Whether from a Pizza Hut or a small restaurant in Italy, pizza is eaten across the world. It can be made with thick crusts, thin crusts, pepperoni, vegetables, and much more. Regardless of the abundance of pizza places, everyone has a favorite. Last year I discovered the best pizzeria in Atlanta, Antico.
During my freshman year of high school, my best friend’s family installed a pizza oven in their house and they began cooking homemade pizza. Her dad quickly became the expert pizza maker: perfecting the crust, combining delicious toppings, and even cooking a s’mores pizza. After one of our weekly basketball games, he suggested that the team go to a new pizza place near Georgia Tech called Antico. Trusting his pizza expertise, four of my teammates and our families crammed in the car and drove to 1093 Hemphill Avenue.
We drove up to a small building with limited parking at about nine o’clock that night. I stepped out of the car and immediately smelled fresh pizza dough coming from inside the restaurant. Once everyone parked, we all walked through the doors. I felt as though I was entering a pizzeria in Italy; it was filled with noise, native Italians, and an aroma of pizza and wine. The restaurant was arranged in a family style with large tables surrounded by multiple people. We walked to the cashier and began looking at menus. We soon discovered that they were written entirely in Italian, so we decided to try different pizzas. The pizza they make originates from Naples, Italy. My family ordered the Margherita and Marinara, as we were advised that two pizzas were sufficient for a family of four. After I placed my order, I walked through the restaurant with my friends.
We discovered that there was a large warehouse in the back with long, rectangular tables completely filled with customers. In the warehouse, there were large bags of flour and chefs tossing pizza dough for, we assumed, hours on end. We discovered that the restaurant stays open until they run out of dough. All fourteen of us eventually found space at a table near the front. Within about twenty minutes, our number was called and my dad returned with two large pizzas.
The first was the Margherita, which had tomato, basil, and garlic on top of a cheese pizza. Then he brought the Marinara, which is topped with san marzano, garlic, origano, romano, and white anchovy. The pizzas were, as you would say in Italian, meraviglioso! The crust, cooked to perfection, was the ideal medium between thick and thin. The cheese lightly covered the whole pizza and melted in my mouth. The toppings added flavor to each piece with juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, and perfectly salted anchovies. By the end, napkins and crumbs were all that remained on the table. Satisfied and full, we climbed back into our cars and drove home, continuing to discuss the amazing pizza place, Antico.
So if you are looking for a good time with some friends and family, a cultural experience, and willing to pay about twenty dollars, Antico is the place for you. Antico is undoubtedly my favorite pizza place in the Atlanta area. Although they do not deliver, you can order pizza online and go pick it up.
For more information visit: www.anticopizza.it
*Photographs from (respectively): anticopizza.it, theroadforks.com
