Five Points Pizza

Pizza is a staple in the diet of many Americans, and the city of Nashville has no shortage of options to satisfy your cravings for a hot, cheesy pie. Five Points is probably one of the more well-known pizza restaurants in town. It serves pizzas NY style with daily scratch-made, aged-in-house, hand-tossed dough which is baked in old-school gas-fired deck ovens.

There are two locations, one in West Nashville and another in East (which was unfortunately destoryed in the recent tornado but will hopefully be back up and running soon!). I recently visited the West Nashville location (which has its own parking lot!) for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at how well my experience lived up to the hype.

The menu offers the typical options you find at pizza places – garlic knots, salads, strombolis, and of course, plenty of pizzas. The whole pies come in sizes of either 14″ or 18,” and prices vary depending on the toppings; you can get a 14″ plain cheese for $14 or splurge on an 18″ like the, “Habanero Cream Sauce Pie,” composed of house-made habenero cream sauce in place of tomato suace, bacon, oven-roasted tomatoes, red onions, fresh basil, and fresh & shredded mozzarella for $26. Other specialites include the, “Meatball Pie,” with sliced meatballs, red onions, garlic, fresh & shredded mozzarella, and tomato sauce on top, or the, “Pesto Pie,” with house-made walnut pesto, mushrooms, red onions, artichokes, and fresh & shredded mozzarella.

You may also order pizza by the slice which is a great option if you are dining alone, or if you are pickier than your friends and don’t want the same toppings they are having. “By the Slice” options are cut from 20″ pies and include cheese for $3.75, pepperoni for $4, prosciutto & basil for $5, the veggie slice of the day for $4.25, or the meat slice of the day for $4.50.

I went for lunch with a couple of my friends, so we got to take advantage of the lunch special, as well as avoid the crowd the restaurant is known for during dinner hours. Lunch specials are offered on weekdays from 11-2; they cost $9 and include a drink. You can choose between two slices of pizza, a half order of garlic knots & a salad, or one slice of pizza & a salad.

We all chose the pizza & salad combo bc #balance, and I got the veggie slice of the day which was the, “Pepper Party,” topped with red, green, & banana peppers, feta cheese, oil, & shredded mozzarella (pictured above). I usually prefer thick crust pizzas with red sauce, and I typically don’t fancy banana peppers. So, I was a little unsure of how I was going to like it. However, the thin crust, combined with the fact that there was no sauce, allowed me to really taste the flavors of the cheeses & toppings, and everything truly balanced out perfectly. The banana peppers added a nice sweet & sour kick, and the feta cheese simply took it over the edge. The crust was crisp, yet somehow still soft, and not at all overly baked which is hard to find in thin crust pizzas. I would definitely order this again.

Along with my slice, I got the arugula salad (see photo above) which was composed of arugula topped with house-cured orange peel, walnuts, grape tomatoes, & feta cheese with lemon vinaigrette dressing on the side. I don’t like walnuts or tomatoes, so my salad turned out to be pretty plain, but the taste of the dressing made up for any flavors that might have been missing due to the lack of toppings. I am very picky when it comes to salad dressings, and it was honestly one of the best I’ve had.

One of my friends tried the meat of the day slice which was the, “Hot Hawaiian,” composed of spicy capicola, pineapple, jalapeno, red sauce, & shredded mozzarella. She said it definitley lived up to its name and had to pick off some of the hot peppers, but she also thought the pineapple balanced out the heat nicely and said she would order it again. My other friend went with a classic slice of pepporoni, along with the spinach & gorgonzola salad which was complete with baby spinach, mushrooms, red onions, walnuts, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, & mediterranean feta dressing (pictured below). She also stated both the pizza and salad were delicious and something she would order again.

If you are like me and need something sweet to finish off your meal, the menu offers cannolis for $4 each. I was too full to try one the day I went, but I will defintiely be back to sample one of these italian delicacies soon.

There are plenty of places you can go to get lunch for under $10, but I highly doubt it will include a delicious slice of pizza bigger than your head, a flavorful salad, and a drink. This is a true deal. Go take advantage of it for yourself, and see what everyone is raving about! Your taste buds deserve it.