Hawthorne's NY Pizza & Bar

AlwYs a good family dinner option. We live nearby and enjoy this place. Fabulous pizzas, really tasty with toppings cut perfectly and they are huge slices!!

8/16/13

Great pizza place in sister's neighborhood!  

My first visit here was a day shy of two years ago- I found a pic on my laptop of a Margherita pizza from here dated 8/17/11.  I remember thinking the pizza and calamari were great, and my spaghetti-loving sister enjoyed her selection, as well...

Tonight, we ordered drafts of YuengLing (BIL) and Honey Brown (moi), a bottle of Corona (with a lime wedge; sis), and waters all around.  Our server Blair was kind enough to let me sample the Waterkeeper Hefeweizen (one of two specials on tap) and the HB <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=XQX6OCUnFv9MacOAbwS-EQ#XQX6OCUnFv9MacOAbwS-EQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> before I ordered a pint.  BIL ordered the other draft special, Dale's pale ale, but he didn't like it, so sis asked if he could switch it out for another.  No prob.  For food, we chose the calamari to start, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=69xy3Q3NjSUTRomDOgDj4w#69xy3Q3NjSUTRomDOgDj4w">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> and an 18" half-Elizabeth Special and half-Hawthorne's Special White, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=1kmEdfAxtM0pjzYTyJHDMQ#1kmEdfAxtM0pjzYTyJHDMQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a> while nephew wanted the cheese pizza. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=lJE9Ugy6CD9wFH-b92flcg#lJE9Ugy6CD9wFH-b92flcg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>  While I can't speak for my sister and BIL's usual pizza pick (Italian sausage, pepperoni, 'shrooms, green bell, white onions, mozz), sister and I LOVED the HSW, which had ricotta cream sauce, mozz, (lotsa!) pesto, and sundried tomatoes.  I really appreciated the thin crusts served here. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=iSE_JGbw3nZ0Ks3CXN60Cg#iSE_JGbw3nZ0Ks3CXN60Cg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>  Sister already decided this combo is what they're ordering on their next visit.

A great meal out almost always ends with something sweet, and I love tiramisu, so this was a must-try. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=xGX1CO0Jfnq4qwe_WitiYg#xGX1CO0Jfnq4qwe_WitiYg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>  Sis ordered a slice of chocolate cake for my nephew. <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/hawthornes-ny-pizza-and-bar-charlotte-10?select=fIgdOPFPCcLTquIoSyJzGQ#fIgdOPFPCcLTquIoSyJzGQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>  They were BOTH absolutely amazing!  I like tiramisu that is rich in flavor-sweet mascarpone, but not cloyingly so, and rich espresso taste, no greasy mouth-feel, and not too light and fluffy, and this was perfect!  (I asked for the powdered sugar to be omitted.)  The chocolate cake is also a must-have!  It was a lot denser than the tiramisu-- almost flourless in texture, or at least the part I ate from was (the outer edge of the cake).  Too bad the busser threw out our take-out containers of sweet treats... They're pricey!  (Tiramisu was almost $6, and the chocolate cake was $8, but come to think of it, the cake slice was huge.)  I even labeled and dated them, but not even two minutes had passed when I thought I'd forgotten my phone and ran in to retrieve it, and our table had already been cleared, and the busser didn't even bat an eye.  We didn't notice that the desserts were missing until we were home.  

Make sure you check the tab for accuracy!!

p.s.  The Honey Brown lived up to its name, and I definitely preferred it after sampling the bitter hef, but the beer kept impressing me as I ate the calamari (awesome combo) and then progressed to the pizza.  I had my sister try the beer after each course, and she concurred.  I would order this again in the future!

I'm not mad at this place. It is what it purports to be - it is a bar and does in fact serve pizza. The menu was big, but it seems a little busy.  That might explain the "just alright" nature of all of the food that I tried.

I enjoyed my Elizabeth Special - pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and delicious mozzarella. The crust was a tiny bit soggy, but it still held up well. My mom tackled the Greek salad, but it was too large. Fairly good, but overpowered with dressing. I sampled from the pizzas of my friends and had roughly the same experience. The combo of my flavors was better, though ;)

On the bright side, they have good table service and a good beer selection. I also liked sitting outside, even though the cafe next door allowed smoking on their patio.  We were seated quickly and got plenty of attention when needed, so no complaints there.

Since I'm not in the area often, I'm not sure I'd seek it out again, though most places deserve a second go. Stick with the pizza and beer and things should be fine.