Sally’s Original Apizza in New Haven has long been an institution, especially for those who grew up eating it. For years, it was easy to call it the best pizza in the city. The combination of a distinctive tomato sauce, perfectly charred dough, and well-balanced toppings defined what New Haven–style apizza was all about. It wasn’t just pizza—it was tradition.
Lately, however, the experience feels different. While the pizza is still good, it no longer reaches the level it once did. The sauce tastes different, the dough has changed, and even the portion sizes have shifted. Where the menu once offered small, medium, and large pies—with the large nearly filling the tray—they now offer only small and large. Today’s “large” feels closer to what used to be a medium, and the amount of toppings has noticeably decreased.
During our recent visit, we ordered the white pie with onions, bacon, and potatoes, which unfortunately lacked flavor and needed salt. The second pie—sausage, garlic, and onions with red sauce and mozzarella—was enjoyable, but it still didn’t measure up to past experiences. Both the sauce and dough tasted different from what longtime patrons remember.
It’s hard not to connect these changes to the sale of the restaurant by the original owners. While Sally’s remains a respected name and still produces a solid pie by most standards, it no longer delivers that unmistakable magic it once had. For longtime fans, it’s simply not the way it used to be.
Sally’s is still considered good pizza in New Haven, but for those who remember its heyday, it’s increasingly difficult to call it great anymore.
Rating: 8/10
