Photo above by Brian Benefield

[This is the latest installment of “Cobb Cuisine, Culture and Community” by Brian Benefield]

Micah-Angelo’s has only been open for about a month but people are buzzing around this spot like bees to a hive dripping with honey.  And it is quickly becoming a favorite destination in the Lewis Park neighborhood, Marietta and beyond.  We coincidentally were walking by on their opening day and had just eaten pizza the prior evening, so we decided to wait until around my wife’s birthday, and it was well worth the wait. She celebrates the entire month, so this was a special treat. 

The Sessions and Campbell Hill Street corner building was Sessions Stand bakery for many years before moving across the street into a more significant size building. Micah and Katie Pfister, who previously owned several restaurants on Marietta Square, now occupy what I refer to as a little corner of heaven. Katie is a professionally trained baker, having attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and Micah went to Sullivan University in KY for a degree in the culinary arts. 

Both are very humble about their abilities to produce great food with a creative flair.  We have eaten many flaky, delicate croissants from Sessions Stand since we moved into a house just two doors down in 2018.  Living so close to a bakery can be a bit dangerous, and now a pizza joint–people ask us all the time if we go there every day?  As delicious as their food is, there’s no way I could do that in good conscience. My better half, Cecilie has a great philosophy about eating certain food items, such as burgers or pizza, and I have grown to adopt this mindset.  She says, “If you are going to splurge on something like that, it should be the best quality and worth it.”  Micah Angelo’s certainly hits all those marks.  

Ciao Y’all is painted on the eye-catching, marinara colored roll-up door, which reflects their whimsical persona of cooking pizza in the South.  The menu is purposely small, with seven types of pies to choose from, and we opted for the Spicy version.  It has thinly sliced soppressata Italian meat that imparts an aromatic taste of spice and is a fiery cousin of pepperoni.  Fresh mozzarella, red sauce, and tiny but mighty Calabrese peppers adorn this masterpiece.  We walked down around 8:30 pm Saturday and ordered, then were lucky enough to hang at the pick-up window where I asked Micah how hot his custom-built Italian oven was.  He promptly pulled out his high-tech thermo-temp laser gizmo and shot it into the wood-fired behemoth, and told me around 775 degrees. Feel, feel, feel…feel the heat! 

Our pie was in and out in less than two minutes, with the perfect leopard pattern that gives you that crispiness in all the right places.  They have extra accompaniments to enhance the flavors, such as hot peppers, parmesan cheese, and a seasoning mixture with dried garlic, fennel, oregano, and other herbs that I found very flavorful and add complexity to each bite.  I’ve seen several Facebook posts on different area pages raving about the new spot and comparing it to Antico Pizza, and according to some people, saying they like it better.   While not cracker thin and certainly not too thick, the dough has a nice pull when you take a bite, and the edges have the perfect crunch.  

If you haven’t been yet, my advice is to park at Lewis Park and take a leisurely stroll down, order your pie, and if they’re busy like usual, then walk across the street to get a cold beer. Pizza and beer are like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis; they are best served up together.  Mosey back over and enjoy their small outdoor seating area, or walk back to the park to enjoy Micah’s masterful creation amongst the massive shade trees.  Pizza Fantastica, it reads on the building, and yes, it is just that!

Visit Micah-Angelo’s Pizza Fantastica on Instagram at Micahangelos_pizza for more information.

Brian Benefield is an Atlanta native born in Dekalb County, who has lived in Cobb since 2003. He has worked in Hospitality, Marketing, Real Estate, and most recently Food Tourism. Married to Cecilie Benefield for 12 blissful years. They have a dog, Miss Pickles. Hobbies are mountain biking, running, gardening, and trying new recipes in the kitchen. Member of Les Marmitions cooking club since 2016, where we cook 5-course meals with local Atlanta chefs.