Italian Essentials and Local Ingredients for Phenomenal Napoletana Pizzas in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward

When making true Napoletana-style pizzas, dough and sauce are key factors. Ammazza owners, the brothers Connerty, are ready and are importing essential ingredients such as "00" flour from Italy's Campania region. For meat and produce toppings, sustainable and local are best for a short commute from field through a wood-fired oven to hand-tossed heaven at 591 Edgewood Avenue.

Ammazza's Italian street food-inspired dishes go beyond 16-inch pizzas ($19-$22) to antipasto selections including house-made meatballs, insalata di limone and a classic meat and cheese board ($6-$10). Desserts ($3-$6) include cannolis, citrus-ricotta cream-filled sfogliatelle, flourless chocolate Torta Caprese and little dough balls of pasta fritta con canella. Pizza examples are Ammazzare with artisan Italian sausage, roasted peppers, Vidalia onion, fresh basil, tomato and house mozzarella; Terra topped with house mozzarella, wild mushrooms, goat cheese and truffle oil; prosciutto with roasted artichokes, fresh basil and house mozzarella; and Inferno with spicy sopressata, house mozzarella, tomatoes and Calabria peppers.

Fast and casual, Ammazza also hosts a full-service bar, bottled and draft beers, plus house-made limoncellos and Sprecher's gourmet sodas on tap.  Rustic warehouse digs, reclaimed wood and a skylight set the backdrop for small tables and two 16-foot communal tables big enough for the whole crowd. Open at 5 p.m. nightly for dinner and staying open through midnight Sunday - Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Plenty of parking in adjacent lot.