New Haven is best known gastronomically for its unique pizza that has a thin, deliciously charred crust. White pizza with clams is a particular local specialty. The heritage of Italian immigrants is vibrantly alive in restaurants representing all levels of formality and many regional specialties. The other great American food item, the hamburger, is particularly associated with Louis Lunch which has a claim to being the first place to prepare it. New Haven is also the home of restaurants that follow a local, seasonal plan based on the regional markets, farms, and purveyors.”
- Paul Freedman, Chester D. Tripp Professor of History, Author of Ten Restaurants that Changed America (2016)