Wilmington, North Carolina
Vivian Howard built her reputation on Southern food. If you’ve seen her on television or eaten at Chef & the Farmer, you know what she’s capable of. So when she turned her attention to pizza, the question wasn’t whether it would be good — it was how Southern it would get.
The answer is: Southern enough to be interesting, Italian enough to be legit.
Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria is loud. The tall ceilings look dramatic but do absolutely nothing for the acoustics, and on a busy night the room hums with the energy of a crowd that’s genuinely happy to be there. It’s the kind of noise that signals a good time rather than annoys you. Go with a group if you can — this is a family-style place, and the more pizzas on the table, the better your evening gets.
The Cocktails
I started with the Behind the Pine. It was bitter, it was strange, and it was not for me. Moving on.
The Black Manhattan that followed was considerably more my speed. My date went with the Blackberry Old Fashioned and offered what I consider a near-perfect cocktail review: “The bourbon doesn’t kick your ass.” High praise, and entirely accurate.
The Antipasti
Three starters before the pizza is perhaps ambitious, but this is Benny’s and you eat accordingly.
The Charred Brussels have history. They used to be made with animal fat, which gave them a depth and richness that was genuinely distinctive. The recipe has changed — they’re now finished with balsamic, cranberry, pecorino, and herbed ricotta — and while they’re still very good, I’ll admit to some nostalgia for the original. The ricotta, for what it’s worth, appears throughout the menu and earns its keep every time. It’s one of those ingredients that works on everything, and Benny’s knows it.
The Wood Fired Bread with prosciutto and honey ricotta is exactly what it sounds like and exactly what you want. Simple, well-executed, no notes.
The Fire Roasted Corn is where things got complicated. Topped with peach agrodolce and chili breadcrumbs, it’s a technically interesting dish that put me in the uncomfortable position of loving two ingredients that I’m not sure I love together. I ended up eating the corn first and the peach after, which probably says something. In fairness, the dish was new at the time — my date returned a few weeks later and reported a noticeably improved version, better plated and better balanced. Worth giving it another shot.
The Pizzas
This is what you came for, and Benny’s does not disappoint. We sampled three.
Pizza Alla Carbonara — My date’s order, and I got to steal a slice. Traditional carbonara gets creative additions here: red onion, chicken, egg, pancetta. It’s fully loaded in the best way, the kind of pizza that constitutes a complete meal on its own.
Kevin McCallister — Named after the kid from Home Alone, and like the movie, funnier and more satisfying than you expect. Three cheeses (ricotta makes its third appearance), hot honey, and a sweet-spicy balance that’s genuinely hard to nail. This is not the “plain cheese pizza” Kevin orders in the film. It absolutely is my favorite pizza of the evening, which surprised me, because I almost always choose meat over no meat. Not this time. Kevin wins.
El Jefe — Carolina gold marinara, mozzarella, parmesan, pulled pork, speck, and pickles. Yes, pickles on pizza. Yes, it works. El Jefe is hearty and unapologetically Southern, and the pickles cut through the richness in exactly the right way. It came very close to dethroning Kevin. Very close.
The Desserts
Benny’s recently switched gelato suppliers, and the upgrade is noticeable. They now carry Jenny and Frank’s Artisan Gelato, and it tastes genuinely homemade — the kind of gelato that makes you reconsider every gelato you’ve had before it. My date ordered the Lemon Blueberry with White Chocolate Cookie, which arrived soft and lemony with a sugar coating. She suspected the cookies were a biscotti recipe pulled one bake short of being fully dried out. I think she’s right, and I think it’s a good call.
I finished with the Olive Oil Cake, which is what I always finish with at Benny’s. Soft, moist, finished with a grapefruit glaze that gives it a subtle tanginess. It’s not aggressively sweet, which after everything else on this table is exactly what you want. Just be aware that the glaze adds up — pace yourself accordingly.
The Verdict
Benny’s is the kind of restaurant that rewards groups, rewards curiosity, and rewards return visits. The staff is genuinely warm — our waiter was attentive without hovering, enthusiastic without being performative. At the end of the night, my date was handed a card for a free margherita pizza on her next visit. She didn’t wait long to use it.
Neither would I.
The Menu
Benny’s Big Time Pizzeria — Wilmington, NC Cuisine: Italian / Wood-Fired Pizza Chef: Vivian Howard Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
