RAINBOW CITY, Ala. — Sometimes the best dining experiences aren’t found along a busy restaurant row or inside a big shopping development. Sometimes you have to get off the main road, head toward the water and cross a little bridge to discover something special.
That’s certainly the case with Little Bridge Pizza in Rainbow City.
Located at Little Bridge Marina, 70 Whorton Bend Road, Little Bridge Pizza combines handcrafted pizza, cold drinks, friendly service and one of the best waterfront settings you’ll find for a casual meal in Etowah County.
We were already familiar with the barbecue at Little Bridge, but the pizza side of this growing destination deserves some attention of its own.
And after spending some time there, we discovered that Little Bridge isn’t simply a place to grab something to eat. It has evolved into a collection of local experiences built around food, the water and community.
Come for the Pizza, Stay for the Cocktails
Let’s start with the reason we came: the pizza is delicious.
Little Bridge Pizza specializes in handcrafted pizzas made with fresh ingredients, and you can taste the difference.
This isn’t a giant chain trying to make hundreds of identical pizzas every hour. There is a small, local feel to the entire experience, from the preparation of the food to the people serving it.
The menu centers around 12-inch specialty pizzas, along with the option to build your own. The Mediterranean Pizza is among the pies that has earned particular attention from customers. Online reviews consistently compliment both the pizza and the relaxed atmosphere. (Restaurantji)
For us, however, a big part of what makes Little Bridge work is the combination of the food and the people.
Our favorite bartender at Little Bridge Pizza is a master at custom cocktails and adds exactly the kind of friendly personality you hope to find at a neighborhood spot like this. A good bartender or server can turn dinner into an experience, and that personal interaction is part of Little Bridge’s charm.
Grab a pizza, order your favorite drink and don’t be afraid to ask what’s good.
Pizza With a Waterfront View
Then there’s the location.
Little Bridge sits at a marina on Neely Henry Lake along the Coosa River, and that’s something you simply can’t duplicate inside a traditional restaurant building.
Guests can enjoy indoor or outdoor seating, including a deck overlooking the water. Reviews frequently mention the riverfront views and sunsets as part of what makes eating there memorable. (Restaurantji)
The marina itself dates to 2014 in its current form, when longtime friends Craig Inzer Jr. and Curt Vezertzis purchased Rainbow Marina and the old Bait Shack property. (Lake Life 24/7 Magazine)
Little Bridge has endured some serious challenges along the way. A devastating fire destroyed the former restaurant in October 2020. Instead of walking away, the owners converted a neighboring building into a larger restaurant with dramatically expanded indoor and outdoor seating.
Inzer described the rebuilt location as having one of the best views on Neely Henry, with sightlines stretching toward Riddles Bend and Southside. (Gadsden Messenger)
It’s difficult to argue with him.
That setting makes Little Bridge equally appealing for a casual date night, meeting friends after work, bringing the family out for pizza or simply sitting near the water with a cold drink as the sun begins to go down.
More Than Pizza
One of the things we like most about what has developed around Little Bridge is that the pizza restaurant isn’t standing by itself.
There’s also Little Bridge BBQ, the part of the operation many people around Etowah County already know.
The BBQ restaurant specializes in smoked meats, homemade sides and daily specials. The broader Little Bridge Marina property includes a full-service bar, catering, a boat ramp and 24-hour pay-at-the-pump non-ethanol gasoline for boaters. (Little Bridge Marina)
That means you can arrive from the road or make Little Bridge part of a day on the water.
The marina setting is especially appropriate considering how important Neely Henry Lake and the Coosa River are to recreation and tourism throughout this part of Northeast Alabama.
And Then There’s the Market
What makes the Little Bridge concept even more interesting is how the property continues to evolve.
The block has grown beyond simply having a marina and restaurants to include a market-style experience where visitors can pick up food and local products to take home.
You can find everything from fresh vegetables and prepared meals to ice cream, treats, craft beer and other specialty items.
That idea actually fits the history of Little Bridge particularly well. Supporting local products has long been part of the marina’s identity. Earlier versions of the operation promoted locally produced honey, pickled products, baked goods, craft beer and other Alabama-made products. Current tourism information still highlights items including homemade jellies and pickled goods, baked goods, craft beers, Frios Pops and other locally flavored offerings. (Gadsden Messenger)
The result is something that feels less like a single restaurant and increasingly like a small food and waterfront destination.
You can come for pizza, return for BBQ, grab something from the market, enjoy a drink, sit by the water or make the marina part of your day on Neely Henry.
That’s a smart vision for a local business because each piece gives customers another reason to return.
A Local Business With a Bigger Vision
The evolution of Little Bridge also says something about its ownership.
Inzer and Vezertzis didn’t simply purchase a marina and leave it unchanged. Over the years, the property has evolved through restaurants, outdoor dining, entertainment, boating services and other complementary offerings.
Even after the 2020 fire destroyed the restaurant, they rebuilt rather than retreating. The replacement restaurant nearly tripled the indoor capacity of the former location and greatly expanded outdoor seating. (Gadsden Messenger)
Inzer also brings an economic-development perspective to the operation. In addition to being a business owner, he has served as an Etowah County Commissioner and has been involved in regional business and community organizations. (Yellowhammer News)
Little Bridge is a good example of what can happen when an entrepreneur begins looking at a property not simply as one business, but as a destination with several experiences that complement one another.
A Little Bridge Between Two Growing Communities
There’s even an interesting story behind the name.
The historic bridge on Alabama 77 connecting Rainbow City and Southside is locally known as the Little Bridge. The crossing has connected the two Etowah County communities for generations. (Lake Life 24/7 Magazine)
Today, the restaurant and marina carrying that familiar local name sit in an interesting part of Etowah County’s growth story.
Rainbow City grew from 9,610 residents in 2010 to 10,197 in 2020, while neighboring Southside increased from 8,453 to 9,441, a 10.5% increase. Glencoe and Hokes Bluff also posted population gains during that decade. (City of Gadsden)
That growth matters to local restaurants and entrepreneurs.
More residents mean more potential customers, but locally owned places like Little Bridge also give people another reason to choose a community in the first place.
Great Finds Make Etowah County Special
That’s really the bigger story for us.
Part of the fun of traveling throughout this region is discovering places that you may have driven past dozens of times without realizing what was waiting just around the corner.
Little Bridge Pizza is one of those places.
And it’s part of what makes Etowah County increasingly interesting.
Gadsden continues working to reinvent and strengthen itself as the county’s urban center. Rainbow City and Southside have experienced population growth. Glencoe and Hokes Bluff have also grown, while Attalla remains an important piece of the county’s commercial and transportation network. Together, these communities form a connected Gadsden-Etowah metropolitan area rather than a collection of completely separate towns. (City of Gadsden)
Restaurants and locally owned businesses play an important role in that story.
Major developments may grab the headlines, but sometimes the things that make people love a community are much simpler:
A great pizza.
A bartender who remembers you.
A cold drink.
Fresh local food.
A sunset over the water.
And a place you can’t wait to tell somebody else about.
So the next time you’re heading toward Rainbow City, Gadsden or Southside, take the turn toward Whorton Bend Road and see what you find.
At Little Bridge, you may discover that BIG flavor really does come from a little place by the water.
Little Bridge Pizza
Location: 70 Whorton Bend Road, Rainbow City, AL 35906
Setting: Little Bridge Marina on Neely Henry Lake/Coosa River
Pizza Kitchen: Current listings show Wednesday–Friday, 4 p.m.–9 p.m.
Phone: (256) 442-7788