Modern Apizza

Around since 1934, the name “Modern” is kind of ironic for this old school pizza joint. Considered 1 of New Haven’s “Big 3” pizzerias, Modern doesn’t seem to get the same publicity as the Pepe’s/Sally’s rivalry. While they advertise their pies as thin crust, I find this to be more of a regular thickish round pie. The oil-fueled brick oven heats at a temperature that creates the perfect crisp for the crust, which may also be the best crust I’ve ever had…light, airy, crispy with true pizza flavor. The dough is clearly thicker than thin crust with a surprisingly soft undercarriage and decent flop. The dusting of bread crumbs underneath prevent too much moisture from building to avoid sogginess. The cheese was much thicker than I anticipated and could have been melted a tad more thoroughly, but it was deliciously creamy nonetheless. A little light on the sauce but it still has plenty of zip & tang, delectably tasty despite its sparseness. Serious pizza connoisseurs call this “real pizza.” It’s beautifully basic, a true throwback pie…on par if not even better than Pepe’s and definitely a top pizza destination in Connecticut worth making a pilgrimage to New Haven, one of the pizza capitals of the country.