Fuoco Coal Fired Apizza in Cheshire

In my continued search for worthy off-the-beaten-path haunts in “the Valley” I kept seeing a few great reviews of yet another pizza place just southeast of Waterbury, Fuoco in Cheshire. Between the enormous billboard on the interstate touted by a pizza app and other recommendations on my social media feeds, it quickly moved up my gotta-try list. As the summer months began to wane, I decided to head to Fuoco and see if the hype was justified.

Located three-and-a-half miles south of I84 from exit 26, Fuoco invites patrons into its white-faced, single-story building with a sign emblazoned with “Fuoco Coal Fired Apizza.” The sign beckons the palate with “coal fired” and “apizza.”

The single dining area consists of a long banquette along the entire right wall, with seating for twenty-five guests. The ordering and cooking areas are behind the walls to the left. Parking and a rear entrance make for an easy visit, whether dining in or for a take-away. In the warmer months, there are four tables on the front patio.

The menu is primarily pizza, with a few wings, salads, sharables and a calzone mixed in. On my visit, I was completely focused on the pizzas, which can be ordered in pre-determined combinations, with or without red sauce, plus you can “design it yourself” with almost two dozen toppings. I ordered a small (12”) red pie with pepperoni on one half and sausage and peppers on the other. The cashier asked me if I wanted green or red roasted peppers, and I chose the latter.

When the pie was delivered, it showed a nicely charred finish, a few blackened bubbles indicated good heat in the oven. When I lifted to see the undercarriage, I was also impressed with the amount of char. The one item that made me a little nervous was the level of toppings, this was a much more heavily laden pie than a traditional New Haven style.

Onto the real test.

Let’s start with the good news, the half with the pepperoni. There was a medium to high level of cheese and when I pulled the first slice, a few cheese strands needed a little more coaxing to leave the pie. I first tasted the crust. It was good, not as great as some of the others I have eaten over the last few months, but very much above average. The pepperoni rings were slightly cupped, but instead of the traditional oil in the cups, there was some melted mozzarella. I pulled a few pepperonis to taste. The edges were slightly crisped, and there was a medium to medium-high level of spiciness, they were delicious. The amount of sauce and cheese could have been somewhat less, but the bite of the pepperoni side brought a smile to my face. It was a great combination, with the pepperoni carrying the entire slice to the finish line. The balance was pepperoni (40%), sauce (30%), cheese (25%), and crust (5%). This was definitely a great slice of pepperoni pizza.

I was hoping for the same from the sausage half. The sausage chunks (my favorite way to serve sausage pizza) were in various sizes, and the weight caused a bit of a flop at the point, but overall, the crust held pretty well. I first tried a large chunk of the sausage. It had a decent fennel flavor, but could definitely use additional seasoning. My guess was the roasted red peppers were not roasted on-premises (too bad with a coal oven) as they gave that vinegary jar flavor. Now for the first bite. There was a lot of delicious, sweet-flavored tomato sauce and a little too much cheese and they sorta overpowered the sausage and peppers. The balance definitely went to the sauce (40%), cheese (30%), peppers (15%), sausage (10%), crust (5%). Unfortunately, it was not as great as the pepperoni slices.

Overall, it was a tale of two sides. I really liked the pepperoni slices; the pepperoni had great flavor and spiciness, and both could handle the abundance of the sweet sauce and the amount of cheese Fuoco placed on the pie. The sausage and pepper side was not in the same category. I was hoping for more flavor in the sausage and a deeper sweetness from the red peppers. Likewise, with a coal-fired oven, I expected a more flavorful crust. In Connecticut, when you use the words “coal fired apizza,” you are competing at an Olympic-like level, and each ingredient needs to be fantastic. While I would definitely recommend Fuoco, it could be even better with a few adjustments.

461 W Main St, Cheshire, CT 06410

(203) 272-2749

https://fuocoapizza.com