I finally got a seat at Sally’s Apizza
Where to: Sally’s Apizza — pronounced “ah-beetz” — in Woburn.
Why: For coal-fired, thin, sooty Neapolitan pie from an 85-year-old New Haven landmark. This is the first Boston-area location, and it’s been packed since opening in late 2023.
The backstory: Salvatore “Sally” Consiglio launched Sally’s on Wooster Street in New Haven in 1938. Consiglio was a legend. As the Globe once reported: “When he died in 1989, more than 2,500 people came to his wake and funeral, including Connecticut senators and many devoted Yale University graduates. Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau sketched Sally’s restaurant in his early strips when he was a student at Yale, probably as a way of killing time while waiting in line.” Frank Sinatra reportedly hung out there, too.
New Haven is prime pizza territory: Rival parlor Frank Pepe (founded by Consiglio’s uncle) is just down Wooster Street. It launched a Boston-area branch in Chestnut Hill in 2015, and more followed. Sally’s, meanwhile, plans to expand to the Seaport.
On a personal note, I’d tried to get into this location for weeks but couldn’t snag a reservation or even manage a takeout order without a three-hour wait. So expectations were high when, at long last, I wedged my mom-mobile into a narrow parking spot, 5 p.m. reservation in hand. I brought along a trusty taste-tester — my first-grader, Peter — for moral support.
What to eat: There’s lots to choose from at this location beyond pizza. We started with a trio of arancini filled with spicy pork sausage on whipped pesto ricotta ($9.50), and it was fantastic: Not too heavy, not too dense. There are also charred Brussels sprouts, baked clams, calamari, and Calabrian chile-spiked “Italian” wings with peppercorn-parmesan sauce, plus all the standard salads: garden, wedge, chopped. My Caesar ($14.95) was fresh and fine, but I wish they offered anchovies (go on, judge me).
There are also non-pie entrees. When my son sat down and announced that he wanted a ribeye ($36), I initially tried to steer him back to pizza. (What kid doesn’t want pizza?) But I was curious, too: Could a famous pizza place actually pull off a decent steak? Peter, who usually reserves his highest praise for chicken nuggets, devoured it. It was cooked as ordered, sliced thin, and doused in a divine sweet-and-sour cherry pepper sauce that tasted a bit like Italian dressing mixed with Howard’s hot relish. He licked his plate. Best of all, our server didn’t look askance at a child ordering a steak. “Yes, sir,” she said. “And how would you like that cooked?” He beamed.
I stuck to pizza: a classic mozzarella (pronounced “mootz” in New Haven) and tomato version ($17.95 and up), topped with a seasonal pureed eggplant. The sauce was sweet, the mootz was judiciously applied, and my silver tray was layered with soot. This is not a gloppy, cheesy pizza. It’s blackened and smoky, so don’t be surprised. Another popular version is made only with tomato sauce and a dusting of parmesan, but the crackly dough and the sweetish sauce really are good enough to stand alone. If you’re not a purist, all the traditional toppings are here.
What to drink: Connecticut’s own Foxon Park sodas are a must: They’re stronger and fizzier than your traditional fountain sodas. Peter slurped two potent root beers. I enjoyed a tall, tart Sicilian margarita ($13), made with Blanco tequila, Amaretto, and a splash of blood orange. There’s plenty of cocktails (espresso martinis, an Old Fashioned with Campari), plus mocktails, wine, and Sally’s house pilsner.
The takeaway: Satisfying and a little quirky. The soundtrack consisted of the Monkees and criminally underrated Texas R&B band Archie Bell and the Drells. There are lots of photos of Cars albums on the walls. The lights are bright enough to remind you that you’re in a strip mall, but low enough to make you feel cozy after a cocktail. Service is alternatively effusive (my son was treated like a prince) and absent-minded (the three people at the host stand ignored us just long enough for me to feel like I was in a Larry David sketch). I have lots of leftovers today, and I’m happy about that.
Sally’s Apizza, 300 Mishawum Drive, Woburn, 781-287-8803, www.sallysapizza.com