Little Five Points Pizza
Tourists and locals in Little Five Points have several of choices when it comes to pizza parlors, but people keep on coming back to Little Five Points Pizza for the great tasting pizza, pasta and sides, its affordability, the efficient service and, according to some previous guests, the friendly staff.
The interiors are relaxed, giving off a friendly and warm atmosphere that anyone would love to hang out in, although the conspicuous inflated crocodile back drop may not go in tune with the supposed relaxed mood, but despite this, this pizza parlor can still be a nice place to hang out in after work, or in between breaks, or when simply trying to combat boredom. Simply watching people pass by the store from the inside while eating a pizza slice or two is worth one’s time and money.
Speaking of money, for less than $5 you can get yourself a couple of pizza slices plus a draft beer. Their pizza is kind of New York style with an Atlanta twist and you can get a slice for even $2 and less– now that’s bang for the buck pizza! Many previous customers recommend the Pepperoni and Chicken Pizza, and the Spinach and Mushroom Pizza for vegans. Other best sellers include the lasagna and the spicy garlic bread served with marinara sauce.
While many previous customers think that the small floor area works towards the pizza joint’s advantage by providing a relaxed and cozy atmosphere while enjoying the best pizza slice in this side of Atlanta, some think that once the place gets crowded and cramped up, it suddenly loses its homely appeal, but it only clearly speaks about the number of people who love and would come back to this place at any given free time and day. There are also mixed reviews with regards to the attitude of the staff, some customer’s claim that this joint has got the most accommodating and friendliest staff that one can find in a pizza place while others seem to strongly think otherwise.
Regardless of what previous guests think of the interiors and the staff, Little Five Points Pizza still holds the distinction of not only having the cheapest and most freshly cooked pizza, but it also holds the distinction, among patrons and first time guests of having simply the best pizza, not only in L5P, but in entire Atlanta.
The Star Community Bar
Along the hippy and trendy Moreland Avenue is a bar which is home to inked men, bikers, true blue heavy metal rockers and suckers for an ice cold PBR – The Star Community Bar. It is hell right on the heart of Little Five Points and this place is not for the faint hearted not for those who are looking for a teeny bopper wholesome time.
Not to say that obscene things happen in this place, but this place is rowdy, literally smoking, noisily loud and full of people – colored, in jackets or metal gear – who got a real hankering not only for PBR but for a rocking good time.
It features live performances from metal bands and even from DJs which give the bar a sense of variety in terms of the music it feeds its people – from heavy metal rock to funky disco. But the Star is more known for its local rock performers such as the Ghostriders Car Club, The Psycho Devilles, Hillbilly Casino, The Atomic Rockets and Three Blue Teardrops, to name a few.
They have different things going on for each day of the week. Mondays is 15 Minute Karaoke night with amateur comedians gracing the stage, admission is free. Its Funk Disco Party every Tuesdays while DJ Boss Jonesy regularly hosts Wednesday’s Lloyd’s Rocksteady Revue special, admission is free before 9 PM. Thursdays to Saturdays feature non-regular specials with admissions to some of these events being free.
The Star also boasts of having an extensive Elvis collection for fanatics, kind of like a shrine for the king of rock and roll. Aside from the various memorabilia and vintage photos, it also features a kneeler, where fanatics can pay their respects to the music icon and a Presley jukebox, featuring nonetheless, all of his tracks from throughout his career.
Although many previous guests enjoyed their time at the Star, they all found the pricey cover charge – $5 to $15 – a bit off putting. And some of the staff members are also a bit rude and unwelcoming. But nevertheless, if you really are a rocker at heart, or as long as you can withstand the noise, the smoke and the ice cold PBRs coming your way, as long as you’re not Britney Spears, and as long as you have $15 in your pocket, you are very much welcome at The Star Community Bar.
Sweet Lime
Sushi is traditionally composed of rice and vinegar, topped with fresh fish all rolled into a seaweed. This famous Japanese dish has made its way to the US and other non-Asian countries with the addition of avocado, mango and sometimes, cream cheese. US cities like San Francisco, New York and Seattle have already been swept with the sushi phenomenon and have become top cities with the best Americanized and even authentic sushi. In Atlanta however, sushi is not as popular yet but a certain restaurant in the city’s lively Little Five Points neighborhood is slowly becoming famous not only for its take on the famous Japanese rice roll, but also on other Asian dishes like noodles and rice dishes that the Thais, Koreans and other countries from the Orient are known for, and did we mention that they also serve cocktails?
Welcome to Sweet Lime, an Asian fusion restaurant that serves all kinds of famous Asian recipes from sushi to sashimi to beef, pork, chicken, rice, vegetables, and whether you like it spicy or mild, it has everything you need to satisfy that Asian food hankering – plus a cocktail to go down with it.
Sweet Lime’s exteriors are very low key but the interiors are not over the top either but would still attract guests who are looking for a relaxing and wholesome venue for lunch or dinner with friends or family. The lights are dim but not too dark that you won’t see the menu or what you’re eating. The Chinese lanterns truly create a very zen-like atmosphere with the modern furniture keeping up with the times. The collision of the east and west, and the traditional and the modern resulted in a perfect balance of warmth, coziness and positive vibes in every corner of the place.
As mentioned, the menu consists of varied Asian food choices. For appetizers, the green salad or the very healthy Miso soup is a good choice to warm up those guts for the sumptuous meals ahead. Main entrees include shrimp or fish – cooked or raw as in sushi or sashimi, lean meat – your choice of chicken, pork or beef, Asian food essentials such as rice, noodles or tofu, and to complete your nutritional requirements, mixed vegetables.
Their sushi menu consists of Makimono which is a well-known for having different types of ingredients all rolled together and served in sixes, Nigiri which is composed of rice, pressed and not rolled, with your choice of topping and served in pairs, and Sashimi which is simply raw fish and is served in threes. They have more sushi variations in their menu and they also offer sushi specials like the one-dollar sushi which they offer during weekdays, Monday to Thursday before dinner at 6 PM. Their sushi servings would usually cost you around $15, more or less, but is worth every penny.
Arnie, is the restaurant’s bartender. Upon talking to Arnie, we’ve learned that he actually is a graduate from the University of Georgia with a degree in Statistics nonetheless but also has all the stuff that every good bartender is made of – excellent mixing and social skills. The bar “regulars” find him to be very friendly, and not only because it is what his job entails but because he simply is. As for his mixing skills, he is good in martinis, too bad though that Sweet Lime only serves gins, vodkas and beers. But hopefully the restaurant will expand its bar list to keep up with its well varied menu as well as with the other bars in Little Five Points. As for the restaurant’s kitchen team, we learned that the Souz chef is from Guatemala and is closely supervised by the Indonesian head chef. Sweet Lime also has a very hands-on owner, Joe Buddha, who comes by the place every weekend where the place is jam-packed and constantly checks if things in Sweet Lime are in the up and up.
So if you’re tired of the same old atmosphere of the restaurants and bars in Moreland Avenue – lively yet too crowded and a tad rowdy – then come to Euclid Avenue and sample the Asian offerings – yes a bit westernized but still a “must-taste” – that Sweet Lime has to offer. To-go and delivery options are also available.
Psycho Sisters
Still in the hippy and funky Little Five Points lane known as Moreland Avenue, there is a clothing boutique that sits comfortably along this area and is simply more than a consignment shop for staple brands like Levi’s, Banana Republic, Gap or Betsey Johnson.
Psycho Sisters is just as eclectic as the neighborhood where it is located. Aside from used and new staple wardrobe, it also sells vintage and funky clothing accessories, the type when you wear all those stuff together, you’ll look like a close friend or relative of Austin Powers. But these stuff – the vintage and funky wardrobe and accessories – when worn separately or mixed and matched with more modern clothing like a boot cut jean, a sexy tank top and some nice sandals, can give your look a whole new meaning. And if you dig that kind of thing, then you should definitely drop by Psycho Sisters.
The store has two floors. The first floor features all the usual clothing stuff – tops, shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, shoes, sandals, boots and must-see accessories. The second floor is a little bit more dramatic and theatrical – it contains all the kinds of costumes that you will need for any themed party or any season – Halloween, Yuletide – name it and you’ll surely find it.
Many previous customers commend the store for having newly replenished stocks and newly arrived items almost everyday. Although most of the store’s inventory is made up of costumes and vintage and funky wardrobe, many of these customers still think of Psycho Sisters as a valuable store in Little Five Points and a must-visit by both locals and tourists. Not to mention, the store’s staff is very helpful and very friendly. However, their opinion is divided whether the prices of these items are reasonable or a tad pricey. Well maybe that’s something that you should see for yourself when you pay this store a visit.
So get funky and stylish all at the same time by trying on the stuff that Psycho Sisters has to offer – for any age, any dress size, any gender, any style.
Wax n Facts
Moreland Avenue houses the most eclectic and sometimes, the oldest stores in the funky and hippy district of Little Five Points, case in point – the 34-year old physical record store Wax N Facts.
Wax N Facts has been in the business of trading and selling old and new records – vinyl, compact discs, and even cassette tapes – since 1976. Despite the takeover of digital music as the staple audio format since the advent of file sharing and streaming, stores such as this never lost its appeal, well not totally yet. If no major improvements are done with the way they conduct their business, they might just be eaten alive by mp3s and mp4s and worse, by other physical record stores who learned to keep up with the times despite having vintage stuff as its prime commodity.
Of all the physical record formats that have come out, the vinyl have never lost its appeal. As such, Wax N Facts has invested in this particular interest for the wooden disc and began buying and selling both new and used stuff from and for avid and passionate audiophiles. Their stacks are neatly organized as each record is arranged in alphabetical manner according to genre. The new arrivals or newly released albums – whether by an indie or mainstream artist – are placed near the cash register near the store front. But just like other vintage and obscure record stores, the new releases by mainstream artists have already been picked through and most often, the stocks left are very few. But patrons do not come here for those, they come here for the hard to find records – mainstream oldies or vintage, or indie – and most of the time, they come here for the vinyl copies.
Although it has withstood the test of time, the majority of Wax N Facts’ patrons and even first time customers agree that the store needs to keep up with the times. Yes it does have a website, but they do not offer an online shopping option, not even an online updated catalogue of their collection. Although, some really prefer to personally browse through the collection at the store as the time spent in doing so is worth it, it won’t harm the business if they expand e-commercially. All the records, no matter how often they update it and no matter how precious these vintage stuff are, and all their staff, no matter how friendly and thoroughly helpful these guys may be, will all be futile unless they make the necessary advancements in their business, as other vinyl record stores have done.
Stefan’s Vintage Clothing
Not everyone can rock vintage outfits. But everyone can still try to look for something vintage that with the right size and perhaps the right cut and color, can make them appear classically fashionable. And if you’re looking for a new vintage dress for a formal party or simply for those casual boring days, then come to Stefan’s Vintage Clothing along Euclid Avenue.
They’ve got a wide selection of vintage and classic outfits for every age, every gender and every occasion. For the males, they’ve got some nicely tailored suits, tuxedos and dress shirts and pants that are either influenced by the mid-century fashion sense or are simply authentic and were truly tailored during those times. For the more complicated and sophisticated female fashion, they’ve got dresses, gowns, and the staples like pants, blouses and tops springing from the turn of the century until the 1970s. They also have costumes, accessories like the colorful bags from the retro era, and everything classic, retro and vintage that is not one bit tacky or cheap looking.
Stefan’s has been in the business of selling vintage and classic wardrobe since the 1970s. Through the decades, they managed to stay true with the nature of their business while keeping up with the times. Stefan’s has a website and although they do not directly offer an online shopping option, most of the clothes from their store inventory can be bought via Ebay. They offer shipping services and in addition, their website has a short catalogue of some of the clothes that they offer – modeled and worn by real people so you can easily visualize the clothes and have a good idea on what to expect once you step in the store.
The store also boasts of having very knowledgeable and accommodating sales personnel that even previous customers can attest to. So accommodating, they’ll even give you some helpful tips on how to go about in L5P – where to eat, where to hail a cab and other must-see places in the district after your stop at Stefan’s. It has also been said that famous personalities like James Dean, Cary Grant, and other well-known models and musicians have also come here to shop for some hard to find clothing items.
So come to Stefan’s when you’re in Little Five Points, where classic and chic meet. Feast your eyes through their extensive collection of vintage clothing – formal or casual, or browse through their fashion books and you’ll never come out of this store without liking and buying anything.
