Pizza is one of those foods everyone seems to have an opinion about. Thin and foldable, or blistered and Neapolitan? Old-school neighborhood joint, or destination-worthy pizzeria? And in Atlanta, apparently, there’s another question to consider: How far are you willing to drive for a really good pie?
DiningOut Atlanta recently asked its Facebook followers to name the best pizza in town, and readers quickly expanded the boundaries of the assignment. Recommendations stretched from Atlanta proper to Alpharetta, Cumming, and Woodstock, with family-owned neighborhood spots competing for attention alongside one of the city’s best-known pizza destinations.
But amid all the geographic wandering, one name surfaced more than any other: Antico Pizza.
For a restaurant that has become practically synonymous with pizza in Atlanta, Antico’s showing probably won’t surprise longtime locals. Kyle Updegrove kept his endorsement refreshingly simple: “Antico.”
Randy French was a little more emphatic. While giving Mellow Mushroom its due—“never disappoints,” he wrote—he followed it up with a declaration: “Antico is the best!”
Another reader included Antico in a short list of favorites alongside Joe’s NY Pizza on Mansell Road, Pizza by Yandy’s, and Brooklyn Joe’s in Milton.
If there was anything resembling a consensus in the discussion, Antico came closest. But Pizza by Yandy’s also earned repeat recognition. That overlap was notable in a discussion where readers otherwise scattered their recommendations across the metro area. Rather than coalescing around a long list of the usual Atlanta names, commenters championed the places they personally return to—which made some lesser-discussed neighborhood spots stand out.
Perhaps the most revealing part of the discussion had nothing to do with toppings or crust. It was geography.
Jennifer Tibboles Mills enthusiastically nominated two family-owned restaurants well outside Atlanta: Marie’s Italian Deli & Bakery in Cumming and Sid’s Pizza in Alpharetta. “Absolutely worth the drive,” she wrote of Marie’s.
Other recommendations similarly pushed north. Campania in Alpharetta received a mention, as did Brooklyn Joe’s in Milton, while I Love New York Pizza in Woodstock drew an enthusiastic “The best!” from Dianne Reissig-Peabody.
That last recommendation immediately prompted a response pointing out that Woodstock isn’t really Atlanta. Fair enough. But apparently pizza loyalties don’t always respect city limits.
While Antico represented the Neapolitan side of Atlanta’s pizza landscape, several recommendations pointed toward New York-style pies. Joe’s NY Pizza on Mansell Road and Brooklyn Joe’s in Milton both made the conversation, along with I Love New York Pizza in Woodstock. Sid’s Pizza in Alpharetta earned praise for being family-owned and consistently delivering. The pattern suggests that for at least some Atlanta-area pizza fans, the hunt for a favorite slice leads north—and a good New York-style pie can be worth leaving the city for.
The nominations didn’t stop there. Modena Ristorante Vinoteca received a vote, while Mellow Mushroom got a shoutout as a dependable favorite.
Taken together, the responses made for an eclectic pizza map: independent family businesses, suburban favorites, New York-style shops, an Atlanta-born national chain, and a celebrated Neapolitan pizzeria.
The more interesting takeaway may be how quickly a question about Atlanta pizza became a conversation about metro Atlanta pizza. Readers were willing to venture well beyond the city limits in pursuit of a favorite pie.
So, is Atlanta’s best pizza actually in Atlanta? In this particular debate, the answer depends on whom you ask—and perhaps how much gas is in the tank.
