A Vegan Pizzeria Is Replacing the Little Five Points Zesto Location

Vegan pizzeria Pizza Verdura Sincera is replacing the Little Five Points location of Zesto on the corner of Moreland and Euclid, the Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported. It joins two other pizzerias in the neighborhood: Savage Pizza to the north and Cameli’s Pizza to the south along Moreland.

According to the restaurant’s website, David Smith and Paul Jones, who own commercial real estate firm Trowbridge Partners, want to create vegan pizzas that “feel authentically Italian” using “natural ingredients” to bring what they say is an “absence of high-quality plant-sourced pizza” to Atlanta.

The menu for Pizza Verdura Sincera features classic Neapolitan-style pies, like a margherita made with vegan cheese and San Marzano tomato sauce and a pizza topped with a vegan and Mexican vegan cheese blend, spicy vegan chorizo, hot peppers, and roasted corn. Dessert includes non-dairy gelato pies from Atlanta-based Revolution Gelato.

Smith and Jones are no strangers to the Atlanta restaurant scene. The pair’s portfolio of deals feature well-known restaurants like El Super Pan at Ponce City Market, Farm Burger, and Biltong Bar and securing locations for Poke Burri, Lifting Noodles Ramen, and El Burro Pollo.

Pizza Verdura Sincera won’t be the first vegan pizzeria to open in Atlanta. In 2019, Plant Based Pizzeria opened on Barnett Street on the edge of Virginia-Highland, followed by a second location in Sandy Springs last January. Bear Pizzeria, owned by Brandon and Maja Covington, offers vegan pizzas for pickup and delivery, for dine-in at local breweries and pop-ups, or for purchase frozen.

The Little Five Points Zesto temporarily closed in May 2021 after a large tree fell on the building following two days of heavy rain and severe storms. No one was injured, but the damage to the 58-year-old iconic burger and soft serve ice cream joint was done. Zesto vice president Leigh Ann Livaditis told Eater at the time that the company was assessing the damage to determine when to reopen, but ultimately decided to close the location permanently in December 2021 and list the property for sale.

Zesto locations are still open in East Atlanta, Buckhead, Forest Park, and Tryone. The Buckhead location was listed for sale by the Livaditis family in April due to an uptick in crime in the area, according to reporting by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.