The trade journal Pizza Today has hailed New Haven”™s Modern Apizza as the 2023 Pizzeria of the Year.
Founded in 1934 by Tony Tolli as Tony Apizza”™s, the eatery changed ownership names over years before current owner William “Billy” Pustari acquired it in 1988.
“He ushered in a new era at Modern, right when New Haven apizza notoriety escalated,” wrote Pizza Today Senior Editor Denise Greer wrote in her coverage. “His mark will forever be ingrained into Modern”™s history. With 45 years in the pizza business, Pustari says, ”˜It was a labor of love. It”™s all I know. It”™s all I ever did. Never went to college. Restaurant U., that was it.”™”
Greer added that Modern sells up to 1,100 pizzas a day on the weekend and Pustari employs 62 workers.
“Modern still specializes in its charred, chewy yet crispy texture that it was founded on,” Greer wrote. “The apizza was born from its meticulous dough, made from a natural mother starter and its 24-hour cold ferment. Pustari says not much has changed on the menu since he”™s taken over. Modern churns out traditional apizza from its oil-fueled brick oven. The Italian Bomb with bacon, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, pepper and garlic is still a favorite, as well as the Clams Casino with bacon and peppers. The menu is streamlined, offering appetizers including salads and its famous garlic bread; apizza and calzones.”
