Some Call It Pizza- Fritti’s Delivers Atmosphere & Creativity

With the weather finally turning warmer, my attention turns to one of Atlanta’s greatest assets- the plethora of outdoor dining options. And if you’re looking for a casual, cool option that won’t break the bank account, Fritti in Inman Park should definitely be on your list. Fritti scores high in my book for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the food is decent. Second, the space, especially during the Spring and Summer when it is open to the outside, is very cool. Third, the price is right.

Fritti is an upscale pizza joint, with some flair for the creative. While not as over-the-top as Piebar (in many ways), Fritti still offers a few pizzas that make a simple Steakhead say “Huh?”. Pies such as the Frutta E Taleggio, which features apples and pears. I never understood this desire to put fruit on a pizza. There are also plenty of pizzas without cheese or tomato sauce. If you’re going to do that, call it something else. It’s like calling something without bread a sandwich. You’ll need to bring your reading glasses, as the names of the pizzas don’t give much away about what’s actually on it. For instance- $10 to someone who can tell me what’s on a Bresaola E Rucola off the top of their head. And get this, the Salsiccia e Peperoni does NOT have pepperoni!?! The descriptions are absolutely necessary- and there are 33 of them!

Prices for pies fall in the $10-12 range, but if you have enough people, the $20/pp family-style option is the way to go. For starters, they bring unlimited calamari fritti and some sort of mushroom appetizer. Steakhead doesn’t do mushrooms (the one food I absolutely abhor), so those stayed on the other end of the table. Next, large plates of both a house salad and Caesar salad make their way to the table. For the entrees, the table can choose up to 5 different pizzas, all unlimited.

Here is the one drawback. I have developed a taste for anchovy pizza lately- especially from the gourmet places. But apparently, not a lot of folks like anchovies. So in a Family-style deal, I had to capitulate and forego them. But thank God, no one ordered a fruit pizza, so I guess it worked out. The spicy salami and the gorgonzola pizza were amongst my favorites. The Speck E Ruccolo (with smoked prosciutto) was good, but hard to deal with, as the meat didn’t cut easily.
All in all, though, Fritti works on a number of levels. I can see this as being a good casual first date place. It works as a neighborhood place. It works well for large groups. And it especially works well when the weather is nice. Cost: $$. Grade: B+.