Black-Owned Bird Pizzeria In Charlotte Among New York Times Best Pizza Places

It was one of the 22 places the media outlet picked in the United States

The New York Times just released a list of 22 of the best pizza places in the United States, and a Black-owned pizzeria in Charlotte, North Carolina made the list.

The media outlet did not list it by numbers but in alphabetical order. Bird Pizzeria, which is located at 510 E. 15th St. is only open from Wednesday to Saturday, according to its Instagram page, with the hours being from 4-8 p.m. The restaurant is owned by Nkem and Kerrel Thompson and opened its doors in December 2021.

Way to, go Charlotte 👏👏👏 Congrats to Bird Pizza for being on this @nytimes list of best pizza in the country!!! @wsoctv @Your_704 pic.twitter.com/o9TL31OaX5

— Elsa Gillis (@ElsaWSOC9) June 25, 2024

The media outlet reported that Bird Pizzeria started as a pop-up restaurant before becoming a takeout business and, as of next month, will be a sit-down restaurant. Kerrel’s pizza is a “New York style reminiscent of what he grew up eating in Cleveland.”

QCity Metro reported that Bird Pizzeria is one of the city’s most popular pizza spots. It was named Best Pizza by Queen City Nerve last year. With the expansion of the restaurant to allow dine-in seating as they obtained a space next door, the Thompsons are excited about the growth of the restaurant.

“We’re really excited to open our dining room literally as if it was, you know, an extension of our house,” Nkem said in an interview with The Observer.

In an interview right after Bird Pizzeria opened, Nkem said that she and her husband’s first date was over pizza. They were inspired to open the shop as they reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic. She also mentioned that the restaurant was named Bird Pizzeria due to Kerrel’s love of birds.

“He can name like all of the birds in North America, so it’s kind of like always been a thing with us,” Nkem said.

When the restaurant opens the expanded space, it will have longer hours and a lunch menu.