Okay, an 8.1 pizza score already sounds like a dare.
So naturally, they put it on the menu.
After Dave Portnoy dropped that number in May 2026, the shop turned the moment into The Portnoy 8.1.
That alone is enough to make you curious.
But then the arcade starts flashing in the background and suddenly lunch has a whole second personality.
Grab a New York-style slice.
Go thicker with Detroit-style.
Then wander over to the pinball machines and see how long it takes before somebody gets way too competitive.
This Georgia spot knows how to keep the energy up without making the whole visit about one famous score.
The pizza has hype, and the arcade has buttons.
You just bring the appetite and maybe a little unnecessary confidence.
An 8.1 Put This Pizzeria On The One Bite Map
Dave Portnoy reviewed Solar Slice in May 2026 as part of his One Bite series and gave The Portnoy an 8.1.
The exact number is easy to remember because the restaurant turned it into part of the menu.
That makes the review useful as a piece of the shop’s recent history without asking you to agree with someone else’s score.
The One Bite format is simple: Portnoy tries the pizza and gives it a number on a ten-point scale. Solar Slice’s 8.1 became part of the shop’s story, but it does not need a long explanation to work here.
If you follow One Bite reviews, the number may already mean something to you. If you do not, it can simply serve as the reason a particular pizza on the menu has an unusual name.
Either way, your own order still starts with the same basic question: thin New York-style pie, a specialty slice, or one of the thicker Detroit-style options?
The review happened after Solar Slice had already opened in Marietta, and the original Cobb Parkway shop continues to operate.
The better approach is to treat the score as context rather than a verdict.
Try the pizza that interests you, compare styles if you are curious, and leave the judging to your own table.
The Portnoy 8.1 Is Still On The Menu
The pizza tied to that review is not a temporary special.
Solar Slice currently offers The Portnoy 8.1 in both fourteen-inch and twenty-inch sizes.
It is built as an ultra-thin pie and cooked well-done, giving it a different format from the standard New York-style cheese pizza elsewhere on the menu.
That makes it an easy first choice if the score is what brought you through the door.
You can also compare it with the regular cheese pie rather than ordering several heavily topped pizzas at once.
The ordering system includes a well-done option, so extra bake time is available as a customization when that is how you prefer your pizza.
That choice is useful if two people at the table want similar pies prepared a little differently. One can keep the standard bake while the other chooses well-done, which is easier than changing the entire order around one preference.
Keep the first order manageable.
One pie gives you a clear sense of the style without turning the table into a stack of boxes, and a second choice can always follow if the group wants to compare.
If everyone wants something different, slices make that decision easier.
The main point is that the review score is still connected to an actual menu item, not just a framed memory from an earlier visit.
New York-Style Slices Anchor The Pizza Lineup
New York-style pizza forms the center of the menu.
The classic cheese pie uses house-made dough, signature pizza sauce, and mozzarella, and it is available as a full pizza or by the slice.
That flexibility helps when appetites do not match.
A whole pie works for a table sharing the same choice, while slices make it easier to mix flavors without ordering several full pizzas.
Start with cheese if you want the simplest version of the shop’s New York-style format.
From there, you can move toward white, Margherita, Cup N’ Char Hot Honey, birria, Chicken Caesar, Meatlover, Buffalo Chicken, Hawaiian, or other current options.
The menu covers enough ground that trying everything in one stop would be unnecessary.
Choose one or two slices that are far enough apart to feel different.
A cheese slice beside birria, for example, gives you a much broader comparison than ordering several variations built around similar toppings.
That also leaves room for the arcade before deciding whether another slice sounds like a good idea.
If you are eating solo, ordering by the slice keeps the visit especially simple. You can try one New York-style option, decide whether you want another, and avoid committing to a whole pie before you know how hungry you really are.
House-Made Dough Starts The Classic Cheese Pies
The classic cheese pizza begins with dough made in house.
Solar Slice pairs that dough with its signature pizza sauce and mozzarella for both the fourteen-inch and twenty-inch cheese pies.
Those are simple ingredients, which makes the format easy to understand before you move into more elaborate specialty combinations.
If you are choosing between sizes, think about the group first.
A fourteen-inch pie keeps the order smaller, while the twenty-inch version gives a larger table more room to share.
Slices are the easiest route when everyone wants a different flavor.
This is also where a little planning can save unnecessary leftovers.
Check how many people are actually eating before adding a second full pie, especially when Detroit-style pizza or specialty slices are still on the table as possibilities.
The menu is broad enough that ordering everything immediately can make the meal less flexible.
Start with the format you came for, then decide whether another style deserves its own round.
A pizza stop becomes much easier when the second order is based on what the table still wants instead of what looked interesting five minutes earlier.
Specialty Slices Give You More Ways To Order
The specialty section gives you plenty of ways to move beyond plain cheese.
Cup N’ Char Hot Honey combines cup pepperoni with hot honey. The White slice combines mozzarella, fresh garlic, oregano, and ricotta, while Margherita keeps the focus on tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil.
Birria takes the menu somewhere else entirely, with marinated beef, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and a tomato-based consommé for dipping.
Chicken Caesar, Meatlover, Buffalo Chicken, Hawaiian, and spinach-and-mushroom options add still more variety.
That is where ordering slices makes the most sense for a group.
Instead of agreeing on one heavily topped pie, each person can choose something different and keep the meal flexible.
The menu can change, so check the current selection if one specialty is the whole reason for the stop.
Otherwise, use the counter choices as part of the decision.
Pick one familiar slice and one that you would not normally order.
That gives you variety without turning lunch or dinner into a full tasting session.
The next visit can handle whatever you skipped.
If the group is sharing, decide before ordering whether everyone is swapping bites or keeping individual slices. That can prevent duplicate orders while another wanted flavor gets missed.
Detroit-Style Pies Offer A Thicker Alternative
New York-style pizza is not the only format on the menu.
Solar Slice also serves Detroit-style pies baked in deep steel pans.
The standard Detroit Cheese comes in an eight-by-ten-inch format with mozzarella, signature pizza sauce, Pecorino Romano, and cheese extending to the edges of the pan.
That makes it a noticeably different order from the thinner New York-style pies.
If you are sharing, pairing one Detroit pie with a few slices can give the table two formats without ordering several full pizzas.
There is also a Detroit Cup N’ Char Hot Honey option for anyone who wants the thicker pan style with pepperoni and hot honey.
The practical choice comes down to what kind of meal you want.
New York-style slices are easier for mixing flavors one at a time. Detroit-style pizza makes more sense when the group wants one thicker pan pie to share.
You do not need to choose a winner between the two.
They serve different purposes, and having both available in one place simply gives you another way to build the order.
Pizza And Arcade Games Share The Same Marietta Stop
Solar Slice combines its pizza menu with a retro arcade setup featuring pinball, claw machines, and other games.
That makes the stop easy to stretch beyond the time it takes to finish a slice.
Order first, play while the table is waiting, or save the games for after everyone decides whether another slice is happening.
The shop offers dine-in, pickup, delivery, and outdoor seating, so the visit does not have to follow one format.
The original Marietta location is at 497 Cobb Pkwy SE, Marietta, GA 30060.
Solar Slice serves lunch and dinner, but checking current hours before leaving is the better move because posted schedules can change.
If the 8.1 is what caught your attention, The Portnoy is still there.
If not, the regular cheese pie, specialty slices, Detroit-style options, and arcade give you plenty of other directions.
Bring enough appetite to make one decision at a time.
Start thin or thick, plain or specialty, slice or whole pie.
Then let the pinball machine handle the next competition.
The arcade also gives the meal a natural pause. Instead of ordering another slice immediately, step away from the table for a game, come back, and decide whether you are actually still hungry.
It is a small choice, but it keeps the stop relaxed rather than turning every menu option into a challenge.