Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1544361
April/May 2026 | maconmagazine.com 95 STORY BY BRAD STEVENS | PHOTOS BY JAVE BJORKMAN T H E Y ' R E F U L L , B U T G E T I N L I N E A N Y W A Y , R E A L LY Ingleside Village Pizza and offered no wasted movements in the harmonious arrangement called dinner service. A genuine cross section of the Central Georgia population was represented as guests, peppered with lively and fun conversation. What an atmosphere! Macon is proud of what Tina and the team at IVP have cultivated and loves to show this gem off to out-of- town visitors. Standing in line with a friend to order, we noticed the eclectic music being played, matching the wild décor. Our table marker, an ode to gluttony, featured a dog who, when asked about fitness, stated an intention of "fitness whole pizza in its mouth." That's comedy gold, I tell ya. Sloppy breadsticks, swimming in N ot to brag, but I've made thousands of pizzas in my day. That was in a relatively short stint as a pizza-maker. The folks at Ingleside Village Pizza have probably put together tens of millions(billions). But, operating a successful independent restaurant, one that the community bothers to give an abbreviation (IVP), is a full-on labor of love. Critical elements include, but are not limited to, endless attention to detail, a genuine love of daily tasks, and the complicated equation of adjusting to achieve consistency. As a youth, I did not realize what went into all these elements: I just knew good pizza, and funky décor. IVP has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager, so let's discuss why. Tina Dickson opened IVP in the summer of 1992, and to my knowledge has remained the owner/operator throughout the run. That's an incredibly impressive streak. The aspect of her operation that I admire most are the familiar faces I see each visit. Employee retention is a sound indicator of an employer operating with the right intentions. I can not stress this point enough. Another admirable aspect of the operation is the curious blend of eccentric décor with local relevancy. Band stickers from a bygone era, disco balls, Elvis memorabilia, folk art, and off- center messaging please the eye while waiting for your pizza pie. My latest visit was on a Saturday night. The restaurant was packed with dine-in guests and folks picking up dinner to go. The staff was engaged garlic butter, is a standard autopilot order for me every visit. We decided to have a salad, to balance the carbohydrate intake. While simple, the salads are fresh, and the dressings are house made. The pizza is served "Macon Style" — meaning there is no shortage of cheese and extras. Dickson describes Macon Style on the menu as "medium thickness, hand tossed with generous toppings." Our Macon Style pizza came out in a timely fashion. We opted for pepperoni and mushroom, but there are tons of topping options, and some are noted as Fancy Schmancy. The dough is consistently flavorful, but in my opinion suffers slightly texture- wise, due to the overloaded toppings. The mozzarella is high-quality whole milk and low moisture. The sauce adds the right tangy tomato herb flavor for balance. Do not sleep on the white pizza, which substitutes ricotta for traditional pizza sauce. For dessert, the "good" brownies are great. The Village Sub is one of Macon's top sandwiches, period. Debate me on this in the street. This place is special, y'all. Shout out to everyone involved. To Tina, the crew, and the city for fervently supporting them for over 30 years — here's to another three decades! Brad Stevens is the culinary director for the Moonhanger Group. He's a son, friend, brother, competent golfer, and Farmer Champion. Looking ahead, Brad hopes to apply his knowledge to mentor young chefs, and advocate for healthy food access in Central Georgia. R E S A U R A N T R E V I E W April/May 2026 | maconmagazine.com 95