New Haven is known as the heart of pizza in Connecticut, with famous locations like Sally’s, Pepe’s, and Modern Pizza. There is constant competition for the title of best pizza. But a new contender will join the rankings: The Beacon Pizza Bar.
Beacon Falls has had its fair share of pizza joints, from the Original Antonios to the recently closed Beacon Falls Pizza Palace. Regardless, the new owner, Jonas Melninkaitis, wanted to give the history of Beacon Falls pizza a fresh start by introducing it to New Haven style.
“I felt like Beacon Falls was ready for something new,” said Melninkaitis. “Somewhere you can go after school or a game and hang with friends, a place you might run into someone you haven’t seen in a while, a place we can all enjoy.”
Melninkaitis recognized that the building owner wanted something to put into the facility that would benefit the community.
Melninkaitis didn’t have any previous experience with restaurant management; in fact, he worked as a general contractor and he wasn’t introduced to the food business until COVID-19 hit. During COVID, Melninkaitis and a few of his friends decided to open a food truck in Denver, Colorado and decided to serve pizza.
“We were all from Connecticut, and [pizza was what] we were missing the most,” said Melninkaitis. “We flew out a New Haven pizza chef to teach us how to do it. After learning and serving people with great feedback, I realized how satisfying it is to cook for people. It came with the same satisfaction level as building a home for a client.”
Melninkaitis plans to bring his experience as a contractor into the project through the building design. He plans to achieve a lighter industrial look, with the restaurant looking bright, clean, and modern while still being inviting. The star of the show will be the wood-fired pizza oven.
“The inside and outside will be all new. You won’t even recognize the place,” said Melninkaitis. “As a contractor, this is the part that I love most: the transformation.”
Changing the use of the building took a bit longer than anticipated for Melninkaitis. He has now obtained a building permit, and the transformation work has begun. As of right now, Melninkaitis plans to open the doors this August, and The Beacon Pizza Bar will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
The Beacon Pizza Bar plans to serve a bit more than just quality pizza. Subs and hot dogs will also be available. However, there will not be any typical entrees offered on the menu.
“There are already multiple establishments in town that [serve] dinners and didn’t want to disrupt any current business in town. I will be very focused on the lunch crowd,” said Melninkaitis. “Beacon Falls really needs a good place to grab a quick, affordable meal.”
Melninkaitis truly desires to open a restaurant that feels like home and fits perfectly into the town of Beacon Falls. A place to slow down, eat some pizza, and say ‘Hi’ to your neighbors.
