Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, known locally as Pepe's, is a popular pizza restaurant in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut at 163 Wooster Street. It is one of the oldest and best known pizzerias in the United States.
Pepe's was founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe, an Italian immigrant. Pepe was born in Maiori, Italy on April 15, 1893, and later immigrated to New Haven in 1909 at the young age of 17. The quintessential Wooster Square Italian immigrant (poor, uneducated, enthusiastic), he took a job at a New Haven factory, but he hated it.
During World War I, Pepe went back to Italy to fight for his beloved native country. Upon returning, he soon landed a job working at a bakery on Wooster Street, which was a much better fit for him. Pepe began walking through the Wooster Square market and sold his "tomato pies" off of a special headdress that he wore on his head. After saving up enough money, he was able to buy a wagon to sell his pizzas off of. He did so well with his pizzas that he was eventually able to take over his employer's business and turn it into the first "Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana" on June 16, 1925.
The piece of land which Pepe's restaurant sat on was owned by the Boccamiello family. They later made Frank Pepe leave so that they could start their own pizzeria at the establishment, which they renamed The Spot. Pepe moved his restaurant to its current location next door to The Spot in 1936. The Pepe family later ...
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