ATLGuide
The 10 Great Pizza Spots For A Bougie Date Night
It’s your turn to plan a nice date night, but no one's in the mood to wrestle with lobster claws or to eat various vegetables in foam forms. And after a long, busy day, sometimes you just want something familiar—something like a good, cheesy pizza. So put on your best couture-adjacent outfit and check out these restaurants that serve up some of the best pizza in the city. With swanky wood-fired ovens, extensive wine lists, and fancy cocktails, you'll feel upscale enough to eat your pie with a knife and fork (please don't). So spend some dough, eat some too. It’s a win-win.
THE SPOTS
Indaco is an Italian restaurant overlooking the BeltLine above the Ponce De Leon Kroger. It can easily transform from a power lunch spot (with decent paninis and salads) to an elegant date night when table votives are the primary source of light and the menu expands with pasta and protein entrees. But you’re here for the wood-fired pizzas, which are good, thin, and crispy around the edges. Prolong the night with more courses if you want—just skip the bland, tasteless pastas. Instead, get the hanger steak, which sits on a bed of minty farro drizzled with a hearty mushroom au jus, and end things with their delicious apple crostata.
As one of the go-to date night destinations in Emory Village, Double Zero also has all the components for a special occasion meal—a modern aesthetic, mood lighting, fun cocktails and a long wine list, and multiple courses that help you make the most of paying the babysitter for three hours. With fresh fior di latte mozzarella on every pie and dough made from heirloom yeast starter and—you guessed it—Double Zero flour, no one will judge if pizza is your only course. Be advised: the pillowy soft pizza here comes unsliced and delivered to your table with a pair of kitchen shears, which we've seen confuse a few diners. But if we can be blunt/sharp: slicing your pizza with scissors is kinda fun and not that complicated, so just cut the damn pie and enjoy it.
photo credit: Amy Sinclair
Telling babe it's a caviar and truffle night then pulling up to this West Midtown pizzeria isn't lie...it's a flex. Open until 11pm on weekends, the posh pizzeria is our favorite date destination in this thriving eat-and-play Interlock complex since they have an indoor/outdoor bar setup, vacation-sweet cocktails, and a menu that agrees with everyone. Humble Pie's fancy toppings (like shaved truffle) and a caesar with charred romaine already make this pizza date a bit more unique. But to really make it memorable, get the incredible clam pizza (if it's on the menu), which comes with an addictive dipping sauce that reminds us of the herb-rich wine broth at the bottom of the steamed mussel bowl.
Massive half-circle leather booths scream date night as you can cozy up as much as your hearts desire or, you know, “to keep warm.” Although Amalfi is in the unsexy part of downtown Atlanta often forsaken by locals, giant windows that open to a painted brick foyer covered with canopy lights gives the impression that you’re dining in some Italian courtyard. Or at least the Venetian in Vegas. Start with the Amalfi Frosé and the fried zucchini blossoms before you start tearing slices of soft pizza. If you decide to order just one, make it the Margherita pizza Carnivale-style, in which dollops of ricotta are pinched into the corners of the dough.
This white tablecloth, upscale Italian restaurant has been a fixture in Buckhead for years. In fact, their back wall is covered with photos of celebrities like Derek Jeter and Elton John, who have all dined at Pricci in its 30-plus years of existence. You'll see a comfortable cast of regulars, corporate groups, and birthday celebrants, who come for the wine list and homemade pasta. But their wood-fired pizzas with fresh, housemade mozzarella are by far our favorite and are executed even better than some of their classic dishes. Get the Regina Margherita or the Sausage & Soppressata. Actually, just get both.
If you’re up for the three-story hike up to Grana’s patio in Morningside, then you’re in for one of the best rooftop patios in the city. Sofa chairs with chic fire pits line the space’s back wall, so you'll see couples cozying up while deciding which hand-stretched Neapolitan pizza to go with. We suggest the classic margherita, but we have a soft spot for the potato, a sweet and savory one with pistachio and truffle honey. The rooftop also has its own bar, so drinks will come pretty briskly to your table—Happy Hour specials include $12 pizza and other deals.
Taverna feels like a quaint neighborhood Italian restaurant—but only if your neighborhood’s homes average in the millions. Located in the Buckhead Village District, Taverna’s al fresco dining spills into the sidewalk of the upscale shopping plaza. You’ll find familiar Italian restaurant motifs in the dark wood paneled walls, showcased wine bottles, and a menu of antipasti, pastas, and fish or steak entrees—which all feel a little extra fancy when you’re dining in a room with people who pay for real Prada (unlike us). But you will also find a selection of solid wood-fired oven pizzas, including the wild mushroom pie drizzled with black truffle oil, which you should order, loudly. After all, Prada devotees know that good taste is good taste.
photo credit: Andrew Thomas Lee
The first thing you do when you go to Varuni is ask to be seated on the outdoor patio, which feels like a secret vine-covered cove hidden in the middle of this Ansley strip mall. Then get started with an Aperol, negroni, or any of the other spritz cocktails, which will instantly differentiate this pizza night from the wine coolers and frozen pizza nights of your dimly remembered college years. The charcuterie plate, meatballs, or fried risotto balls are all good starters to share. But you should also customize your own light-as-a-feather Neapolitan pie with toppings like smoked buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, and Nduja (a spicy pork spread). With their airy, lightly crisped dough, Varuni is a finish-your-crust kinda joint, so order another spritz and settle in.
Okay, we admit pulling up to this Vinings shopping center doesn’t really set the tone for a wine and dine experience. But with both covered outdoor patio seating and dimly lit indoor seating next to the hearth, the romantic ambiance heats up once you reach your table. You might be tempted to stray into other parts of the menu after looking at the tables of other Crispina’s regulars inhaling their favorite homemade pasta and wine. But if you’re here for the pizza, order a pizza. Whether you go with a traditional margherita or their Napoli with anchovies, these wood fire-cooked, slightly charred, Neapolitan-style pizzas will make you forget that you are indeed parked in a shopping center and not an atmospheric family restaurant on the cobbled streets of Naples.
These days, dining near Lenox mall would classify as an adventurous date outing with the constant traffic, congested crowds, and damn near all of the Zone 2 police precinct on patrol. But if you're up for the thrill, North Italia at the east entrance of the mall is a fantastic place for an upscale pizza date night. Sit on the open air patio for top-notch people watching and views of the Lenox valet line, where you can play the special ATL game known as, “Guess Who’s in That Bentley.” Start your dinner with an Aperol Spritz, then move to some wine and pizza—we really dig the cheese and pepper intensity of the Cacio e Pepe pie, but there are no wrong choices here. The only other choice to make is whether you want to upgrade your pizza with their dipping sauce, which is a housemade ricotta dip topped with a Calabrian chili paste. We say pass on the sauce as it’s just okay and focus on the pies.
