I grew up in West Haven. Somehow I never tried Mike' appiza even thought Mike was a neighbor of ours. I will make it my first stop next time I get back to West Haven. In the meantime, I'm having a 60th birthday party at Urbn Pizza in North Park on Saturday afternoon on Feb. 14th. Come join us.
Stolen from a Yelp review by Joe C from Madison, CT:
Here is a link to the Yelp page http://www.yelp.com/biz/mikes-apizza-and-restaurant-west-haven
Stolen from a Yelp review by Joe C from Madison, CT:
Here is a link to the Yelp page http://www.yelp.com/biz/mikes-apizza-and-restaurant-west-haven
A lot of people talk about New Haven style pizza THIS and New Haven style pizza THAT. But ask them to describe New Haven style pizza and except for the usual "charred crust" response, you're likely not to get much else out of them. That's because New Haven style pizza is kinda complex and somewhat difficult to describe. Some traits of it are noticeable like the charred crust but other traits are very subtle. In many ways it's like New York style, but in some ways it's not.
Exhibit #1: take a look at my photo of the whole pie. THAT'S a New Haven style pizza. You cannot see the underside but it is slightly charred with little bits of burnt "who-knows-what". I like the burnt "who-knows-what". It adds a smokey flavor and is just the result of not continuously scraping the oven. On the top of the pizza you will see multiple bubbles and every bubble is blackened (some say burnt). Also, the mozzarella cheese is grated and not sliced.
Not evident in the photo is a good supply of tomato sauce. The amount is enough to make your hands messy and get your shirt and pants into trouble (if it all slides off your slice). Unlike its New York cousin, New Haven style pizza is typically more messy to eat. Sometimes it can be a big slop fest. But any good chef will tell you good food is almost never neat. That's something our NY friends don't understand and will often judge a slice by it's "neatness". Which as a long time New Havener boggles my mind. They'll also load up on lots of toppings, eventually turning their pizza into a big casserole. Take a look at all the toppings in my photo. Yup, there are none. That's because a good New Haven style pizza can stand by itself without toppings.
So how's Mike's apizza? It's very good. It's not the best pizza in the area, but it's very good and is probably one of the better pizzas in West Haven. I like it because it's slightly thicker than Zuppardi's. That reminds me, here's one more thing about New Haven style pizza; some people will say it is thicker or thinner than NY pizza. The truth is it can actually be both. New Haven style pizza can either be thick or thin depending on who is making it. Mike's apizza is more in line with the thicker styles of Grand Apizza and Ernies Pizza.
Crust, sauce and cheese were all good.
The interior of Mike's is a little hokey. I mean it's dark, there's an in-your-face fish tank, and there's odd looking diamond plate lining the walls. Plus, there's a total of three separate rooms which make its layout kinda confusing, especially if you have to pick up a pizza at the pick-up window.
So how's service? Eh. From my little communication with the pizza makers they don't seem to be the most hospitable people in the world. Unfortunately I think I've received more warm feelings from a wet rag.
Exhibit #1: take a look at my photo of the whole pie. THAT'S a New Haven style pizza. You cannot see the underside but it is slightly charred with little bits of burnt "who-knows-what". I like the burnt "who-knows-what". It adds a smokey flavor and is just the result of not continuously scraping the oven. On the top of the pizza you will see multiple bubbles and every bubble is blackened (some say burnt). Also, the mozzarella cheese is grated and not sliced.
Not evident in the photo is a good supply of tomato sauce. The amount is enough to make your hands messy and get your shirt and pants into trouble (if it all slides off your slice). Unlike its New York cousin, New Haven style pizza is typically more messy to eat. Sometimes it can be a big slop fest. But any good chef will tell you good food is almost never neat. That's something our NY friends don't understand and will often judge a slice by it's "neatness". Which as a long time New Havener boggles my mind. They'll also load up on lots of toppings, eventually turning their pizza into a big casserole. Take a look at all the toppings in my photo. Yup, there are none. That's because a good New Haven style pizza can stand by itself without toppings.
So how's Mike's apizza? It's very good. It's not the best pizza in the area, but it's very good and is probably one of the better pizzas in West Haven. I like it because it's slightly thicker than Zuppardi's. That reminds me, here's one more thing about New Haven style pizza; some people will say it is thicker or thinner than NY pizza. The truth is it can actually be both. New Haven style pizza can either be thick or thin depending on who is making it. Mike's apizza is more in line with the thicker styles of Grand Apizza and Ernies Pizza.
Crust, sauce and cheese were all good.
The interior of Mike's is a little hokey. I mean it's dark, there's an in-your-face fish tank, and there's odd looking diamond plate lining the walls. Plus, there's a total of three separate rooms which make its layout kinda confusing, especially if you have to pick up a pizza at the pick-up window.
So how's service? Eh. From my little communication with the pizza makers they don't seem to be the most hospitable people in the world. Unfortunately I think I've received more warm feelings from a wet rag.
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