Yesterday we drove through Mystic, Connecticut and low and behold, there was Mystic Pizza–like THE original Mystic Pizza from the Julia Roberts movie. Do you remember? The Girl and I decided that since were just driving through, we should look up the reviews and maybe stop and grab a pizza. We decided to look up the reviews first {thank you smart phone} and they were mixed. Some said it was a tourist trap…The Girl and I talked about it, though, and decided that we were tourists, and therefore didn’t care if we were trapped, just this once.
I know you are on the edge of your seat…was it good, wasn’t it? BUT, Mystic was so darn cute, I feel obligated to tell you a little bit about it before I reveal the pizza verdict.
Mystic, Connecticut is technically just a village {which I didn’t know still existed}. It is not considered its own municipality and is shared by two neighboring cities–Groton and Stonington. It’s a super picturesque little place that is split by the Mystic River–in fact, you drive on a bridge over the river to get to the center of the village.
Although Mystic has been home to people as early at 1630, the village of Mystic didn’t really pop up until the beginning of the 18th century–even by the 19th century, the village only consisted of 12 houses…talk about quaint.
For being just a village, there are tons of things to see/do. It is a Seaport, so you can go down to the port and check out all of the boats and the surf. It’s kind of a hot spot for maritime living history–people still build boats right in the port. The Mystic Aquarium gets a pretty high rating for attractions too–mostly because of the Beluga Whale exhibit.
Okay, now back to the original question {I get easily distracted, what can I say?}, is Mystic Pizza any good? Drum roll please…
The Girl and I gave it a 7 out of 10 stars. Not bad, but not knock your socks off awesome. We paid $13.20 for a small pizza with extra cheese and 2 drinks. The service was great and the interior of the restaurant was packed with framed movie pictures and local newspaper clippings.
It was totally worth the stop in our opinion.
Sherry says
I live in CT and have been there once, years ago. I don’t remember the pizza being anything special, but I do recall the “loaf” of onion rings. Thin, crispy, yummy onion rings that were in the shape of a loaf because of the fryer basket, lol. Really good! I hope you are at your destination safe and sound before MORE bad weather gets here. This winter has been relentless!
Mavis says
We only got a tiny little taste of the weather {although clearly we should have tasted those onion rings!}. I can’t imagine what you guys have been hit with! Yikes!
Diana says
Come to Covington, GA and see the Mystic Grill from the Vampire Diaries. 🙂 Worth the visit…
Ilene says
Hi Mavis,
Glad to see that you and your girl are enjoying the east coast.
Better pizza at Modern Apizza on State Street in New Haven or at the original Pepe’s in New Haven.
Lots of fun places to explore in that part of our state -and it gets better in the spring…
If you have a chance, stop in to the Norwich Inn and Spa -great place to unwind and pretty reasonable for a quick escape!
Best, Ilene
Susannah says
We went through Mystic a couple of years ago on our way back from the Cape. We thought about stopping, but having heard the same thing (tourist trap), settled for a photo and then had a nice dinner at a restaurant on the hill just beyond. Love all the New England references!
Jacqueline says
When we first moved to CT we spent a day in Mystic and loved it, but after eating at Pepe’s and Modern we were very disappointed by the pizza at Mystic. We live in Georgia now and I still dream about Pepe’s in New Haven, it is worth the wait, and if you get there a little before 5 on a weekday you can usually walk right in. This is making me hungry 🙂
Mavis says
Well shoot. Looks like we missed out on some yummy pizza!
judy says
HI Mavis, Welcome to our little slice of heaven. So excited you and your daughter are on our side of the country. It’s just too bad we have all of this snow getting in your way. There are some very nice old home steads around here but they are usually open in the spring. I live on the other side of the Thames river. If you like German food, may I suggest the Seehund restaraunt on Bank st in New London. They serve lunch and dinner like you have never had before. The kinderthreads and spiced wine are just a few of their delisousness. So excited to have such a celebrity in the area. Hope you enjoy yourself! judy
Michelle says
Mavis I had to share your story with my husband he is always talking abouthow good Mystic pizza is. He was stationed in Graton and would grab a pizza and go to the movies. He said if you had gotten the eggplant pizza your rating would have been higher. Thanks for sharing.
Mavis says
I saw that but opted for something else. Sounds delicious though!
Jill says
I am picking up my daughter, who lives in Boston, and heading to Mystic for a long weekend this summer. We had already decided we would try Mystic Pizza – I don’t mind tourist traps because as you said, well, I am a tourist. A friend is loaning us his cottage there – I know, nice, right? – and he said it’s fun to go there once and the pizza is decent.. So we will give it a try!
Mavis says
Let us know what you think after you’ve tried it!
jean says
Hi Mavis. I live in CT but I have never been to Mystic Pizza. As I am writing this, I asked my husband if he had been… ok we might be here awhile 🙂 no he doesn’t remember. We have been to Mystic Seaport though. Love the area. My husband brings the boat down to the area every summer to go fishing. Hope you enjoyed your visit to snow filled CT. Hopefully we will see green grass before May. 🙂 Jean
Mike says
Hi, I’ve lived in southwestern Connecticut all my life and there are many great pizza restaurant between NY and CT. (BTW – my mom’s from Italy and makes great home made pizza). As much as I love Mystic and agree with all the wonderful things said about the town, there is nothing special about Mystic Pizza. In fact it rates very low and cannot be compared to say Pepe’s in New haven or even F airfield.
I would recommend going to the restaurant though, It’s a cool place with great atmosphere with wonderful old photos of celebs and such. i think some of their other fare is okay too. Note; my last tasting was about two years ago so don’t know if it’s improved. Also others I’ve spoken too did not give good ratings for the pizza either. C’mon Mystic Pizza…it’s not that hard to make a decent pizza.