Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana Opens in Chestnut Hill December 16

Pepe’s by Flickr user Ancient History. / Photo via Flickr/Creative Commons

Boston’s cheese-topped, bubbling landscape is about to get amped up with mootz. The Boston Globe reports the long-awaited Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana is finally, finally opening in Chestnut Hill on Wednesday, December 16.

The New Haven shop has been around for 90 years and has expanded to seven locations around Connecticut and one in New York. The Chestnut Hill location is the first of a potential handful in the Boston area, Eater first reported.

The pizzeria hasn’t changed the original proprietor’s recipe, which includes a proprietary flour blend and genuine Italian cheeses, tomatoes, and olive oil. The pies are blistered in a 600-degree, coal-fired oven; Chestnut Hill’s stove is a replica of the original, 1925 model. “You get this crunchy burnt flavor, you get the char, and the crust is crunchy and chewy at the same time. You get a symphony in your mouth,” Frank Pepe’s grandson, Gary Bimonte, told the Globe.

That signature singe has helped Pepe’s become one of the best-known pizzas in the world. Its white clam pie, Bimonte’s suggested order, has been heralded as the the country’s best by USA Today and CBS, and national outlets ranging from Food & Wine to the History Channel have shouted out the pizzeria itself.

Located at the Mall at Chestnut Hill, the first Massachusetts Pepe’s will offer exclusive salads and toppings, according to the Globe. The restaurant will seat about 80.

Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napoletana, the Mall at Chestnut Hill, 199 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill; 617-964-7373 or pepespizzeria.com.