Ernie’s Pizzeria

A pizza behemoth lives here and they call it ‘The Works’.
Ordered this beast on a Friday night to be the nosh for a Netflix and chill evening. Little did I know that I’d still be eating this monster 3 days later! Literally, every pizza topping on earth (mild exaggeration) is on this thing — eggplant, pepperoni, sausage, meatball, bacon, broccoli rabe, red peppers, green peppers, banana peppers, mushrooms, black olives, onion, garlic, mozzarella, red sauce. It was certainly a fork and knife type of pizza. Eating even one slice took so much strength, I was fast asleep half way through the movie.
Such a tasty pizza. Next time we’ll make sure to be ready for the post-​nosh TKO with pillows and blankets.

Ernie’s is THE place to go. Great apizza (abeets). Pizza oficianados know what I am talking about. The REAL test of apizza is a pie with just sauce and oil, garlic, and grated cheese. If that is good like the one at Ernie’s then you have a winner!

I don’t get why this place is so highly rated. The inside looks like a very dated diner, complete with framed prints from the 80s and fake flowers. You’re given paper plates and plastic cups to dine on.
The pizza was average at best. The cheese tasted good at first but after cooling a bit it seemed gummy and the crust was bland.

The best of the best in New Haven. Skip the downtown establishments and you will be rewarded with pizza the way pizza should be made. The staff and service are outstanding.

Still one of the best hidden gems in New Haven. Great service, friendly, and, great pizza. 12÷12÷15, back to Ernie’s, still one of the best pizza places in New Haven, consistent, quality pizza’s, great service and value, a must place to try and try again,

What a great little gem… Completely typical neighborhood bar, with the regulars, and the greatest prices. Apparently, it has new owners, and they have been slowly changing the décor, it looks a little bland, but that’s ok. It works.
The bartender, Sacha, is perfect. She’s friendly, knows everyone by name (and has their beverage ready even as they ask for it!)
We’ll be here a lot from now on since I now live around the corner, and I suggest you all join us…

One of the best pies anywhere! Consistant and delicious! Just try the mozzarella pie and you’ll be hooked.

This is still our Friday night go to place. They know my husband and I by name and are always so friendly when we come in. We can’t seem to steer away from just ordering plain cheese pizza. It’s so delicious we never get anything else. I love that Ernie’s is so consistently good. We’ve ordered pizza from other places that deliver and they’re always mediocre at best. I wish Ernie’s delivered (or joined an app like Foodler or something) but even still it’s worth the quick drive for the tasty pizza!

Top notch. Had a great experience at Ernie’s!
Came on a Sunday evening, maybe 40 minutes before closing? We were the only customers.
Had a medium pie, half plain, half fresh garlic. DELICIOUS. I burned the roof of my mouth because I couldn’t contain my enthusiasm. The fresh garlic was perfect underneath the melted cheese. Really enjoyed the pizza.
Service was fantastic — super friendly. Believe it was Ernie’s son that was there — he was great. The waitress was really nice as well.
Lots of inside seating as well as parking spots.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND ERNIE’S!

I gave it five stars for being the best Ernie’s it could be. Is New Haven really the pizza center of the Universe?
This is the first time I ate at a place because of reading Unilocal reviews. I live within a 5 minute walk (since July 4^th), and I didn’t think about this non-​descript pizza place despite walking by it on my way to Dunkin’s at 5AM every day. It has an early ’60’s look to the décor: it’s so far out– it’s in!). If you have a crowd with you, this might be the place.
Food: there were two of us, and we had Foxon Park Birch Beer. always a plus.
We got a salad, which would had fed three of us (perhaps the perfect number for dinner at Ernie’s). We got a large sausage and mushroom pizza and I noticed the quality of the ingredients (mindfulness).
I will get two small pizzas next time, a clam and a onion, perhaps I will report back.
In any other town this would be the best pizza place ever.
Well, in East Haven there is DeRosa’s, and Milford, there is Papa’s on Naugatuck Ave. But in any other state, this is pizza heaven!

Simply the best. Always the freshest ingredients, particularly with the fresh tomato pie! Delish! The staff is always the nicest!

I’ve driven by Ernie’s a hundred times and never paid it any mind. A non-​descript little building on a busy street, it always looked closed. One day, I decided to check the rating here and the stars jumped out at me. Loving pizza as I do, it hit my short list of places I had to try. The results were mixed, but encouraging enough to say I want to go back for more. I ordered 2 large pies. One, my favorite, sausage, pepper and onion. The other was a veggie, but since Ernie’s doesn’t formally have a veggie, I built it, I think that was my problem. I put too much on it. The veggie included broccoli, spinach, mushrooms and onions. The toppings were piled high, a bit too much and there was little to no sauce on it. Now, the family loves veggie pizza, but not sauceless and they ended up pouring bottled marinara on top. They also got into my pie, which was spectacular. Based just on the SPO pie, I’d put Ernie’s up there with Pepe’s and Modern in the New Haven Pantheon of great pizza.
Now, I’ve seen some comments about the pizza being well done. From my perspective, that is how pizza is done. DiFara, Pepe’s, Grimaldi’s…well done pies. I’d definitely recommend Ernie’s and will be back to try them again.

I met Ernie 22 years ago at an industry Christmas party held at Adriana’s on Grand St, we had been seated at the same table. We talked about his pizzeria and after finding out I liked white clam pies, he invited me to stop by his shoppe and the rest they say is history. This was my first visit in many years as I no longer lived in the area and what a reunion it would be. As soon as I entered there was Ernie in the kitchen doing what Ernie has been doing for over 45 years. I ordered a simple plain cheese pizza, the best way to assess the three main characteristics of a good pie, a house salad and a beer. The salad was hugh, easily feeding three people, so keep that in mind salad lovers. The pizza arrived piping hot from the oven looking like a typical New Haven pizza dark around the edges but wait something new or something I had forgotten, the cheese was quite dark as well. The first bite was a flood of past memories of great pies eaten at Ernies, you could literally hear the crunch of that perfectly cooked pizza under crust and then the mozzarella cheese, full bodied and distinctly different in taste than any other, followed by perhaps one of the best pizza sauces you will find anywhere.
I spoke with Enrie and his son at length about their pizza ingredients which have evolved thoughtfully, carefully and ever so slightly over the years. So naturally the the question you ask: «Is the pizza really the same», no it isn’t it has gone from 4.5 Stars to 5 Stars, there is a little spin they do with the cheese which… well lets see if you agree when you order your first pie at Ernie’s.

When people talk about the Best pizza in New Haven. I vote hands down. Ernie’s. The BEST. Fresh ingredients. Consistently delicious. And you leave satisfied and not full of grease dripping all over.
My son came home from Japan craving pizza and wanted Ernie’s. That says it all!

Great pizza. Nothing is particularly special about it, but they nail the basics every time. It’s reliable, flavorful, and crispy. They’ve stuck to an extremely simple menu — pizza, salad, and drinks — and it works very well.
The service is extraordinarily personal. It’s run by one guy (Ernie’s son and the owner, he makes all the pizzas himself) and his family members (typically his daughter). They are always attentive and happy to see people there. Makes me nostalgic for solid, family-​run community businesses.
I’d definitely recommend a visit, and so far it’s been an unbeatable neighborhood pizza joint in the western New Haven/​Amity area.

Not bad. Crust was very crispy and as I had been told you get a ton of cheese. Not enough sauce in my opinion but definitely a solid pie.

Pros: Thin crust Italian style pizza. Great service, clean dining room. Wheat crust pizza no extra charge
Cons: Pizza is cooked well done. Unless you like well done pizza, you will need to ask for it not to be well done.

Okay so I’ve been back here a few more times and should’ve updated this review a while ago. I still have the same issue with the mushrooms but as for the bacon onion pizza I have to say you can’t get a better bacon and onion pizza anywhere else. The onions are so thin you can’t see them with the naked eye. Like I said in last review, the bacon is a bit in the undercooked side which I love but if you like your bacon crispy I suggest you tell them that. No, they are still not on the same level as Sally’s, Pepe’s or Modern but they don’t claim to be so I will shouldn’t judge. I’m giving 4 stars based on the bacon onion pizza only.

This may be the best kept secret in New Haven County. Ernie’s Pizza is an «old school» family pizza restaurant that never disappoints.
Each pie is made by the owner himself, and they are consistently awesome. Order any combination you want, you will love it.
They also have fantastic gluten free crusts! My pie tonight was sausage and peppers on a traditional crust. With a glass of the house red wine, perfection.
Forget the trendy, go for the best. Ernie’s.

Ernie’s is a hidden gem in plain sight. Keep missing it so I miss the crowds.
Absolutely one of our favorite pizzas. Easily holds its weight against its Wooster Street counterparts. New Havens pizza reputation is because of places like this. Consistent, flavorful and friendly staff. The experience is always genuine and satisfying. Call ahead, grab your Foxon Park and enjoy!