We’re going up tomorrow (Sunday Feb 18) arriving around noon. Probably doing a self (app) guided tour of Yale but other than that have no clue. We’re staying close to campus and it looks like there are many bars and restaurants nearby. Somewhat surprising to me were many bad reviews for many of the places. We enjoy pub crawling, although Sunday night might be a bit slow for that sort of thing. Dive/locals places are a plus. We like all kinds of food so if there is any casual place that is exceptional, I’m all ears.
Obviously, there are the Big Three pizza places; Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Sally’s Apizza and Modern Apizza, all of which are excellent. Though given your interest in pub crawling, how about BAR New Haven instead? The pizza is supposedly excellent and they might also have beer.
If you like architecture, particular that of the twentieth century, New Haven has many examples of various styles (International Style, Brutalist, Collegiate Gothic, etc.). There are a couple of worthwhile museums though the Peabody Museum of Natural History is, I think, still closed for a major renovation.
So how was it?
We stayed very near the Yale campus (Chapel Street) and spent a lot of time just walking around and checking out the buildings. When we checked into the hotel, the lobby area was packed with young people (students) sitting in chairs and reading. Some screens but mostly actual books and it was very quiet. It was actually kind of weird, like you were in a library. It turns out it was a book club of some sort that the hotel hosts.
I’ve been to Princeton and Penn and have to say, Yale was in a different league. Those buildings were amazing. Unfortunately, most were closed to casual visitors but we did go into one of the dining halls. It was bustling with hundreds of students but the architecture is what got me. The wood beams supporting the roof 40’(?) up were stunning. I got to wondering, if you are there day in and day out, do the surroundings lose their zing? When you think “Ivy League campus” this is it. I’m sure Cambridge and Oxford are similar but they are a little far for an overnighter. I love the massive stone structures and am in awe of what it took to construct them…
On the pub crawl side we hit a couple of breweries - Nolo (a lifetime local sitting next to us pronounced their pizza to be the best in New Haven but we weren’t hungry enough to order) and East Rock - good beers at both. We had wings at Archie’s - very good. Perhaps my favorite was a little neighborhood bar called Cantois Tavern. Opened in 1934 it draws locals with many cops and firefighters stopping in… Off-duty, of course. They had a couple unique features. You could get a cheeseburger, hand made and grilled right in front of you by the bartender. And that’s it. Nothing else on the menu. In fact, no menu. Regulars can grab their own bottled beer from an ice-filled cooler. Caps are kept in front of you on the bar and when you leave, caps are counted and you pay your bill. Apparently, other customers ensure that there is no cheating. It was kind of funny - the guy sitting next to us said “This is your first time in New Haven and you came here?” He proceeded to take us to a few other places (Bear’s & Cafe 9) and seemed to get a kick out of showing us around. We closed out the night at the Old Heidelberg.
As for the pizza - I never knew New Haven style pizza was a thing. I guess its like cheesesteaks in Philly. Endless arguments and, I gather, endless lines at the hot spots. After hearing many opinions, we decided to try Modern. No luck. They were closed yesterday so we ate at a noodle house across from our hotel. Now that we have the lay of the land, I wouldn’t mind going back in warmer weather.Everyone we met was nice. I like the college town vibe and there are plenty of interesting dining options to pick from.
Definitely go back and decide which of the big three (Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Sally’s Apizza and Modern Apizza) you favor. Most people are either Pepe’s or Sally’s fans, though my preference is for Modern Apizza, the newest of the three and the only one not being turned into a chain. And regarding the architecture of the university, you saw all of the colleges with their Collegiate Gothic architecture and looking like they’re hundreds of years old, like they are at Oxford and Cambridge universities. Well, they’re not in New Haven. The original twelve colleges were built only about a hundred years ago. (They added two more colleges quite recently.)
Oh yeah. It’s one of my bucket-list pizza destinations. Pretty much the only reason I could think of for me to go to New Haven. (ETA: Whoops – that may have sounded harsh. I mean, I’m sure it’s lovely, it’s got the university, etc., but as of a reason I would make a special trip there, it’s for the pizza.)
To be honest, I’ve sat at the gate at Chicago-Midway, waiting for the flight to Hartford-Bradley and am amazed that they get about 150 people to voluntarily travel to Connecticut. And somehow this happens every day? It is without a doubt the World’s Most Boring State.
And yet, you no longer need to travel there to try the pizza; both Pepe’s and Sally’s are turning into chains that have locations out of state. I think the only out of state locations for Sally’s is in Massachusetts but there are Pepe’s locations in Virginia, Maryland, Florida, New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
‘New Haven style’ pizza? Yeah, I never heard of it either. You have NY style, with a thin crust and (supposedly) some ineffable flavor or quality, possibly from the NY water. You have Chicago style deep dish. You have Detroit style, cooked in rectangular metal pans (that were originally part sorting pans from auto plants) with the sauce added on top.
New Haven style pizza is…?
From Wikipedia, “What makes New Haven–style pizza distinct is its thin, often oblong crust, characteristic charring, chewy texture, and limited use of melting cheeses. It tends to be drier and thinner than, but closely related to, traditional New York–style pizza. Both styles in turn are close descendants of the original Neapolitan pizza.”
It is, without a doubt, the best pizza in the world.
Ah ok, thanks.
Dammit, now I’m craving pizza!
Don’t forget Quad-Cities style! 
There’s a lot of styles of pizza out there. St Louis style. Midwest/Chicago tavern style. Buffalo/Western pizza, Old Forge (Penn.) style, Philadelphia style, etc.
And, if you dare, google Altoona style pizza.
Oh, that sounds good.
It’s okay. Definitely something I look forward to on the drive to Iowa City, but not necessarily something I’d go out of my way for. There’s a Quad Cities style place here in Chicago called Roots with a couple of locations. I don’t think they’re a dead ringer for a Harris Pizza, say, but they do reasonably well.
I just googled ‘Altoona style pizza’. From this article…
The pizza is topped with tomato sauce, green bell peppers, peppercorn salami,
Sounds great so far!
…and, most controversial, yellow American cheese.
Aw, hells no.
Have a slice!
Maybe I should spoiler that or break the link in case it triggers anyone.
To be fair, I’d give it a shot, but it looks like something some 1950s mom put together in a hurry to feed the kids. My sister-in-law is from Altoona and even she says she’s never tried that pizza (originally served by the Altoona Hotel.)
That is a horror show masquerading as a pizza.
I know that the buildings are made to look older than they are but still…Its not like they are constructed of faux rock, right? I’ve always been impressed by that style. There is a cathedral that was built in the last 100 years or so near where I grew up - Bryn Athyn Cathedral. Our parents took us there when we were little kids and we knew it as the Fairy Castle. I never saw any fairies (or anyone else for that matter) in the building. The grounds were open to the public but the church itself was locked. At some point I got a tour, wrote a report on it and learned some interesting things. Nothing (columns etc.) is lined up perfectly. The floor isn’t level - just slightly off. This because nothing is perfect in nature. No two door knobs (and there are many, all elaborate) are the same. No two locks are keyed the same. I think I remember someone saying that it will never be completed. Anyway, I’d love to have free rein to go poking around Yale or Oxford or anywhere like them. I loved The Pillars of the Earth by Follet. That book went into great detail about building cathedrals. Well, one imaginary one in particular.