continued making the same style pizza as Pepe’s, and this launched what is surely one of the biggest rivalries in the food world today. Famous celebrities from pro wrestlers to US presidents have weighed in on which joint makes the better “apizza.”

With these two pizza restaurants being so similar, a detailed analysis has to be conducted. An ordinary review will not suffice. Instead of focusing on the usual aspects of pizza, those being: cheese, sauce, and crust. I am going to review other pieces of the greater pizza puzzle as well. While cheese, sauce, and crust may be the most significant pieces of a good pizza, there are many other factors to consider while attempting to create the ideal pizza experience. In an effort to conduct an in-depth and complete analysis of these two pizzas I will be focusing on seven main categories, these being: price, sauce, crust, signature feature, wait time, restaurant atmosphere, and acceptance of toppings.

Sally’s

Price: 7/10

$13.75 for a large, plain pizza

Sauce: 8/10

The sauce on Sally’s pizza has a sweetness that is unique and interesting.

Crust: 10/10

The thinnest and crispiest crust I’ve ever tasted. This crust gives Sally’s pizza structural stability that is unmatched by any other pizza I have ever had. However, in some places, the crust was cooked past perfection to a point where it was burned.

Signature Feature: 10/10

I would say the signature feature here is the crust. This pizza is “thin crust” unlike anything I have ever experienced before.

Wait Time: 4/10

30 min standing in line out on the street before being ushered indoors to a table. Neither restaurant accepts reservations.

Restaurant Atmosphere: 7/10

Classic Italian vibe. The restaurant as a gritty, local feel which I was a big fan of. Sally’s definitely has a more casual vibe than Pepe’s does.

Acceptance of toppings: 9/10

Excellent. While I haven’t factored this into the scoring, for the sake of full disclosure I feel compelled to note that the pepper flakes had some trouble coming out of the container.  It may have been the fault of the container and not the flakes. But in either case, the high score is for how delicious the pizza tastes with all of the three classic toppings.

Review:

Sally’s pizza was overall a delightful experience. Even though the wait time was about 30 minutes in the cold, it was well worth it upon entering the restaurant. The atmosphere inside was incredibly old-school. When the pizza arrived, with fast service I might add. It was delivered by the son of the restaurant’s founder. This was impressive and special, to say the least. The pizza was not symmetrical, nor was it symmetrically cut. However, that only added to the authentic vibe of the pizza and the restaurant. At Sally’s, the crust is always the key feature, and this one was terrific. Thin, but not cracker-like, with a beautiful char and that old-school flavor. It shared much in common with the New Haven pie at Pepe's.

Even though the toppings were modest, the crust was not sufficiently rigid to support the sauce and cheese on the pepperoni pie. I'm not deducting any points for that, however. The crust is always the key feature, and this one was terrific. Thin but not cracker-like, with a beautiful char and that old-school flavor. It shared much in common with the New Haven pie at Pepe's. Even though the toppings were modest, the crust was not sufficiently rigid to support the sauce and cheese on the pepperoni pie. I'm not deducting any points for that, however.

Overall Score: 55

Pepe’s

Price: 6/10

$18.50 for a large, plain pizza

Sauce: 6/10

Not remarkable. Not sweet like Sally’s was. However, it nicely complemented the crust.

Crust: 10/10

New Haven style thin crust. Not as much structural integrity as Sally’s but still very good. Just the right amount of char.

Signature Feature: 10/10

The signature feature here was once again the crust. There is something undeniably special and unique about New Haven style crust.

Wait Time: 6/10

Much shorter 10 min and Pepe’s has an enclosed vestibule that accommodates up to a dozen waiting patrons out of the summer heat or winter cold.

Restaurant Atmosphere: 6/10

Similar family-owned vibe. Also a large focus on the founding and beginnings of the restaurant. Casual. Slightly less local feel than Sally’s.

Acceptance of toppings: 10/10

Excellent

Review:

The wait at Pepe’s was about 10 minutes shorter than the wait at Sally’s. Pepe’s restaurant is larger, with a higher seating capacity that likely accounts for the shorter wait.  Pepe ’s has a very similar atmosphere to Sally’s. However, Sally’s did seem even more local and old-school in a way that complemented the pizza and the overall experience. Similar to Sally’s, the kitchen at Pepe’s is situated right at the back of the restaurant with no wall separating the kitchen from the dining area. At Pepe’s, this arrangement allows you to clearly see the pizzas being made - sliding in and out of the unique coal ovens on long, wooden paddles. The sauce had a great flavor that complemented the wonderful base. The cheese was thicker than Sally’s. The cheese and sausage were both quite good, but neither was a standout on its own. But they didn’t need to be. They just needed to work well with the crust. With Pepe’s pizza, all of the ingredients melded perfectly in a delicious pizza harmony.

Overall Score: 54

New Haven pizza is special, no doubt about it. Pizza is a major part of the city’s identity and there is a reason why: the city makes great pizza. The thin and perfectly cooked crust, the uneven, asymmetrical shape of the pies, the presentation, and the unmatched authenticity combine for a uniquely delicious dining experience. New Haven pizza is some of the best, and Sally’s and Pepe’s are the best of the best. Both of these places are easily within my top ten favorite pizza establishments anywhere - possibly in my top ten restaurants, period. There is no question that these places live up to the hype. If you are ever in the New Haven area, it is worth the wait and worth the trip. Declaring these restaurants great is easy. That’s an observation that can be made upon seeing the lines outside on a random Tuesday night. However, deciding between them is another matter altogether. To judge one over the other is nearly impossible as your luck may well vary from pie to pie or from night to night. But a decision must be made. And based on the individual criteria chosen for my comparison between the two in combination with my overall experience, the winner here is Sally’s. Coming in with an overall score of 55 compared to Pepe’s overall score of 54, Sally’s takes the win at this match. That being said, you should not take my word for it. Deciding between these two restaurants isn’t easy, and in the end, this is just one diner’s opinion. If you really want to know whether one is better than the other you’re going to have to go down to Wooster Street and try them for yourself.