All-Purpose Pizza serves delicious pizzas and sandwiches on an otherwise unassuming corner of the Central District. I know what else you want to know. How does it compare with that longtime Seattle favorite, Pagliacci?

Well, All-Purpose has a few things to offer that Pagliacci doesn't. First, they deliver at lunchtime, and their delivery area covers parts of South Seattle. And while each brand of pizza has its own pros and cons, APP's sturdy pies travel and reheat better.

I know, because I've eaten them both for breakfast.

All-Purpose Pizza has a beautiful space and an appealing menu. The high-ceilinged restaurant is painted in dark colors, and abstract art hangs on the walls.

The menu features the kind of gourmet pizzas (complete with goofy names) that require a careful choice of toppings and a light hand to apply them, which APP pulls off. Pies include the Feta-Cini (feta, pepperoncini, olives, salami) and the Afternoon Delight (apples, gorgonzola, caramelized onion). Prices are relatively high: $15-$18 for a 12-inch and $19-$24 for a 16-inch.

For lunch, if you're not up to polishing off a whole pie, consider a hot sandwich. APP serves delightfully saucy, messy and cheesy Italian sandwiches. The cashier recommended the All-Purpose Special ($8.50), and I found the mix of prosciutto cotto, pepperoni, mozzarella, spinach, red onion and marinara totally satisfying. The bread was just crusty enough to stay together, which is what you want for this kind of sandwich.

APP, which also offers pastas, has table service at dinner and counter service at lunch; both were speedy and attentive.

Two complaints, both trifling. First, the two TVs. With no big game on, they were distracting me from my prosciutto. Second, the Web site. It's an all-Flash abomination.

But if the worst thing I can say about the place is that it has a lousy Web site, consider APP highly recommended.

Check please:

12-inch Ked's Fave: I love arugula on pizza, especially when the raw leaves are tossed onto the pie just as it comes out of the oven and wilt slightly from the heat of the bubbling cheese. That's the case with Ked's Fave, which starts with an olive-oil-and-garlic base and adds prosciutto, toasted almond slices, crumbled Parmesan and the aforementioned arugula. The almonds are an unexpected but welcome touch, and APP's sourdough crust is crunchy and satisfying, albeit a little dry.

Medium house salad: A nice tangle of greens with tomatoes and mushrooms lightly dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Dipping sauces: This enjoyable trio of dipping sauces includes a creamy blue-cheese dressing, pesto and marinara. I especially liked the marinara, made with red wine.

Itemized bill, meal for two

12-inch Ked's Fave $17.51

Medium house salad $6.00

Dipping sauces $3.00

Root beer $2.00

Tax $2.65

Total $31.16

Matthew Amster-Burton: mamster.reviews@gmail.com