Portland is known for many things, but, sadly, pizza is not one of them. This native New Yorker has found Portland's pizza offerings to be woefully inadequate, so to say that Atomic Pizza is something to get excited about is the highest form of praise.
Opinions vary on what makes a good slice of pizza, but there are three criteria that most people can agree on. First and foremost, the pizza's sauce should taste like something, and this is an area in which many pizzerias fall short. Ideally, the sauce will be a bright orangey-red and be easily distinguishable from the other ingredients. Pizza sauce should be distinctly tomatoey, with a bit of sweetness and garlicky undertones.
Second is the pizza dough, which should be crunchy throughout the length of the slice and able to support the weight of the cheese. You should be able to hold the slice with one hand, with perhaps a bit of droop near the tip. The pizza slice should not be soft and floppy.
Last but certainly not least is the cheese, which you should be able to bite through. The cheese should not come off the whole slice in one thick sheet at the first nibble, and it should hold its position on the pizza and not slide down toward the tip like goopy lava. While not mandatory, the cheese string that extends from your mouth to the slice after a bite is a sign of good cheese consistency.
Atomic Pizza hits the mark on all three criteria. The menu offers pizza by the slice and build-your-own pies with the standard choices for meat and vegetable toppings. It also includes Portland-themed specialty pies; some locals are fond of the Palms, made with barbecue marinara sauce, grilled chicken, bacon, pineapple, and jalapeno. Atomic also offers calzones, and the lunch menu features meatball, Italian, and veggie sub sandwiches.
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The interior is somewhat smallish, but Atomic also has outdoor seating. Atomic Pizza also serves beer and wine. This pizza lover would be ecstatic if the good folks at Atomic would try their hand at a Sicilian pizza, a rare thing in Portland.
Atomic Pizza
2150 North Killingsworth St.
503-285-5490
Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Sunday 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
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