Coals Brings Grilled Pizza, Burgers, and Wings to Norwalk

Regulars of the Port Chester location of Coals Pizza got some bad news towards the end of 2020 when they announced December 30 would be their final day after eight years on N Main Street. But when one location shuttered, another opened. In early February, they quietly debuted their third restaurant (their others are in Bronxville and Portland, Maine) in the former Fat Cat Pie Co. space in Norwalk.

According to Billy Etzel—who owns Coals along with Nick Restaino (whose wife, Blanca, steps in when he’s coaching baseball at Sacred Heart University) and Joe Rossi—opening in Norwalk was the plan way back when. “Nick lives in Norwalk and always kept his eyes open for a space and Fat Cat was available (after 16 years),” he says. “Way before we opened Port Chester, this was the first place we looked at before it was Fat Cat. Back then, we would have done what they did with wine and pizza.”

As far as why they left Port Chester, Etzel said it was a myriad of reasons including the redevelopment of the area where Coals PC occupied, plus the pandemic, but more so that it was time to move onto a new chapter.

Coals’ new chapter will only be new to those unfamiliar with what they became known for in the neighboring county, grilled pizza, wings, an award-winning burger, and a credible craft beer list.

“People know us because of the grilled pizza,” Etzel says. “What we do is food that most people consider simple food. We try to do it in the most ultimate way, and we put a lot of effort into that.”

The pizza—that Etzel will tell you should be eaten on the premises so it retains its crispy crust integrity—is rolled out and stretched to a paper thin oblong oval and perfectly grilled. Most of the current nine deep pizza lineup is vegetarian, with the exception of the Dean Martin (fresh mozzarella, fontinella, Pecorino Romano, pepperoni, tomato sauce) and the Squealin’ Pig (fresh mozzarella, dollops of bright red sauce, Grana Padano, chopped bacon, hot honey).

Coals’ wings are also grilled, but only after they’re fried, ensuring each crispy, charred drum or flat holds up to one of three homemade sauces…choose from classic buffalo, maple-rosemary, or spicy cilantro, a flavor that was a popular special in Port Chester and Bronxville. The emulsified pungent, citrusy pop of cilantro mixed with butter and heat is a regular wing sauce on Norwalk’s menu.

And then there’s the burger. Etzel didn’t want the same burger as they serve in Bronxville, and it’s not one of the many they’ve used to be a multi-time winner at Westchester Magazine’s Burger and Beer Blast. This beast is house ground picanha, a prized cut in Brazil that has a high fat content. Coals’ patty consistency is similar to wagyu and it’s juicy like it, too. The rest of their creation is no frills, pickles, red onion, a few lettuce leaves, and double American cheese on a toasted Martin’s Potato Roll. It’s not a sin to dab some Heinz on that bad boy but it doesn’t need it.

What you do need to wash it all down is a beer or three. If you’ve been to their Westchester spots, you know that Coals is known as a craft beer haven. Early on, the eight taps (more in cans) in Norwalk have been extremely local with Two Roads, Bad Sons, and Lock City to name a few. Etzel mentioned he’s still working on the beer menu because he can’t get selections from others, including Hill Farmstead, Foam, and others like he can in New York.

“We’ve actually gotten complaints about the beer list because it’s not the same as PC or Bronxville,” he says. “Distribution here is so different (from New York). They’ll distribute to other states all around Connecticut but not actually here! We want local stuff, too, but hope to get more of that sought after stuff from Maine and Vermont. We’re trying to figure that out. Hopefully we’ll build this place up enough to get more distribution in Connecticut.”

For now, Coals’ menu is small with a couple salads, nine grilled pies, the three wing flavors, that burger, and a Nutella dessert pizza. Etzel told us that the menu, plus an expanded wine list and specialty cocktails should debut soon enough and watch out for specials that recently included a deep-fried square of mozzarella that you have to eat knife-and-fork style or grab it like a giant mozzarella stick if you get down like that. Further out, say…summertime, expect homemade soft serve.

In addition to a soon to be expanded menu, Coals is looking at tinkering with their hours once they feel things out. Currently, they’re open Monday – Friday from 4:30 – 9:30 and on Saturday and Sunday from noon on.

Coals now offers takeout after lots of phone calls and pleas on social media. Etzel was hesitant about takeaway initially because he didn’t want anyone’s first experience to be not indicative of what their product is when it’s fresh.  So if you’re not yet comfortable dining in, get it to-go at your own risk. If you’re OK with dine-in, enjoy your pint, pizza, and pile of wings.  

9 Wall Street; Norwalk
203.642.4323; https://coalspizza.com/