Not your average pizza joint. This is a very classic old world style pizza. The coal fired brick oven adds a distinctive chared flavor. Most people love it or hate it. I used to love it, but I feel they have let things slip a little over the years. Note-Pizza only menu, cash only business. read more

The crust was hard as a rock! I read all the great reviews, so my mouth was watering for a great pizza. The toppings were dried out and the cheese was non-existent. I was very disappointed! Needless to say I will not be back! read more

This is a great LITTLE place. They take cash only and we got a sausage pizza. The crust was the best part and the coal fire oven shows off the magic where it is not too soft and not too hard. The ingredients tasted fresh as well and highly recommend this place for pizza. read more

I know this has gotten great reviews, but this is just not good pizza in my humble opinion. I was extremely hungry when I finally got a hold of my pizza, and I knew immediately after seeing it, this was not going to be good. Crust was dry and crackery, and the sauce...tasted like tomato paste smeared on a crust. Not good. But the owner and the guys working there were great, we enjoyed talking to them, and I wish them success. read more

Just like New Haven but better.. great little place.. mainly y take out but there are a few tables... looking for something local this is the place to go....! Old school pizza joint!!! Delicious!! read more

Wow. This is a small, casual spot that is off the beaten path. I'd never heard of it, even in the Pizzaholics FB group. I found it via a google search of all things. I saw the tiny storefront, and the descriptions of PIZZA ONLY, no delivery, cash only, it gets busy. Called the order about 5:30 and it took an hour for the pickup. I walk in, front door enters the dining area, totally empty. Hmmm. Walk down a corridor past the sign that says "grumpy pizza maker this way ---". Two employees. The owner / pizza maker, and the do-everything-guy who was, you guessed it, doing everything. I ordered a small meatball pie. Cooked perfect! Coal fired brick oven with JUsT a hint of char on the edges. Crust was good and slightly thin, with what appeared to be flour/semolina mix underneath. Meatballs were thick sliced and very tasty. The sauce was good! Not very sweet but thick, pasty. Cheese excellent, not burned, and the correct amount. Worth the trip! I had a roughly 10 minute ride home and it was perfect. read more

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Very good toppings and excellent sauce. Their crust is thin but very dense...almost like a very thick cracker. It's good but different from traditional New Haven thin crust. Worth a try. read more

This is a staple for me when it comes to Friday night pizza in Meriden. Everyone who works there is genuine and the pizza is always piping hot! The flavors are sensational and any pie you get you can't go wrong. My personal faves are hamburger and onion or a pepperoni and fungi pie (the owner refers to mushrooms as fungi and it's hilarious). You can't go wrong here any night of the week (that they're open!). read more

Great service, great pie. Arguably the best in all of CT. CASH ONLY! Get the Special, they know what they're doing.

Great pizza and quiet atmosphere. Enjoyed the visit. Will definitely visit again soon.

This pizza had potential but omg was it salty. Like a stroke in a box. When I could taste the cheese and sauce it was really good but the salt really just over powered everything. read more

Little Rendezvous - Mushroom and pepperoni - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

AMAZING PIZZA!!! It's a hidden gem in Meriden. Just make sure to call ahead, they get really busy, but definitely worth the wait.

Still delicious pizza! This beats any pizzeria in New Haven easily! So glad it's local too! Excellent crust, tasty sauce, perfect amount of mozzarella! read more

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Great people making great pizza. Walked in, was happily greeted and was told about the wait time. Waited and they brought the pizza to us when ready and it was delicious! Great crisp. Great flavor. Delightful workers and happy atmosphere. read more

An out of the way 120 year old brick oven pizza spot. New Haven gets the spotlight but this place has charm and a style all it's own. Highly recommended! read more

Little Rendezvous - Large Mozzarella Pie - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

*** Attention Yelp Content Control and Support Staff. The following review does not violate the TOS (Terms of Service - http://www.yelp.com/static?p=tos&country=US). Please read it in it's entirety before removing *** I am re-writing a review I posted about a week back on my first visit to Little Rendezvous located in the heart of Meriden CT. Before I jump into how delicious the food / 1st experience was... I want those that are reading this to know I am a "local" and do not have any affiliation with the staff at all (again please don't delete Yelp!). ** Rolls up my sleeves: Now onto the review ** I spent sometime living in NH right around the corner from that other pizza place we often talk about (The one that accepts Visa, Master Card, Etc.. Starts with a "P" :) ). Anyway, on a lazy Sunday my Finance' and I decided we wanted to grab a pie, logged onto Yelp, and found "Little Redezvous". Let me tell you, the ratings about this establishment were spot on. We called in advance based on a few reviews, the headed down to pick up the pie. When you pull up to the front of the place it's small, but when you walk inside you get that "At Home" feeling (solid local business). While waiting for our Pie the staff was very friendly educating us about the business and what their top 5 pies are. During our wait there was a couple that frequently gets a pie on the weekend that overheard us saying "This is our first time". They quickly let us know "You won't be disappointed" and we were not. I'm glad I read the Yelp reviews on this place and took the time to try it out. Fresh ingredients, Friendly Staff, and Seating if you'd like to eat in... Looking forward to ordering another pie again... Why I give this place 5 Stars 1. Quality of the Pie - The pie was cooked perfectly. The bottom of the pie was not burned, and the bottom of the pie didn't takes like a mound of corn meal (which some places use so they can spin the pie in a brick oven. 2. Friendly Service - How many times have you gone to an establishment based on reviews (Yelp) and or word of mouth and get bad service? It happens to us all, and I have to point out that the staff was very friendly. I am the type of person that goes out to eat and asks the waitstaff "What's good here?" :) and that question was answer in great detail (Top 5 Pies... etc). Thanks for that feedback.... 3. Price Point - I thought the prices were very reasonable. 4. Location - Located right in the heart of my town (Meriden, CT... Yes I'm a local not a bot.. .Again please don't flag this review). 5. Atmosphere - There's an area you can sit down and eat with your family and friends when you first walk in. When you walk up to the counter there specials, pricing, and cool artifacts all over the walls. Makes you feel at "home" if that makes any sense :). Cool little place. Those are 5 reasons I gave this place 5 Stars. Glad we stopped in.... Rob & Meg of Meriden will be back...... read more

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! read more

Little Rendezvous - left overs.. the next day (note nice dark wheat crust) - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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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. read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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Having a coal-fired oven, I had gone here assuming it was New Haven-style pizza. I ordered a cheese pie with regular crust and soon discovered it was not New Haven style pizza... but that is okay. I've found it difficult to find a good pizza place in CT that isn't New Haven style (which, by the way, I love!) or Greek style. This place did not disappoint... The sauce is delicious, and they don't skimp on it like some places. The cheese is cooked well done, which is the way I like it. And a little drizzle of olive oil on top adds some nice flavor. This will definitely be a place I will pick up some pies from on the way home from work when I don't feel like New Haven style pizza! read more

Little Rendezvous - Mozzarella pie, regular crust - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

The best place for crisp, brick oven style pizza around! We love the home made sauce and the authentic flavors! Coal fired oven produces the perfect aroma! read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

Awesome pie for sure especially well done with extra Sauce yummy Everything else is yummy as well give them a whirl and see what you think

CT has been taking in recent attention grabbing glory of best Pizza in "the country" lately. In my opinion it's "the world". Now now... Before you get all maniacal on me, settle down,.. Breathe... Let's just sort this out for a moment, If we will. The two main cities that come to mind when discussing the legitimacy of pizza would be..? C'mon,.. You can tell me... This is the circle of trust. So,.? Yep. There you go... Chicago. And?!? NY. Ok, I've also heard good things about San Francisco, but who knows? Every time I try to make it that far west I end up collecting baseball cards in Vegas. ... (What do you mean those aren't baseball cards???) ..? Smh... Moving on... As of late, up until just recent breakthroughs, that has been the "Great Debate". NY thin soggy slice Or The Chicago deep dish. BUT!!! Now out of the shadows cast by the metro north rail system, comes,.. A third competitor in this race of saucy pie shaped flavors and texture... New Haven. Like Yale,.. New Haven..? Yes!!! That guy got it! Round of applause for that guy! Multiple resources in the past year, maybe two, have given credit to the home of the Amistad. New Haven has been quoted to have, at least, 3 of the top 20 best pizza spots in the US. (Pepe's, Modern, and Sally's. [Although I personally prefer Aladdin {pronounced Ah-lah-deen}, or Brick Oven over any of those]) Bringing me back to my original point. Who in the world has better pizza than us!?!?!? Long story short. I believe Little Rendezvous is either the trickle down of the New Haven powerhouses or vice versa,.. Which ever came first. What ever it is it worked. This pizza good. Sorry for my long-windedness. This subject is close to my heart. read more

Little Rendezvous - The wall says it all. - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

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One of the worst pizzas i had i gaved them 2 tries First time was okay i qould give it a 5 out of 10 nothing close to new haven pizza pike they claim second time was just horrible pizza was made ao sloppy and not cooked all the way and customer service was terrible too im still on the hunt for a decent pizza place in meriden read more

Been looking forward to try based on reviews, went today at 1pm, not open. ....could have been an emergency? Who knows

My family and I were very happy with this place. Were out-of-towners and this was our first visit. You definitely see and experience the results of individuals who are passionate about their Pizza. They will not win any awards for décor but who cares; the staff was polite, the pie was screaming hot, the crust was amazing, all ingredients were fresh and totally delicious. Would also note that they were only accepting cash; a quality I dearly respect in this day and age. That's it, no question, awesome pizza, check it out, bring your cash, keep these guys in business for ever. read more

Can't believe I haven't reviewed my favorite pizza joint outside of New Haven!! Take out only (during covid, otherwise a few seats inside), CASH only. Guys run an incredibly efficient operation, masterful pizza creators. Thin crust, old wood fire pizza which means blackened bottoms (yum). Sauce is great, toppings have never disappointed. Only down side is on a busy night the wait may be two hours worth the wait though! read more

Old school apizza in an old industrial Meriden neighborhood. Nothing pretentious about this place and the pies are great! If you haven't been here- try it out! Workers are cool to talk to while you wait for your food. Mostly a takeout place. read more

One of the best pizzas I've ever had. Incredible crispy crust and perfect sauce. And the pizza mafe with grated parmesan instead of mozzarella was unlike anything I've ever had. It's a little hole in the wall with a few old fashioned wood tables, but clearly is primarily a take out place. Make sure to call first, because sometimes there can be a long wait. read more

Little Rendezvous makes the best pizzas I have ever had in my life. The classic cheese (parmesan, not mozzarella) is a revelation. The eggplant pie has redefined what "good pizza" means to me, for the better. Not to mention the whole hundred-year-old coal-fired oven thing. The building itself is unassuming. The patron travels down a dimly lit winding corridor, wondering "Could I possibly be in the right place?". Oh, yes, you are! The atmosphere may not be grandiose, but the pizzas are truly flatbreads of the gods. Legend has it the coal-fired brick oven hasn't gone cold since it was fired up sometime near the turn of last century. This mystique couldn't be more fitting for a pizza joint nestled in the rolling hills of bucolic Connecticut, rich with history and seemingly frozen in time. TRY THE PIZZA! read more

Very good pizza, I moved from a city that is known for pizza, to Meriden, a place that has a lot of pizza restaurants that are more of a miss then a hit from my experience. However this pizza is very good, so far one of the closest I'm going to get, to pizza I'm used to. read more

Credit for being a long-time staple in Meriden, and putting itself in the "total oddball" category when it comes to pizza. Not to say it's the best pizza I've ever had, but it's definitely some of the most unique pizza I've had. So it's super dense, and relatively flat. This means an individual slice is quite filling - I could only eat two as a matter of fact. Now that said, if you're one of those wet noodles who doesn't like their pizza "overcooked," don't go here. They do it on purpose, and much like a lot of New Haven joints, get some char on the crust. It's brick-oven coal-fired, what do you expect, DiGiorno results? We'll check out some of their specialty pies someday. read more

Ok; 1st of all "CASH ONLY". / "pizza only"... That said good pizza. Serious heat in the "real" coal oven. Yielding a very seriously crisp, thin crust. Good ingredients. Nice staff. Decors is a bit bleak. But I ate an entire pie. * and I don't finish meh food ... Not quite Pepe's... but worth a visit. Chef J. read more

This is the best pizza in Meriden. You don't need all that fancy stuff other places offer. I've been around the country and back and I always end up here! Love it! read more

Hands down BEST pizza in Meriden!! I'm a bit of a pizza snob especially because I grew up in New Haven and we all know New Haven has the best pizza! The owner is amazing, great guy!! Love this place. I would recommend this place to everybody. Great service and great food. Support local small businesses that deserve the support!! read more

Ordered from this pizza place after seeing it was in a Buzzfeed article of "Best Pizza Places in Each State According to Yelp." Yelpers are brutally honest, so I figured we'd give it a try while we were in town for the Durham fair. We ordered a large pepperoni pizza with mozzarella cheese and were not disappointed. Very happy with the amount of pepperoni that was on the pizza. The pizza tasted amazing and while the crust was a little too hard for my liking, my fiancé thought it was amazing. Definitely will get another pizza from here next year when we're back for the fair again! read more

Little Rendezvous - Pizza Near Me - Meriden, Connecticut

This place is great! I used to love their pizza when I was a kid and it's still amazing. Steve knows what he's doing!

Very good PIZZA right here... Notice that I emphasized the word pizza because that is all this place does. Fortunately for us whom enjoy pizza on an often basis they do it very well. If youre looking for a variety of items on the menu or salad this is not your place. If you like crisp, delicious pizza fresh out of a coal fired oven then dont deny yourself the pleasure and give this place a try. On my last visit I purchased two smalls. One pepperoni and a grated cheese pizza. Since I got there around closing time I took them both back home to Bristol with me luckliy they were so hot once I made the drive back from Meriden they were still warm. Pros: very good pizza unique restaurant with an interesting history cool owner who looks just like the dude who reccommended the place to me Cons: no delivery cash only pizza only menu read more

Excellent pizza at a good price. I like that they only do pizza. If you are great at something, stick with it. It can get busy, but worth the wait. read more

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? read more

Oh man. This place was a total hole in the wall, and from the outside looked like a run down shack. That being said, complete diamond in the rough. Pizza was a slice of heaven- thin crust, lightly crispy. We had feta and pepperoni which was an amazing combination. They don't do any delivery, just pick up. The counter girl (owner?) told us that on the weekends they usually hit two hour waits for pick up. Crazy. Highly recommend- wish I lived closer! read more