Well, we are the pizza state, right?
Sally’s Apizza is continuing its expansion as the renowned pizza business confirmed a pair of high-profile Connecticut locations will be opening up at the Danbury Fair mall and Foxwoods Resort & Casino.
Sally’s originated in New Haven and has expanded to seven locations, with 11 more in the works. The Danbury location is expected to be especially prominent.
Sally’s Apizza, New Haven
“If Sally’s had a Navy, this would be its aircraft carrier,” Sally’s Brand Advisor Christian Bonaventura said. “This 8,000-square foot location, adjacent to the Cheesecake Factory at Danbury Fair Mall, is going to be our culinary flagship, with the widest menu selection of any Sally’s.
“This is going be the largest pizza restaurant in Connecticut, maybe in the entire New England region, and the interior design is going to be Vegas level spectacular. We expect construction to begin in 2026 and for it to open in 2027.”
Earlier this month, Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves had hinted at a new restaurant moving into the space at the mall that was most recently occupied by Brio Tuscan Grille.
“We’re really excited,” Alves said, more recently. “It’s a known entity across the state, really across the country. Connecticut is being called the Pizza Capital of the World and for us to have this venue choose Danbury, and not just choose Danbury for expansion, but choose Danbury as a key location.”
Sally’s Apizza recently announced two new locations at Danbury Fair mall as well as Foxwoods. This is the rendering of the Danbury location.
“We are just proud to have them here,” the mayor added. “Danbury is also going to have their largest menu and this will be the biggest pizza restaurant in all of Connecticut all here in Danbury. We’re really excited.”
Sally’s more about more than just pizza but it’s about passion and excitement, according to Bonaventura.
“As we move forward, we want to bring that emotion and excitement to more communities up and down the East Coast, and ultimately, across the country,” Bonaventura said. “As Sally’s starts its major growth phase into other states, we wanted to do something special for the people where it all began, right here in Connecticut. With these three special edition locations, Sally’s is making Connecticut “The Pizza Capital of the World” with an exclamation point!”
The other special edition location was previously announced for Norwalk at the SoNo Collection which is coming soon, according to the SoNo Collection website.
There are currently seven locations open for business with five in Connecticut including New Haven, Fairfield, Stamford, Wethersfield and Farmington. There are two locations in Massachusetts that include Woburn and Dorchester.
Foxwoods, Danbury and Norwalk among the massive expansions for Sally’s that lists 11 total new locations in the works, according to the Sally’s website. Newington and South Windsor are among the new state locations. Sally’s will open up in new states including one in Florida, in Boca Raton and New York, at Roosevelt Field, and Rhode Island, in Cranston. Three more locations in Massachusetts are also coming soon including Boston Seaport, Concord and Weymouth.
Bonaventura said there’s an excitement factor with the location at Foxwoods because of the Wooster Street rivalry with Pepe’s, which is located at Mohegan Sun.
“It doesn’t get any better than this…The Wooster Street rivalry between Sally’s and Pepe’s has a new battleground … Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. You can imagine how excited we are, knowing how excited our fans are about this. You can bet that we are going to turn up the heat on the rivalry with this one. The design and finishes of Sally’s at Foxwoods are going to be next level, including the memorabilia, which will be dedicated to iconic Connecticut residents like Marilyn Monroe and Keith Richards,” Bonaventura said.
Alves said he was excited with the outpouring of excitement from Danbury residents and those in surrounding towns when he announced that Sally’s was coming to the Hat City.
He said that the partnership between Danbury and Sally’s has been discussed for the last five months or so.
“It was finalized earlier this month and were recently given the green light to make this decision public. We were biting our tongues because we knew so many people would be happy. Social media blew up,” Alves said. “We knew the community was going to embrace Sally’s and Danbury bringing in this pizza shop shows that Danbury is a key partner in business and growth. We knew not only people from Danbury would be excited about this but also the surrounding towns. People are already planning their trips to get some pizza at Sally’s.”
Alves said the goal is to break ground next year and open for business in 2027.
“This one, it looks like they’re putting a significant investment into this restaurant that was there before, so I’m sure there’s going to be some facade changes and a lot of work on the interior. This is why they take a significant amount of time to do the work because they want to do it the right way. It’s on the horizon. We’re excited.”