Nacoochee Village Tavern and Pizzeria in Helen, GA

Basic Information:

Pizza: Nacoochee Village Tavern and Pizzeria

Number of Locations: 1

Location Reviewed: 7275 South Main Street in Helen, GA

Website: http://villagetavernpizza.com/wp/

Date of Review Visit: May 2017

What I Ordered: 12” The Carnivore pizza; Coke to drink

Price: $17.21 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: Nacoochee Village’s crust is thinner than average, but it still has some body.  The crust has a nice crispy-but-chewy texture. Overall, this crust is not the best ever, but I like it.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce has fresh tomatoey taste.  The sauce’s consistency is a little thin, but it is applied in just the right amount.  The sauce is probably the strength of this pizza.  Score: 9/10.

Cheese: This pizza is somewhat undercheesed, and what cheese does exist seems to be bland 100% mozzarella.  The cheese also produces a decent amount of grease.  Score: 4/10.

Toppings: All-meat pizzas usually shine on the toppings criterion, but Nacoochee Village really falls flat.  The sausage, meatball, and ham toppings add a little spice but nothing more.  Only the pepperoni stands out: it is tasty with just a smidge of spiciness, but it comes in small thin slices.  In hindsight, I would keep the pepperoni and lose the other toppings, thereby ordering a one-topping pepperoni pizza.  On the bright side, all toppings do appear in good quantity.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: The spiciness from all of the toppings really overpowers everything else.  Some odd shreds of basil scattered atop the pizza only add to the herby/spicy taste, and they add to it quite a bit.  Score: 6.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The toppings dominate the pizza’s appearance, as you would expect for an all-meats pizza.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room has some unique stump-like tables, and true to the tavern in its name alcoholic beverages take center stage on the menu.

Customer Service: The service was OK but somewhat slow and unhelpful in ordering.

Monetary Value: You can tell that Helen is a tourist town, because even for a 12” all-meats pizza this pizza is very overpriced.  If you are on any kind of a budget, go anywhere but here.

The Final Judgment:

Nacoochee Village’s pizza is unique and different, so I can see why some people would like it even though it does not suit my palette.  Score: 70/100.