Tara Tai

Review of Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

We drove 2.5 hours from Boston on a whim that was ...

We drove 2.5 hours from Boston on a whim that was spurred on by watching the pizza episode of Ugly Delicious. We arrived at 1:30pm on a Saturday, and waited for ~30 minutes for a table. Was it worth the trip and the wait? TOTALLY.

The famed white clam pizza was not at all what I expected -- not as creamy and far clammier and briney-er than what I had in mind. I was pleasantly surprised by how many clams came on the pizza, and how seafoody-fresh it was. But what really blew me away was the fresh tomato pie. We ordered it on the fly because we thought we should get something fresh to go with the clam pizza and I ended up loving it even more! The tomatoes were so plump and juicy, so zesty, and so lovely, and the dough was springy and just a tad salty, and they garnished it really well with the perfect amount of cheese. I had 5 slices in one sitting, no regrets.

Our bill (1 medium clam, 1 small tomato, 1 birch beer) came out to $48 after tax and tip. Service was reasonably speedy; ambiance is casual, neighborhood joint, nothing fancy. There was a slight bathroom smell that lingered in the air when we first sat down, which was a bit unappetizing, but the pizza was so good we didn't mind (which is to say it was really good!).