Hawthorne’s NY Pizza & Bar

Have been going to Hawthorne’s ever since the first one opened in Elizabeth. The Adams’ are great guys who run a great local business. This location is closer to our home now and have been here many times. Never a bad experience — one of our favorite pizza joints in town.

Great pizza & family friendly place. My kids love the outdoor patio. Friendly service & the manager is very involved. Good stuff.

I frequently drive past the Hawthorne’s location in Elizabeth, telling myself that one day I would stop in to give them a try. One evening after work a friend and I was in the mood for some Italian dishes. We were in South Charlotte, making this location an easy choice. We were greeted and seated quickly, with most of the other tables families with young children.
Normally I would have tried their pizza, but I was in the mood for pasta that evening. The service was very friendly and accommodating. The calamari appetizer was great. I wasn’t as impressed with the bread that was given with our pasta, but that’s a slight issue. Some people don’t mind firm, heavily toasted bread but it’s not my preference. The spaghetti and Alfredo were both delicious.

Wow… we haven’t been back in a while and let me say that this place has gone down hill… First the manager rolled our sever under the bus when our app took so long to come out. That blew us away, why would you blame the server who works for tips and now her table thinks she screwed up. Well that for sure would affect her tips… Next a restaurant that does not have sweet tea in the south? What restaurant does not have sweet tea? I guess since the change in management is really affecting this location. I asked for garlic powder and they brought a salt shaker the was not even half full, turns out that was all the garlic powder they had in the whole restaurant!!! Wow that’s poor management. They charge for specialty pizza and it is so thin that you can’t get it off the pan they serve it on without it falling apart. I guess if they are going to survive they need to change there management staff and turn this place around. Not sure we will be back and those of you who do go be very cautious… You have been warned!!!

Just moved into the neighborhood and got the barbecue chicken pizza — it was just the right amount of sweet. Delicious!

Chicken Marsala is terrific. …Generous portion… even for take out. The side serving is mashed potatoes… delicious…great comfort food selection… comes with broccoli so consider it healthy. Wait staff very friendly and courteous. After only two visits, greeted me by name. Of course that’s a nice touch.

The worst steak and cheese I have ever had! I asked for it to be on a wrap rather than bread and it was, however there was no cheese on it at all. I unwrapped the entire thing to see if there was any at the bottom if the burnt steak and did not see any. I asked the waiter if there was cheese on it and he said, there is so little cheese you can’t see it! What? He didn’t offer to add more or anything although none existed. He brought my side salad in a togo box without me asking for it. I couldn’t even see what was in the container the way he brought it out. The steak was burnt crumbles and just tasteless. HORRIBLE! They also did not have Dr. Pepper or Pibb.
Also there were lots of loud kids in there playing the crane machine at the door, which made me want to walk out as soon as I walked in.
As for the waiter, he would ask if we needed anything as he was walking by not bothering to stop. To sum my experience up bad service, terrible food, plain drink choices, and way too many kids. I would never go back.

This location has gone, in my book, from five star best pizza in CLT only a few years ago, to three star pretty mediocre very quickly, I am sad to report. Why? Pizza itself seems different; namely, the crust. Have they started using different ingredients in the crust? Not sure, but it is starting to taste a bit off — you can taste that problem even more easily when you reheat the pizza. Noticed it for the first time perhaps a year ago.
Other issues? Some staff at this location are very friendly; others look at groups with little kids (to wit, us) and seem to overtly groan– and then aren’t that friendly to deal with. But, I guess if you’re a waiter, kids are a pain: they can be noisy, make a mess, and don’t usually spend a lot ok booze. However, since it seems to hold itself out as kid friendly, they could prepare their staff better for the possibility of families showing up.
And, in a town with some pricey pizza places (yes Wolfman, I am looking at you), Hawthorne’s seems a little costly for what it is (regular NY pizza).
Still, we continue to eat here often and I hope they sort out whatever that issue is with the crust — it would start to creep back to four stars if they did!
And it would be great if they delivered.

Does anybody in town make a thin crust pizza? The service was great, very attentive gal but I need to continue my quest to find a truly NY slice.

We got take out tonight so I can’t comment on the experience in the restaurant but the staff that handles the take out were very friendly and quick. Got the Elizabeth pizza and it was great. Great soft, doughy crust. Just the way I like it.

They forgot my ordered. And I had to wait another 30 minutes. They didn’t say anything to me

Good pizza and great for families! ! im pretty picky with pizza and will say when its hot and fresh out of the oven its good stuff. My favorite dish is the muscles appetizer… and the warm spinach salad too

This is the real NY style pizza, we added ham and pineapple and it was just perfect, so delicious. Very kid friendly. The place was packed when we went and the wait was super short! Very fast service, very friendly servers.
We also had the mozzarella sticks, they were ok, we are sticking to the pizza, so perfect.

This is my go-​to place when I want yummy take-​out and don’t feel like cooking. Right around the corner, not too expensive, ready in minutes, huge portions, and deeeelicious. We always get their Ney Yorker pizza with pepperoni and an order of garlic knots (which are addictive to say the least!). My other favs include the Buffalo Chicken Tenders Salad and the Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Pasta in a creamy tomato sauce.

Really good pizza and wings. The pizza was def a hit! I do recommend this place and they have a full size arcade inside. Great place to bring the kids or to simply sit down and have done drinks. The service us friendly.

Hawthrones was exactly what I needed after a day at the US White Water Center!
The drinks were cheap and delicious, the garlic knots were AMAZING and the pizza was so tasty. I would have liked the pizza to have a little less grease but that’s a personal preference and I will absolutely be back again!

Pizza is amazing and their homemade balsamic dressing is the best in town! I like it for dipping my pizza crust as well on on a Tuscan salad.

With all the other good pizza places nearby, I think I’ll pass on Hawthorne’s in the future. The service was weird and we weren’t overly impressed. The anti-​pasta salad was good for a starter. I got a calzone for my meal and it was so flavorless. I guess I should have added a topping or two to have some taste, but I am used to plain calzones being delicious. It was a total waste of calories. The people I went with got a specialty pizza that they weren’t so thrilled about either.

I love the Ballantyne Hawthorne’s and this store is on my way home from work, I thought I would give it a try.
This location, situated in a strip center at the corner of Quail Hollow and Carmel is easy enough to find, and get into and out of no matter which direction you’ll go when leaving. Parking was ample. Arriving around 5:30 on a Friday evening, there were only a couple of other tables sat. The staff, dressed all in black, was standing around in groups. Both young men standing at the host stand had their backs to the door and I had to make myself known. The restaurant is loud, just from the hum of business. I then saw a gentleman with balloons strung around his waist making balloon creations. You know what else carries balloons? Clowns. I hate clowns. And while trying to enjoy my dinner, balloon squeaks and eventual pops was really not what I was looking forward to as a way to end my work week. Tables that were sat after me got wait service before I did. I was regretting my decision to not just head to the Ballantyne location. Because of the lack of crumb snatchers in the restaurant, the balloon dude then made some for the stagnant wait staff. But the food would be great, right? Yeah!
The food:
Mozzarella sticks ($ 6.95): 6 small sticks served with marinara. Thick coating on the sticks that tasted a little bland, but you don’t want to overpower the cheese. Marinara was tasty. Not worth $ 7, but fine.
9″ white pizza ($ 9): I love white pizza and it is usually really good or really bad — this was good. It hit the table smoking hot, cut into 4 pieces on a small pizza pan with a pizza serving spatula. The crust was thin and crispy.
Diet Coke to drink (yay Coke products) and it was kept full by my quiet waiter.
I was too full for dessert, but it looked like there were some good choices. I watch Hawthorne’s Facebook page and they do a lot of work with the community and with kids eating free on Tuesdays and a balloon guy, they are definitely family friendly. LOTS of people came in and out with takeout orders, so it stayed steady for business.
The food was a 4, the overall experience was a 3 though — I’ll continue to support Hawthorne’s and their great pizza at the Ballantyne location.

I’ve been coming to this Hawthorne’s location pretty much since they opened, and I don’t think they’ve ever screwed up an order.
Pizza is delicious and if you haven’t tried the Buffalo Wing Pizza, give it a whirl. Meatballs for the calzones, or for a side dish, or even for a sandwich are also spot on.
They almost always have a new beer special on tap, so be sure to ask your waiter about that as well.
Definitely recommended, might be the best pizza in the queen city.