The first pizzeria in New Canaan
Joe’s Pizza opened on East Avenue in 1967. It was started by Giuseppe “Joe” Colella, an immigrant from Naples, alongside his wife, Annunziata “Nunzia” Colella.
Everything from scratch
Joe and Nunzia made it all by hand: the pizza dough, the sauce, special lasagnas, manicotti and eggplant parm.
The meatballs we still make every day at Joe’s come from the very recipe Nunzia brought with her from Italy.
Over the years Joe’s moved twice, but never far. From East Avenue it went to Forest Street in 1973, which shares a rear entrance area with our current home on Locust Avenue, where we’ve been since 1995.
Lorenzo carries it on
More than fifty years later, Joe’s son, Lorenzo “Larry” Colella, owns and runs Joe’s. He keeps the family tradition going with homemade pizzas, pastas, grinders, salads and entrees for hungry New Canaanites.
He has also added a few things of his own, like Detroit style squares and our serrano hot oil bar pie.