Slice of Italy: walked past it for years. Then went in.

Everybody has one. The place you walk past so many times it stops being a place and turns into scenery. For a lot of people in this part of town, that's Slice of Italy at 2123 Belcourt Ave, the little wood-sided building with the red rope lights and the Coca-Cola sign, a block off 12 South.

Went in this week. Should have gone in two years ago.

The order

A large supreme. Pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, black olive, green pepper, red onion, hand tossed. The crust had chew and the bottom held up under the weight, which is the whole test. Nothing swimming in grease. It came out on the stand with a plate and a knife and nobody hovering.

The room

The dining area is a closed-in porch. Wood walls, string lights, clear plastic over the windows so you can watch Belcourt go by and still be warm. There are reserved signs on the long tables, which means groups actually book it, which means the regulars know something.

Why this is the pick

We judge service, not food. The food was great, but that's not why it's on the front page.

Asked for a side of marinara. It was on the table before the sentence was finished. No upcharge, no face, no "let me check." The staff treated the question like it was the most normal thing in the world, because it is, and somehow that's rare now.

That's the difference between a place and a spot. A spot remembers you're a person.

Go

• Where: 2123 Belcourt Ave, Nashville 37212, a block off 12 South
• Hours: Mon–Thu 10 AM–9 PM, Fri–Sat 10–10, Sun 11–9
• Phone: 615-991-1191. They deliver.
• Order: the supreme, then the garlic knots everybody online can't stop talking about
• Decide by: 7 PM and you're eating by 7:30

Nobody paid for this pick. Hank just ate there.

Your turn: What's the place you keep walking past? Name it in The Coop and Hank will go.

*Christ at the center. By the locals, for the locals.*