Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza - Review - North Loop - Minneapolis - The Infatuation

"Most of Minneapolis’ top pizza spots specialize in Neapolitan-style pies made in wood-fired ovens. But Black Sheep Coal Fired Pizza goes against the grain by using the type of coal-burning oven more typically found in the Northeast to craft what they consider the definitive “American-style” pizza. Creating a new style of pizza is a novelty that would get people in the door once, but the fact that they keep returning again (and again) shows that Black Sheep is onto something. Here’s what such a pizza looks like in practice: It has the signature char of a coal-fired pie, but a thin crust that still has the structural integrity to support lavishly applied toppings, from fennel sausage and meatballs to artichokes and anchovies. Despite the abundance, the flavors and textures of the toppings are carefully balanced—on the #14, the chicken’s smokiness is tempered by hot honey, with pickled banana peppers and tendrils of red onion to add some crunch. The #11 pairs strips of Persian-spiced beef with a mild, slightly sweet harissa and salty feta. Vegetarian options are similarly substantial, with the oyster mushrooms on the #7 tasting downright meaty, complemented by smoked mozzarella and thin-sliced garlic cloves. Black Sheep’s coal-fired pizza oven—Minnesota’s first—isn’t the only thing that makes this place a pioneer. When it opened in 2008, locals still referred to the North Loop as the Warehouse District, and the subterranean restaurant channels that industrial vibe with cement floors and exposed ductwork. Newer restaurants in the neighborhood have since transformed the area’s former factories with plant walls and rooftop patios, but Black Sheep doesn’t need to rely on those flourishes. Their inventive American-style pizza is more than enough. RESERVE A TABLE" - Stacy Brooks