Eat Athens: Venture off of the beaten path to find this unbeatable pizza place

What's the best pizza place in Athens? That's a question that could never really be answered, especially when folks start bringing up the names of restaurants that aren't around anymore. And even if Gumby's gets your vote, there'll be someone right behind you that'll say theirs was the absolute worst. To avoid any potential arguments, the best course of action is to just find what tastes the best to you.

For this reporter, that place is Peppino's Pizzeria, located at 950 Whitehall Rd. Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, Peppino's has spent more than two decades on the eastside of Athens honing its slices to perfection.

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Originally opened in 2001, Peppino's is owned by Joe Cortese, who ran a location in downtown Athens before relocating to Whitehall Road. Cortese is the son of Italian immigrants and learned the pizzeria trade in Brooklyn, New York in his early teens. Since Peppino's is about 6 miles from downtown and there aren't any other restaurants in the immediate area, Cortese's shop is something of a hidden gem in the local culinary scene.

Though its modest design can be easy to miss during the day, Peppino's truly comes alive when you step inside it, as the neon lights bathe the interior in red, white and green and the stone and tile surfaces give off an old-world feel juxtaposed with a busy metropolitan pace. When the Banner-Herald visited for lunch, menus were stacked in the big dining area and we placed our order at the front counter.

If pizza isn't your thing, Peppino's offers a wide variety of pasta dishes; grilled, hot or cold sub sandwiches; salads; Stromboli; and, calzone. For those who will be going just to see how Peppino's slices stack up against the competition, there are options that range from the standard pepperoni and cheese or veggie to Bianca style, à la Romania and Fresca di Bari, all available on thin or thick crust.

We took advantage of the two-slice lunch special, which is served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday only. For $9.99 plus tax, we were able to get two of Peppino's signature large thin crust Neopolitan slices with one topping each and a fountain drink. We chose jalapenos for the first slice and fresh tomatoes for the second, but the star of the show is the uniquely sweet marinara sauce that puts this pizza place above all others in Athens.

To view the full menu at Peppino's, visit peppinos.wixsite.com/athens/menu.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Find the perfect slice at this eastside pizzeria