Tolli's Apizza: A brick oven on Main Street since 1954

Plenty of East Haven restaurants have come and gone. Tolli’s Apizza has stayed put for more than seven decades, through several changes in ownership.

The pizzeria at 410 Main St. opened in 1954. Its logo still says so: “Brick Oven Apizza, Established 1954.” More than 70 years later, it is still turning out pies, pasta and cannoli in the center of town.

A family name in New Haven pizza

The story starts with Antonio “Tony” Tolli. According to a history published by Modern Apizza in New Haven, Tolli was born in Plainville in 1911 to Italian immigrants from the Naples area. He was raised in Italy and came back to the United States at 18.

In New Haven, he learned to bake at his uncle’s pastry shop. In 1934 he and a cousin opened a pizzeria on Washington Avenue. Tolli later ran Tony’s Apizza on State Street. That State Street shop became Modern Apizza after he moved on, one of the best-known names in New Haven pizza.

Tolli opened several more pizzerias. One of them, opened in 1954, was Tolli’s Apizza in East Haven.

Decades with the Peluso family

For more than 40 years, the face of Tolli’s was Anthony Peluso. The Charleston City Paper in South Carolina profiled him in 2021. It reported that Peluso is Tolli’s great-nephew and started working at the East Haven restaurant at 16, learning to make pizza.

Peluso took over in 1978, the paper reported, and ran the restaurant with his wife, Giuseppina, for more than four decades. Both are self-taught cooks.

Around 2020, the Pelusos moved south and opened Tolli’s Trattoria on Johns Island, near Charleston, with their son Carmine, a trained chef. So the Tolli’s name now lives on in two places: South Carolina and Main Street.

A longtime cook takes the helm

Back in East Haven, the kitchen stayed in familiar hands. In 2022, The Comet, the student newspaper at East Haven High School, profiled Klever Macao. The paper reported that he had worked at Tolli’s for about 20 years, starting by making pizzas, cutting vegetables and prepping food.

Macao became head cook in 2000, according to The Comet. Starting in 2020, he was running the restaurant, handling everything from the line to the counter to the books. His wife, Nancy Carvajal, helps with deliveries, cooking and the register.

Macao told the student reporters he hoped to update the restaurant, including new kitchen equipment. He is from Ecuador and said he would like to add Ecuadorian appetizers such as ceviche and empanadas. He also said he did not plan to drop the Italian dishes that built the place.

What locals say

Ask around East Haven and you hear that Tolli’s is a family place, for both the people who eat there and the people who work there.

The Comet’s reporters talked to classmates who are regulars. Jolee, a senior, said she goes three or four times and rated the penne alla vodka a 10 out of 10. Her advice: you have to get the cannoli. She called Tolli’s “a lovely place filled with great workers and exquisite food.”

Iman, another senior, praised the catering and customer service. Her pick is a medium plain cheese pizza, for what she called the perfect dough-to-sauce ratio. Alivia, a sophomore, said her favorite dessert is the Nutella pizza, with a Foxon Park soda on the side.

Staff members told the paper that Friday and Saturday evenings, from about 4 to 7, are the busiest times. One counter worker listed the most-ordered dishes as pasta dishes, chicken marsala, chicken Florentine, penne alla vodka and the pizza specials. At the bar, she said, margaritas are a big seller.

The room

Tolli’s is a sit-down restaurant as well as a takeout counter. The dining room has white tablecloths and red chairs.

There is also a party room that can host up to 50 people, according to the restaurant’s website. It lists baby showers, birthdays, family reunions, sports events and more. Packages start at $15 per person. Call the restaurant to plan an event.

Tolli’s also caters. Its photos show trays of antipasto, salads, wings, sandwiches and wraps.

What to order

Start with a pie. The brick oven is the reason Tolli’s exists, and the plain and pepperoni pies are the classics. Here’s what else to try.

A white pie with spinach

Tolli’s photos show a white pie topped with spinach and plenty of cheese, with a puffy, charred edge. It’s a good second pie for the table.

Linguine with seafood

The kitchen does more than pizza. This plate of linguine comes loaded with clams in the shell and shrimp in a light sauce.

Nutella pizza

This is dessert in pizza form: a thin crust spread with Nutella. It was the pick of at least one East Haven High student. Pair it with a Foxon Park soda, made right here in East Haven.

Cannoli

One regular’s advice to The Comet: don’t leave without them. The restaurant’s photos show them filled by the tray, so they are an easy add-on for a party order, too.

Tiramisu

For a classic Italian finish, the tiramisu comes in a tall square slice with whipped cream on the side.

If you go

Where: 410 Main St., East Haven
Phone: 203-469-9582
Dine-in hours, per the restaurant’s website: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 9 p.m. Takeout runs a little later. Call ahead to confirm.
Also offered: Takeout, delivery, catering and a party room for up to 50
Online: tolliseasthaven.com, Instagram and Facebook