First things first: there really is a disco ball hanging from the ceiling at Italian Disco, the Atlas Restaurant Group’s latest eatery in its burgeoning Harbor East empire. When we visited in the fall, it started rotating around 8 p.m., adding an extra dash of funk to the festivities. Not that it was needed—we were already having, well, a ball.

Housed in the former home of Bagby Pizza, which felt like a take-out joint, Italian Disco exudes a much more happening vibe than its predecessor. A long bar with circular stools lines one wall; high-top tables and conventional ones fill out the space. Looming above it all is the back half of a vintage Fiat that doubles as a DJ booth on weekends. We loved the classic rock playing on our weeknight visit—Italian Disco is actually a genre of music that originated in Italy in the late ’70s.

Our meal began inauspiciously. The restaurant opened in May, and the service is still rough around the edges. Our waitress didn’t know the answer to several of our questions about the menu and was oddly hesitant to ask the bar or kitchen for answers. We started with fine but unremarkable cocktails, forgettable complementary breadsticks, and an order of fried olives that were far too bready. We barely touched the appetizers (we finished the drinks, of course), which turned out to be a good thing, because everything that followed was fantastic.

Three large turkey meatballs doused in marinara sauce, Parmesan, and basil were beautifully flavored and impressively moist. The sausage and peppers sandwich, while not as spicy as we would have liked, was accompanied by a fistful of terrific fries prepared in peanut oil. A plate of penne pasta, made in-house, was topped with tender blackened chicken in a subtle red sauce that included peas. It was rich, but not overpoweringly so.

But all that served merely as a precursor. The pizza oven is visible from the back, and in it, chef Julian Marucci, whom Italian Disco shares with its across-the-courtyard sister restaurant, Tagliata, produces some of the best pies in the city. Most of the 12-inch varieties cost $14-19 and are worth the dough. The toppings on the Carbonara—bacon, leeks, soft egg, black pepper, and pecorino—were delicious, but the crust was the real star. Thin and impossibly crispy, yet not over-charred, we delighted in each crunchy bite.

Strangely, our second pizza had not emerged from the kitchen by the time we’d finished with our first. It had been burned, our server explained, and another was being prepared. (I applaud this honest approach to an honest mistake.) By then we were already quite full, so there was no panic at the disco.

When the white anchovy pie arrived, we immediately knew it was worth the wait. Devouring a slice of this masterful melding of fragrant fish, peppers, olives, and oregano was a lot like Italian Disco itself: a blast (from the past).

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Italian Disco 1006 Fleet St., 410-605-0444. HOURS: Sun.-Wed. 11 a.m.-midnight; Thur.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. PRICES: Appetizers: $4-19; salads: $11-18; sandwiches: $11-19; entrees: $14-25; pizza: $14-28. AMBIANCE: Upbeat.

Harbor East diners were crust-fallen (pun intended) when Bagby Pizza Co. served its last slice last week. But, happily for patrons, the oven hasn’t had time to cool before the announcement of a new pizza concept.

Atlas Restaurant Group has announced that it will be taking over the former Bagby space with a pizzeria called Italian Disco. The new restaurant, Atlas’s ninth in the neighborhood, is expected to undergo renovations and open in the spring of 2018.

As the name implies, Italian Disco will have an ’80s-theme (think Madonna to Mellencamp). In addition to serving New York-style pies, it will boast a Wurlitzer jukebox stocked with a music catalogue from the decade. The 75-seat space will offer quick-serve lunch options, dinner service, and a late-night menu until 2 a.m. The spot will also have an elevated DJ booth and a full bar featuring 50 draft beers.

“We want this concept to be a fun, casual spot for the neighborhood to enjoy good food and drinks,” says Atlas owner Alex Smith.

Executive chef Julian Marucci of Atlas’s neighboring Tagliata and The Elk Room will be at the helm of the wood-stone oven. In addition to pizza, Marucci will serve classic Italian appetizers, sandwiches, and entrees.

“Our menu will be very approachable and hit a price point option that does not currently exist in Harbor East,” Marucci says. “Nothing on the menu will be higher than $25.”

Although there’s a changing of the guard, the space has already been blessed by family. Smith’s cousin, Blake Smith, previously operated Bagby in the space for 10 years.

Blake, who confirmed Bagby’s closure to us last month, wishes his cousin well.

“Bagby was a great concept and certainly a fun 10 years, but onto other things,” Blake says. “I think you will like what Alex does in there.”