The Redneck Pasta at Grizzly Pizza isn’t actually pasta, so we might as well address this up front before everyone jumps right in.
However, Nick Karvelas delivered the joke with passion, saying, “It’s really redneck.”
In a moment we will return to that dish and discuss a pizza that uses a Dr. Pepper sauce. Let’s start by thinking about the tale of two brothers who are redefining what it means to have a house split. It typically describes a household in Alabama that has a mix of football allegiances. In some areas of Alabama, it can also refer to the adjacent business ventures run by brothers Nick and Al Karvelas: Fat Al’s Burger Joint on one side and Grizzly Pizza & Wings on the other.
At the end of August 2023, they opened in Atmore. They learned about the industry from their family members who run six pizza restaurants in Georgia. The town of Atmore, which is situated on the opposite side of Alabama and with a population of approximately 8,300, may not seem like a natural spot for them to go on their own.
Having relatives there was one of the things that drew them in. They also opened just in time to join the revitalization that has made downtown Atmore a very charming place to go, complete with a renovated theater from a century ago, murals illuminating public areas, a restaurant that has become a regional attraction for foodies, and a number of boutique stores.
With their crowd-pleasing cuisine and laid-back vibe, Fat Al’s and Grizzly’s fit right in. In addition, they have some really amusing murals of their own. Want to witness Tony Montana in full-on “hello, my little friend” mode, but with an army of robots and a gigantic pizza slice in his hands? Visit Atmore.
I’m not able to explain it. However, in the short time it takes for your food to arrive at the table, it provides you with something more entertaining to look at than your phone.
The menu on Fat Al’s side adheres to the smashburger custom of keeping things straightforward. Burgers come in single, double, or triple portions. Iconic (ketchup, mustard, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion), Classic (house burger sauce, cheese, lettuce, and pickles), and Cowboy (BBQ sauce, cheese, bacon, onion straws, and jalapenos) are the options available. The cost of a combo is between $11 and $16. Any order you place will arrive at the table in a simple white paper bag.
The Patty Melt Smash was my choice. It’s a delicious variant with grilled onions, cheese, and burger sauce on top. You could stack three of these without straining your teeth to take a bite, proving that they are ultra-smashed to perfection. There are a few possibilities for fried chicken sandwiches. It’s probably best that they don’t smash those.
The menu at Grizzly, next door, is larger but not particularly intricate: Pizzas in only two sizes (12 and 15), wings and tenders with a variety of house-made sauces, and a single crust style (thin but not super-thin). As you might anticipate, the pre-made options include chicken, bacon ranch, meat lovers, buffalo, and supreme. Some of the mini pizzas start at $14.99, while the giant supreme costs $26.99.
These pizzas are solid: The toppings are ample and of excellent quality, and the crust has character. Even though they might not completely alter the pizza recipe, they are executed with attention to detail and the occasional innovation, such the supreme’s inclusion of both black and green olives. You leave with the impression that you had a freshly prepared, artisan pizza at almost fast food speed. It’s a victory.
Recently, Grizzly Pizza opened in Daphne, and soon, a Fat Al’s will open next door. The Karvelas brothers found certain things that worked at Atmore, as evidenced by the fact that they are already growing after only two years of business.
According to Nick Karvelas, “our wings would really put us on the map.” A large part of it is that we receive an extremely costly, high-quality wing. Nothing is frozen; everything is new. Ten house-made wing sauces are then available, along with ranch and bleu cheese to accompany them. Just the ranch itself is so good that people will come in and buy it.
To put things in context, we sell about 1,000 pounds of chicken per week in Atmore alone, Al Karvelas stated. We go through a lot of chicken, after all.
Nick Karvelas stated, “We kind of call ourselves fried chicken experts.” We believe that we have mastered the recipe for delicious wings, fries, and ranch, and we have carried it over to the pizza. Our chicken tenders are served on our best-selling pizzas.
According to Al Karvelas, our best-selling pizza includes fried chicken on it, and our best-selling fried chicken is also our best-selling item.
It’s a good idea to identify certain things that work and then use them to your full potential. Redneck Pasta just introduced it to the menu in this manner.
Al Karvelas stated, “We were just considering possibly doing some new stuff.” Even though everyone enjoys spaghetti, the restaurant doesn’t serve it. “Well, what if we use French fries and call it Redneck Pasta?” Nick asked. I thought, “I don’t know, but that sounds like a really great idea.”
Pasta isn’t it. Whatever you name loaded fries, it’s difficult to argue with them. These are available in three different flavors: chicken parm, buffalo ranch, and chicken bacon ranch. Each costs $10.49 and serves as a substantial dinner for one person or a snack that can be shared by multiple people.
Making the most of what you have also led to the creation of Grizzly’s signature pie, the Bama Blitz. It’s packed with bacon and chopped chicken tenders, but one of the sauces made for Grizzly’s wings is what makes it truly unique.
According to Nick Karvelas, we developed a handmade Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. Although there are many components, the foundation is your typical barbecue sauce, which includes ketchup, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar. After that, we add a variety of spices, pour in two liters of Dr. Pepper, and boil it for an hour on the burner.
The Bama Blitz has a distinct scent that combines barbecue sauce, pizza toppings, and other ingredients. As you might anticipate, the Dr. Pepper adds a lot of sweetness. It tastes more like a glaze than a sauce, with a savory undertone present behind the sweetness. Pickle slices help balance out the acidic sweetness and prevent it from being too sugary.
Will it be well received by everyone? No. But it s one of those sneaky things that, for many, will seem weird-but-not-bad at first and then gradually leave you wanting more.
It s available now in Atmore and at the brand-new location in Olde Towne Daphne. Daphne is maybe not the most logical spot for a second location, in that it s an hour s drive from Atmore, but it s kind of a homecoming for the Karvelas brothers. They spent part of their childhood there. Nick, who s now 32, was in middle and high school at the time; Al, now 26, was in elementary school.
I think part of it is just the fact that we already knew about it, said Al Karvelas. Daphne, especially old town Daphne, we were just really intrigued by it. It was a really cool area. A really big, popular, busy area. And also with our two-restaurant concept, it worked out great. This building is two restaurants with two separate kitchens. It just kind of fit our model perfect. (The location, at 1709 Main St., was long the home of dual-concept restaurants Guido s and Cousin Vinny s.)
It made sense for us business wise, it made sense for our concept, said Nick Karvelas. But then you also add the backstory and the history of us living here and walking through this area, when I was a kid, and eating here. When I was a kid, our mom worked at some of the restaurants here in Olde Towne as a waitress. A full circle moment is the term we keep using.
It s a family effort: The brothers say Nick s wife, Alexis, and Al s wife, Abbie, are an integral part of the business.
But the brotherly bond is at the heart of it. I think for me, I really rely on Nick s leadership, said Al Karvelas. Obviously we fought [as kids], but especially in our adult lives and now our careers, I think us doing it together has made it way more fun for me. Way more exciting. And I look at it as being fortunate. You know, I have someone there to back me up and help me out. Hopefully I can do the same for him.
We re brothers, but we ve also done really well with give and take and working together, said Nick Karvelas. It s been the number one key to our success.
We definitely don t deal with anything ego-related or jealousy-related, said Al Karvelas. We just want each other to be successful, so we try not to let anything get in the way.
A house divided? Not really. Maybe they should call it a menu divided. But even there, the brothers are on the same page.
The restaurants we do, the food we make, is where we would like to go, said Nick Karvelas. So that s kind of how the restaurant is set up. The food that you eat from us is the food that we eat.
Fat Al s burger Joint and Grizzly s Pizza & Wings are located at 102 W. Church St. in Atmore and 1709 Main St in Daphne. They re open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week. For menus, online ordering and more information, visitwww.thegrizzlypizza.com.
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