pizza pre-game @ lilly's

Figuring out the best eats for your out-of-town visitors is important. It's crucial to maintain a consistent, crowd-pleasing list of restaurants and bars as part of playing hostess. Summer is quite possibly the most important time for this, since weekend trips are par for the course this time of year. My little bro announced his intention to visit last Friday morning, so I began the hunt for some spots since I'm still pretty new to the area but could not disappoint.

Every time I've driven to downtown Raleigh, someone in the car has pointed out Lilly's Pizza, a little place in Five Points with plastic chairs outside as the place to go for great pizza. I knew I'd check it out eventually, but since I wanted to take Benj somewhere chill yet filling, we decided it would be great spot to go before a night out in the city. We managed to get a table outside, which made the experience that much better. Dinner outside in the early summer is one of my favorite things since so few nights of the year are really good for it. 

Here's what we got:

The best part is that you can get 1/2 and 1/2... even of the specialty pizzas! Lilly's also has a good selection of beers on tap. From PBR to local craft beers, you will find something you want. Thai Bhat was really unique... I'm glad I tried it for that reason, but eating a pizza with ginger and corn is definitely a strange experience. Not sure if I'd get it again. Dante's Inferno is probably the best BBQ chicken pizza I've had. Lilly's crust is delicious, but it's pretty sweet. I loved it, but I can see how it may not appeal to everyone. All in all, it was a perfect place to fill up before consuming some adult beverages, and the vibe was laid-back and a little offbeat. Mission last-minute hostess = success.