John & Maria's Pizzeria: Foxon Road's family pie shop since 1990

Out on Foxon Road, John & Maria’s Pizzeria has been feeding East Haven since 1990 — first under founders John and Maria Saulino, and for years now under their son Neil. The recipes lean southern Italian. The dough, sauce and sausage are made in-house. And for a lot of East Haven High School students, it is simply the town favorite.

The restaurant at 280 Foxon Road (Route 80) sits minutes from I-91. Its website opens with a line that sums up the pitch: “Italy invented it, John & Maria’s perfected it.” The kitchen’s own story points to a Naples heritage in the cooking, and the dining room has grown into a full restaurant with a patio, a lounge and a party space — not just a pizza counter.

A family shop since 1990

John and Maria Saulino opened the pizzeria in 1990. About 15 years before Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy put the place on a national pizza map, their son Neil Saulino took over, the New Haven Register reported when Portnoy’s review landed. Neil told the paper he made his first pizza at 11. His sister, Lena Valentino, also works there.

The Register’s 2019 visit found a shop that had recently expanded — adding a bar and going from about 55 seats to more than 85, plus outdoor seating in warm weather. Everything the kitchen can make from scratch, it does: dough, sauce and sausage built on the family’s Italian recipes.

Longtime employee Lisa Richardson, then 15 years into the job, told the Register that Neil and Lena were “the most deserving people ever” of the attention Portnoy brought. The family’s consistency is the brand: show up, get the same pie your neighbors have been ordering for decades.

Portnoy, EHHS and a Foxon Road following

In May 2019, Portnoy rated John & Maria’s an 8.5 out of 10 after a stop on Foxon Road — second in Connecticut at the time only to Sally’s and Modern on his scoreboard, according to the Register. Lunch the next day ran about 50 percent busier than usual, the paper said, as word spread.

That local love shows up in quieter places too. In December 2025, the East Haven High School student newspaper The Comet surveyed students and found John & Maria’s the top favorite restaurant in town. Senior Isabella Chambasis said the food tastes freshly cooked, not like it has been sitting for hours. Freshman Alessandra Ruggiero liked “the food, the seating, the way it smells (lol) and the people,” adding that the workers “always seem happy to be there.” Senior Linda Carballo recommended a mushroom and onion pizza and called the crust crunchy and cheesy — a place to sit with family after school.

What locals say

Google reviews collected on public review aggregators rhyme with what the high-school paper heard: thin crust, generous toppings, and a reason to come back.

“By far the best pizza in Connecticut. I never get a bad pie from there,” wrote Megan. “I’ve been going to it pretty much my entire life, and it continues to be delicious, quality pizza.”

Mary called out the calamari, tiramisu and eggplant rollatini, and said the thin-crust pies arrive hot with the right balance of cheese and sauce. Michael ordered a broccoli rabe and sausage pie and wrote that portions of both toppings were “very generous.” Jason kept it simple: “Food is absolutely amazing,” with a wait staff and atmosphere to match.

Kenny, identifying himself as coming from the New Haven pizza world, still called John & Maria’s “the spot to go for a really good Pizza… our go to.” Those are customer voices, not a lab test — but they line up with a kitchen that has been repeating the same craft for more than three decades.

What to order

These picks come from the restaurant’s published menu and from the dishes guests keep naming.

Specialty pizza (peppers and mushrooms)

The laminated menu runs a long specialty list — John’s Favorite (sausage and mushroom), Maria’s Favorite (broccoli, ricotta and olives on a white pie), Clam Casino, Margherita, Veggie and more. The kitchen’s own photos lean on loaded vegetable pies; the Veggie lists mozzarella, peppers, onion and mushroom. Start with a plain mozzarella if you want the house baseline, then graduate to a specialty.

Caprese salad

Fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil with a balsamic glaze — an appetizer on the printed menu and one of the plates the restaurant photographs for its site.

J&M Salad

Mixed greens with tomato, dried cranberries, blue cheese and toasted walnuts in the house balsamic vinaigrette. It is listed on the menu as the J&M Salad, and it is the salad the restaurant shows next to its walnut-and-cheese plating.

Baked ziti

Baked with tomato sauce, ricotta and mozzarella on the pasta list. It is a shareable Italian-American classic next to the pies, and it shows up on the restaurant’s online ordering photos.

Patio, lounge and private events

The homepage pitches a renovated lounge with a full bar and local beers on tap, plus an outdoor patio for warmer months and private gatherings. A party room on the site’s photo carousel is set for celebrations. Online ordering runs through the restaurant’s SpotOn link from the homepage.

If you go

Where: 280 Foxon Road, East Haven
Phone: 203-466-1550
Hours, per the restaurant’s website: Tuesday–Thursday, noon–9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon–10 p.m.; Sunday, 4–9 p.m.; closed Monday. Call ahead to confirm.
Also offered: Dine-in, takeout, patio seating, lounge/bar, catering and private events
Online: johnandmariaspizza.com, menu (PDF) and Facebook