Greetings my fellow Local Guides
Allow me to share with you a deliciously different style of pizza - Nick’s New Haven Style Pizzeria
What is “New Haven” style pizza?
New Haven-style pizza is typically a thin, somewhat oblong crust Neapolitan pizza that’s common in and around New Haven, Connecticut. It tends to be drier and thinner than, but closely related to, traditional New York-style pizza.
We were in Boca Raton, Florida, hungry for dinner and performing our usual Google Maps search. As one who’s always searching for a new culinary experience and one also that appreciates a great pizza, I found this place to be of interest.
The Nick’s experience
Nicks features a large dining area with comfortable booths and a view of the kitchen and ovens. One feature I always enjoy finding in a Florida establishment, is a bar that opens up to the outdoors - They have one here
A true New Haven style pizza is baked in coal fired ovens, at extreme temperatures. Nick’s uses two hand-built coal pizza ovens that they affectionately refer to as “The Dragons"
With New Haven-style pizza, a “plain” pizza is a crust, oregano, tomato sauce, and a little bit of grated pecorino romano cheese.
What to order?
We decided to order one of the suggested variations of this from the menu - Roasted chicken, pesto and cherry tomatoes. We also ordered a less traditional version - Tomato, basil and mozzarella with hot cherry peppers. Parmigiana and mozzarella are not standard for this style of pizza, as there is limited use of melting cheeses. However, we thought it sounded delicious, especially after our server recommended the spicy peppers.
I must say, we found both pizzas delicious! The crust has an unmistakable char (from those flaming hot ovens ) and the bottom of the crust forms a crunchy layer, to a somewhat chewy crust. It’s definitely thicker than a New York style thin crust, but similar in consistency. There’s minimal sauce (which is how I prefer my pizza} with the crust and toppings meant to be the stars. The cheeses, veggies and spices all added a range of flavors, including a good bit of spicy heat from the peppers!
@MelTG and I both thought it was a great new experience and would highly recommend Nick’s. Should you be in South Florida and want to try something new, it’s one worth considering. I know we’ll be stopping back there, the next time we’re in town.
Have you had a pizza that’s different than most? Or, a different take on a popular food in your country? I look forward to reading about them in the comments. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed.