A little slice of Connecticut has come to Bethesda. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened its first location in the DMV at Westfield Montgomery mall on Monday.
The long awaited grand opening of #FrankPepePizza at #WestfieldMontgomerymall pic.twitter.com/zB0TaYDNLR
— Montgomery Community Media (@mymcmedia) March 28, 2022
Pepe’s Pizza, the name used more commonly, was founded in New Haven in 1925 by Frank Pepe, who immigrated to the United States in 1909 at the age of 16. Pepe’s Pizza is the originator of New Haven-style pizza, which is characterized by its signature crispy yet chewy, slightly charred crust.
“It may have taken nearly a century for America’s best pizza to arrive in the DMV, but we are thrilled to finally be here.” said Jennifer Kelly, granddaughter of Frank Pepe, who will visit the store opening day. “These are our family’s original recipes,” she added. “We even replicated our signature coal-fired, hand-built brick oven using iron castings from the original restaurant.”
Pepe’s Specialty Pizzas include the original White Clam Pizza, a combination crafted by Frank Pepe himself (fresh clams with pecorino romano, proprietary oil blend, fresh garlic, and oregano), spinach mushroom and gorgonzola (mozzarella and pecorino romano), and the amanti della carne (crushed Italian tomatoes, mozzarella, meatball, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and pecorino romano).
Pepe’s is set to open a new location in Alexandria later this year.
