Amici Cafe in Georgia

Basic Information:

Pizza: Amici Cafe

Number of Locations: 13 across 2 states; based in Madison, GA

Location Reviewed: 233 E. Clayton St. in downtown Athens, GA (1 block from UGA)

Website: https://amici-cafe.com/

Date of Review Visit: March 2015

What I Ordered: Small (11”) pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage; Mr. Pibb to drink

Price: $15.04 (includes drink and tax but not tip)

Photo:

Summary Review: 4 stars (out of 5)

Detailed Review:

Crust: The crust on this pizza is kind of unusual: it is a half-inch thick around the edge but very thin underneath the toppings.  The crust reminds me of a Chicago-style butter crust except that it has no butter taste.  Instead, Amici’s crust has a fresh bready taste that I like quite a lot.  Score: 8/10.

Sauce: The sauce is spiced just the right amount, enough so that you can taste the spices but not so much that they overpower the tomato taste.  The sauce appears in plenty of quantity.  Overall, this is a fantastic sauce.  Score: 10/10.

Cheese: The cheese on this pizza has an average, bland taste except for the parmesan cheese, which really brings the cheese blend alive.  They sprinkle on some parmesan for you, but you can add more using the shakers on the table if you see fit.  The cheese emits some grease but does not peg the grease meter like the poorer quality cheeses.  Score: 8/10.

Toppings: The pepperoni and Italian sausage appear in slightly above average quantity, but both meats taste pretty bland.  The toppings do not offend too badly, but I have definitely eaten better toppings elsewhere.  Score: 6/10.

Overall Taste: Everything comes together pretty well here.  The sauce and parmesan cheese really stand out on the taste palette.  But for some better-tasting toppings this score would be even higher.  Score: 8.5/10.

Pizza Appearance: The pizza’s appearance is excellent, especially with the parmesan cheese sprinkled on.

Dining Atmosphere: The dining room has a downtown packed-in atmosphere with some TV’s tuned to sporting events, as they should be in a college town.

Customer Service: The service was attentive and excellent.

Monetary Value: Amici makes good quality pizza, but it is also pretty expensive.  $2 per meat topping for a small pizza adds up quickly.

The Final Judgment:

I first found Amici Café several years ago as a UGA student.  Among downtown Athens pizza places, I like Mellow Mushroom and DePalma’s, both of which have locations less than 2 blocks away, a little more, but Amici is slightly better than Your Pie and far better than Little Italy.  Amici is worthy of a regular spot in your dine-out pizza rotation.  Score: 82/100.