Sully Erna, lead singer of the rock band Godsmack and Lawrence native, recently settled a long-standing beach pizza rivalry with a taste-off between two local favorites. The event took place just steps from the Atlantic Ocean, where the two iconic pizza joints—Tripoli’s and Christy’s—have been competing for decades.
Known as “home plates,” regional dishes with loyal followings, beach pizza is a staple in the Massachusetts and New Hampshire area. For Erna, a connoisseur of the dish, the competition between Tripoli’s and Christy’s is like the famed Coke vs. Pepsi rivalry.
“Exactly… Coke and Pepsi, Tripoli’s and Christy’s,” said Matt Zappala, a fourth-generation baker at Tripoli’s, which is celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2024.
Erna, who grew up in Lawrence, has long favored Tripoli’s, a local favorite in his hometown. However, over time, he developed a taste for Christy’s, its main rival located in nearby Hampton Beach.
“Even at home, I live almost an hour away from Hampton Beach, and I will, at 6 o’clock, 7 o’clock, get a craving for beach pizza, and I will get off my couch, and I will drive an hour to Hampton Beach to get Christy’s Beach Pizza,” Erna shared.
Recently, Erna revisited Salisbury Beach for a taste test to settle the debate once and for all. After sampling both pizzas, he surprised himself with the outcome.
“Today, I gotta tell you, Tripoli took it again. I think they just made a… I don’t know if they knew I was coming, or what’s going on here, but they made a serious comeback today with me. This one wins today,” Erna said.
His decision will likely spark debates in the local beach pizza community. But for Erna, the rivalry is all in good fun.
“I literally have beach pizza in my freezer at home, always. Just for an emergency now, just so I don’t have to make the haul. But I will if I have to because it’s that good,” he added.
The friendly rivalry between Tripoli’s and Christy’s continues to be a source of pride for locals, with Erna’s taste test only adding to the ongoing buzz.
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