Underrated Seattle pizza shop will expand to Queen Anne

It’s about to get much easier to score the popular Hornet Honey pepperoni pizza from Cornelly. The Capitol Hill pizzeria, which often sells out of its pies by 9 p.m., will expand to Upper Queen Anne by May or early summer, co-owner Sam Carroll said Tuesday.

Outside of Capitol Hill, Cornelly remains relatively underrated, as the pizza den sits along a stretch of Summit Avenue East between Mercer and Roy that’s frequented mostly by people who live nearby. There’s limited parking near the restaurant, but with a dozen apartment buildings within a two-block radius, the pizzeria does brisk business. A line typically forms before doors open at 5 p.m.

Many visit Cornelly for that Hornet Honey, the kitchen’s signature pepperoni pie with honey-roasted pineapple, basil and chili. These pizzas don’t fit neatly into any one category; think of a sourdough flatbread that’s as thin as a Neapolitan pie but fluffier than a New York slice.

Cornelly’s expansion into the former Queen Anne Cafe space should give the pizzeria more visibility and recognition, since the 90-seat restaurant on Queen Anne will be three times bigger than the original. It’s also situated along the main drag of a neighborhood with more street parking.

In Cornelly’s upgraded Queen Anne kitchen, Carroll said chef and co-owner Brett Phillips plans to expand the menu with more Italian American entrees. The restaurant will also add brunch service since they will have a spacious kitchen with an open-flame grill.

And because space is so limited at Cornelly’s Capitol Hill spot, many cocktails there are pre-batched. On Queen Anne, Cornelly will have a full bar that will stay open late, management said.

Besides the pies, Cornelly regulars often get an accompanying chicory Caesar salad or one of the restaurant’s four rotating pastas, especially the rigatoni with sausage, nduja, tomato, mint, parsley and specks of Parm.