Tomato pie. Courtesy of Frank Pepe’s.
In 1925, Frank Pepe opened his first pizza store in Connecticut, introducing the coal-fired thin-crust pies that might come to outline New Haven-style pizza (it nonetheless attracts lengthy strains for its white clam pie). Now, there are 11 suburban New England spinoffs and, come Monday, a department in Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery Mall. It’s about time—the restaurant first introduced plans to open right here in December 2019, however was set again by Covid-related delays and shutdowns.
The Frank Pepe enterprise is now run by members of the family. “It’s my grandfather’s legacy and we’re carrying it although,” says Jennifer Bimonte-Kelly, who acts because the household spokesperson.
The mall location will characteristic a 104,000 pound coal-fired oven, a reproduction of the one on the New Haven authentic. It’s that oven and its dry warmth, Bimonte-Kelly says, that offers Frank Pepe pizza its chewy, crispy, and charred crust. Pizzas cook dinner for six to 10 minutes at round 600 levels. The oven isn’t the one merchandise cribbed from the New Haven establishment. Bimonte-Kelly says the furnishings and wall decor mimics it, too.
The restaurant provides pizza in 12-inch, 16-inch, and 18-inch sizes, all served on sheet pans. The menu contains the well-known clam pie—a white pizza topped with clams, grated pecorino, olive oil, garlic, and oregano—which Bimonte-Kelly says her grandfather created on a whim. Others embrace a easy tomato pie with grated pecorino, and one other decked out with spinach, mushroom, and gorgonzola. Bimonte-Kelly says there’s one secret (nicely, not likely) menu merchandise: “The Particular” comes topped with sausage, bacon, meatball, and pepperoni together with mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Along with pizza, the menu additionally contains salads, beer, and wine.
An Alexandria location (3231 Duke St.) is slated for a July opening.
Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana. 7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda; 301-304-7373. Open every day from 11 AM to 10 PM for walk-in diners and takeout.
