Kechy Pizza Co. wants the world to know its ambitions. Its catchy name means “goat” in Turkish, but here it’s about the acronym, not the animal. We’re not ready to crown it the Greatest of All Time just yet, but we can confirm that it’s producing some of the tastiest pies we’ve tried downtown, where it opened in February on the ground floor of an apartment building at the corner of Redwood and Calvert streets.

The key is the crust. It’s made using fresh high-gluten flour dough, olive oil, and vegan butter, and after six minutes in a state-of-the-art granite stone oven it emerges with a surprising blend of exterior crispness and interior chewiness.

Topping combinations are a point of pride for co-owner Dogan Salis, formerly a partner in HomeSlyce. For example, the Bougie features roasted garlic oil, mozzarella, Croatian figs, walnuts, prosciutto crudo, and a drizzled balsamic reduction.

“When it comes to pizza, almost everything has been tried, but this is one of the unique items,” says Salis, a native of Turkey. “It’s sweet and salty and people really like it.”

We’re among them. Another we were impressed by is the Hot Cluck. We weren’t sure what to expect from the curious combination of brined chicken in hot sauce, chopped scallions, roasted portabellas, and fontina cheese with a ranch cream sauce, but somehow it worked. Another, more mainstream favorite is the Kechy’s Eggplant, with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and roasted peppers joining the main star. The freshness of the veggies shines and meshes nicely with the richness of the goat cheese and mozzarella.

Everything (except the French fries) is made from scratch, Salis says, including the sauce made with pureed tomatoes and basil. That care is evident throughout the menu. Sandwiches are packed with meats and served on bread that is baked fresh daily. It too goes through that oven, giving it a slight crunch. (The kitchen has no fryer or grill.) Some Mediterranean-style dishes can be found among the appetizers, including lovely, lightly flaky filo pastry triangles filled with spinach.

Opening downtown is not for the faint of heart. Many office buildings remain empty and parking seems to be a perpetual issue for all business in the area. But both times we visited, the vibrant dining room was filled. Salis used recycled materials like concrete, metal, and wood during construction, and the walls have images of goats along with nods to Maryland created by students, Salis says.

There’s a full bar that draws nice crowds for happy hour and weekends when events are happening downtown. Salis and his partners opened another Kechy in Westminster in December, and they have grand plans to grow the brand. But this downtown location will always be their favorite kid.

KECHY PIZZA CO.: 207 E. Redwood St., downtown. HOURS: Sun.-Thur. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. PRICES: Starters $6.99-12.99; salads $9.50-11.50; sandwiches $12.95-15.95; pizzas $15.95-25.50.