Last July we reported that an iconic New Haven pizzeria was planning to open a location in Brookline, though the deal fell through two months later. Now we have learned that its plans are back on again, albeit in a different location.
According to a source, Pepe's Pizza is in the process of signing a lease for a location of its restaurant somewhere in the metro Boston area, with the information coming from an article in The Connecticut Table blog within Connecticut Magazine. According to the post, a lease for the undisclosed space "was about to be signed" as of late last month, with Ken Berry (president and CEO of Frank Pepe's Development Co.) saying that it is not the location of The Fireplace in Brookline, which is where Pepe's had been hoping to open before the plans fell apart (The Fireplace remains open in its Beacon Street space). It appears that the new location of Pepe's could be opening later this year.
Berry also mentions in the article that two or three new locations of Pepe's could come to Connecticut at some point, and he says that if the upcoming Boston-area shop "is well-received," others could be opening in metro Boston as well.
[February 6 update: Eater Boston says that the new location of Pepe's will be in Chestnut Hill, with a tipster saying it will move into the space within The Mall at Chestnut Hill where Papa Razzi had been. (This location was also mentioned by one of our sources as well.)]
[March 14 update: A new update from Eater Boston confirms that Pepe's will have a coal-fired brick oven. (The post also says that the 3,200-square-foot restaurant will have seating for 85 and the opening might not happen until the fall.)]
[December 2 update: The Boston Globe states that Pepe's will open in Chestnut Hill on December 16, and that it will be a bit different from the other Pepe's locations, offering additional salads and toppings and including an indoor patio.]
[December 10 update: According to an email, the new Pepe's in Chestnut Hill will be having an invite-only soft opening on Monday, December 14 and Tuesday, December 15, with the grand opening to the public apparently still on for Wednesday, December 16.]
Pepe's started out in New Haven in 1925 and now has additional locations in Danbury, Fairfield, Manchester, Mohegan Sun, and West Hartford in Connecticut, along with one in Yonkers, NY. It has received numerous accolades/awards, with The Daily Meal listing it as the #1 pizza in America last year. (Pepe's website can be found at http://www.pepespizzeria.com/)
[Earlier Article]
Pepe's Pizza No Longer Coming to The Fireplace Space in Brookline; Deal Called Off
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