First look: Pizza Baby opens in Elizabeth
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Sausage, mushroom and red onion pizza (front) and pesto, burrata and tomato pizza. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Pizza Baby East opens today, March 26, in Elizabeth, but it's more of a sibling than a twin to popular Pizza Baby West.
Why it matters: Instead of the NY-style pizzas that made Charlotte lose its mind on the internet, the new restaurant will serve Roman-style pizzas at lunch, available by the slice and whole.
Catch up quick: Pizza Baby East is the latest restaurant Art & Commerce Food Group, the team behind Flour Shop and Pizza Baby West, which opened last August in Wesley Heights.
- Pizza Baby East is the fourth restaurant for Charlotte chef Trey Wilson, who opened Customshop in 2007 and later sold to its current owner chef Andres Kaifer.
Dig in: Like all of Wilson's restaurants, expect a rotating menu. "You can eat here every day and have a different experience," he tells Axios.
- Focaccia bread will serve as the base for the Roman-style pizzas. They're designed to be sold by the slice (10 inches long by 4 inches wide) for $8. A whole pizza is 30 inches long and 8 inches wide will cost $38.
- Its lunch menu offers salads ($8-10), sandwiches ($10-12) and pizzas.
Noa Weinshel is the lead baker, whipping up items like pistachio and white chocolate scones, cranberry and walnut scones and banana bread.
- Its drink menu includes coffee from Lavazza coffee for espresso and cappuccinos, plus North Carolina-based Pisgah Coffee Roasters for drip coffee.
- There will be select retail, including fresh bread and items utilized in the dishes, like cherry tomatoes.
- Expect five 12-inch circular pizzas and a mozzarella program from the Charlotte-based Siano family in the evening, plus appetizers and salads.
If you go: Hours to start are 8am-2pm daily for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is from 5-10pm every day except Tuesday.
- Pizza Baby East is at 1601 Elizabeth Ave. in the former MY Realtor space near The People's Market.
What's next: Pizza Baby's wine bar component will open in late April.
- Sommelier Chip Townsend, who has been with Wilson to open each of his restaurants, will lead the beverage program. Expect roughly 60 wines, mostly European, for $7-8 a glass, plus higher-end options. There will also be a few Italian beers and a small liquor program.
The bottom line: Elizabeth Avenue is bustling with local businesses, students grabbing a bite to eat between classes, nurses, doctors and hospital visitors grabbing a cup of coffee and the sound of the streetcar bell as it carries passengers Uptown.
Check out what else is opening soon: Anticipated openings
Editor's note: This story was originally published on March 26, 2024 and was updated on April 18, 2024 to include dinner service details.