Downtown Bellingham has been anchored by one of Washington State’s most beloved local pizza institutions for nearly three decades, and the secret has never really been much of a secret — once you’ve had a slice, you simply never stop coming back. 🍕
FiAMMA Pizza on East Chestnut Street is a downtown Bellingham original that has been pushing the boundaries of what a neighborhood pizzeria can be since 1998, armed with an award-winning crust, house-made fennel sausage, a hickory-smoked salmon recipe passed down from a grandfather, and a patio overlooking one of the Pacific Northwest’s most breathtaking sunset views over the San Juan Islands.
How FiAMMA Pizza Won Bellingham’s Hearts
FiAMMA Pizza — originally known as La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza — was born in 1998 when brothers Dan and Ken Bothman spotted a great location in downtown Bellingham and channeled their obsession with exceptional pizza into what would become one of the city’s most treasured dining institutions.
Within the first year, the restaurant swept the Best New Business and Bellingham’s Best Pizza awards — and the kitchen’s creativity earned it not one but two Best Recipe awards in the National Association of Pizza Operators (NAPO) International Recipe Contest, a prestigious competition that put this small Pacific Northwest pizzeria on the national food map. 🏆
What has always separated FiAMMA from every other pizza concept in the region is its depth of flavor.
The kitchen builds from scratch: house-made fennel Italian sausage, house-pickled jalapeños, a cilantro-almond-caper pesto, a smoky sun-dried tomato vinaigrette — the kind of in-house craftsmanship that signals a kitchen that genuinely cares about every component on every pie.
The Pye Hole, the restaurant’s beloved walk-up slice window on the street, has become a downtown Bellingham landmark in its own right — a spot where locals grab a quick slice and a salad on the fly, turning an ordinary Tuesday lunch into something genuinely worth looking forward to.
It’s the kind of restaurant that a city grows up around — the place you bring every out-of-town visitor, the spot where birthdays are celebrated, where first dates happen, and where the view from the heated patio on a clear evening reminds you exactly why people fall in love with the Pacific Northwest pizza scene.
Food Highlights 🍕
FiAMMA’s menu is a masterclass in Bellingham artisan pizza creativity — organized across classic round pies, square Detroit-ish style builds, and a Build Your Own option that invites dangerous amounts of experimentation. Here are the standout pies every visitor needs to try:
- Ken’s Smoked Salmon Pizza: A true Pacific Northwest original — hickory-smoked salmon prepared from Ken’s Grandpa’s secret recipe, topped with roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, and chèvre cheese, finished with a cilantro-almond-caper pesto. 🐟
- The Spicy Pie (Diavola): Spicy tomato sauce, house-made fennel Italian sausage, hot pickled cherry peppers, and mozzarella. 🌶️
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The Brooklyn Bridge: The ultimate meat lover’s pie, loaded with thinly sliced prosciutto, crisp-and-curl Liguria pepperoni, Sopressata salami, and house-made fennel Italian sausage over tomato sauce. 🍖
- Cheesey Square: FiAMMA’s irresistible Detroit-style build — a thick, airy square crust loaded with a generous three-cheese blend and tomato sauce, baked until the edges are deeply caramelized and crispy with that signature frico crust.
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Major Grigio (Prosciutto & Arugula): Prosciutto, caramelized onions, and mozzarella baked to perfection, then pulled from the oven and immediately topped with a fresh arugula salad tossed in a fig balsamic vinaigrette. 🫒
- The Zorba (Lamb Sausage): A bold Mediterranean build featuring house-made Mo-made lamb sausage over herbed white sauce with fresh spinach, red peppers, grape tomatoes, grilled artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, feta, and mozzarella. 🌿
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Hot Honey Pepperoni: Crispy Liguria curl pepperoni and tomato sauce finished with torn burrata cheese, fresh basil, and a generous drizzle of hot honey. 🍯
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Sweet & Savory BBQ Chicken: Savory chicken sausage, crispy pepperoni, a three-cheese blend, and chèvre over tangy BBQ sauce, finished with crispy fried onions and fresh chives. 🍗
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Margherita 2.0: FiAMMA’s elevated take on the timeless classic — charred grape tomatoes, tangy red sauce, fresh mozzarella and burrata cheeses, and torn basil, finished with Grana Padano and cracked black pepper.
- Potato Gorgonzola & Fennel Sausage: A specialty pie loaded with rosemary roasted red potatoes, caramelized onions, house-made fennel Italian sausage, Gorgonzola, and mozzarella, finished with a balsamic reduction drizzle. 🥔
Atmosphere
FiAMMA Pizza is one of those restaurants that makes you feel genuinely glad to be exactly where you are. ☕🌅
The dining room is stylish yet approachable — warm lighting, vibrant energy, and the kind of hum that signals a room full of happy people eating really good food.
The heated outdoor patio is the crown jewel of the entire experience — on a clear evening, the views over the San Juan Islands at sunset are the kind that stop conversations mid-sentence and make everyone reach for their phone.
The Pye Hole walk-up window adds a delightfully casual dimension, making FiAMMA equally perfect for a quick by-the-slice lunch grab or a full dinner sit-down with a bottle of wine and absolutely nowhere else to be.
Bottom Line
FiAMMA Pizza is a must-visit for its nationally award-winning artisan pizza crust, a wildly creative specialty menu built on scratch-made ingredients, unbeatable Pacific Northwest patio views, a beloved walk-up slice window, and nearly three decades of proof that Bellingham’s best pizza has always been right here on East Chestnut Street. 🙌
Address:
200 E Chestnut St, Bellingham, WA 98225
📞 (360) 647-0060
🕔 Open Sun–Thu, 11 AM–9 PM | Fri–Sat, 11 AM–9:30 PM