Bird Pizzeria Now Open in Charlotte, North Carolina | Eater Carolinas

"Opened in December 2021 by married co-owners Kerrel and Nkem Thompson, this compact takeout-only pizzeria reflects the couple’s personal tastes—so much so that green peppers are deliberately excluded because Nkem dislikes them. Working without formal culinary training, they developed recipes through trial and error: Kerrel spent two years formulating a special blend of organic flours to achieve a crisp, edited crust, and the topping list is intentionally concise (Calabrian peppers; paper-thin red and white onions; hot honey; sausage; pepperoni). Pizzas are baked at a roaring 625°F in Pizza Master ovens inside a kitchen no larger than a closet, producing East Coast-style pies that fall between Detroit-style squares and Neapolitan influences and echo the Cleveland-style the couple grew up with. Located on East 15th Street at the edge of Uptown Charlotte near Optimist Hall in a former strudel shop, the operation relies on a pick-up window, heavy online pre-orders and outdoor or to-go consumption (no dine-in), with lines often forming before opening. After Easter the menu will expand—now with a liquor license—to include slices, small plates, vegetable-forward salads and collaborations with neighborhood breweries, while intentionally avoiding clichés like meatballs." - Timothy DePeugh