2837 Cahaba Road, Mountain Brook Village
879-8603
Dine in or carry out. Video games for the kids. Our favorite pizza in Birmingham. No fancy gourmet toppings here. The sauce is more tangy than zesty, with a thin crust, and what we think is provolone cheese rather than the usual stringy mozzarella. Cooked in old-fashioned pizza ovens and cut in squares rather than wedges, this is great pizza. Don't go too heavy on watery veggie toppings, or it will get mushy. We recommend the sausage. Pet peeve is they use canned mushrooms instead of fresh. Voted Best Pizza (Non-Chain) by Birmingham News readers in 2002.

2 Dexter Ave. (Crestline Village)
414-7878
www.mafiaozas.com/birmingham
The second location for the Nashville-based eatery with a Mafia theme, this is popular with families, offering play pizza dough for the kids. A July 2008 City Scene review said "the food here is solidly good," with "delicious pastas [that] are cooked al dente," "inventive" pizzas, fresh salads, appetizers that are "unusual and tasty," and a wine list with wines not only new to Birmingham, but to the U.S., and a full bar.