Kind Pie

Bummer. Kind Pie is closing shop temporarily to find a bigger space. Could take 1 month… could take more. Not sure what I will do without my weekly sammy from Kind Pie… still one of the best sammy’s in town… without a doubt. But maybe he’ll land in a spot that has some parking… bonus!
Stay tuned and check his website to see where he lands… selfishly let’s make it Buckhead for my lunch options…

I know a Unilocaler or two that wasn’t too happy with Kind Pie. They question the level of customer service provided here. I’ve heard them mention a certain amount of… inflexibility on the part of the owner. However, one person’s inflexibility is another’s sign of commitment and boy howdy, they’re committed over at the Kind Pie. They’re committed to fresh ingredients, organic products and as few artificial flavors as they can manage. Your trade-​off? Well, it’s not exactly the quickest order you’ve ever made. A sandwich may take 10 – 15 minutes to prepare. But he’s doing it all right there in front of you, chopping your veggies, heating your meats; it’s not necessarily a mystery as to what’s taking so long.
Same thing with the pizza. You watch as he pulls the dough out of the cooler, stretches and manipulates it on the counter, preparing each topping individually. It can take a while, but I’ve learned not to come here expecting fast food. I come expecting good food which I get in spades.
I’ve had a few sandwiches here, all good (though the Mushy is my fav.) The wife finally had her turn at a gluten-​free pie and was over the moon. I tried it and it was nearly indistinguishable from a gluten-​laden pie (unlike those I’ve had at the now gone Pizza Fusion.) OK, so I can’t get a Diet Coke here. (In fact, the only Coke product you can get is of the Mexican, no HFCS variety.) So when I eat healthful, natural foods, my liver and kidneys wonder what they’ve done to deserve a day off. That’s ok. Even though I’ve got so much grease and oil in my veins when my cardiologist refers to my BP, he means British Petroleum and not «blood pressure,» I can still dig a fresh, good meal. Yeah, the owner can be a little Soup Nazi-​ish about his product, but hey, people lined up for blocks for his soup, y’know. And if you let him just do his thing (the Kind Pie, not the Soup Nazi), he’s a real nice guy.
Pick a slow mid-​afternoon. Stop by. (Um, don’t walk in through the door though.) Order a pie or a sandwich. Chit chat through the window. You’ll be glad you did.

My pie was very kind to my tummy tonight! Before this, I was crazy about Antico, but one thing I didn’t like about their pizzas was that it «perspired» too much. maybe it’s from the veges, I dunno. but this place had the crust, taste, and moisture down to a perfect art. My dining partner likes meat-​lovers usually, so we got the Big Al, and boy were we quite happy w/​our choice! I can’t remember all the meats on there, but I just remember saying again and again, «what lovely ingredients»…I probably sounded like a broken record after a while, but it’s so true, the ingredients are wonderfully high-​quality. At first I thought it would be uncomfortable sitting at the small tables and chairs outside, but it really just made the experience more unique. I like the owner’s take-​out window concept too. Makes it even more of a «hole in the wall». I’ll be back and will be telling everybody about it too! and thanks to the chef for italian cookies at the end of our meal! what a great treat!

Walk right up, chat with the chef, chill out, and receive the perfect pie! This has been my first bite of pizza in months, and it was divine… the gluten free pie I ordered had a crunchy and chewy crust, loads of flavor, wasn’t too salty and enough to feed 2 people for sure.
This place made my day, week, month… wish there was good g-​f pizza like this in chicago. Atlanta celiacs, unless you’re lactose intolerant or vegan, get in your car and drive to Kind Pie now ;)

I went there for one of his sandwiches, and it was huge! Awesome! Plus I loved that he was playing the James Brown Station via Pandora while I waited. Great spot!

Love love love this spot! After going there once, I went nearly everyday for a week and continue to frequent the spot. Sandwiches are supreme, I’ve tried the tuna and the «beansy» which is a vegetarian choice. The pizza… BEST IN ATLANTA (maybe ever).

These sandwiches are the truth. Some of the finest ingredients you’ll ever have on such a mammoth sandwich. Cast aside the shackles of Subway and get on the Kind Pie train. The owner is a really nice guy and his food is first rate. Can’t wait to try the pizzas and some of the other dishes. Be forewarned, take out is really your only option right now and parking can be tricky.

I’m always pumped when a great new food spot opens up in Atlanta. But I get down right ecstatic when one opens up within walking distance of my house, as I usually have to leave Buckhead to get my favorite meals in town. So, you can imagine my reaction when I heard about The Kind Pie.
Brought to my attention almost simultaneously by everyone’s Foodie Buddha and Mrs. Glutton, I immediately knew that I had to check this place out. Considering that Buddha is usually the critical Yin to my too-​easily-​impressed Yang, the fact that he was so excited about the place was encouraging.
I dig the philosophy behind The Kind Pie, and I highly recommend that you check out their website to get the full background. Here is the nutshell-​version: Carefully sourced, all organic, high-​quality, awesome ingredients that make for a badass pie.
There is another well-​known Pizza guy that claims that his «better ingredients» make for «better pizza». The difference is that the proprietor of The Kind Pie isn’t full of shit when he says it.
The menu isn’t limited to just pizza. In fact, the sandwiches and pastas take up more menu real estate than the pies, and though I only sampled a few of them, the non-​pizza fare seems to be just as good as their namesake.
Some aspects of this restaurant are definitely «non-​traditional», and you should plan accordingly. Here are some pointers that will make your first trip more enjoyable:
1– There is no indoor seating, and only 2 small patio tables outside. The entire interior of the place is the kitchen. You order through the walk up window and they hand you your food through the door.
2– This is a one-​man shop, though he sometimes has a helper during peak hours, and he makes all of the food to order. This makes for good grub, but also long waits, especially if this place starts becoming more popular. You should expect at least a 20 – 30 minute wait for your food to be ready. You’ve been warned. I honestly don’t know how they are going to handle things if they see the same sudden spike in popularity that another ATL «take out only» pizza joint saw. Hopefully, he can adapt.
3– Their menu is available online, and I’d recommend calling your order in ahead of time if you don’t feel like walking around the heart of Buckhead for half an hour.
4– They are open until 4AM on weekends and they deliver if you live close enough, which I do. Na-​na na-​na boo-​boo, stick your head in doo-​doo.
I was downright nervous about my first meal here, because I wanted, so badly, for this to be amazing. However, the realist in me kept reminding myself to be objective. I didn’t want my desire for an awesome pizza joint so close by to overshadow the actual quality of the food.
Fortunately for all of us, the realist in me is a moron. ‘Cause this stuff was awesome.
I credit his dedication to high quality ingredients for said awesomeness. For example, they use 100% Buffalo Milk Mozzarella, San Marzano (DOP) tomatos, all natural Angus ground beef (or White Oak Pastures grass-​fed), and house made Berkshire Pork Sweet Sausage. Dude roasts Berkshire pork for 7 hours in there EVERY DAY. As you can tell, a lot of care goes into the ingredients, and it shows in the final product.
The ONLY complaint that I have, and one that I have heard from more than one person, is about the verbage used on the menu. For lack of a better word, it is a little… cheesedick. Everything has a «clever» and mostly Italian names such as «Harry Bag of Frickin’ Donuts» and «Jimmy The Cheeseman». I’ve just seen that a few too many times to not grow a little cynical about it. Frankly, I don’t give a damn what he calls the food there, as long as it is good. And that is such a minor point, I feel silly even bringing it up… but still… I’m just sayin’.
Now, onto the real reason why I loved The Kind Pie: THE BIG AL!
SWEET BABY JESUS, this was a damn good pie.
Piled onto this bad boy was their house made Berkshire Pork Sweet Sausage, pepperoni, speck, Prosciutto di Parma, meatball, house made roast pork, and extra cheese. I literally just had to slap myself after writing that sentence because I was getting too worked up.
This is a symphony of meaty goodness. While I could definitely pick out the flavors of the speck, meatball, and roast pork, the Berkshire Pork Sweet Sausage completely stole the show. With every bite, I kept coming back to the sausage. It is frickin’ great, and was the most poignant example of the impact that The Kind Pie’s attention to ingredients has on their final product. The four of us attacked this pizza, followed by a chorus of eye-​rolls, oh-my-god’s, and wow’s.
If you can’t tell, I wholeheartedly endorse The Kind Pie. Obviously, this has been based off a single visit, and if they start serving crap, maybe I’ll post a revision. I just can’t keep my trap shut about it long enough to wait, so I’m sticking my neck out. Go now!

Note: preliminary review.
For the freaks who bow down at and swear by the altar of pizza called «Antico», this spot might not be your «slice of pie» so to speak. And also, you have to wait 20 – 30 minutes for your pizza here– the cooking method is completely different. So keep that in mind when you come try this place (and you should!).
BUT. If you like thin crust that is UNburnt, slightly wet in the center, perfectly crispy on the ends, and not too bready, Kind Pie is worth a shot (or two)! ALSO, if you like seasoned, roast pork on your pizza (roasted for 7 hours, as per the chef himself), you MUST come here.
We tried two flavors of pizza–
1) «Margarita» $ 15– yea, I know it’s not spelled like it is at Antico– deal with it. Buffalo Mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Red Sauce, Diced Fresh Roma Tomato, and Fresh Basil. Not bad, not bad. Not necessarily spectacular (I would’ve preferred some garlic on this pie), but worth it. (3)
2) «Big Al… aka Sal» $ 22. Pepperoni, House Made Berkshire Pork Sweet Sausage, Speck, Proscuitto di Parma, Meatball, Roast Pork, and Extra Cheese. The mix of meat on this pie was awesome. The great thing about the mix of meat is that the flavors of the meat do NOT blend together into some mishmash– you can distinctly taste each kind of meat. All kinds of awesome. Just because of that I’d get this one again. (4)
A note on their ingredients:
Everything is organic, except for their yeast. :) And for the Antico freaks, yes they use San Marzano (DOP) tomatoes for their sauce. For details, see here:
So why just a 3 star rating (more like a 3.5)? For one, it’s a bit shilly in here. The pizza is good– but besides the eclectic meat mix, it didn’t blow me away. I will come back and perhaps try their sandwiches next time. I think this place has staying potential in a seemingly cursed block in the center of Buckhead.
ps. For parking, park across from the Hi-​Fi Buys in the back of the lot, as if you were going to Café Agora.