Love Bird Pizzeria, but miss The Strudel Shop? It has a new home not far from Charlotte

The Strudel Shop, once located in Charlotte on 15th Street where the new Bird Pizzeria is now, has chosen a new location.

Of course, we wish it were in Charlotte — but while Columbia, South Carolina, isn’t quite next door, it’s close enough that it might be worth a Saturday drive one day, too.

The Strudel Shop is reopening at the end of the month, according to a recent Facebook post. It will be located on Washington Street in downtown Columbia.

Columbia residents (and visiting Charlotteans) can look forward to owner Kevin Kelly’s sweet strudels (go for the Berry Cream Cheese) or the savory ones (Greek Spinach Roll + tzatziki is a winner).

Or start your day with a cup of coffee and a breakfast staple (The Ham Egg and Cheese strudel comes with two types of cheese and Black Forest ham).

More about Bird Pizzeria

Our very own Kristen Kornbluth wasn’t kidding when they stumbled upon Bird Pizzeria at a popup at Not Just Coffee in July 2021 and reported back that it was some of the best pizza they’d ever had.

When the COVID pandemic began, co-owners Kerrel and Nkem Thompson started making pizza every single day as a quarantine hobby of sorts, feeding friends and family. After months of fine-tuning the pies, they started showing up at popups with their “hybrid New York, East Coast-style pizza,” Kerrel called it.

It’s no wonder there was a grassroots fan base forming even way back when.

So of course, when Kristen reported the news that Bird was opening a brick-and-mortar spot with a walkup window on 15th Street, it was music to our ears over here at CharlotteFive. The reviews from the community have since been rolling in, and others are echoing Kristen’s sentiments — it’s quickly risen to the top of the list of good pizza spots in Charlotte.

We’re sad that The Strudel Shop is now 90 minutes away, but we’re excited to support the next great adventure over on 15th Street.

The Strudel Shop

Location: 1237 Washington St, Columbia, SC 29201

Neighborhood: Downtown Columbia

Instagram: @thestrudelshop

Bird Pizzeria

Location: 510 E. 15th St., Charlotte, North Carolina, 28206

Neighborhood: Optimist Park

Instagram: @birdpizzeria