Bob Albright| news@seacoastonline.com
SEABROOK — Slowly, but surely the word is trickling out about Clemento’s Pizzeria & Brew in Seabrook.
Tucked away in the shadow of Ashley Furniture in the Seacoast Shopping Center at 270 Lafayette Road, serving up tasty and unique styles of pizza has not been a problem for owners Sean and Liz Gosselin. Letting their growing list of customers know where to find them has been a little bit more of a challenge, however.
“I do get a lot of people commenting that we are tucked back there because of the way that the building is configured,” Liz Gosselin noted. “It’s true, but that's ok and we’ll battle through.”
And with a full menu of appetizing pizzas, subs, calzones and entrees it should not be much of a battle.
The location is the third for the franchise that was started in Rochester by the Clement family. Sean Gosselin’s twin brother, Steve, now owns the original Rochester location and there is also a location in Manchester. Like the other two restaurants, Sean Gosselin says the secret sauce for this enterprise may actually be the sauce itself.
“Most places are all out of the box, but we don’t do that,” he pointed out. “We make all of our own sauce.”
Clemento’s boasts they have one of the largest pizzas
Clemento’s also boasts one of the Seacoast’s largest pizzas with its largest pie checking in at a full 18 inches, some two inches larger than many of its competitors, and the pizzeria certainly pushes the flavor envelope far past the traditional pepperoni or cheese.
Both owners point to their signature Heaven and Hell, a pizza featuring both barbecue and buffalo chicken split down the middle as one of their most popular pies. A close second might be the Big Mac, which is as close as you’re going to get the iconic fast food classic on a pizza crust.
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Clemento’s located in the former site of Anthony’s Bar and Grill
The restaurant opened in September in the somewhat sleepy mall which is anchored by a Cardi’s Furniture and Ocean State Job Lot on one end and the recently opened Tractor Supply Co. on the other. Clemento’s opened in the former site of Anthony’s Bar and Grill, a popular Italian restaurant that closed down at the end of 2021 shortly after its beloved owner Nikki Hopkinson died. Starting in the fall instead of the spring and taking over a popular space that ended on such a somber note initially has proved to be a challenge.
“They just didn’t want to see someone come in and trample all over what they did,” Sean Gosselin explained of the initial lukewarm reaction he received from many of Anthony’s regulars. “I understand that and that’s not what I’m trying to do.”
Seabrook’s Audra Prescott, who worked at Anthony’s and was quite close with both Hopkinson and her husband Lance, has returned to work at Clemento’s and is slowly seeing some of the familiar faces return to the intimate bar and restaurant.
“We had quite the following,” said Prescott. “It was Nikki’s dream and (Lance) had cashed in on his savings to help her with her dream.”
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Clemento’s: All about building community
Sean Gosselin has been flipping pizza dough since he was 15 and was the general manager at the Rochester Clemento’s location for five years before opening the Seabrook location with his business partner Ben Lowe. He’s more than content to stay in the back churning out tasty pies, calzones and subs and let Liz handle the front of the house.
“We looked at a couple of places and this was the closest to actually opening,” said Sean who left the floor plan alone, but did spend a fair amount of capital updating the kitchen equipment. ”Other ones you had to do total revamps and I really wasn’t looking to get into all of that.”
With six taps and a full bar and several wide screens, Clemento’s is also a good spot to catch a game.
“You start with the two major food groups, Bud and Bud Light,” Gosselin said with a smile of the varied offerings behind the bar. “Then you can have your Sam Adams and your IPAs.”
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Looking to continue the community feel that was an integral part of Anthony’s success, the restaurant hosts a dart league on Tuesday nights and Karaoke on Saturdays. Liz is always on the lookout for other ways to bring other groups into Clemento’s.
“We have definitely built up a good base of customers and come summertime that’s when the vacationers are going to start to come through,” Liz pointed out.
With expansive parking outside, Gosselin, a longtime auto mechanic, is excited to host car clubs at Clemento’s after their beach runs when the weather warms up. After a slow start, he expects to have this culinary engine tuned up and humming for quite some time.
“I think it’s starting to get traction,” said Gosselin. “I think it’s starting to pick up.”
Clemento’s Pizzeria and Brew is open Tuesday through Sunday. For more information log on to their website atwww.clementospizzaandbrew.com.
