Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

Frank Pepe’s in Yonkers. I didn’t realize this was a small chain in the northeast. I thought there were only two of locations. But it’s got a reputation to hold up from the original New Haven location. This is definitely a distinctive pizza. I think it’s easily worth trying. It’s also more a connoisseur’s type pizza for a couple reasons that I think your average person might find polarizing. But the rep is deserved. So I got the Tomato Pie w/Mozzarella. First, the crust it’s thin, light, and airy. Pies are more than well done. Combined with the smokiness or the coal fired oven and charcoal flavor, it’s to the point I think some would argue this pizza tastes burnt. I don’t think that’s exactly true but i feel the smoky flavor and crunchy well doneness is polarizing. The sauce is tomatoey. You’ll taste chunks of canned tomato that I don’t think had even a bit of salt or any seasoning added. That hurt it, IMO. I either like the natural San Marzano type sweetness to come through or a simmered seasoned sauce. This didn’t really standout in either direction except that it had a neutral, slightly tangy pure tomato flavor. That’s honestly better than your average NY slice though. Mozzarella is creamy. I think it’s got to be low moisture whole milk type but with only a thin layer. Because slices weren’t heavy and only a bit of grease. Overall, I think the Tomato Pie with Mozzarella needed salt to the sauce or sweeter tomatoes. Take or leave, I could leave the amount of sooty smokiness you get from the crust. But I don’t hate it. They sell a seasonal Fresh Tomato Pie with mozzarella, garlic, basil, pecorino, tomatoes, and olive oil that I’m confident I’ll like and score 8.0 or higher. I think my scoring system bit be a 0.5 to a 1.0 too harsh—particularly against my own local joints. But just adjust up for that. I’m just trying to give people a sense of my tastes, pizza experience, and an idea of what they might like.