The background to this Tennessee pizza stop involved me skipping a dinner function at an overnight business event that was just way too crowded for my COVID concerns. With inclement weather moving a planned open-air outdoor function to a more confined indoors, I thought a pizza exploration would be a better alternative.

My past pizza adventures in Chattanooga were mediocre to say the least, and my Googling was revealing pictures of several poor attempts at New York style pizza. Too thick and too cheesy seemed to sum up what I saw. However, following what lately seems to be a trend among new pizzerias, I found a good-looking Neapolitan offering at a fairly new place called Fiamma Pizza Company.

So, I got in my car and found Fiamma in a good-sized free-standing building not too far from downtown. Parking in their convenient lot, as I made my way around to their front door, I was excited to see folks sitting on their outdoor patio now that the nasty weather had cleared up. At the counter, I was surprised to see that they also offered a Sicilian pie in addition to the “N” I already had my taste buds prepared for. Hungry, I selected the 14-incher ($14) over the smaller ten-incher and could not resist starting with the Mini Meatballs appetizer.

Fiamma is a nice new spiffy place with plenty of room to sit indoors. However, as planned, I strolled out to the back patio towards the bar, passing the twin pizza ovens in an open preparation area. Looking at Fiamma’s website while I waited, I discovered that one of the founders, Brion Voges, studied under the great Roberto Caporuscio, owner of the fab Ketse’ in Manhattan. Wow! This made me know that I was in for a treat.

After finishing my awesome meatballs, my pizza was delivered and brought about an instant smile when I saw the beautiful pie laid before me. The blotched cheese on top looked so fresh atop a vibrant-looking thin layer of tomato sauce. Char marks and a few basil leaves completed the gorgeous scene. This one was light and thin – exactly how the Snob prefers his pizza.

Although it looked classic, it turned out that the crust was not soft like most N’s, but instead was cooked rather crisp and tasted chewy. That was just fine with me. I ate the whole thing quite quickly and thought Fiamma’s pie was fantastic.

N-pies live and die by their crust, and Fiamma’s was pretty darn good. Sauce and cheese were just as fine as well. The delicious pie was also served at the perfect temperature and was neither oily nor runny. This was simply a nice light and tasty pizza that just hit the spot!

I you are going to Chattanooga or maybe just passing through, I’d consider making a stop at Fiamma Pizza Company. I like this place and I know that you will too.

PIZZA SNOB RATING ****Near Perfect
Fiamma Pizza Company
405 N. Market Street
Chattanooga, TN  37405
423-713-7742
www.fiammapizzacompany.com