Review: Moonlight Pizza in Little Five Points

With locations on Greenbriar Parkway and in Little Five Points and Stone Mountain, plus outlets in Hapeville and Old National Highway coming soon, Moonlight Pizza has been growing at a fast pace.

Owner Joseph Wescom’s bright idea combines a sprawling menu with extended operating hours, staying open until 4 a.m. daily.

Night owls and stoners must be thrilled, but I checked out the Little Five Points location of Moonlight Pizza out of a sense of nostalgia.

More recently known as Little 5 Pizza, it was the location of Fellini’s Pizza back in 1982.

When I landed in Atlanta in 1986, it was the place to go for the young and hungry — including musicians, such as Fellini’s owner Clay Harper and Kevn Kinney of Drivin N Cryin.

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Credit: Bob Townsend

Credit: Bob Townsend

In many ways, the Little Five Points Moonlight Pizza still looks a lot like Fellini’s, though it’s even a bit grubbier. And the ancient deck ovens stacked behind the counter have seen better days.

According to the lone chef and server working at 5:30 one Friday afternoon, almost everything on the menu is baked in the ovens — including fries, wings, pasta, subs, sandwiches, calzones, strombolis and, of course, pizzas.

I’m not sure when wings and pizza became a thing, but I’m all for it, especially on game days.

Sadly, the oven-baked Moonlight wings I tried were fatty and flabby. At home, a turn under the broiler helped a bit. I wouldn’t order them again, though I liked the blue cheese dressing and hot sauce served on the side.

The meatball sub, loaded with thick pomodoro sauce and a generous amount of melted mozzarella, was better. Sadly, though, the nicely toasted bun was a bit too big for the row of smallish but tasty meatballs at the bottom.

And what about the pizza?

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Credit: Handout

There are three sizes — 14-inch, 16-inch and 18-inch — ranging in price from $11.99 to $22.99.

I chose a simple 14-inch pepperoni, which for $15.99 featured spicy sauce and lots of cheese, topped with plenty of perfectly arranged pepperoni slices.

But, unlike the online menu photos, the crust was ultra thin (think flour tortilla) with crisp, barely raised edges. I’m guessing the dough was rolled, rather than tossed, and without the classic Italian cornice, the sauce and cheese bled straight to the edge.

These days, there are plenty of really good places that mainly do pizza. But if you’re hungry at 3 a.m., want something other than pizza, or are looking for lots of vegan options, Moonlight could be your madness.

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