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Little Rendezvous
- Hours:
Wed-Thu 2 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 10 pm
Sun 2 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for Little Rendezvous
Review Highlights
"...the thick side for New Haven-style pizza, with a pleasant..."
(in 2 reviews)
"They also have a whole wheat crust if you like."
(in 2 reviews)
"...place because I have never been anywhere like that before."
(in 3 reviews)
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21 reviews in English
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Review from Bill Y.
Somerville, MA
7/18/2009
Little Rendezvous is the best pizza I've ever had in my entire life. There's absolutely no question.
I understand that brick oven pizza isn't for everyone. But I love it, and if you do as well, this is the place for you. It's a Mom & Pop place, with a quaint entryway, but if you eventually take the long walk past the seating area and down the long hallway, you won't regret it.
I fell in love with Little Rendezvous when I lived in Meriden for a year and a half, and every time I'm back in the area, I still make sure to stop by. When you call, they ask if you've had their pizza before, because it's honestly unlike anything else I've ever tried.
For me, Little Rendezvous even bests Pepe's in New Haven. There's nothing bad to say about this place. It's tough to review pizza other than to say it's a brick-over style pie, so just get a slice and trust me. You owe it to yourself to check this place out.Comment from Simone M. of Little Rendezvous 7/19/2009
Thank you for your great review!!! Hope to see you again… More » -
Review from Glory M.
San Francisco, CA
12/23/2011
Came on a weeknight with my honey and the pizza was great. Didn't experience any kind of crazy wait like others may have experienced so I can't speak on how they'd do on a night where there's a crowd or people waiting...we just walked in and had the restaurant pretty much to ourselves, with the exception of just one other couple a few tables away. So if you don't want to wait, definitely go on a weeknight before 7.
The pizza is very good and a little different than what you might expect - the regular crust is a smidge thicker than at other places and the sauce is also a thicker consistency and pretty flavorful itself. All in all, I really enjoyed the pizza - no frills, just delicious. We had a medium regular crust with pepperoni, peppers (not raw peppers just tossed on the pizza, these were like roasted peppers), and mushrooms. Next time I want to try the "mooz", which I think is just dough, sauce and some romano cheese on top. The pizza took maybe 15-20 to bake, and we just had some ice cold beer while we waited.
Go to Little Rendezvous if you like your NYC or New Haven pizza...or basically just any pizza in general! -
Review from Anthony G.
Durham, CT
Came here at noon on a Saturday with my family and we were the only customers in the place. This was a pretty cool because we got to talk with the pizza chef who was very friendly. The inside looks really old in a good, charming way.
We ordered a large cheese on a thin crust and a large sausage and 'fungus' on a traditional crust. I can't say which style of crust was better, but they were both very good. The ends were very crisp, which I enjoyed. The sauce was good and the mozzarella was really good. Sausage and mushroom was also very tasty.
I'd definitely take another trip back.Listed in: The Definitive Guide to New…
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Review from Missy S.
Boston, MA
1/10/2009
We discovered this place thanks to the show BETTER CT (on WFSB).
During the fall, they did a segment every Friday about the best pizza places in various towns. They would ask ppl in a certain town where their fave place was, then after a day of randomly asking ppl on the street, they would post the top three places online, and then people would vote for their fave.
This place won as Meriden fave, hands down! And Scot Haney (the Anchor who does the segment) said it was some of the best pizza he had ever had (and he definitely did not say that every week)!
Let's just say, the segment was done so well, the very next day, on a Saturday afternoon, we decided to take a lil ride and go try it out ASAP!
So let's talk pizza.....this place has a coal fired oven that is over 110 years old. It has been said that if this place was located near Yale, or if there was a big University right near here, this could have been the "Pepe's" of the area. I will say, I have never been to Wooster St, but I have had Pepe's before.....and this place is pretty darned close!
I find the toppings almost as super fresh as Pepe's and the crust is so wonderfully chewy. AND....The owner Paul is so nice, he will ask you just how much Char you want (medium, light or heavy). We let him do the 'normal' amount, since it was our first time. He then explained he gave it to us ''medium'' and if we liked it like that, to just make sure anytime we call, to just order it medium, or lighter or darker, whatever we wanted. I thought that was very cool, as the times Ive been to Pepe's in Manchester, they just give it to you however it comes out. He will bend over backwards to be sure you are happy!
I can't quite remember the whole story of how Paul came to own the place, but if i recall, he started working there as a teen and later had the opportunity or own it.....He lovingly makes each pizza by hand (that is all they serve, is just pizza!)
You can have it the normal way, which is his amazing sauce, with sprinkle cheese. or you can have mozzarella if you want, along with a number of toppings. You can also order 'double dough' (I think we will try that next time). They also have a whole wheat crust if you like. AND, one thing I like (as someone who makes homemade pizza a lot) he will sell you a couple pounds of dough no problem! I can tell you from personal experience, some pizza place owners are jerks and will not even sell you one pound of dough! Not so with Paul, he is a genuinely nice person, who obviously loves his craft!
Let me explain one thing, this is no fancy place! There is no waitstaff, no ''bar' to hang out at....You walk into a oddly shaped room that has 4 or 5 tables, then you walk down a long hallway to go where the kitchen is. You then place your order....
(by the way, he places a nice swirl of olive oil on top of the pie, mmm, it just adds something!).....
.....Ok...back to the ordering....You just walk up and tell them what you would like, pull your soda or beer out of the refrigerated cooler next to the counter, and if i recall correctly, you pay at the end, (there was really no one else there when we were, so it may be a little bit different to pay during busy times. When we were there, a local gal was yapping on her damn cell phone so loud about somebody's baby daddy doing someone elses baby mama, and she was ignoring the screeches of her own kid...so we ended up sitting in the one little table in the kitchen/order area, and had a wonderful conversation with the owner the entire time. And thankfully ignored little miss rude!
This place really is a gem. Just don't expect anything fancy, and do not expect anything else on the menu. Why do anything else when u do pizza so well?Comment from Simone M. of Little Rendezvous 8/6/2009
We also have gluten free crust and wheat crust available :) More » -
Review from Jim F.
San Francisco, CA
Little Rendezvous is by far the best pizza you can get outside of Wooster Street. The crust has a lovely charcoal-kissed bottom, and they realize that mozzarella has no place on top of a pizza (unless you really want it). Their sauce is fantastic, spicy and never missing in places it belongs. They have a myriad of topping selections as well - and won't scoff at any bizarre combination you may propose.
They only serve pizza - and rightfully so, a good pizza place should only be serving pizza, not thirty other things. It's not the most romantic of a place; if you want to eat there, you bring the pizza to your own table. The staff are very to-the-point, but sweet once you've become a regular, so take no offense. They're cash only and don't serve slices - but hey, after you have one piece, you're going to want a whole pie anyway.
Take one of their amazing pies home and enjoy it there.Listed in: The trouble with eating…
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Review from ronald s.
Still, a great little pizzeria with amazing pizza!
On our recent trip to Little Rendezvous for a little Unofficial Yelp Outing (UYE) we decided to try the whole wheat crust on our cheese pie - I had noticed it on the menu board last time I was in picking up take-out, but had already ordered ..
This was our first time eating-in here, and it is definitely a fun, casual, down-to-earth pizzeria .. The owner told us the heat up front wasn't working and since it was cold he cleared a spot for us in the back, near the nice warm pizza oven.
The whole wheat pizza was very good, and everything that the group ordered looked great - I am no pesto fan, but Evans pesto pie looked very good even to me! Micheles vegetable pizza looked great - strangely, as a vegetarian I usually dont really like eggplant because its one of those things that most people dont "do right" and the look of the eggplant on her pizza was perfect - nice, thin, crispy .. another option for the future!
I am certain I will be back, and hopefully some other Yelpers will be stopping in too!Listed in: PIZZAs OMG!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/30/2008
After reading Jim and Lauries reviews I had to stop here - for me its on the way home from work,… Read more »
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Review from Erika S.
1/15/2009
Wow, for a tiny little restaurant in a very unassuming place Little Rendezvous makes great pizza. If I've never been to a pizzeria before I usually stick to a plain mozz so I can decipher the flavors and figure out if I like their style or not. The crust was perfect, the sauce was good, but had a little "twang" that I wasn't used to and the cheese had a nice balance of salty perfection. I would definitely come here again if I'm ever in the area.
The staff was super friendly.
The highlight of Little Rendezvous was that this happened to be the location for the first "Unofficial Yelp CT Night Out". We didn't have a great turnout but everyone that managed to make it was super fun and seemed eager to plan the next. SYOY! -
Review from Michele T.
Hartford, CT
1/15/2009
My turn;
LR was easy to find and on a Wednesday night there was plenty of parking on the street.
I eyeballed the 12" and figured it would be enough for two. The plan was to eat 2 slices and bring the rest home.
I ordered my pizza with spinach, mushrooms, Italian tomatoes then settled on eggplant at the woman's recommendation.
This pizza was amazing! The eggplant was fried though but whatever it was delicious and worth it.
In the end I ate 4 slices, half of the pizza, then struggled to bring the rest home. Once at home I stared down the fiance as he finished off the pizza hoping and praying he would need help.
No such luck.
I loved that LR provided extra parm and red pepper flakes.
Most of all the company made the evening. -
Review from Joe B.
Southington, CT
5/22/2011
Have to agree with Ted. Crust was tough and dry. The wait was long. Everyone that was coming in knew they had to call ahead. Admittedly, we didn't try to the Parmesan pie which we learned is what they are famous for after we ordered. Staff is incredibly friendly. The place has a lot of character. It's two houses joined together. They did a good business while we were there. Recommend trying it. definitely call ahead and limit yourself to the parmesan pizza on the first trip.
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Review from Kaz H.
San Francisco, CA
2/28/2010
Wonderful, cozy little pizza place.
The gentlemen (presume he's the owner as well) making the pizza was VERY friendly and he truly wanted to make sure the pizza was made right. He asked me how it came out and how it can be customized (thinner/thicker, more sauce/less sauce, etc...) for every pizza.
To me visiting Little Rendezvous was an EXPERIENCE. It's small, but personable. You see your pizza being flipped and tossed into an oven. How cool is that!
I'm knocking off one stay because the pizza that we tried was a little too dry (needed a little more sauce), so it wasn't the best I've had. It was still very good and I would definitely recommend this place! -
Review from Evan G.
New York, NY
1/15/2009
WOW what an awesome little pizza place!!
I went to this location (and actually Meriden for that matter) yesterday for the first time. This location was the spot for the first Hartford area yelp meet up, and so I heard great things about it from lots of other yelpers, and I definitely was not disappointed.
We got there at about 5:50 so we were the first two people there. We were so confused by the place because I have never been anywhere like that before. The sit down area was right in the front, with tons of old looking tables. You then go down this long narrow hall way to the back where they make the pizzas. Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy the really nice sitting area because the pilot went out on the heater for that area, so we sat at the one small table by the kitchen.
Thankfully as we got there as they were taking some pizza out of the oven so they told us how they usually make it (thin crust a little black around the edges). This looked perfect to me, so I said to cook it normally.
I got a small cheese pizza with pesto sauce instead of tomato. WOW was that pesto sauce good. I think it was the best pesto pizza I have had, with Vito's in Hartford giving it some good run for the money. The pesto sauce was very good, its just hard to compare with Vito's because the dough was very different.
More importantly than the food it was great to actually have a yelp meet up. The 6 of us that showed (Me, Chaviva, Michele, Erika, Ron [+1]) up all seemed to have a great time! Hopefully more can make it next time, but if I am ever in Meriden again, this place is definitely a place I would love to visit again! -
Review from Matt R.
Washington, DC
4/6/2009
Didn't get it.
The building is a marvel. Absolutely, if you're in the area, come by and get a pie if only to check out the facility which seems incredibly old and strange, at least by pizza shop standards with it's first dining room, and long tunnel to the kitchen and counter.
Pizza was bad. All three of us thought so. We waited an eternity for it and the crust was really, really firm and hard to chew, as if it had been over worked and/or over cooked. Not really sure if this is how it always is or if it was just a bad day but after one slice my jaw was starting to ache from chewing so much. It also needed salt but was lacking in overall flavor, not just in the salt department.
We ate the whole thing because we were all starving but I'll happily lump this place in with Ted's - both are wonderfully local and quirky and unique to Meriden but the food alone is not worth the trip.Listed in: Pizza
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Review from Christiaan H.
Middletown, CT
2/5/2011
Every guidebook to New England says that New Haven is the greatest pizza town. What they never mention is that Meriden is the second greatest. And Little Rendezvous is definitely part of the reason. Glorious brick oven. The crust is on the thick side for New Haven-style pizza, with a pleasant yeastiness. The sauce is mild, tangy tomato, very balanced. This needs to be on everyone's Connecticut pizza tour.
Listed in: Connecticut Pizza
Comment from Simone M. of Little Rendezvous 2/9/2011
Ty for your review :) Also wanted to let you know we have a… More » -
Review from Tara A.
Wallingford, CT
7/16/2010
I found this place on yelp a couple weeks ago because my usual pizza place was was closed for vacation - I can now say I will never go back there again! The pizza here is amazing! I tried the thin crust the next time I went back, and that is definitely my favorite. Sad I didn't know about this place sooner. For me, it absolutely beats Pepe's.
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Review from Joe C.
New Haven, CT
1/1/2010
Well, nobody can say this place lacks character. I love the long narrow hallway leading to the oven in the back room.
At first I chuckled when the counter girl said, "Our pizza is a little burnt and charred around the edges. Is that OK?" My reply was, "Yea sure, cook it your usual way."
They made a good pizza. Yet I can't explain it, there's something not quite right. I think it's the crust. I'm no baker but there must be a term for when the crust appears really really white and tightly compacted. I've seen this before. When it's like that, it just doesn't taste right. It almost tastes chalky and undercooked. That best describes my pizza. Other than that everything else was fine. -
Review from Joe C.
Meriden, CT
5/2/2009
Great pizza, but not quite Pepe's. Fortunately, it's not Pepe's prices, either. We had sausage and it was excellent. We are definitely going back.
Comment from Simone M. of Little Rendezvous 7/19/2009
Ty for taking the time to tell ppl about us :) It is greatly… More » -
Review from Sheila Z.
Wethersfield, CT
7/29/2010
The weird walk through the tunnel and the really friendly owner are really more interesting than the pizza is good. It was alright.
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Review from Keith W.
Wallingford, CT
12/10/2009 1 photo
This is a place that just oozes character, you won't see another pizza restaurant like this in the area! The owners are very friendly and were open to a chat when we went down there and of course the pizza was great!
Comment from Simone M. of Little Rendezvous 12/27/2009
Ty Happy New Year to ya :) More » -
Review from Amy G.
Everett, MA
2/10/2010
Hands down BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER EATEN!!!!! Lived in Meriden for years and would walk miles in the cold for a Rendezvous. Moved to Boston 3 years ago; and had my first LR pie in 3 years a couple of weeks ago,and it was divine.
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Review from Christopher S.
Meriden, CT
1/22/2011
Old school brick oven pizza...not for everybody, but a can't miss for those who enjoy New Haven style pies!
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Review from Freesia S.
Meriden, CT
3/6/2010
I love the long walk to the back brick-oven area - it kind of feels like you're traveling back in time to another world. Little Rendezvous is definitely somewhere you have to go if you're spending some time in Meriden. If you live in town and admit you've never been, you're bound to get horrified looks from someone, if not everyone in the room. This pizza is everything a brick-oven pizza is supposed to be - crispy with that brick-oven flavor, but it's still chewy and a little thick under the sauce and cheese. Some pizza places skimp on sauce, but this pizza really has enough sauce, even for those (you know who they are) who always dip their pizza in extra sauce. If you're ordering with someone else who's picking this pizza up, make the walk with them to the pick-up area. It smells great, and the staff is super friendly. It's worth it. I have to admit that I prefer New Haven-style when I'm really craving a brick oven pizza, but my mom actually likes Little Rendezvous better than any place in New Haven, and it's a bonus that Little Rendezvous is right in town.
