The pizza void left when Avellino’s closed in Decatur last month will soon be filled.
Ben Horgan will open Detroit-style pizzeria Corner Slice in the former 1,082-square-foot Avellino’s space at 902 W. College Ave. this September. The deal was brokered by Steve Josovitz of the Schumacher Group, who represented the seller.
Horgan, the former general manager of Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards and a partner at the Comet Pub & Lanes, both in Decatur, said he hopes Corner Slice recreate the “old-school neighborhood pizza places” he grew up with.
The menu will feature pies with “crispy crust all around the edges,” Horgan said, as well as wings, salads and sandwiches. Because the space was already a pizzeria, Horgan said, not much work needs to be done to the building. Horgan, who started his career at the now-shuttered Everybody’s Pizza in Emory Village, anticipates seating for about 40 guests both inside and outside.
Luigi Rienzo, the owner of Avellino’s, closed the restaurant last month after 14 years to focus on the Avellino’s location in Brookhaven and other real estate investments, according to Josovitz. The space “went under contract within one day of listing with dozens of backup offers and interested parties banging down our doors,” Josovitz said in a prepared statement.
The retail development on College Avenue where Corner Slice will be located is also home to Revolution Doughnuts and beer shop Ale Yeah. Also set to open in the coming weeks is Tortuga y Chango, a restaurant from Alan Raines and Sam Eaves that will focus on mezcal drinks and dishes from El Tesoro kitchen manager/chef Hugo Suastegui’s hometown of Acapulco, Mexico.
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