IN 2016, vaunted food magazine Bon Appétit claimed that all cities, even Indianapolis, were starting to resemble Brooklyn. Indy’s proud chefs issued a terse, wry response: “Brooklyn, we don’t need you.” Nearly a decade later, one enterprising restaurateur is suggesting Indy may need a little Brooklyn after all, at least when it comes to its pizza options. Launched by Camby-born-and-raised Benjamin Butterworth this spring, Brooklyn Char located in Noblesville is intended as an homage to the borough’s distinct pizza style.
Like many home chefs, Butterworth got the itch for a pizzeria of his own during the pandemic, when the KECO Coatings employee spent hours reading websites and watching videos about Brooklyn-style pizza. In March of 2023, he made a pilgrimage to New York, visiting legendary Brooklyn pizzerias like Lucali in Carroll Gardens and Best Pizza in Williamsburg, as well as Scarr’s Pizza in Manhattan’s Chinatown.
“Pizza is really just bread,” Butterworth says, “and you need to treat it as such.” To perfect the “bread,” he starts with a mix of 00 and King Arthur flour, which he takes through a traditional warm rise before a 24-hour cold ferment. He uses San Marzano tomatoes for a fresh-tasting sauce and mozzarella that’s part whole milk, part skim, lending a gentle tang. These he adds with a delicate touch so the pies aren’t wet or gloppy and don’t flop at the point. He heats his gas oven to a somewhat moderate 600 degrees to produce crusts with a gentle, more even “leoparding,” the insiders’ term for the spotted pattern an oven leaves on the crust. The result is a balance and lightness that’s refreshing and unique, even within a growing local craft pizza scene.
Additional toppings are scant, though Butterworth uses as many ingredients from his home state as he can, including sausage from Fischer Farms and bacon and salumi from Smoking Goose. He taps Ohio for its well-known Ezzo pepperoni, which cups slightly and perfectly browns around the edges.
A somewhat basic-sounding mushroom and onion pizza comes dressed with veggies so beautifully cooked down that they’re more an aromatic counterpoint to the crust, and Butterworth’s Bee Sting pie gets just the right kick from calabrese soppressata and the slightest bit of hot honey, cut with the perfume of fresh basil. (Trendy local pizzaiolos should take note: When it comes to hot honey, less is always more.)
Butterworth’s restraint with his pies makes his doughy garlic knots and melted mozzarella-stuffed sticks a bit brow-raising. “They’re more for the kids,” he admits, though he makes a special compound butter for the knots. “I wanted to give them something to nibble on, kind of like at the family pizzerias of the ’70s and ’80s.”
To add to that kid-friendly charm, he offers vintage candies, sodas, and milkshakes made with dairy goods from local creamery Crystal Springs. Those sweets are about as far afield from pizza as his offerings go. “I’ll never add salads or wings to the menu,” the soft-spoken Butterworth says with a rare chuckle, though a roster of craft beers rounds out the docket.
Seating is limited at his Noble West Shoppes restaurant, a former Pizza Hut takeout location that Butterworth considers a good starting point for his still-evolving business. He’s currently spending his summer perfecting the recipe for rarely seen New Jersey–style tomato pies, baked in electric ovens to let the generous tomato topping and spare dusting of cheese meld with the crust. He also has plans in the works for a second sit-down spot, this one serving wood-fired pizzas. Stay tuned.
Brooklyn Char
14765 Hazel Dell Crossing, Noblesville
317-564-0660
Hours: Wed–Thu, 3–9 p.m.; Fri–Sat, 12–9 p.m.; Sun 3–9 p.m.
Vibe: Brooklyn-style pizzeria
Tasting Notes: Light, crisp-crusted pizzas with judicious toppings, Jersey-style tomato pies, and Crystal Springs Creamery shakes
Neighborhood: Noble West Shoppes
Must-Order:A classic pepperoni pie with slightly cupped, crunchy pepperoni; fragrant, modestly topped mushroom and onion pizza; garlic knots with a light brushing of compound butter
