{"id":2112,"date":"2026-06-24T20:38:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2112"},"modified":"2026-06-24T20:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:38:33","slug":"charlottes-20-best-pizza-places-ranked-plus-bbq-comedy-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2112","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte’s 20 best pizza places, ranked \u2014 plus BBQ, comedy and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pizza is the kind of food that sparks arguments, and Charlotte now has enough quality slices to fuel a few. Today\u2019s CharlotteFive newsletter<\/a> dives deep into the city\u2019s pizza scene, with a ranked list, a reader callout and a roundtable of local obsessives. There\u2019s also a reporter\u2019s brave open-mic comedy debut, a peek at what\u2019s coming to South End and a Yelp shoutout for North Carolina barbecue. Here\u2019s everything worth knowing. \ud83c\udf55<\/p>\n

Read more Charlotte-Mecklenburg police SWAT team searches east Charlotte for unnamed suspect<\/a><\/p>\n

Peter took on what sounds like an impossible assignment and lived to publish it: ranking the 20 best pizza restaurants in the Charlotte area. His verdict? Charlotte is becoming a legitimately strong pizza town, thanks to an influx of pizzerias and chefs over the past 15 years bringing Neapolitan, Detroit, New York, Jersey, Buffalo and Sicilian styles to the Queen City. \u2728<\/p>\n

His top pick is Bird<\/a>, the famously hard-to-book spot from Kerrel and Nkem Thompson at \ud83d\udccd 510 E. 15th St., Suite A<\/a>, where the thin, aggressively charred crusts and bright, sweet sauce are worth every Resy refresh. Right behind it: Finale Pizza near Ballantyne, Zepeddie\u2019s in LoSo and Inizio, which Peter credits with proving a decade ago that Charlotte had an appetite for high-end pizza.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfc6 Check out the full rankings here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Peter isn\u2019t done with pizza yet. He\u2019s also looking for your help tracking down Charlotte\u2019s best specialty pies \u2014 the kind with creative flavor pairings that go beyond pepperoni and cheese. \ud83c\udf50 A few that already have his attention: the Pistachio Pesto at Inizio, the OG vodka sauce pizza at Bird and the Pear Pressure at Gravity Sourdough Pizza, which layers sweet potatoes, goat cheese and maple honey.<\/p>\n

You can nominate as many specialty pizzas as you want through the nomination form, or email Peter directly at pstonge@charlotteobserver.com<\/a>. A few lucky nominators may even get invited along to taste-test their picks.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddf3\ufe0f Get the nomination details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Peter also gathered three Charlotte pizza obsessives \u2014 Buffalo native Erick Szczap, Wisconsin native Matt Byrne and Charlotte native and pizza blogger Avery Dunworth \u2014 to debate whether the city has earned its pizza stripes. The consensus rating: somewhere between a 7 and an 8 out of 10. Not destination-level yet, but steadily climbing. \ud83d\udcc8<\/p>\n

The conversation covers everything from underrated spots (Zepeddie\u2019s, Zio Casual Italian, The Crust near I-485) to the crust-vs.-toppings debate (crust wins, mostly) to the sauce styles that divide transplants. As Erick put it about Charlotte\u2019s mix of regional styles: \u201cEveryone\u2019s moved here and brought their pizza with them. So, you have to get some points for that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude0b Read the full roundtable here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Th\u00e9oden went looking for a story about Charlotte\u2019s comedy scene and somehow convinced himself that \u201ctrue journalistic rigor\u201d required getting on stage himself. So he wrote jokes, practiced them and signed up for the Tuesday-night open mic at \ud83c\udfa4 Starlight on 22nd<\/a> in NoDa.<\/p>\n

His piece weaves in advice from local veterans like Lo\u00efc Adjevi, James R. Hustle, Alex King and Jason Allen King, all of whom describe bombing as an unavoidable rite of passage. Th\u00e9oden\u2019s own set? Somewhere between disaster and triumph \u2014 a few jokes landed, a few died, and no tomatoes were thrown. But he says he got just enough of a buzz to understand why people keep doing it.<\/p>\n

Read more Coby White remains a \u2018priority\u2019 signing, says Charlotte Hornets\u2019 Jeff Peterson<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd2d Read his stand-up adventure here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSurefire Market is known for its smash burgers, chicken sandwiches and house-made sauces. My friend Tim<\/a> called their chicken sandwiches the \u2018best in Charlotte\u2019 and he\u2019s not wrong.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

That\u2019s Evan, writing about the 10 hottest restaurants in Charlotte right now<\/a>. \ud83d\udd25 His list includes Albertine, Ardente Kitchen, Caf\u00e9 Audire, Lang Van, Rada, Restaurant Constance, Supperland, Surefire Market<\/a> at \ud83d\udccd 301 Camp Rd #101<\/a>, The Crunkleton and more. Rada landed on the New York Times\u2019 list of the 50 best restaurants in the U.S. in September, and Restaurant Constance is helmed by James Beard Award semifinalist Sam Diminich.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccb See the full hot list here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Yelp dropped its list of the top 100 barbecue joints in the country, and four North Carolina spots made the cut \u2014 all of them with Texas-style ties. The Smoke Pit in Concord ranked highest at No. 16, with Yelp users praising the tender brisket, pulled pork and fall-off-the-bone ribs.<\/p>\n

Jon G\u2019s Barbecue in Peachland landed at No. 50, though if you want to try it, plan ahead: it\u2019s only open Saturdays and reliably sells out. \ud83d\udece\ufe0f Prime Barbecue in Knightdale and Haywood Smokehouse in Dillsboro rounded out the North Carolina contingent, Simone reports.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc49 See the full barbecue rundown here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Olivelli Deli \u2014 in the former Reigning Doughnuts spot \u2014 is hosting a public soft serve tasting tomorrow. Details below:<\/p>\n

Sign up for the free CharlotteFive newsletter<\/a>, delivered daily with the food, drink, restaurant news and local happenings you actually want to read about. And you can keep up with CharlotteFive on Instagram<\/a>, Threads<\/a>, TikTok<\/a> and Bluesky<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy<\/i> here<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more New Italian restaurant and market brings Roman vibes to Dilworth<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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