Zucca Pizza Tavern

I am a little surprised by how many great experiences people have had at Zucca. I wish I could say the same.
First, we walk in Saturday for lunch and for about four to five minutes, there was NO staff anywhere in the restaurant. They were all in the back. Not only does that just seem weird, it seems unsafe. And it happened multiple times while we were there. So we just stood there, not sure what to do or what was going on. When a waitress finally saw us, she told us to sit at any table that’s clean. Then pointed and said, that one (which was the only clean one).
Next, it took another 8 minutes to even be approached. We sat at the table with no menus, no introduction, no silverware nothing. There were a couple of times when I seriously felt like just walking out. I don’t really blame the waitresses because there was ONLY TWO in the entire restaurant. They were acting as hostess, waitress, bus boy and food runner. That’s seems like mis-​management to me.
This review got two stars instead of one because the waitress was extremely nice. Not very attentive, but nice. When our food came, we didn’t even have silverware…
We ordered a pizza with spinach, italian sausage and onions. First, about five minutes after we ordered, we were told there was no spinach (so how would they make their spinach salads with NO spinach in the restaurant??) so we switched to banana peppers.
When the pizza came out, the pizza itself was done, but NONE of the toppings were– they weren’t even hot! It appears they put in a cheese pizza and forgot to add the toppings so once the pizza was done, they threw on the toppings and put it in for another 30 seconds. The onions and banana peppers were not cooked AT ALL. They were cold and just thrown on top of the pizza. The Italian sausage also was not cooked enough.
If you are going to eat out in Southend, there are SO many other great choices. My advise, skip this place. You will be GREATLY disappointed. The service and quality of food are severely lacking. In addition, the place just seemed overall a bit dirty.

I recently visited Zucca for lunch. I have been there once before for dinner. 1^st time I went, I had a pepperoni and sausage pizza. It was typical. This time I figure I’ll try the pasta.
Customer service was mediocre. Took them longer to take our orders but there’s hardly anybody there. I ordered a side order of the Caesar salad. It was very good. Then I had the Zucca Garden Pasta with grilled chicken. Trying really hard to eat better. It was filled with tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini and cubed cheese. It was soo bland. I put soo much salt to spiced it up that I just gave up.
For some reason, I want to give this place another try but not get those dish again., Their décor was best describe by Ben G. He hit that on the head. Hopefully I can find a dish I love so I can update my review next time.

Awesome pizza and garlic knots! I’m from the north and it’s hard to get similar pizza (good pizza!) This is the first pizza place I’ve tried here, and I’m afraid to waste my money else where.
*Make sure you ask them to cook it well through/​browning. Makes a big difference otherwise.

Hello friends,
2 time’s the charm I guess. As this would be my 2^nd time reviewing this great place.
Short & sweet review J.I.C (Just In Case). Wifey & I came in using a LS coupon. Some places flake out on service when using a coupon. NOT HERE. Sorry buddy but I forgot ur name. But the waiter was on Point. It was a pay 20 for 40 deals and boy o boy was it Super Awesome. Check that out as well, they do a lot of these deals online.
He said they get a lot of spill o we from the spot that they share parking lots with.
The daily specials (food & beer) are great.
See my photos.
TTFN

I have not had a chance to sit down and eat at Zucca’s, as I have only gotten takeout from here, but I have seen the inside and it looks pretty nice with a bar, booths, and some nice TVs.
The Pizza is really good. I have ordered the cheese with peppers a couple of times and have not been disappointed.
I also ordered the Risotto Balls, which is a tennis ball sized ball of risotto. These were good (and very filling), but after a few bites they got slightly boring in terms of taste. Golf ball size would have done the trick, so you may want to share it with someone.
I do like the food here and the prices are reasonable. As of now, I would return to eat here, but would probably not seek it out (hence only 3 stars) or crave it.
I will probably need to update the review once I dine in here.

Pizza is one of my favorite foods EVER! I seriously could eat it every day. So I of course was glad to visit Zucca with my dinner club last week. After glancing through fellow Unilocalers reviews and their delicous looking photos, I was super excited.
Zucca’s location in Southend’s Atherton Mill is great of course, in a cool historic building with easy access and plenty of parking. Great patio and bright and casual interior including flat screens.
A hearty order of several appetizers were as good as promised in reviews. Light and chewy garlic knots and the best meatball sliders with marinara dipping sauce! I loved the risotto rice balls and tomato dipping sauce. Huge and moist stuffed with ground beef. Other dinner club members really enjoyed the buffalo calimari and parmesan chicken sandwich bites.
I chose the Magherita Pizza for my entrée, and unfortunately things went a bit off at this point. When our meals arrived, my pizza was COLD, not even luke warm. It was obviously sitting out while other meals were being prepared. The server graciously reheated it for me, but unfortunately too little too late. The pizza was still not very hot and the flavor and toppings suffered as a result.
I will definitely return to Zucca, and hope for better luck with the pizza next time.
.

Well… the least I can say is that I was expecting great pizza from this place. I’ve looked at the pictures and thought «wow, that looks good!» But it wasn’t. Maybe I got the wrong pizza. The crust/​dough kind of tasted like cardboard to me. It wasn’t crisp or chewy. I had a personal, half spinach and I added shrimp. The shrimp were hard as rocks. My pizza was warm and I think my guest’s pizzas were just warm as well. There were only two other people dining in the whole restaurant while we were there. Our pizzas should have been smoking hot! I’m disappointed in this pizza experience. I may need to go back on another day. Definitely not my «go-​to» pizza spot. :(

Zucca was restaurant #1 on our quest to find the best pizza in Charlotte. I’ve rated it a 3 (would have gone 3.5 if that were an option), and may come back and upgrade the rating once we happily visit the other pizza contenders.
OK, Zucca — what have you got going for you?
First of all, diners are greeted at the door by a friendly face and made to feel welcome — a nice plus. Overall service was quite good — attentive and accommodating. I sat at the bar while waiting for our full party to arrive and had the absolute best martini (yeah, I know it’s not a typical pizza pairing) but this one was excellent. (I can’t quite recall the name of the drink but see the posted pic for a view of its great presentation.)
I ordered the personal size Carnivore and there was no shortage of sausage, pepperoni, ham and bacon. In fact, I dare anyone to knock off this pizza in one sitting. Two slices out of six and I was done for. Good taste and I loved the thin crust, Could have used a bit more cheese and sauce, and I wish it had come out of oven steaming hot.
A dining partner ordered a pie with shrimp and spinach. Looked great, tasted good overall though she noted the shrimp were a tad overcooked. Another ordered the Omnivore and gave mixed reviews — but mostly because of the missing black olives I suspect. Zucca’s rectified this omission and all was right with the world again.
Overall, a good start to our ‘great pizza search’. I’m from the Northeast so of course I think I’m a know-​it-​all when it comes to pizza… ha! Zucca’s was good, but as for great pizza, I’ll know it when I see it. Or taste it I guess!

So have you ever been to a restaurant and just felt like it may not survive… Well thats how my friends and I felt as we went to eat here before the Superbowl this past 2÷3÷13. It has the makings of a great place. They have an awesome variety of beers, local and everywhere else. Our server was excellant! The appetizer she suppested was awesome… buffalo calamari, try it you won’t be disappointed! And the twp pies that we had were pretty great. Yet we were the only people in there on a Sunday afternoon. I’ve seen a few businesses run through this specific location and it sucks, they were all pretty good. But I do have to say that this, in my opinion, has been the best. Hopefully with all the Southend revitilizations going on it will help this restaurant. So if you wanna try a new Italian/​pizza joint, go here… and try the Victory Lap pizza… its great!
–SK

I see many great reviews here, but hard as I try, I just can’t see why. While the service is always friendly, I’ve never gotten food here that I really liked, and I have tried this place four or five times (I have come this often despite not liking for purely practical reasons of geographical proximity — but I think I’m done with it.)
I have gotten soup and all kinds of pasta here, and every single time, the food was bland. That’s the one word that looms large in my mind when I think about Zucca’s. Pasta Primavera: Noodles and slightly cooked veggies in… glassy watery sauce with only the faintest, slightest hint of wine flavor. I cook, I know how little wine it takes to make a sauce taste like wine. I took my leftovers home and added some cream, salt, pepper, garlic and parmegiano and it was so much better already. But when I go to a restaurant, I want things to be good when they come to my table.
Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I always come after 9pm? Even so, that shouldn’t change anything. Maybe the pizza is what is really good here — glad most other people’s experience has been better.

I enjoyed my Zucca experience! While it took me a moment to find it in the parking lot, once I did it was totally worth it.
The place was empty which for me meant I got the royal treatment! I was greeted when I walked inland the service was very fast.
Of course I ordered a pizza, I tried the carnivore. I agree with the other reviews, it was loaded with all kinds of meat which was lovely!
The toppings tasted fresh and the food came out hot! I enjoyed it, but it didn’t knock my socks off.
But for a local pizza joint, it’s definitely worth a visit.

Zucca, Zucca, Zucca. I really love the pizza here, especially their award winning pie (basically a margherita with fresh mozzarella and parsley sausage). Great beer list, great atmosphere, lots of TVs, and very friendly service.
In my experience, though, the other menu items leave much to be desired. The penne vodka is alright, but I was expecting a much larger portion after being told by the waiter that it would be «huge.» The buffalo calamari was my boyfriend’s favorite dish, but I found it to be extremely overwhelming. MInd you, I absolutely LOVE spicy food (as in, I douse my pizza with Cholula or Sriracha) but this calamari was like eating fried something bathed in buffalo sauce. Not my cup of tea.
Regardless, Zucca is a go-​to take out spot for me because of their high quality pizza.

Great pizza place. I really enjoyed my experience here and will be returning. It’s located in one of the gutted mills like many other cool spots in Charlotte. Its got a nice bar and each booth has its own TV as well as larger ones all around. It would be a good place to catch a game.
As for the food, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We started with the risotto balls and buffalo calamari. The risotto balls were nice and crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. Perfect. The buffalo calamari was good, but I think I’ll go with the regular next time. They are tossed in sauce, so that makes it a little soggy. I’ve never tried it served this way before, but no regrets. The pizza was really good. It was super thin and the crust’s crispy/​chewy ratio was on point! We got a cheese with sausage & mushroom half & half. I’m happy to report the sausage isn’t that rabbit turd stuff you might find at some establishments. One of my pet peeves!
Looked like they always have drink specials going on as well, awesome! I was sipping on $ 2 domestics and my friend was enjoying the liquor special.
Bottom line, I will be back at some point.

We came here with a $ 40 Living Social. They had a ½ price apps and $ 10 buckets special (Monday). A large pizza will run about $ 21 with 3 toppings.
Service was great, food came out fast and hot. The pizza is NY thin crust style. Delicious. They serve it with Parmesan cheese, Oregano and garlic powder shakers.
The atmosphere is a sport bar feel. The food is above par for most sports bars.
Good spot, I’ll return but watch my tab. A little pricey for the food. However come during ½ price apps and you’re good!

Glad to see another great pizza place open in Charlotte! Nestled near Atherton and Ice House comes Zucca. A small place based out of Atlanta with a great menu and beverage selection. We made it in on a rainy Friday evening before the dinner rush started.
The inside is quaint. One of the old mills gutted turned resto. I love this feel. There are so many of these in Charlotte, yet, each has so much character and appeal. There is a big patio/​deck in the works and should be ready by the end of the year. The booths are really comfy and could easily seat 6 to 7.
Not too keen on the the jukebox and some of the other materials at the tables. Seems a little to off kilter for their aesthetic. I say, stick to killer food and a good vibe. They definitely have that. Also, there are a lot of TVs around. I’m not huge fan of shows or sports while I eat. I think the company and food offering should be centric, but hey, it’s not the end of the world.
Since we had pizza earlier that day, we decided to sample a few other choices from the menu. Here’s our experience:
My wife ordered the penne pommodoro. Wow. Just wow. Smoky tomato sauce with huge grape tomatoes. Typically, pasta dishes at pizza joints are just noodles with pizza sauce. Not this guy. Really taken a step up and made something special out of this. The buffalo calamari is bangin’. Wow. I’m a sucker for buffalo sauce and with calamari, you can’t go wrong. The cheese sticks were mediocre. Nothing you haven’t had before.
I’m psyched to try the pizza on my next visit. I think Zucca has potential and will definitely become a greatly known place for regulars in the near future! Cheers, fellas!

Stopped in here for lunch. There wasn’t too much activity so I had my choice of tables. Since I didn’t care, they sat me at a large booth to the right of the restaurant.
The cool factor kicked in when I saw the TV on the wall with its own remote. Each booth has their own TV. There are also larger TV’s on the walls and at the bar.
The rest of the place is decorated with beer signs and old sports photos. My favorite is the woman golfer with the big hair. Classic!
The beer menu is quite diverse. There’s a good selection of craft brews on draft and in the bottle. I went with a favorite from down the street, OMB’s Rein Pale Ale.
For the food menu, it is quite diverse and includes many choices you’d expect to see at a pizza place… pizza, of course, along with sandwiches, calzones, Italian entrees and salads. I decided to go with a Caesar salad and a personal pizza with pepperoni, onions and broccoli (Yay! Broccoli!).
The salad was tasty. The dressing was decent and tossed well with the lettuce. The pizza had its good and bad points. First off, this is the first place since Uno’s that I’ve seen broccoli as a topping, so that’s a plus. The pizza crust was very light and had a good flavor. The down points were the pizza sauce which had no flavor at all and the pepperoni which also didn’t have much flavor and should have been cooked longer because it was soggy instead of crisp.
The staff was friendly and helpful. But my server said they have the best pizza in Charlotte and I don’t think they are close to that yet.

New Pizza Place opened about a month ago in Atherton Mill (in the location where the other pizza place used to be). I LOVE restored old Mills so I like the look of this place.
Two very Friendly Staff met me as I walked in and invited me to choose where I’d like to sit (this was a little before 5:00pm last Thursday Night)! Maybe other places in Charlotte could get a hint from Zucca about seating guests! Service was also great through the ordering process and dinning experience!
Oh, I kind of forgot to eat lunch so as soon as I sat down I ordered Garlic Knots… I found out about this place on Unilocal and had already decided the dishes I would be checking out if they could make some minor changes (mainly omitting Parmesan — I Like a little, when it is so little I can not taste it and when most places use it they go overboard, so I let my server know and she made sure they did not use any on my food).
When the Garlic Knots arrived I suspected by looking at them that they were over cooked… I was WRONG! These Garlic knot were PERFECT! I almost ordered a second order, three times! The Garlic on the Knots was FRESH! (NOT the jarred, NOR the powdered and overly processed variety). This Garlic was just the ways (both) I like it, Perfectly Cooked some was soft, tender and those minced pieces on top were perfected toasted — I’m guessing these knots were baked then for the last few seconds broiled, if not take my secret and use it!
These Garlic Knots were made of Dough with a slight elasticity like a pretzel NOT tough, just enjoyably chewy! So good, these knots easily make my «& Twisted &» Unilocal list for Dough that is «tied»! !! !!!
Pizza is the reason I came here and I’m impressed! Margarita Pizza without Parmesan… This was a Very good one!
GREAT Crust starts with great Dough that has been handled with proper kneading, rising and good ingredients, then cooked just right! This crust turned out better than any I remember EVER! Anywhere! Like a TRUE Artisan Bread… This Crust is Incredibly Impressive! An easy 5 Unilocal stars!
Sauce, Tomato, Sauce, Good flavor, a little simpler than I would have expected though still good… Since this is a Margareta Pizza maybe a simpler sauce is like this one is the best choice!
Fresh Mozzarella! PERFECT! Perfect in Flavor and Volume!
Fresh Basil! This Pizza had more fresh Basil than I’m used to seeing on a pizza like this and I was really glad, still I would have enjoyed even more and will simply ask for more next time!
Some Red Onion would make a nice addition to this one too!

In the mood for a pizza pie? Check out Zucca.
It’s in a great location in South End! Right off a Lynx stop you can grab a bite to eat and head off to Uptown to catch an event without any hassle. They have a handful of patio tables out in front and medium to large sized booths inside. The great thing about the booths is that each one has a little tv… pick your channel and if your company is not that great, be entertained while you eat.
I went during one of the very first days and it was during an off time. My guests and I had an enthusiastic waiter who made sure we didn’t go without. I tried the veggie calzone. Talk about huge; that thing was larger than my head. Definitely room to share and get a side salad to make the meal complete. Also, splurge and get the Buffalo Calamari… delicious twist dipped in bleu cheese. Don’t forget a cannoli to end your dining experience. The sever said they make them fresh in house. I was a bit skeptical since I’m consider myself a cannoli snob (hey, once you get them in Little Italy in Boston, you can’t go back), but it was truly a treat.
The beer selection is plentiful, but not overwhelming. You’ll have fun trying various local brews.
Nice to have a new pizza joint in town!

Zucca has now CLOSED.
We tried to go tonight but they were locked up, televisions ripped down… no signs. We had been recently and they were closing earlier and earlier and had no customers. Quality had declined recently so this is not a huge shock. Even after falling in love with them initially, we started driving to Mellow in Selwyn. Sad to see my neighborhood bar close but it was pricey for what you got. Will miss the sliders though!

Atmosphere: located on the light rail and in Atherton Mills, location is good. Classic warehouse décor. Has outdoor patio seating.
Service: Just opened, thus, staff is still new — I am sure service will be good.
Drinks: Beer selection is good. I ordered well drinks — week pour but fair price. Liquor selection is still to be determined as their bar was not fully stocked yet.
Food: We ordered pizza. It was cooked well. Crust was good. Unfortunately, it was very bland, not a true Italian pizza restaurant. We prefer pizza marinara with some Italian spices like oregano, basil or at least some garlic. We ordered vegetables and meats on our pizza, but the vegetables didn’t pack much flavor or crunch.
The good news is, this bland style pizza is very popular with children.
Price: Pizza pricing is more expensive than local Hawthorne’s Pizza.