Cosmo's Pizza

Ironically this was probably my 4-5 trip to Cosmo's, but I have never had the pizza! We came for the brunch on our first trip and keep coming back for that.

For Sunday brunch, it is always crowded, but we have never had to wait. They were at capacity this time, but one table was being used as a work station. So they cleared that off for us to be able to sit.

First and foremost, I love a Bloody Mary bar. It gives me the opportunity to make it just like I like. I do wish there were more mix options than the Zing Zang. But they make up with it with the choices of veggies and hot sauces. Including Wickles okra to soak up your vodka concoction.

I have had the Eggs Nola on a few occasions. It is just one of those items that really appeal to my taste with an alligator sausage eggs benny. This time I wanted a biscuit, some runny eggs, and more of that sausage! So I went with the combo breakfast. Everything was delicious. Eggs were cooked perfectly and the sausage was very good. They even had a homemade fig preserve that was outstanding for the biscuit.

This trip, it seemed to take FOREVER for our food. So when the food finally came, I was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture. You would be surprised how often that happens! But since that is the only time that has happened AND I got to enjoy an extra bloody, it certainly won't be held against them.

Cosmo's was a fun time! We got there just as they opened for Saturday brunch. The staff was very accommodating by letting us push two tables together for our large group.

We started off with some "Stick and Sauce" AKA bread sticks and marinara sauce. The marinara sauce was hot, which I enjoyed. We got a pitcher of Mimosas for the table and then placed our order.

The food was great! I had a had the Eggs Blackstone and a coffee. The Eggs Blackstone was a variation of eggs Benedict that had the Canadian bacon subbed out for maple bacon and a fresh slice of tomato. I would recommend going on a Saturday if you have a larger group (+4) as I've heard Sundays are very busy.

There's no other place where you can't get alligator sausage pizza! The pizzas are delicious, customizable, and for $24, I carried home a giant pizza enough to feed me for 5 meals. The atmosphere is lovely. It's pizza meet hipster. The interior includes an aquarium and there is some outdoor seating. The restaurant is easy to miss as it's tucked behind the more noticeable restaurants in Five Points but once you locate it, it's impossible to miss again.

Refrigerator Test: I can't taste anything after it being in the fridge for 2 days. The essence of marinara sauce still lingers!

I really like this place. Yet I don't really know why. Maybe it's the friendly owner Lisa that always welcomes you with a smile or a hug if she knows you. Maybe it's the quaint, cozy atmosphere that's never too crowded, never too scarce. Maybe it's the terrific pizza I sink my teeth in every time my date and I come here. Or maybe it's the live music here on Friday nights. Not quite sure why I like this place. I can't narrow it down to one particular reason. There are several. Try Cosmo's out. I think you will leave with a satisfied palate, and a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart knowing you supported a locally owned small business.

First off, the food at Cosmo's is top notch. Don't let the mediocre rating deter you if you're looking for a great meal- this is some of the best food in Five Points.

I usually come here for Sunday brunch. There are two times to do brunch on Sundays at Cosmo's- right at 11:00, before the church crowd gets out, and after 1:00. Anything in between and you are in for a storm of waiting, crowds, confusion, and unpleasantness.

Even if you avoid the crowds for brunch, the wait at Cosmo's is uncanny. Expect at least a 45 minute wait for any food. They have a bloody Mary bar for brunch which is awesome although you should pace yourself; it's going to be a long wait before you get any food to temper your alcohol.

The staff here is strange. I think they help themselves to the bloody Mary bar. For the most part they're very nice, but spaced out and unprofessional. They do not communicate with one another which adds to the chaos.

For brunch I recommend the Leisa's Favorite. It's a small bagel with a side of cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers, lemon, onion, and a dash of caviar (or some kind of fish eggs). It's consistently excellent.

Gouda grits or hash brown casserole are your side options for brunch. They're both great; no going wrong either way. The portions here are a bit small though.

If you come here for lunch or dinner, I've heard the wait isn't quite as bad, although it just depends on how the wind is blowing that day. I don't have a favorite for lunch or dinner, but I haven't had anything bad yet.

There's some outdoor seating at Cosmo's that's very convenient. You're encouraged to bring your dog (maybe to keep folks from losing their minds during the wait). The drawback is that the outdoor seating is in the breezeway of the hallway in front. A lot of unsavory folks wander through the tables smelling of last night's booze and panhandling. It's unsettling.

In short, Cosmo's has great food, a cool space, lousy staff, a long wait, and you may be panhandled while waiting for your food. Such is the charm of Five Points South. :)

I really want to like Cosmos, but I just don't know about this place. I'm willing to give it another try some day, but this experience wasn't too promising.

The pizza is ok. It's hard for me to find a pizza I don't like, but I've definitely had better, especially considering the above average price. It seems they have drink specials, but I can't comment on that because we just got food.

But the most puzzling/weird part of my experience was our waitress. Was she drunk? Or possibly just spaced out? We were trying to figure that one out all night. Maybe just a bad day. But if you are in the mood for great pizza, I'd suggest trying somewhere else first before I settled for Cosmos.

I love this place, and I am heartbroken that they are closing.

I love the pizza, the calzones, and salads. I'm sure everything else on the menu is as yummy, but we have our favorites and we don't try new things.

When my husband and I were first dating, this is where we went for pizza. Then when we got married, it was our Friday night pizza place. It is where I brought our son in his car seat when I just needed to get out of the house and speak to an adult. It's now his favorite place, and where he picked to take me for Mother's Day. Sitting at the table, playing Sorry, is one of my favorite memories ever. I haven't told him it is closing because it will break his heart.

This place. It is memories. It is great food. I will miss it always.

Love love love cosmos! I've been coming here for years and have always been pleased. The pizza is great and they have a solid host of different toppings (from zucchini to alligator sausage) broken out into categories of Regular, Gourmet and Super Fly!!

The atmosphere is really chill and laid back, kinda has a retro diner feel a little bit. Found in 5-Points South, there's great covered outdoor seating (this area is also dog-friendly). If you're into this kinda thing, they even have a decked out Bloody Mary Bar.

The pizza is always great, toppings don't matter... it's just good! I usually treat myself to a hearty calzone which depending on how much meat you get them to pack it with, should be left for consumption only by grown men lol! If you're into brunch, give that a shot as well... Respectable brunch menu too!

All the good food only made even better by some of the most hospitable service you'll ever get! I've had lengthy conversations about anything at all with owners/managers/servers on various visits here. Everybody's always smiling and happy to help!

5 Star Business!

Cosmo's is, first and foremost--and most importantly--really excellent pizza. Their red sauce is well known in and of itself, particularly among Birmingham residents and natives, and the crust is, to my taste, exactly right. They have a very large selection of toppings, from pepperoni (large slices, very flavorful) to alligator sausage to fontina cheese. If you can't find something on their pizza menu that suits you, then I submit that pizza might not be your thing.

Food reviews are sometimes hard to write, because certain places' food has a certain indescribable quality to it; Cosmo's is one such place. The bottom of the crust has that dusting of flour that crust made from fresh dough often has; the cheese is melted exactly enough, and not a bit more or less; the toppings are fresh; and so on and so forth. You really just need to try it for yourself, and you'll see what I mean.

The folks who run the place are nice, good people, and they always seem to genuinely appreciate that one has done business with them rather than one of the other pizza places around this part of town, none of which are as good (Mellow Mushroom, I'm afraid I'm looking at you). Cosmo's is not cheap, but one wouldn't expect it to be--fresh ingredients and independent ownership never are. If you want cheap, there's always Papa John's, but if you want great pizza with a time-tested recipe, you owe it to yourself to give Cosmo's a try.

We went to Cosmo's the other night. I would say we got there about 8:00 P.M. The place was full inside and almost to capacity outside.

I really do not like the Five Points area and rarely go to a restaurant there. The problem I have always had with Cosmo's is that you have to endure a massive vapor cloud of vile smoke to get inside. There is such a ragtag crowd outside along with the smoke that I imagine Cosmo's loses a lot of business. When I first went there years ago, my first inclination was not to go inside and I still feel that way anytime I even have to walk through this area on the way to somewhere else.

This place has not been remodeled in 30 years and the decorations are the same they were 30 years ago. It had been a while since we had been to Cosmo's, but we were drawn in by a coupon. Seems everyone else was too on that Friday night. So, we had to wait a little bit for a table, but not very long.

I ordered a bottle of Grenache/Syrah, but was told that was no longer available. I was told the menu was a year old in a way as if I should be aware of the shortcomings. Well, I say replace the menu. Anyway, I ended up with a Cabernet which was hot. Our wonderful waitress, Leisa, put it in the cooler for a bit to cool it down.

The large cheese pizza came out, I thought, a little under cooked and Leisa took that back also to put back in the oven. All in all, I enjoyed the wine and the pizza, but it was far from the best pizza in town and the wine selection and serving manner are terrible. I would probably not go back to Cosmo's. But knowing how life it, maybe I will be there sometime in the future. I do not plan to do so, however.

I need to add that our waitress, Leisa, was efficient and very helpful.