In the culinary landscape of New Orleans, it’s difficult not to associate Italian cuisine with the Crescent City. Visitors often find it surprising that the same spots they flock to for po-boys and Creole fare also serve spaghetti with meatballs, veal parmigiana and, yes, pizza. But unlike other towns with rich Italian heritage like New York, Chicago and Detroit, the Big Easy has never officially adopted a single, defining pizza identity. As a result, generations of pizzaiolos here have a wonderful freedom to explore their craft without having to adhere to any stifling culinary customs.
The latest entry to our local pizza map is neither the corner slice-joint style fare of NYC nor the towering, deep dish pies of the Windy City, but rather a taste of Naples by way of San Francisco and New Haven, courtesy of Nighthawk Napoletana, which opened shop in Algiers Point late last year. At the hands of chef Adrian Chelette, formerly the head pizza maestro and a partner at Ancora as well as Margot’s in the Marigny, Nighthawk brings a fresh spin on the classic wood-fired, Neapolitan pizza style with both classic and novel toppings and flavors, as well as sourdough crusts. The result is something both familiar and inventive, traditional and contemporary, all served in a homey, welcoming joint in the Point.
For Chelette, much of the inspiration for Nighthawk came from research trips he and his partners took to the Northeast. “the New Haven style is its own thing, and it’s amazing,” he explained. “What we’re doing is paying homage in the best way, because they are also using super-hot ovens. Some with wood, some with coal, they’re ripping with a nine hundred or 1,000-degree oven, sometimes. So we said, ‘Hey, look, there’s some similarities here. You know, I think there’s something else that we can accomplish.’”
That oven is the hearth and heart of Nighthawk, and the key to its gratifying fare. Unlike a brick oven that might top out at six-hundred Fahrenheit, the nearly four-digit heat here produces a bubbly, slightly charred crust that lovers of Neapolitan pies will instantly recognize and appreciate. But before the oven, of course, comes the dough, without which a hot-as-Hades pizza oven would be moot. Chelette uses three different doughs, but the standout of course is sourdough. The long fermentation gives it a distinctive tang that works perfectly with a New Haven-style pie, adding a unique flavor profile that even the most discerning pizza snob will find delightfully different and satisfying. “It’s just flour, water, yeast, and sea salt, that’s it,” Chelette said. “We try to push the fermentation as long as we can. It’s just the best product. And, making sure that you have the best product is better for your stomach. It’s definitely like a light and airy pizza, and as you know with a sourdough, it definitely helps with digestion, too.”
Nighthawk’s menu strikes a smart balance between simple, traditional favorites and more modern, creative pizza offerings. There’s the Neapolitan Margherita with tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella, as well as New Haven-style cheese or pepperoni pies, good for those who want to stick to the classics. One of Chelette’s more intriguing pies, “Delia’s cold cut pizza,” features mortadella, mozzarella and salsa verde. The name is the chef’s nod to his mother-in-law, who hailed from the Campania region of Italy before moving to New York. “That’s also my favorite pizza, by the way” he said. “It’s super simple: mozzarella, mortadella, and we hit it with the salsa verde right when it comes out of the oven. Everything just pops.”
Perhaps the most inventive pie on the menu is the “Fun Gus,” which as you can imagine features mushrooms, but not the typical button variety you’ll find at most typical pizza spots. This one sports a variety of four or five locally sourced ‘shrooms from Maggie’s Mushroom Farm in St. Francisville, which vary depending on what’s in season, including lion’s mane, shiitake, oyster and pioppino, among others. But what really sets it apart is that, instead of a traditional tomato sauce, this one sports confit garlic and a rich, spicy poblano cream. According to Chelette, “There’s definitely a little bit of ricotta and heavy cream in there. But we always have an excess of roasted poblanos because that’s what we’re using for the base of our Caesar salad right now. After a couple of versions it all melded super well together.”
Speaking of the Caesar, Chelette urges newcomers not to miss out on their version, which employs wood-fired sourdough croutons forged in their pizza oven, as well as a poblano-based dressing. “It gives it a good amount of smokiness from there, and it’s just super flavorful,” Chelette said. For smaller plates, Nighthawk offers perfectly crispy, cheesy arancini, marinated gigante beans, and pork and beef meatballs braised in tomato sauce, with basil and pecorino. There’s surely something for the whole family to enjoy here, which has always been of paramount importance to Chelette and his partners, who wanted to embrace their Algiers Point neighbors in hopes of becoming something that New Orleanians have always adored: a true neighborhood family restaurant.
Chelette, who lives just a few blocks away with his wife, couldn’t be more pleased to open up shop in the Point, especially after working in the Marigny. “It’s more of a family friendly environment,” he said. “More people walking around with their kids. It’s definitely way more relaxed. Algiers is its own special thing, where it’s truly a community, and we’ve absolutely been embraced. It’s just great to see all those families, and see people say, ‘Oh, this is where we go. This is our neighborhood spot.”
About the Chef
A Lake Charles native, chef Adrian Chelette began his culinary career washing dishes in a tiny Cajun restaurant as a teen and never looked back. His hard work and dedication led to a swift climb in the kitchen ranks as he soon graduated to a gig cooking in the L’Auberge Casino steakhouse. In 2011, after three years at the steakhouse, Chelette was approached about a new project in New Orleans focusing on woodfired pizzas. The young chef jumped at the chance. That spot became Ancora, where Chelette worked for a decade, eventually becoming a partner. After a brief stint as the chef at Margot’s in Marigny, he realized his dream of opening his own spot, Nighthawk Napoletana, at the tail end of 2023. “We couldn’t be luckier,” he said, “We have a really good team behind us, and we love it. You can’t beat the view of the river and the ferry right there. And there’s something for everybody on the menu right now.”
