Is Greeks making pizza just a CT thing?

Submitted by Ancient_Belt_1291 t3_117bjb3 in Connecticut

I realized that a good majority of the pizza I ate growing up was actually made by Greeks - there was a place in the TriTown plaza in Colchester back in the late 70s early 80s. In Bristol, Max's pizza and Bristol pizza. Is this a thing or am I just no remembering things correctly.

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snackdrag t1_j9avoqa wrote

Jersey as well. Jersey is better for greek pizza.

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topsheetisamust t1_j9avtr1 wrote

The majority of MA pizza places (at least where my parents live) are Greek owned.

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ThePermafrost t1_j9b0ryf wrote

My family are Greek immigrants - they’ve owned 7 pizza restaurants in CT over the past 50 years. Vernon, Colchester, New London, Rocky Hill, Manchester, and 2 others.

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mrjharder11 t1_j9b59rx wrote

Yes. If its made in a pan then it's Greek.

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as1126 t1_j9b61oz wrote

Lot of Albanians making pizza in NY, so this makes sense as well.

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gatogrande t1_j9b6l2q wrote

So 70s and 80s there was quite a pizza desert going on in this area, I think people were happy with a certain quality, and crave it as that's what they grew up with. Heck even middletown back then had really bad pizza (from what old timers tell me regarding type and style). Is this the plaza at the top of 16 and 149?

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Gravco t1_j9b6o4n wrote

Former Long Islander here... also of Greek ancestry. No.

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Jets237 t1_j9b74h2 wrote

NO its a big thing in MA.

My theory (Growing up in NY vs going to college in Boston).

In NY the majority of diners are Greek owned. Greek immigrants who wanted to open a restaurant defaulted to diners while Italian immigrants went the Pizza route.

In Boston that diner culture just doesn't exist, so all the Greek immigrants defaulted to opening pizza places.

Not sure in CT as much. The pizza places we tend to frequent in stamford aren't greek owned but there are plenty

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FrugalGirl97 t1_j9b9rda wrote

Replying to gatogrande (#1,886,688)

Maria's Pizza? It's Greek. Owned by a Greek family in Colchester. No shade on Greek pizza but It's No Italian. Sauce is very tomato paste, no fresh basil, no fresh veggies mostly canned ie) mushrooms, cheap black olives.

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11BMasshole t1_j9ba38c wrote

I’m a 1st generation American of Greek parents. They owned a Pizza shop in the Boston area from 1970-2007. They sold it to an Albanian couple and they still operate it to this day. Most of my Parents friends and relatives also owned pizza joints.

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Suspicious-One5822 t1_j9baww3 wrote

My grandparents lived in colchester, I used to love going to papa z's pizza i belive it was called. Then head over to tritown auctions for shopping.

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foodcoma85 t1_j9bb91z wrote

If there’s no Zorba flyer in the window, keep walking. The best pizza places have Zorba flyers.

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Cryptic1911 t1_j9bbxxn wrote

So tired of greek pizza. So glad brick oven style is starting to pop up in more towns

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TheTowerBard t1_j9bdk8g wrote

Lots of Greeks opened pizza shops throughout Vermont too. Thank god, because that was literally all there was my entire childhood. There would have been no pizza without them.

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joeykey t1_j9bejfd wrote

Nope. I would say that “Boston style” pizza is actually Greek pizza - little bit of a thicker crust, heavy on the sauce. My favorite is the Steve’s Special from Steve’s on Main St in Falmouth MA

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joeykey t1_j9bet86 wrote

Replying to ThePermafrost (#1,886,068)

Nice dude! My buddy’s family has a couple places in MA. Last call on the Cape is wicked early so we used to go back to the pizza place and drink more beers and make sandwiches. It’s pretty great having buddies like you!

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solomons-marbles t1_j9bfzy2 wrote

Growing up in the 80s it was all Greek pie. It’s a CT & Western Mass thing. It’s my total comfort food.

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Vast-Government-8994 t1_j9bh9xc wrote

Family Pizza, Colchester pizza, & Papa Z's are still around in Colchester owned/operated by Greeks Grew up there & this is my favorite type of pizza still

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Marchtothesea85 t1_j9bjd9i wrote

Greek style is my favorite and one of my go to’s just closed (Athens Greenfield Ma), any of you guys know any good Greek pizza spots near spfld/agawam/Westfield?

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WestRiverTraveler t1_j9bkh85 wrote

I’m a big fan of New Haven, but every once in a while, I get a craving for Greek pizza. It’s trash, but sometimes I want trash.

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hymen_destroyer t1_j9bqupo wrote

I lived in Syracuse and worked at a Greek pizza place that was two buildings down from another Greek pizza place. Definitely not just a CT thing.

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AhbabaOooMaoMao t1_j9bt7gu wrote

I think it's just that in most places where pizza is just pizza there is no distinction.

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essaitchthrowaway3 t1_j9bw0pf wrote

Best pizza in the state comes from Greek owned restaurants. It is very much a north eastern thing, as well as in Chicago, parts of Florida and a few other pockets of the country were Greek immigrants settled in the late 60s and into the 80s. A lot of them opened restaurants back then because they didn't have any marketable skills and few spoke English well. Some of those places have been taken over by their children and kept within the family, while other places have been sold to Albanians, Russians and even Turks while still carrying certain Greek themes.

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Kodiak01 t1_j9bye1m wrote

Replying to joeykey (#1,887,462)

My favorite will always be Village Pizza in Easthampton, MA. It is as close to pizza perfection I've ever had; wife insists we make the hour each way drive at least once a month for it. Unfortunately, this pizza does NOT reheat well (could be the unbrominated flour mix they use); it is by far the best fresh and hot.

The same Greek family also owned A-1 Pizza and Florence Pizza in Northampton, and there used to be a Parthenon Pizza up in Greenfield but I believe that closed a very long time ago.

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Winnifever t1_j9bz4jh wrote

Yup and the best one is JGs in East Granby.

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TheSpacePopeIX t1_j9c0mje wrote

Adjacent trend, a high number of Indian restaurants in CT are owned and operated by Nepali and Bengali people.

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InTheTenRing t1_j9c2y4x wrote

The pizza joint we went to growing up, Marlborough Pizza in CT, was Greek. There's a place 5 min from my house, Georgia's, that's Greek. Definitely a New England region thing for sure. My family lives down south and, while the pizza generally is trash down there, they've never ever heard of Greek pizza.

To me it's the taste of my childhood and generally is always good.

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SherrickM t1_j9c8bqj wrote

Replying to Suspicious-One5822 (#1,887,116)

It was originally called Zisi's, I believe. Until the original owner either died or left and then they changed the name at that point. My dad's parents were in Colchester, I remember eating pizza from that restaurant back in the 1980s.

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Impreza4ever t1_j9c8tr6 wrote

Replying to SherrickM (#1,890,344)

I was thinking about the Athenians specifically but also Colony Diner. I think most diners, at least in CT are Greek owned tbh. Maybe even outside of CT but I can’t really speak on that, I don’t usually eat at diners if I travel out of state.

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ZoqY t1_j9ca0a1 wrote

Greek pizza is good tbh. Especially bristol ct stuff

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itqitc t1_j9cbb1z wrote

my first job in high school was a greek pizza place in Western MA.

I love Crown Pizza in Waterford it is my go to but now i have a list of places to try. Greek Pizza is my favorite, dare i say i love it more than New Haven style.

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cb020429 t1_j9cbf8x wrote

Pizza, hot dogs and diners.

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SherrickM t1_j9cgx2x wrote

Replying to Suspicious-One5822 (#1,890,999)

I can't remember the timing exactly of the change, but it was in the mid 90s I think. They also expanded the menu a little bit, but not a ton. My dad's mom passed about 15 years ago, so I haven't been in a long time, but I'm glad to hear elsewhere that it's still there. Colchester likes to keep stuff around.

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apothecarynow t1_j9ch6sr wrote

These places don't really advertise as Greek right?

How does one tell the difference??

I remember someone telling me when I was at UConn that husky Pizza was Greek and that's why that person didn't like it.

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WaldoIsOverThere t1_j9chr1x wrote

I kind of consider Greek it’s own style of pizza at this point. All of the places o have ever been to that are Greek owned, or even Albanian owned to be honest, are always very similar with a relatively rigid underside and a crispy but smooth crust. It’s very good. I love that I have access to 3 different types and they are all fantastic. New Haven, New York, and “Greek”.

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RedditZhangHao t1_j9ci126 wrote

Replying to joeykey (#1,887,443)

Similar to some Boston area pizza shops owned/operated by Italians employing staff from the Balkans now, some Greek joints used to employ more than a few Armenians. Never really liked much Boston-area pizza, Italian, Greek, whatevuh

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andcal t1_j9ciqm6 wrote

Replying to Kodiak01 (#1,889,331)

We moved to western MA in Oct, and we keep encountering pizza from nearby pizza places that have fresh garlic in them.

Is this part of the Greek pizza thing (thin slices or chunks of raw garlic under the cheese)? We like garlic, but I guess we prefer it cooked.

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BenjTheMaestro t1_j9cjhor wrote

Been here a year in April and didn’t know this. Until last week, talking to a stranger stuck in pep boys from out of state pointed it out lmao

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yachtmusic t1_j9cp80f wrote

When I was a young child in the 1970s, my grandmother took us out for the most delicious pizza in West Hartford. I remember her saying it was Greek.

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oodja t1_j9cq0lq wrote

I live in Eastern PA now- we've got Greeks making pizzas down here as well! Check out the dude on the pizza box from our go-to place: Mah Flend

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painterlyjeans t1_j9cqvhp wrote

I remember that place. The Colchester place.

I loved ABC’s in Cromwell

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painterlyjeans t1_j9cr9ij wrote

I grew up by ABC’s on Main St in Cromwell and it was as the bomb, at least until they sold it to a Polish Family.

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EricaEquites1 t1_j9crwyr wrote

It’s a Rhode Island thing as well. It’s good pizza.

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SBIV-63 t1_j9csewl wrote

I grew up in central mass. And most of the corner pizza shops were owned by Greek families. But at least they didn’t ruin their pie’s by cutting them into little freakin squares!

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MassConsumer1984 t1_j9ct610 wrote

Replying to apothecarynow (#1,891,110)

Hope I don’t get down voted here, but I’m Italian and do not like Greek pizza at all. Most of them put the tipping UNDER the cheese, and burn the cheese, and the crust (and sauce) have no salt. Just my opinion. And my old neighbor owned a pizza place by UCONN. never liked his pizza.

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Mac_and_head_cheese t1_j9czlt4 wrote

Replying to apothecarynow (#1,891,110)

Greek pizza is normally cooked in a greased pan. It kind of has a distinctive looking crust that is a bit more rounded and crispier than other styles.

I don't know if it's a widespread Greek pizza thing, but most (if not all) of the Greek pizza I've had from the northeast has their large pizzas cut into squares rather than wedges/slices.

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apothecarynow t1_j9d03x7 wrote

Replying to MassConsumer1984 (#1,892,221)

I guess I'm just saying is there a "Greek style" or just pizzerias owned by people of Greek descent?

Like I probably had it and just thought it wasn't great pizza. I liked husky Pizza I think but it has been a decade

Not many pizza places I would say I dislike. (Georges /olive bar is the only one it comes to mind that I think is overrated)

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Nick_the_Greek17 t1_j9d62dd wrote

I know a few good Greek pizza joints in upstate NY, Syracuse specifically. The are GOOD!

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slowandlow85 t1_j9da8sw wrote

Georges Pizza in Hartford and Elmwood Pizza in West Hartford are some GOAT Greek Pies.

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Larrik t1_j9db3od wrote

Replying to joeykey (#1,887,480)

Been forever since I’ve been, but Hometown Pizza in Prospect was my favorite pizza for a while. It was Albanian (although they still decorated Italian…)

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Most_Personality597 t1_j9dcjoi wrote

Used to love Zachary’s Pizza in Waterbury as a kid…hands down one of the best…shut down a few years ago…amazing Greek style pan pizza!

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propositionjoe211 t1_j9dekiw wrote

For sure we had a couple in my home town on the west side of ct

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smashyrhead t1_j9dj5ye wrote

Yup. Spartan in Waterbury was always my go to spot

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SirKnightRyan t1_j9dxa5e wrote

George’s in Unionville is Greek. I wouldn’t go to a Greek pizza place for NY (real) pizza but there’s plenty of room for variety in the pizza game esp in CT

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smackrock t1_j9dxfrb wrote

NH has its share of Greek pizza places too.

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doru-mori t1_j9ebxsz wrote

Albanians make tons of pizza too in The Bronx. I dunno, it has no ethnicity now

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explorer_76 t1_j9ejq0v wrote

A lot of the famous deep dish pizza places in Chicago were started by Greeks.

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Difficult_Growth29 t1_j9eta88 wrote

Replying to Marchtothesea85 (#1,887,958)

I think the Parthenon closed but that was my go to. Red Rose obviously but that’s not Greek. I think there is a great Greek place in Enfield on the border of Westfield. I’ll try to find the name. I’m a western mass to Fairfield county now in London, England. London England has awful pizza btw. Just awful. Papa johns is the best I can do over here.

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OhEidirsceoil t1_j9euucf wrote

I realized this recently when I moved from New London to Stamford. The pizza I grew up with is (IMO) significantly inferior to the New Haven Neapolitan / Apizza style made by Italians in SE CT and elsewhere in New England. It’s slowly starting to spread out. There’s an Apizza place in Niantic now. Greek pizza will always have a special appeal for me, like really greasy Chinese food.

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cosmicness t1_j9evg9q wrote

Replying to Kodiak01 (#1,889,331)

Village Pizza in Easthampton is a very solid pizza. I'm glad to see they've still survived the gentrification of what used to be such a nice small town.

You say A1(in Chicopee) is owned by the same people? I haven't had great success in Chicopee finding a good Pizza and A1 is one of the spots I still haven't tried. Everything has been hit or miss.

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Kodiak01 t1_j9evr26 wrote

Replying to cosmicness (#1,899,048)

No, A-1 in Florence not Chicopee.

As teens we used to hang out at Village all the time while growing up there (80s-90s). That was back when Gus was still running it. Now it's his son John's place.

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nsfdrag t1_j9fgxle wrote

It's a thing, east side in wallingford is great greek pizza.

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rafaelmagura t1_j9fk9t3 wrote

I love max pizza in Bristol when I got visit my good friend. I don’t care who makes the pizza as long as it’s delicious.

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Gasu_E t1_j9fkdyt wrote

"Greek Pizza" is a distinctive style of pizza. It was invented in the USA, not Greece; actually, in CT. It's mostly found in New England and bordering areas.

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H2Omekanic t1_j9ghztc wrote

There's literally an Athens Pizza in every new england county

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NukeWelder t1_j9hoh4x wrote

My Italian neighbor says that he refuses to eat Greek-made Italian food because they ruin it with too many spices and herbs. He says that true Italian food uses ingredients that are white, red and green—just like their flag. Anything beyond that is over-complicating the dish and makes it taste bad.

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