Review: Green Fire Pizza - Savannah, GA

Because Savannah lacks a mega-resort and it isn't a significant player in hosting conventions, it may be America's most-overlooked city. However, this charming city - which was spared from General Sherman's destruction in the wake of America's Civil War - is a delightful destination. 

The historic part of town features blocks and blocks of antebellum structures and 22 green city squares with statues, fountains, magnolia trees, and Spanish moss. 

In one of the town squares, with John Wesley

In the movies, Forrest Gump famously sat on the park bench with his box of chocolates in one of those town squares, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (John Cusack, Jude Law, Kevin Spacey) was set in an historic Savannah mansion.

With box of chocolates on a Gump-ish bench

Like Charleston SC, Savannah is rightly celebrated for its low-country cooking and seafood, but we also found amazingly authentic Japanese food (including Tonkotsu ramen) at Sushi Zen and superb casual Thai food at PJ's Corner.

Exterior of Green Fire, a converted gas station building

So what about the pizza in Savannah? I was intrigued by the outpost of the Mellow Mushroom chain, which I've never tried. There are other local spots in the historic section, but I was drawn to Green Fire for its Neapolitan pizza made with organic local ingredients in a wood fired pizza oven imported from Italy.

Green Fire "dining room"

It was our first stop upon arriving in town on an unseasonably chilly late December day. I was enthused to see authentic-looking Neapolitan pies available by the slice, even if the selection was pretty limited during our mid-afternoon visit. 

However, we were dismayed to learn that there is no indoor seating. The attractive dining tables outside at this converted gas station would be fine on most Savannah days, but we faced a chilly wind.

Two pepperoni slices

We chose pepperoni slices ($4.50 each; it would have been much more economical to buy a whole pie) and I had a can of local beer (Tybee Island Blonde by Coastal Empire Brewing). The slices were re-heated in a novel oven that featured a large revolving stone and an open flame.

Pepperoni and jalapeno slice

The crust was excellent, a bit of a Neapolitan hybrid in that it was more dense and sturdy that the standard puffy Neapolitan. It had ideal char and an excellent flavor. All of the toppings - sauce, cheese, and pepperoni - were standard stuff that you might find on any good New York slice. But this was better than a typical New York slice due to the outstanding crust.

Perfectly cooked

Each bite yielded a good balance of flavors and textures, and there were no wet or soggy sections.  Good ingredients, great crust, and properly baked.

Given how easy it's become to find good Neapolitan pizza almost anywhere, this excellent pizza was a great find in Savannah but not life-changing. It was, however, the perfect place to round out our two days of gourmet eating in this charming southern city. I recommend Green Fire on any day where the temperatures are above 60 degrees!