Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza

Location: There are 4 in and around the DC metro area, but we like the one in the heart of Columbia Heights, right next to the metro.
Why: Locally owned and outsourced to nearby farms for fresh produce, Pete’s has a fresh taste and a lot of options that have been specially designed for your satisfaction. You can order by the slice, by the pie, or for yourself – and all of their items are delicious.
We suggest: Sorbillo’s Original – a personal pizza turnover stuffed with homemade sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, and salami. It’s their salute to the “birthplace of pizza” and it is amazing. Photo courtesy of washingtoncitypaper.com

_________________________

&pizza

Location: Quite a few in and around the district, check out their website to find the one closest to you.
Why it’s on the list: To reiterate our last post: it’s basically like Chipotle but for PERSONAL PIZZAS: Choose your dough, 8 different sauces, 20 different toppings, get it fresh oven baked, and add even more cold topping options on top of that.
We suggest trying: A “Build-Your-Own” pizza. You can’t go wrong when you build it yourself. But if you want to try one of their creations, we like the Kiss & Fire – a spicy, sweet take on the classic pie.

_________________________

2AMYS

Location: 3715 Macomb St NW
Whats the bfd: The two Amys behind 2AMYS know what they are doing. And what they know is authentic Neopolitan pizza. And not just let’s-pretend-it-is-so-we-make-sales-authentic. REAL authentic. So authentic, in fact, that the Italian government has granted their pizza DOC (a traditional food worthy of preservation) because it uses the proper ingredients to create their perfect pies, as according to Italian pizza authorities (which exist).
TL;DR: their pizza is indeed a bfd. Trust.
We obviously suggest trying: The Neopolitan.  Photo courtesy of zagat.com

_________________________

Duccinis

Location: 1778 U St NW
This place is great because: It’s the OG pizzeria. Duccini’s has been around since 1988, making it the oldest pizza delivery service in the city. Not to mention the fact that they’re also constantly ranked in the top tiers of street-style pizza slices around. Gotta give credit to the folks who have stuck around for so long while other pizzerias have tried to compete.
We suggest: one of their big slices. And we mean big.

_________________________

District of Pi

Location: 910 F St NW (right across the street from Ultrabar)
Why: Happy hour pizzas! And good ones, too. (They also have a great craft beer selection, but we’re not including that in our decision since this list is strictly pizza-based). Deep dish cornmeal crust or classic thin crust – District of Pi has a cool menu that’s sure to satisfy anyone’s pizza palette.
Our fav: The deep dish Delmar. A bbq spin on the traditional pizza, complete with roasted peppers, red onion, and grilled chicken.  Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com

_________________________

Italian Kitchen on U

Location: 1110 U St NW
Reasoning: Did you know that Seamless (the very popular online food ordering service, for those of you who don’t know) has an award called “Just Like Mom’s Food”? Because they DO. And this place won first place. An entire city worth of online food orderers can’t be wrong.
Go hard or go home: The Supremo has it all – caramelized onions, peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, sausage, and more.  Photo courtesy of yelp.com

_________________________

Ledo’s

Location: It’s primary locations are mostly in Maryland, BUT: 7435 Georgia Avenue NW is just into the DC border, so we’re allowed to put it on this list.
Why is it on here: Have you ever tried one of their pizzas? The crust alone should be enough of a selling point (They’re square ’cause they don’t cut corners!) not just because of it’s ample rectangular size, but it’s flaky texture. They also slice their pepperoni thick and it honestly makes all the difference. You end up eating their little square slices like chips.
You need to try: The pepperoni cheese pizza. Get a size that’s big enough to share, you will not be disappointed.  Photo courtesy of yelp.com

_________________________

Menomale

Location: 2711 12th St NE
Why: The owners are not only great people, but also certified Pizzialos by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, based in Naples, Italy. Basically: they are NO JOKE, you guys. And neither is their amazing pizza.
We suggest trying: the Chef’s Special “Di Ettore” because any certified pizza chef’s special HAS to be good.  Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com

_________________________

Pizzeria Paradiso

Location: There are actually 3, but we like the one in Georgetown at 3282 M Street NW
Why: Pizzeria Paradiso was created to give proper attention to what the owners believed to be a forgotten part of pizza in DC: the crust. “We developed a dough that would respond to our oven the way we dreamed. We let our dough rise slowly, work it by hand, lightly grace it with the finest quality toppings, finish it with extra virgin olive oil and cook it in our beloved oven.” There is LOVE in these pizzas, guys. And you can taste it.
What you should try: Anything that has both the signature crust and Paradiso sauce – the combo is amazing.  Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com

_________________________

–  OUR FAVORITE  –

Wiseguy NY Pizza

Location: 300 Massachusetts Ave NW
Because: It’s NEW YORK PIZZA. A good 65% of DC residents hail from the northeast and they can attest to the authenticity of the New York pizza this place serves (and if not, then you will never hear the end of how “New York pizza is the best, though” blah blah blah WE GET IT). To be honest, this place should have been included on the late night list AND the hidden gems. Our apologies.
We suggest trying: Anything and everything. It’s all good.  Photo courtesy of dc.eater.com

_________________________