The Swagger of Little Five Points

A recent business trip to Atlanta landed me at Little Five Points Pizza, a place oozing with a just-order-your-food-and-sit-down machismo yet surprisingly tasty provisions. Let me get this out of the way right out front: This restaurant is not for the faint-hearted.

If you can handle 1980s heavy metal music wafting from overhead, tattooed and body-pierced staffers (with snarls, no less) and graffiti-laden restrooms with no soap to be found, then everything will be fine. If not, go elsewhere. Either way, this place will still be pushing out quality slices of pie for its diverse customer base.

Pizza toppings include Italian sausage, meatballs, fresh garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, peperoni, broccoli and more. It’s best to go with Sicilian style, although a regular slice works nicely if suffused with the abovementioned ingredients.

White pizza scores high marks (add spinach to make it just right). Calzones appear to be a legit alternative to pizza.

When it comes to décor, think dive bar meets big-city pizza joint. A substantial winged neon eyeball is a signature wall icon near the back of the store. Large bags of high-gluten flour are piled on the floor in plain view. Probably not the best place for a first date, but this venue would work just fine for a guy’s night out.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL KITCHENER