While in the Carolinas we made our way to Optimist Hall. One of the eateries that was chosen by the group was Ava's Pizzeria. I would like to preface this by saying I'm from New York and may be a little bias. Needless to say the cost for size was fair and the crust was solid. However the sauce and pizza itself was a bit bland. My niece elected for a meatball sandwich (I didn't not partake) she said it was ok. However, notable the meatball to bread ratio is greatly under proportioned. I did notice that they have other specialty pizza that may pack more flavor. Just A Note: While you wait for your pie, you may want to try a score some seating... "prime real-estate" can be hard to come by in OH. read more

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Tried the pepperoni pizza at Ava Pizzeria in Optimist Hall and it did not disappoint. The crust is clearly the star--classic Neapolitan style with a nice char from the wood-fired oven, slightly chewy inside but crisp around the edges. Quick service counter with seating all around the food hall. The pepperoni had a great flavor and curled up perfectly with those little pools of oil--if you're a fan of that classic "roni cup" style. The cheese and sauce ratio was well-balanced, though I wouldn't have minded a little more sauce for added richness. Only reason I'm holding back one star: the pie was a bit smaller than expected for the price, Still, the quality of ingredients and flavor made it worth it. Great spot if you're craving a solid pepperoni pizza with an upscale feel--just maybe order an extra one if you're really hungry. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pepperoni pizza - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

First off Neapolitan is not my preferred style of pizza. But pizza is still my favorite my food so I wanted to give this place a go. I got the margherita, the mozzarella and sauce were great but I would've preferred the basil get added after the cook. The crust was a bit more crispy than I expected but I didn't mind As you would expect from a place making Neapolitan pizza, the service was quick. Had my pie in less than 5 minutes and the food hall had plenty of seating. I'd give this 3.5 if I could read more

Ava Pizzeria - Margherita Pizza - 8" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I got the Chorizo Pizza. I don't know if they still have it on the menu now. It had a slight spicy taste. I share it were with a friend and it we thought was really good. So it's in a food court area. The area is really spacious and there are some water stations around the area. So it open space. I believe there also a electronic hand sanitizer station. I think it would have been better for the plate that I was on was bigger. We should have ask for extra plates read more

Ava Pizzeria - Chorizo pizza - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Decent pizza a little "well done" at the bottom lol but I liked it. I did add a little salt. I think I would have loved it with pepperoni. Would def try this place again. read more

Ava Pizzeria - White Mushroom Pizza - 8" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I was excited to try this place at Optimist Hall but unfortunately it wasn't a good experience. I walked up to order and said "hello" I received no smile or even reply from the start. I ordered the Pesto White Pizza, the crust was good but the rest was so greasy. The middle of the pizza was very soggy and overall not good. With so many other food options in the hall I would go somewhere else next time. There is a lot of options on the menu which I was happy to see. read more

This place deserves a higher rating imo. Ppl seem to not understand what a char pizza is. The pepperoni pizza is so good. It's one of my favorite pizzas in charlotte. It was cooked perfectly and I didn't have to wait long. The lil bit oil that fills up in the pepperoni cups.. to die for. lol will be back. I wish they'd add a salad or cheese bread to the menu. Or a white pizza that's all 4 cheeses with pistachio mhm read more

I was craving pizza after church so decided to come here. They have good pizza plus fast service. They're near the hand washing station and the prices are reasonable which are both pluses for me! They have many vegetables options as well as meat protein to add to their pies. The 8" is large enough for one or two people but they have larger size pies if you want more. Sundays the parking lot is full. Pack your patience. They offer 90 minutes of free parking. Indoor and outside seating is available too. read more

Ava Pizzeria - The Vegano Pizza (vegan) - Small with pepperoni added. - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I got the chorizo pizza and it was amazing! Red and yellow peppers with the perfectly chatted crust. The server was good and I got a text that my food was ready quickly. Love Optimist Hall! read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pizza Sausage Pizza - 8" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I work pretty close to optimist hall, so it makes Ava Pizzaria easy to get to, even with ordering online. The crust is pretty darn good, I love the texture and the little "burnt" pieces that add to the experience of having fresh dough. I ordered their vegan pizza, and I'm not sure if they fully forgot the vegan cheese, but with the amount of liquid from the vegetables, everything slid off the pizza. I wish there was more thought about the eating experience so the integrity of the pizza slice wouldn't be forgotten. Thankfully I had an extra fork at my desk so I just ate the topings from the pizza box. read more

The pizza is great very cheesy and fresh. We had mixed feelings due to the reviews but the pizza was cooked to perfection. The pepperoni has a kick to it! So beware! The service was fast and the presentation was pretty good. Overall I would rate it a 8/10! read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pepperoni Pizza - 12" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Enjoyed a 12 inch margarita pizza with my son at Ava Pizzeria which is located in Optimist Hall. The pizza is very good. It's a softer crust than typical but so tasty. To me, the sauce says it all. And they got it right. I would recommend this place for a pizza. The 12 inch is $15.00. A bit pricy for the size but again it was good and we didn't need a box for leftovers. read more

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Not too sure why this place only has 3 stars--the pizza's pretty good! I like all the different topping options, the ingredients taste fresh, and it's nestled right in the middle of Optimist Hall. Would definitely return on my next visit to OH to try some different combos out. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Sausage Pizza - 8" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Great service, delicious pizza with a chewy crust, a little crunchy where it bubbles up, just great. And it's fast! Here's my complaint: seeds in peppers are inedible and not chewy or anything. So, the prep work is really sloppy. Seriously, thought I broke tooth for a second! Because the seeds from the peppers are scattered everywhere it's hard to pick them all out. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Bianca Pizza - Small, clean the seeds from the peppers, guys! They don't add anything. - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Good pizza... nice fresh thin crust sourdough pizza. Cheese was generic shredded, and the sauce was on the bland side. I had a basic pizza no additional toppings, but if the quality of the cheese and sauce is any indication, then I probably made a good decision not investing alot of money in so so toppings. Don't get me wrong I liked the pizza and it's better than many pizza places in this non pizza town, but no, it's not outstanding pizza. Could be better for the price read more

In my opinion, this place doesn't get the rating it deserves. The quality and quantity are there. Crust has the pizza oven feel and crunch. The toppings are robust and fresh. What's not to love? I don't get the 3-star rating and don't agree with it at all. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza - 12" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

So glad Optimist Hall has a great number of vegan options! I ordered the vegan pizza here which comes loaded with red sauce, vegan cheese, red onions, mushrooms, some greens and three different color sweet peppers and tomatoes! They do not skimp on toppings at all. It took less than 10 minutes for the pizza to be piping hot and cooked exactly the way I like stone oven pizza! This pizza was colorful and an attention grabber. I sat down at the table with the fam and after the first bite, turned slightly towards the wall to devour the pie refusing to make eye contact or engage in conversation with anyone at the table. NOPE I was not going to share or entertain any of the 'ooh, can I try a bite' chirps from them. Would love to see a vegan protein option to add as a topping! read more

Ava Pizzeria - Vegan pizza - loaded with colorful toppings and delicious! - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I finally tried out this pizzeria at Optimist Hall today... First of all, quite pricey! Even a small pizza was $11-13! Still, I ordered one of their "White" pizzas...Prosciutto, which came loaded with Ricotta, Goat Cheese, Dates, Red Onion, Honey and Balsamic. This also took about 10 minutes to make...and I was able to watch while one of the makers were finishing up on the toppings of my pizza. Well, must say that he was extremely slow...almost seemed lost and confused while simply trying to add the ham on top of the pizza (took WAY too long doing this!). Seriously, I almost stepped in to ask if he needed help getting the ham unto the pizza. He didn't even bother to cut the long/thick pieces of ham either...so I actually had to ask him to cut them up a bit. Either he's brand new, or have not been trained to do this. WOW. ANYWAY, glad to report that the pizza itself was really, really good!!! I don't even like the Goat Cheese, but didn't mind that much given how great the rest of the ingredients were. The best part though was the crust...Amazing Good!!! So Yes, despite some misgivings, I'll definitely order from Ava again! Based on the pizza itself, I'd rate 5 stars, but the cost is a bit ridiculous...and again, I thought the pizza maker/makers may need a bit more training? read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Came to this spot in countenance of trying charlottes wood fire pizza locations This place was awesome I loved the crisp undercarriages of the pie Solid choice, the mushroom pizza was my favorite. Sauce was good on the margarita pizza and the basil was fresh I liked how they took your number down and just text you when ready. Very convenient read more

Ava Pizzeria - Mushroom pizza and marg - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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This pizza was decent. I got the prosciutto pie but they didn't put the arugula on it which I was looking forward to the most. I added mushrooms as well for some razzle dazzle but it was too much and falling off the pizza. I forgot to snap a picture before we dug in. read more

Ava Pizzeria - White pie - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

The pizza was good, different than your standard Dominoes and Pizza Hut, but in a good way. It does taste a little burnt but that's expected from a pizza being cooked in a large wood pizza oven. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Margherita Pizza - 8" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

You guys love pesto as much as we do? If the answer is yes then you have to go to Ava Pizzeria in clt and order their pesto pizza. This pizza was eye candy and tastebud candy as well. This pie had it all: two types of cheese, pesto, juicy cherry tomatoes and goat cheese. Every bite we took we were in heaven and we even got to watch it cook in the beautiful pizza oven. The crust was crispy and perfectly cooked. You can find these guys located at Optimist Hall. This restaurant is one of the reasons this food hall really has it going on. Go try one of these pies.... NOW! PESTO PIZZA- fresh mozzarella, ricotta, pesto, pistachio, cherry tomato and goat cheese read more

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This was a pretty good option in Optimist Hall! My friend and I got an 8" pizza to share since we had each gotten food from other restaurants. The order surprisingly didn't take too long, and I received a text when the order was ready. The staff wasn't very friendly, which is always annoying when you're somewhere spending money. The pizza was good and cooked well in the brick oven. My only less-than-good opinion of the meal is that the cheese was more of the artificial pack cheese (like, when it melts it gets kind of shiny): I was expecting fresh mozzarella (because, why ruin great bread and sauce with fake cheese? Lol) but, it's a decent option if you like pizza! read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pepperoni Pizza - 8", with basil - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Arrived on a weeknight so Optimist Hall was pretty empty. Ordered the margherita pizza. I had high hopes for this place. I like cheese at much at the next person, but this pizza had sooooo much cheese on it that it was unbearable. Combine that the burnt bottom and edges, it just wasn't that good. :/ NOTE: There was a sign at the register that they take cards only. So no cash. And you can't call in an order by phone either. read more

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Have you ever had a pizza so good t that you caught yourself thinking about it for the next few days? I stumbled on this wood fired pizza joint in Charlotte's trendy Optimist Hall recently, and I'm glad I did. I had an absolutely delicious sausage pizza there. The sausage was the real deal, with visible fennel. The cheese and were delicious, and the crust was thin,delicate, and hand-tossed. Highly recommended. read more

Is it possible to mess up pizza? ABSOLUTELY! The folks over at Ava have mastered it! Not only do they make horrible pizza, but they're ridiculously expensive! Starting off with the BURNT disgusting crust, on to the watery, liquidity sauce, and burnt toppings as well, the entire pie is horrendous! Almost 40$ for 2 small pizzas and two drinks, they're pathetic! I would definitely not recommend to anyone who enjoys a good pizza! This ain't it! read more

I ordered the margherita pizza from Ava to give it a try. You get to watch them assemble your pizza and put it in a pretty cool wood fired oven. The pizza cooks really fast, so the wait is pretty short. I am not used to neopolitan pizza, so I was caught a little off guard by how chewy it was, but as I ate the pizza, I started to enjoy it. The sauce tastes really fresh and the mozzarella is great. Not your typical NY style pizza, but it tasted fresh. read more

Ava Pizzeria - 8" margherita - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

So glad I decided to pick Ava Pizzaria as my choice for lunch today. The pizza was awesome. My family and I kept talking about how fresh the sauce tasted. It wasn't too sweet like many of the fast-pizza places popping up tend to serve . I ordered a large margarita pizza and added pepperoni. This is enough to share with another person and worth every penny . The owner/manager was nice enough as well to come out and see how we liked our food, which was appreciated. read more

Ava Pizzeria - It looked and tasted so good, almost forgot to snap a pic - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Always look forward to getting brunch pizza (Sunday only) from Ava. Typically get pepperoni throughout the the week, taste good, crispy pepperoni, but very oily. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Brunch Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I was expecting a little more from this place. I ordered the basic margarita pizza. From a wood fired oven, I was expecting a lot more crunch to my pizza. It was very soft. The mozzarella was fresh and tasted very good. The sauce was good as well. The dough fell short in my book. They have a very impressive wood fire oven, so I was expecting a little more. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Margharita Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

hhhmmm....this pizza is OK. I've eaten here a few times, I've never been super impressed. The last time I ate here the pizza was salty. I go here because I live close by and they are generally pretty quick. read more

Absolutely delicious!! I usually get their prosciutto pizza without the red onions. It's best when you eat it fresh while it is hot and the cheese is stringy, but it's good as cold leftovers too. The crust is so good that I could eat it with just ricotta cheese and balsamic vinegar. I love the slight chewiness, which I wanna say is doughy(?), but it's not undercooked like it may sound. That being said, if you only like the crispiness of thin crust pizzas, this is not the pizza place for you. I can't believe there are so many negative reviews... I've been here 4 times now and it has been great every time. The service is relatively quick and the staff have always been friendly. I wonder if they have changed management or something within the past year to improve? A small, 8" pizza is $10+ so it's a little pricey for some people, but definitely worth it in my opinion. read more

Ava pizzaria is in the CLT food hall, Optimist Hall. We and a couple of girlfriends went on the Fourth of July in the afternoon around 3ish. It was not too packed at the pizzaria. The lady at the counter was nice and provided nice customer service. I ordered a pepperoni pizza with light cheese and the pizza was hot and yummy. They make wood fired pizza which is a fave. I added crushed red pepper to it for a little kick. The pizza was good. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pepperoni pizza with light cheese - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I got the vegan pizza and it was good but not great. The only knock I had against it was that it was burnt a little too much. I like well done pizzas but this has an actual burnt taste which was bitter at times. The toppings, cheese and flavor was perfect. It's not like your regular greasy fast food pizza, it actually tastes fresh. If it didn't taste burnt, I'd probably give it 5 stars. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Vegano Pizza (vegan) - Large - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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While I am glad to have a pizza spot that offers vegan pizza, there are other places you can go to get good pizza without the rude employees. My husband and I went to get pizza today and waited for around 25 minutes, when they said it would take 8-10 minutes. After almost half and hour without receiving the text for pick up, we went to see what was happening. We asked one of the employees and he just gave us his back without saying anything. He came back after 2 mins to ask what pizzas we had ordered and started making them on the spot. When we got our pizzas they were really burnt. Had to throw mine away because I felt I was eating charcoal, felt the smokiness come out of my nose. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but here's a picture of my husband's. In short, if you want average, burnt pizza with lousy customer service, this is the spot. If not, take your money elsewhere. read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pizza - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I would say to give this place a try! Authentic BOP pizza with fresh ingredients. I tried the pepperoni 12" pizza with vegan cheese. My favorite part of the pizza was the little chard pepperoni's ! The vegan cheese started off good but once I got it home I wasn't in love. But everything else was delicious. I will try this place again with regular mozzarella because my friend who ordered pizza too loved it! read more

Ava Pizzeria - Pepperoni Pizza - 12" - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

OMG!!! This Optimist Hall spot has some of the best pizza I've had in the US. Clearly, the owners love their craft and it comes through in the taste, texture, and aroma their pies provide through every bite. The quality of the ingredients was evident, especially in the cheese and pepperoni they used. It might take a minute for them to bake to order your pizza, but it's worth it. read more

Had the vegano pizza and wow ! Great mix of veggies with a small amount of vegan cheese all cooked in a brick oven ! Loved it ! read more

Ava Pizzeria - Vegano brick oven pizza ! - Pizza Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Ava is another fast-fired pizza concept to hit Charlotte. A part of the food hall concept in NoDa known as Optimist Hall, it resides amongst several other food vendors vying for your business. You walk to the register and order from a very limited menu. Your name is then called when your pizza is ready around the corner. A simple process, but in a place that is new and popular, buzzing with business, it can be hard to hear or find a seat; especially being so close to the cocktail bar that also lives inside of Optimist Hall. Since other members of your party may want to eat something else (the beauty of a food hall) or since you may want pizza, but also a side of mac-n-cheese from another vendor down the hall (yes folks, I eat mac-n-cheese with my pizza [#feedyourinnerfatkid]), you would think you'd have the ability to wonder via the likes of a pager vs having to wait right there for your pizza. Granted the pizza is "fast"-fired, but there is still a wait at times. Why not go place your next order while you wait, right? Well, Ava says no, wait right here. The pizza is also a bit pricey. I ordered the small (personal sized) basic margherita pizza. To add a single topping was another $3. That's all I purchased, yet by the time I paid tax and threw on a tip, I paid $19.21 for my pizza. A decent pie, I'd say, but given all of the pizza options in the city, and all of the other food options in the hall, I'd likely not opt for it too often. read more

Food was good and made exactly how I liked it, it was just to many pepperonis. Service was friendly and pizza made in a timely manner.