A tradition born in Naples, Italy centuries ago, pizza napoletana is simply a great piece of bread topped with high quality ingredients, baked in a wood-burning oven at very high temperature. The result is remarkable; what pizza is meant to be.

After more than two years of taking the pizza to the people via owner Peyton Smith’s mobile pizza food truck, Mission Pizza Napoletana recently opened its doors in the heart of downtown on Trade Street, joining an eclectic cast of characters and businesses that make Trade Street the primary downtown destination.

The space features a bustling, open kitchen, the heart of which is a fire-breathing beast of an oven. It’s the Ferrari of pizza ovens; made from bricks forged of the volcanic soil surrounding Mt. Vesuvius, and engineered to retain the intense 1000 degree heat necessary to produce a beautiful pizza napoletana. Handmade in Naples, Italy by a 3rd generation craftsman, it is the only one of its kind in NC. As the center of the restaurant, it provides the energy and warmth that personifies the space. This is the best pizza oven in the world.