It was time to try Ah-Beetz in Delray Beach.

When the owners chose to name their pizzeria Ah-Beetz, they invoked revered New Haven institutions and automatically set customer expectations at an extremely high level, and rightly so. They are calling upon storied traditions, and they better be prepared to deliver.

For those who have never lived in the greater New Haven area, ah-beetz is the historically correct pronunciation of apizza, a style first produced in coal ovens in New Haven, Connecticut, by immigrants from Naples, Italy, at the turn of the 20th century. With legendary institutions like Pepe’s and Sally’s approaching their 100th anniversaries, the standards they demand carry enormous weight. That legacy is what led me to visit Ah-Beetz in Delray. Several people have raved about Ah-Beetz in Delray, while a few warned me, I might be disappointed.

Ah-Beetz is located on the east side of Jog Road between Linton and Atlantic. I stopped in for an early solo lunch, grabbed a booth, and glanced over the menu. I already knew what I planned to order, though my menu-perusing habit was hard to break. When the server approached, I ordered a small Traditional Mootz and asked if I could have sausage on one-half. She was kind enough to mention that the sausage was crumbled, my least favorite style, so I switched to pepperoni.

It was before the lunch rush, so the restaurant was empty at that time of day, but I could easily imagine the chaotic din during peak hours, with people ordering, waiting, and shmoozing as each apizza is prepared and baked.

When my apizza arrived, it looked very well made. The edges had just a touch of airiness, with a nice char in several spots. A quick peek underneath revealed a good level of char as well, not too much, just enough to suggest a proper New Haven influence.

The toppings were applied generously, a good amount of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni, without any cupping on the latter, with some pooling of oil atop the cheese and a sprinkling of grated cheese as the finishing touch. When I pulled the first slice, a few strands of cheese stretched back to the pie, another good sign. At that moment, I thought this was going to be a very good pie.

I started with a bite of the crust. As expected, it was airy and had a nice flavor. Then I moved to the cheese slice, and that’s where things began to unravel. The first issue was the lack of sturdiness. While the edge was crisp, the center was noticeably soft, bordering on soggy, an early indication of too much sauce. The first bite confirmed it. The sauce was heavily applied, with a flavor closer to tomato paste than the light, fragrant sauce I had hoped for, and there was way too much oregano. The cheese, though nicely melted, was more pungent than I preferred, and the sogginess of the crust was a further distraction. I wasn’t enamored with the cheese slice.

I hoped the pepperoni side would minimally redeem the lunch. The pepperoni provided a decent level of spice, and the edges had a pleasant crunch, but again, the overall balance could not offset the disappointing tomato sauce that remained at center stage.

Overall, I was really looking forward to Ah-Beetz reminding me of those great New Haven apizza joints back home in Connecticut. While I wasn’t expecting it to match the legendary establishments I’ve visited and written about over the years, I did expect the fundamentals to be present. The dough showed promise, but the sauce missed badly, the cheese was over applied, and the finished product simply didn’t live up to the name. Even with the limited options in this part of Florida, I’d struggle to justify a return visit. I was hoping for much better.

15220 S Jog Rd.

Delray Beach, FL 33446

(561) 908-2466

ah-beetz.com