The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Sally’s Apizza opens Stamford location
Sally’s Apizza, one of New Haven’s most well-known destination pizzerias, will officially open its Stamford location Thursday at 3 p.m., becoming the first Sally’s outside of Wooster Street in New Haven.
The 4,000-square-foot restaurant at 66 Summer St. features a double-height bar dining area, full bar with cocktails, a mezzanine, and floor to ceiling windows, along with a dedicated fulfillment area for takeout and delivery, according to a news release.
Decor will highlight art and memorabilia nodding to Sally’s history as a favorite stop among musical artists, like Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones, and the restaurant’s playlist will also reflect “the best of what’s old and the best of what’s new,” according to the release.
Thursday’s grand opening celebration will feature a DJ with music and dancing, swag, photo ops and Sally’s T-shirts, screen-printed on site.
Many locals have their favorite Wooster Street stop: either Frank Pepe’s or Sally’s, and typically a fierce, unwavering devotion to one of the two. Sally’s, started by Frank Pepe’s nephew Sal Consiglio in 1938, has earned the same national attention and praise as its neighboring rival over the years, with the spotlight usually shining on its classic tomato pie.
Sally’s promises a commitment to authenticity, using original recipes and recreating identical custom pizza ovens in the new location. Brothers Bob and Rick Consiglio (Sal’s sons) sold the business to new owners Lineage Hospitality in 2018, but have stayed on as consultants.
“These exact same recipes, techniques and ingredients are still how we make the pizza today, in our original location, and now in Stamford,” Rick Consiglio said in a statement. “Everything’s the same, even the oven.”
Sally’s is planning further expansion, with a location confirmed for Wethersfield. Marketing director Krystina Nataloni also confirmed planned locations in Fairfield and Norwalk, but she did not have the addresses immediately available for the Fairfield County restaurants.
In late June, Nataloni said Sally’s was “in discussions with several leading developers in the greater Hartford area” and would share more information about other upcoming locations in the future.
Eater Boston also reported in August that Sally’s was eyeing a Boston-area expansion, and the restaurant is listed as “coming soon” to the Woburn Village retail space.