Food and Drink

A look inside the new late-night pizza spot opening in Charlotte’s South End

PIE.ZAA has whole pies and single slices of pizza on its menu.
PIE.ZAA has whole pies and single slices of pizza on its menu. CharlotteFive

Looking for a late night bite in South End? You’re in luck. A new restaurant known for its giant slices of pizza is officially opening its doors this week.

Asheville-based PIE.ZAA is opening its Charlotte location on Feb. 16, CharlotteFive previously reported.

From classic toppings like pepperoni and cheese to specialty pies every month, the pizza shop has a lot of New York-style pizzas on the menu made from scratch, plus different dipping sauces and cookies, too.

After months of planning the expansion, the PIE.ZAA team is excited to finally bring what it calls the “biggest and best pizza in North Carolina” to Charlotte.

“It’s just kind of surreal,” PIE.ZAA owner Tyler Kotch told CharlotteFive. “We’ve put it together and we’ve worked really hard to get here and it’s just really cool to get to share all of this stuff with people in Charlotte as much as people loved it in Asheville.”

The pizza shop, which originally opened in 2020, has been a hotspot for pizza lovers in Asheville. Soon, Kotch says he has dreams of opening even more locations after expanding to the Queen City.

“When I first built PIE.ZAA, I was like ‘You know, we’ll try the pizza thing’ and it took off and we did really well and we were super grateful for that. And then now, I have this vision of having this massive company having PIE.ZAAs in some of the coolest areas in the country,” Kotch said.

“We came to Charlotte because this is our test for volume, playing with the big dogs and seeing if we can make it with all the other people that are doing such a great job here.”

You’ll be able to snag a late night slice of pizza at PIE.ZAA every day until 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Take a look around:

PIE.ZAA in South End will be the Asheville-based restaurant’s second location.
PIE.ZAA in South End will be the Asheville-based restaurant’s second location. Chyna Blackmon CharlotteFive
PIE.ZAA’s Charlotte location at 1440 South Tryon St.
PIE.ZAA’s Charlotte location at 1440 South Tryon St. Chyna Blackmon CharlotteFive
PIE.ZAA in South End has classic and specialty flavors of New York-style pizza.
PIE.ZAA in South End has classic and specialty flavors of New York-style pizza. Chyna Blackmon CharlotteFive
PIE.ZAA’s February specialty pizza is “Sweet Carolina,” made with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, creamy ricotta, fresh basil, nut-free pesto and a drizzle of honey.
PIE.ZAA’s February specialty pizza is “Sweet Carolina,” made with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, creamy ricotta, fresh basil, nut-free pesto and a drizzle of honey. Chyna Blackmon CharlotteFive

PIE.ZAA

Location: 1440 South Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28203

Menu

Cuisine: Italian, pizza

Instagram: @pie_zaa

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 8:04 AM.

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Chyna Blackmon
The Charlotte Observer
Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription
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