When you walk into Zämbies Pizza — pronounced as “Zombies” — you can immediately feel the heartbeat of NoDa. Music blasts through the speakers of the tiny 10-seat slice shop while customers dig into oversized slices.
The vibe is young, loud and unapologetically fun, but despite the late-night energy, it’s surprisingly family-friendly. During our Saturday morning visit, we watched parents maneuver strollers through the packed shop while customers folded giant slices nearly the size of their heads.
We met Chad Heinicke, who owns and operates the shop alongside his brother-in-law, Jack Morrissey. The pair opened Zämbies in December 2023 with one goal: Make a fun, oversized slice worth talking about. Mission accomplished.
Living out in the suburbs, it sometimes feels like Charlotte shuts down around 9 p.m., but that is definitely not the case at Zämbies. Heinicke told us the dinner rush is busy, but if you want the full Zämbies experience, you need to stop by between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., when the after-hours NoDa crowd rolls in…