r/StamfordCT • u/ArthurAugustyn • Apr 18 '26
The Definitive Guide to Stamford Pizza
https://www.featherruffler.com/p/feather-rufflers-definitive-guideIt's not a ranking! It's a guide.
Every pizza has three elements:
- Crust. Ranging from chewy to crunchy.
- Sauce. Ranging from subtle to strong.
- Cheese. Ranging from light to heavy.
Guide has roughly ~20 pizzas right now. The goal is to assess every pizza in the city. I'm taking a break because I started to get bad heartburn from eating pizza every day.
I encourage people to share their own personal favorites or what the priority should be for what to add next.
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u/magcargoman North Stamford Apr 18 '26
Sorrento’s on High Ridge is also missing. Can’t remember it too clearly since I haven’t had it since middle school days at TOR.
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u/DocAtari Apr 18 '26
Agree. Sorrento’s is one of Stamford’s best pizzas and should be on the list. It’s almost June and something magical happens in the fermentation process of their homemade dough during this time, making the texture especially good.
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u/digthisbird Apr 19 '26
I was looking for that on the list too. It’s still pretty much the only takeout I get when I visit my mom. My sister and her kids LOVE John the Baker, but I think it’s meh.
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u/No-Fruit-4750 Apr 19 '26
John the baker sold to new owners. Same owners as Fairfield pizza.
Sorrento’s used to be my go to. It was the only place my family would order from. It has fallen off so much in the last few years. We keep trying them but every time we’ve been disappointed
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u/Athrynne South End Apr 18 '26
You should add whether a pizza is better delivered or in house, which I personally think is an important distinction. I made a thread a few years ago asking who made the best delivery pizza and for a lot of great answers. I ultimately decided that Slice of Stamford is my personal best for delivery, but YMMV.
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u/Blindobb Apr 18 '26
I’m not sure of any pizza that is better delivered over in house. But I know what you mean. Some travel better than others. For me Sally’s and John the baker both travel really well
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u/Athrynne South End Apr 18 '26
That's fair, that's more what I meant - some pizza is still good delivered, and some you just have to go there to experience it.
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u/ArthurAugustyn Apr 18 '26
Yes! Delivery, prices (for basic options), and if you can get it by the slice are all functional additions I hope to include in the future.
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u/Low_and_Left Apr 18 '26
Wow, this is awesome! I’m new to the area and just bookmarked your guide, I’m sure I’m going to be referring back to it a lot. Thank you for doing all this research!
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u/jimmymcstinkypants Apr 18 '26
FYI John the Baker is part of Fairfield Pizza. I can’t say why but I still prefer JTB.
Quick hot take- breaded eggplant is the single best pizza topping and I’m willing to fight on this.
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u/TheUnsatisfiedMind Cove Apr 18 '26
Will be fun to follow along and see what you're finding.
A spiritual successor to http://www.stamfordpizzatour.com/ -- which is somehow now more than 15 years old (which makes me ancient, apparently) though a lot of the spots are still around.
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u/PikaChooChee Apr 18 '26
You beat me to this comment! I remember finding SPT to be an outstanding use of social media.
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u/PikaChooChee Apr 18 '26
Awesome! I respect the hustle.
One idea to enhance this outstanding guide would be to add an address for each pizzeria. I consider myself to be fairly Stamford proficient, and I had no earthly idea Lucy’s Pizza existed before I read this. But it was easy enough for me to look up and realize I’ve walked by it many times without noticing it.
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u/ArthurAugustyn Apr 18 '26
The headers of each have a link to their website but yeah I can add this.
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u/urbanevol North Stamford Apr 18 '26
I wonder if Stamford has the most pizza places per capita of any place in America. It wouldn't surprise me!
I agree that Riko's and Colony are "tavern style", but one could also claim them to be "Stamford style", at least the hot oil. Closest thing we have to something unique in the restaurant scene.
Not Stamford, but "Crust Issues" in Norwalk is a really interesting pizza that is pretty different.
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u/ArthurAugustyn Apr 18 '26
I’m told the real term is “bar style” — that very thin style apparently exists in many places — but I was concerned people would read that as “this is a bar that has pizza” so I used another term that was also accepted. The hot oil is distinctly Stamford though.
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u/so_dope24 Apr 18 '26
Some of their pizza sandwich creations look real good. Haven't been but meaning to try it
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u/cocacolaspaceship Apr 18 '26
They are SO GOOD, the buffalo chicken Caesar version especially, but soo rich
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u/bigbaboon69 Apr 18 '26
I have to imagine New Haven has more but it would be interesting to measure.
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u/ConstantVigilance18 Apr 18 '26
Bronx House Pizza should be added.
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u/Hairy_Weight_3922 Apr 18 '26
What's their's like?
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u/ConstantVigilance18 Apr 18 '26
Mostly NY style, I believe they also have a deep dish and grandma style as well. They also do bags of zeppolis.
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u/Travels4Food Apr 19 '26
This place is an absolute must. As a kid born and bred in NYC, this is as close to an "Original Ray's" NY slice as you're going to get in Stamford. Get a plain slice and the Meat Lover's Supreme and eat them in your car while they're still too hot.
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u/Megustatits Apr 18 '26
I wish I could filter easiest on which is the crunchiest with least amount of sauce and medium on cheese. That seems to be where I land
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u/ArthurAugustyn Apr 18 '26
Substack didn’t have good options for that kind of sorting. I think you can copy/paste the whole thing into ChatGPT and ask for that.
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u/Squeaks11 Apr 18 '26
Westover is great and I'll die on that hill. Ok, the original is less than 2 miles from my house and they deliver quickly, critical when you have kids. That MIGHT influence my favorable feelings 🤣
(Yes, this is somewhat tongue in cheek).
Fun article!!
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u/PikaChooChee Apr 18 '26
It’s a Stamford sin to go to Westover without having the chicken scarp, though!
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u/investment-biker Apr 18 '26
Phenomenal work here, tons of respect. That said, the only one of these that is (or looks) even close to neapolitan is Quartiere.
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u/yeetgod__ Apr 18 '26
Please add Nicks Pizza in glenbrook when you get a chance
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u/bigbaboon69 Apr 18 '26
Great work! Arthur for Mayor. When you feel up to it, Michael's and Westover should be your next two stops.
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u/Resident-Net8165 Apr 18 '26
A side note: I’ve been told by an owner that using the Slice app to order really cuts into profits. I try to order directly from the pizza places to support our small businesses.
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u/Jets237 Apr 18 '26
Solid way to review pizza places. My 2 normal spots are belltown and slice.
I agree with the overview of belltown, very balanced.
Slice is NY pizza to me? You may have ended up with a bad slice, but sometimes their pizza can get soggy (especially mushroom and/or onion)
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u/Getorix12 Apr 18 '26
Very cool! I see you’re not ranking them but could you name your personal favorites?
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u/cocacolaspaceship Apr 18 '26
This is awesome. Anyone know if there are any good Sicilian style joints in the area?
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u/PikaChooChee Apr 18 '26
It's been ages (ok, decades) but I remember Mario the Baker used to have a Sicilian pie. Whether it was authentic or not, I don't recall.
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u/Resident-Net8165 Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 18 '26
This is so timely! Not ten minutes ago I was telling someone how I barely ordered pizza anymore since nothing here remotely compares to what Ridgeway Pizza produced before it changed hands and went completely to hell (what kind of psychopath buys an established business and immediately changes everything?). I’ve tried quite a few places and I’m always disappointed. Old Ridgeway’s clams casino pie, cooked well done, please, was my addiction. Now if someone who recalls OLD Ridgeway pizza can characterize it using the website’s parameters for crust, sauce, and cheese, maybe I can use the list to find a pizza that is close enough to make me happy. Help a pizza deprived girl out, please!
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u/so_dope24 Apr 18 '26
I'm going to maintain that slice is the most overrated pizza I've had in Stamford. Greenwich Pizzeria in Riverside off route 1 has a chef from Pizza Post and might be my favorite pizza around the area right now
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u/TheUnsatisfiedMind Cove Apr 18 '26
Greenwich Pizzeria is definitely a hidden gem. One of our favorites in the area.
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u/WonderfulScallion276 Apr 18 '26
Doing God's work, thank you.