Popular CT Restaurant Shuts Down

NORTH BRANFORD, CT — Pacileo's Apizza & Pasta shut down last month, and its owner is blaming "certain public officials" for the closure, according to The New Haven Register. Albert H. Pacileo III had filed a suit against the town and believes that this caused a boycott of the restaurant.

The suit claims that Mayor Michael Doody committed ethics violations in 2017 that hurt the restaurant. Doody's siblings own Doody's Totoket Inn Inc., a restaurant located less than half a mile from Pacileo's.

The court found in favor of the town's defendants but Pacileo filed a motion to re-argue the case in August.

However, an attorney representing Dooy's Totoket Inn said Pacileo's allegations are groundless and told the Register that it was "the most ridiculous lawsuit that I've ever seen."

The suit was originally filed in 2017 and named several defendants in addition to Doody, including Police Commissioner David Palumbo, Superintendent of Schools Scott Schoonmaker, Public Works Director Fran Merola, and Doody's Totoket Inn, Inc., according to Zip06.com.

The suit made numerous allegations against all the defendants including "tortious interference with business relations" and "civil conspiracy" to the fiscal detriment.

Pacileo's finished second place for best pizza in town in a competition last year.

The restaurant still operates a Branford location at 312 Harbor St.

The Branford Point location opened in 1998. The restaurant, known for providing New Haven-style pizza, pastas, grinders, calzones, and other Italian food, later opened the North Branford location where Abate's used to be on Foxon Road, according to The Hartford Courant.

One Yelp reviewer said of Pacileo's: "When your out-of-state friends ask you to take them for New Haven pizza, there's really no need to drive them down to Wooster Street."

Several other reviewers also complimented the pizza, though there were also complaints regarding service.