With locations in New York City, Nashville, Louisville, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the rapidly expanding Detroit-style pizza concept Emmy Squared recently opened its first Atlanta location on Bill Kennedy Way in Glenwood Park.
The brick storefront space was formerly home to the Shed, which closed last year in the midst of the pandemic. An interior redesign opened up the dining room, resulting in a lighter and brighter atmosphere, with warm wood tones, and a variety of seating options, including an outdoor patio. Though it’s been updated, too, the long bar that was a signature of the Shed remains, serving contemporary cocktails and a wide selection of beer, wine and spirits.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
The mainstay of the menu is nine red sauce and eight white sauce pizzas, which are described as having a “square shape, crispy bottom, fluffy dough, cheesy ‘frico’ crust and signature sauce stripes.”
The fan favorite is the Colony Squared, a red pizza with a spicy-sweet combination of pepperoni, pickled jalapenos, and honey. The new signature white pizza is a tribute aptly named the Shed. It takes on a bit of a Southern flavor, with fried green tomato, “zia” cheese, bacon jam, and green onions.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
The menu doesn’t stop at pizza, though. There are starter plates, with cheesy garlic sticks, eggplant Parm, and wings, plus four different salads, including a deconstructed Caesar with hearts of romaine and anchovy dressing. And look for chicken Parm and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, too, along with waffle fries that can be loaded with chopped cheese.
The hefty Le Big Matt is another Emmy Squared claim to fame, since being named best burger in several city competitions, including New York and Nashville. It’s stacked with two grass-fed beef patties, melty American cheese, house “Sammy Sauce,” greens and pickles on a pretzel bun. If that isn’t enough, you can add bacon.
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
During a phone call, Emmy Squared co-founder Emily Hyland noted that she has lived in the New York tri-state area her entire life, but will be moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, to open a new restaurant there.
Hyland and her partner Matt Hyland originally opened a mom-and-pop pizza spot in Brooklyn in 2016. That venture was successful beyond her wildest dreams, she said. Later, after piquing the interest of investors, Hyland teamed up with CEO and partner Howard Greenstone, who helped turn Emmy Squared into a national restaurant group.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
“I’ve always loved eating pan pizza, and I love the ‘frico’ crust, with the fried cheese crisp edge, especially in a bar pie,” Hyland said, explaining the inspiration for the concept. “So we knew we wanted pizza. We knew we wanted it cooked in a pan. And that was Detroit-style pizza.”
Asked about the rapid expansion of Emmy Squared, Hyland laughed, and replied, “That is an understatement.”
“We didn’t really have the vision or the expectation that it would go anywhere beyond New York,” she allowed. “But as Howard came in and saw the power of the brand, and the deliciousness of the food, and the core values of the company, he took on the mission to expand and evolve the organization.”
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
Hyland is a writer and a poet, and taught English in New York City schools for many years. But during the pandemic, she’s been teaching virtual pizza-making classes through Goldbelly.
“That’s been a whole other thing,” she said. “We ship people these really great kits, and they make pizza from scratch with me online. But Goldbelly has been a godsend. We signed on with them during the holiday season, before the pandemic, so we were already established, and that became a lifeline for us.”
Credit: Mia Yakel
Credit: Mia Yakel
DINING OUT
4-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays; 4-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 4-9 p.m. Sundays. Bar opens at 4 p.m. Takeout or delivery (chopped salads and pizzas), 12-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays.
Indoor dining, outdoor patio dining, pickup. Order online for takeout or delivery. Pre-ordering available. Staff wears masks. Masks highly encouraged for customers.
475 Bill Kennedy Way SE, Atlanta. 470-610-0100, emmysquaredpizza.com/location/glenwood-atlanta-georgia/.
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