Right now, Historic Downtown Alpharetta wears
the crown of my favorite hamlet in all of the city. A charming little grid of historic buildings
and a small green space (well, it's astroturf but it's still green!) provides a
setting for family fun and entertainment.
Little boutiques, businesses and shops
mixed in with an amazing offering of restaurants make this a destination that
you should check out whether you live near there or not. Restaurants like Jinya Ramen Bar, Chiringa,
Carson Kitchen, Restaurant Holmes, Salt Factory Pub and more than a dozen
others give you lots of choices to dine or to grab a cocktail and crawl around. It feels wholesome and safe but also brims
with positive energy.
Around the back of the Main Street drag
sits Minnie Olivia Pizzeria, a
wonderful little Neapolitan-style pizza gem inhabiting the bottom floor of the
former Dodd Hotel which was built circa 1870. James Madison Dodd owned the hotel and his daughter, Minnie Olivia,
worked there until she passed in 1936 so there clearly is a cool historic
vibe. Out of the little space, the smell
of world-class pizzas and other Italian masterpieces come wafting up: wood-fired olives, tomato braised pork
meatballs, meatball subs, fried calamari, and of course pizzas to fall in love
with. Seating inside is limited but if
you are covid careful or just want to not be confined indoors Minnie Olivia
offers little heated igloo 4-tops on the sidewalk out front.
And if you notice construction happening around the restaurant it's for their forthcoming sister concept, Fogon And Lions, which will serve up food influenced by Spain, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. if the operation is anywhere was excellent as Minnie Oliva, this should be a huge hit. Both concepts will share a kitchen and some common spaces on a patio and should just add to the uniqueness of the experience. The Dodd's would be proud.
