Decatur becomes first dine-in location for Glide Pizza in a very familiar West Ponce space

Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Five years after debuting as a pizza window operating out of Irwin Street Field on the Eastside Beltline the first dine-in location of Glide Pizza opened last week in Decatur The pizzeria took over the former Chando s Tacos space on West Ponce also once home to The Pinewood Tippling Room Glide previously operated a pizza window inside Decatur brewery Inner Voice Brewing before its departure in July and continues to operate a takeout window at StudioPlex in the Old Fourth Ward The new location s most of vital changes are an expanded menu full bar and ample seating dedicated to patrons of the pizzeria Seating is sparse and mostly outdoors in the Old Fourth Ward At Inner Voice Glide shared space with the brewery Between the dining room and bar Glide s new West Ponce location accommodates up to people There s even room for an arcade section with a NBA-regulation basketball hoop Related Stories Must-visit restaurants in downtown Decatur More Decatur coverage from Rough Draft Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Founder Rob Birdsong declared he hopes Glide Pizza s first full-fledged restaurant will become a neighborhood hangout for Decatur residents With a design that evokes the space-themed restaurant Pizza Planet from the movie Toy Story sprawling corner booths confident enough to sleep in and a geometric carpet that screams s roller rink it s hard not to feel like you ve teleported back to your childhood Secondary colors like the persimmon benches and Western ranch-themed tile floors give Glide an especially youthful aura in Decatur We ve only ever been a walk-off window Birdsong commented This is the first real opportunity we ve had inviting people into our home Birdsong noted much of the design inspiration for Glide comes from pizza joints of the past such as the dine-in Pizza Huts that featured video games for kids and a bar for adults or the New York City neighborhood spots he frequented as a child Glide s popular pizza ranch is given pride of place amongst the decor in Decatur Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Those places were invariably fun and I had a lot of core memories in my life that would come from those Birdsong noted Part of this is providing that for young families and people who just don t want to do Papa John s and Domino s Unlike its window operations the Decatur restaurant serves an expanded menu and includes a full bar In addition to pizza and salads look for wings mozzarella sticks and meatballs along with frozen drinks simple cocktails beer and wine We don t want to overly complicate things he noted of expanding the menu and offering cocktails in Decatur We want to have variety but we want it to be really good Birdsong will gradually add dishes to the menu as Glide gets up to speed in Decatur In the present the restaurant is operating in soft opening mode Wings are part of the expanded menu in Decatur Courtesy of Gabriella Valladares Birdsong is all about people forging memories at Glide similar to how he remembers pizzerias being part of his life growing up Eventually he plans to regularly host events such as hoops tournaments and introduce semi-private party packages for birthdays and anniversaries just like at Pizza Hut back in the day People are welcome to come in to eat and stay for hours he reported or grab a slice to go at the pizza window up front After five years in business Birdsong is still humbled by the neighborhood help for Glide In a way the Decatur location means Glide has come full circle We ve had such a consistent steady customer base who have continued to backing us and continue to patronize us that now we need a bigger space Birdsong commented of at last opening a dine-in pizzeria In Decatur we can make sure that people have a great experience West Ponce de Leon Avenue Decatur Open Tuesday-Thursday - p m Friday and Saturday noon- p m Sunday noon- p m The post Decatur becomes first dine-in location for Glide Pizza in a very familiar West Ponce space appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta